The article titled “A New Year Around the Sun” from The Planetary Society is about the various space exploration events that have occurred in 2021 and what to expect in the future. The article provides an overview of the missions and discoveries, emphasizing the significant progress in our understanding of the solar system and beyond.
In 2021, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity successfully landed on Mars. The Perseverance Rover is on a mission to explore Jezero Crater, which scientists believe was once filled with water, making it a potential site for ancient life. The Ingenuity helicopter, a technology demonstration, has successfully conducted multiple flights, proving that powered, controlled flight is possible on Mars.
China’s Tianwen-1 mission also successfully landed the Zhurong rover on Mars, making China the second country in history to land and operate a rover on the Martian surface. The rover is exploring Utopia Planitia, a large impact basin on Mars.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission has collected samples from asteroid Bennu and is now on its way back to Earth. The mission aims to help scientists understand the early solar system and the potential threats posed by near-Earth objects.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was also launched at the end of 2021. It is the most powerful space telescope ever built and is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth.
In terms of events to look forward to, NASA plans to launch the Artemis I mission in 2022 as part of their plan to return humans to the Moon. Artemis I will be an uncrewed test flight intended to demonstrate the capabilities of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The Artemis program also aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will also be launching the BepiColombo spacecraft to Mercury in 2022. BepiColombo will study the surface and internal structure of Mercury to better understand the planet’s origin and evolution.
In conclusion, the article highlights the progress made in space exploration in 2021 and the exciting missions to look forward to in the future. From the successful Mars missions by NASA and China, to the anticipated return of samples from asteroid Bennu and the planned Artemis and BepiColombo missions, the future of space exploration looks promising.
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