TODAY NASA AND THE WORLD CELEBRATED BY RELIVING THOSE HISTORIC MOMENTS AGAIN, RIGHT
HERE AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
NASA IS PLANNING TO GO BACK TO
THE MOON IN FIVE YEARS, WITH THE
HOPES OF USING THAT AS A JUMPING
OFF POINT TO GO TO MARS AND
BEYOND.
BEFORE WE WENT TO THE MOON 50
YEARS AGO, WE SENT ROBOTS THERE
AND NASA IS GETTING READY TO DO
THE SAME THING FOR MARS.
NEWS 6 SPACE EXPERT ERIK von
ANCKEN GOT A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT
THE MARS 2020 ROVER ALL THE WAY
OVER IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.
>> Reporter: I KNOW YOU HAVE
SEEN THE MOVIE "THE MARTIAN,"
MATT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T,
IT SEEMS PRETTY REALISTIC,
GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD ON THE
SURFACE OF MARS AND GENERATING
YOUR OWN OXYGEN.
BUT WOULD IT REALLY WORK?
HOW DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?
THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY, AT LEAST
THAT’S WHAT THE ENGINEERS ARE
SAYING.
GO THERE BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GO
THERE.
>> WE ARE GOING.
>> WE’RE GOING.
>> WE ARE GOING.
>> Reporter: NASA’S UPBEAT
ARTEMIS PROMO VIDEO LAYS OUT THE
PLAN TO GET BACK TO THE MOON AND
ONE DAY MARS.
>> WE’RE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING AN
ENTIRELY NEW APPROACH TO LANDING
AND OPERATING ON THE MOON.
>> Reporter: BUT THERE’S ONE
KEY, CRITICAL COMPONENT IT
DOESN’T COVER, SOMETHING THAT
HAS TO HAPPEN FIRST BEFORE
ANYONE CAN SET FOOT ON MARS.
SOMETHING HAS TO MAKE SURE THAT
SOMEONE CAN LAND AND LIVE HERE
ON MARS.
NASA’S CURIOSITY ROVER WAS
LOWERED DURING ON THE SURFACE OF
MARS AND EVER SINCE HAS BEEN
EXPLORING THE SURFACE.
THE NEXT LOOK AT MARS WILL BE
LONGER AND HEAVIER AND LOOK
BELOW THE SURFACE.
>> THIS IS WHERE NASA’S JET
PROPULSION LABORATORY IN
CALIFORNIA, THE SAME SPOT WHERE
NASA BUILT ALMOST ITS ROVERS AND
ORBITERS, AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
THE OTHER PLANS.
>> LANDER SURVEYOR HELPED US GET BACK TO THE MOON. >> QUICK NOTE, THEY’RE TAKING
THE WHEELS OFF OR UNCOVERING THE
WHEELS.
>> Reporter: OUR NEWS CAMERAS --
>> YOU DON’T GET TO CALL AAA TO
COME FIX YOUR FLAT.
>> A MACHINE TO SAMPLE IT, PULL
THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE CARBON
DIOXIDE, A DRILL TO CUT INTO THE
ROCK AND CONTAINERS TO STORE
THINGS.
AND A MICROPHONE TO FIND OUT
WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE AND 23 H.D.
CAMERAS.
>> THIS HELPS US MAKE A CASE
THAT WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT ON
THE SURFACE.
>> Reporter: SHE’S NOW THE
DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST ON THE
PROJECT ROVER.
AFTER CURIOSITY LEFT EARTH IS
WHEN WORK STARTED ON THIS ROVER.
IT’S ALMOST BEEN A DECADE IN THE
MAKING SHE SAYS.
>> BEHIND THIS ARE 300
SCIENTISTS AND THOUSANDS OF
ENGINEERS.
>> Reporter: THE TEAM DESIGNED
AND BUILT ALL OF THE ROVER
HARDWARE YOU SEE HERE AND THE
SOFTWARE TO GET IT TO MARS AND
OPERATED AND THEY TESTED EVERY
BIT OF IT.
TO MAKE SURE IT WILL WORK AFTER
THE SEVEN-MONTH JOURNEY.
AFTER EACH PIECE IS PUT TOGETHER
INSIDE THIS CAVERNESS ASSEMBLY
FACILITY, IT IS SHIPPED OFF OR
MORE SPECIFICALLY TRUCKED OFF TO
THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
THIS FRAME YOU SEE HERE, VERY
ESPECIALLY DESIGNED IS GOING TO
CARRY THE SHELL, THE COVER OF
THE SPACECRAFT FIRST TO DENVER
AND THEN EVENTUALLY TO THE SPACE
COAST.
NASA IS TARGETING A LAUNCH NEXT
JULY.
THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE 2020
ROVER BUT ONLY IF EVERYTHING IS
PERFECT.
A MINOR MISCALCULATION CAN
RESULT IN A $2 BILLION LOSS.
>> NOT TO MENTION THE LOSS OF
ALL OF THOSE HOURS THAT WENT
INTO IT.
IT’S NOT JUST THE ROVER COMING
TO THE SPACE CENTER, IT’S MUCH
OF THE SUPPORT TEAM.
THEY WERE HERE FOR THE LAST
LAUNCH OF THE LAST ROVER AND
THEY’LL BE HERE FOR THE NEXT
LAUNCH WHEN IT GOES UP IN JULY.
THE OTHER THING THEY HAVE TO DO
IS REALLY CONTROL IT ONCE IT
GETS TO MARS.
A LOT OF IT IS PROGRAM BUT
THAT’S REALLY WHEN THE WORK
BEGINS.
ONCE IT TOUCHES DOWN, THEY HAVE
TO DRIVE IT AROUND, THEY HAVE TO
DO THE EXPERIMENTS AND THE ONE
WHERE THEY’LL DRILL INTO THE
ROCK AND DROP IT INTO THOSE
CONTAINERS.
THE PLAN IS, THEY’RE GOING TO GO
AND PICK UP THE CONTAINERS ON A
FUTURE MISSION WHICH HAS NOT
EVEN BEEN SCHEDULED.
THEY WANT TO TRY TO DO TWO MORE
ROVER MISSIONS LIKE THE ONE IN
JULY.