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VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Phoebe Zimmermann with the VOA Special Englishprogram EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about the latest efforts byAmerica’s space agency to explore the planet Mars. The first of twoMars exploration vehicles was launched June tenth. Another Marsrover vehicle is expected to be launched June twenty-fifth.
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VOICE ONE:
Our report about the launch of the Mars Exploration Rover beginswith a nine-year-old girl named Sofi Collis. She was born inSiberia, Russia and lived in a home for children who have noparents. At age two, she was brought to the United States by LauriCollis who became her mother. Sofi now lives in the southwesterncity of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sofi Collis entered and won a contest to name the two MarsExploration Rovers. Her suggestion was among ten-thousand names thatwere entered.
The names of the two Mars Exploration vehicles became official onJune eighth. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe said the namessuggested by Sofi Collis explain the task of the two NASA flights.The names are “Spirit” and “Opportunity.”
VOICE TWO:
At the naming ceremony, Sofi Collis read the reasons why shesuggested the names. She said, “I used to live in an orphanage. Itwas dark and cold and lonely. At night, I looked up at the sky andfelt better. I dreamed I could fly there. In America, I can make allmy dreams come true. Thank you for the “Spirit” and the”Opportunity.”
The Mars Exploration Rover named Spirit was launched Tuesday. ButSofi’s dream of flying has not ended. She now wants to become anastronaut.
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VOICE ONE:
The Spirit rover was launched fromCape Canaveral, Florida. NASA officials said the launch was almostperfect. Mars rover project manager Pete Theisinger said officialswere extremely happy with the launch. Scientists on Earth willperform several tests during the next few months. The tests willinspect many of the rover’s systems.
The scientists will have six chances to change or correct theflight path of the spacecraft. They may do this to make sure therover arrives at the right place to begin landing.
Plans call for the Spirit rover to land on Mars on Januaryfourth, two-thousand-four. NASA has chosen two scientificallyinteresting landing areas for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers toexplore the surface of Mars.
The Spirit rover will land in an area that may have once been alake. The area is called the Gusev Crater. It is fifteen degreessouth of the Martian equator.
The Opportunity rover will land onthe opposite side of Mars at the end of January. It will land in anarea called the Meridiani Planum. It is an area that shows evidenceof minerals that usually form in liquid water. This is close to theMartian equator and halfway around the planet from the landing areaof Spirit. Each Mars Exploration Rover will examine its landing areafor evidence of past liquid water activity.
Each will also look for past environmental conditions that couldhave supported life. NASA officials say the two areas are verydifferent and will provide two kinds of evidence about liquid waterin the history of Mars.
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VOICE TWO:
Ed Weiler is a NASA official for space science. Mister Weilersaid landing on Mars is very difficult, especially on some parts ofthe planet. He said NASA officials had to choose areas that hadscientific value when making the decision about where to land therovers. He said they also had to consider the safety of the Marsrovers when choosing a landing area. Mister Weiler says NASAofficials have done everything they can to make sure the rovers havethe best chance of success.
VOICE ONE:
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers should enter the atmosphere ofMars next January. At first, they will slow down in the upperatmosphere of Mars using a flat protective device called a heatshield. The shield protects against the fierce heat caused by thegreat speed of the spacecraft.
A parachute will then deploy toslow the spacecraft. Huge balloon air bags will deploy when it nearsthe surface of Mars. The balloons will cause the rovers to bouncealong the ground until they slow down. The balloons will alsoprotect the rovers. Experts say the rovers may bounce as many astwelve times and travel as far as one kilometer before they come torest.
When the spacecraft stop, the air will be released from theballoons. Then the spacecraft will open. This will bring the roversinto a standing position.
The rovers will immediately begin using their cameras tobroadcast pictures of the immediate area. It will then leave thespacecraft and move away to begin exploring the surface of Mars.
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VOICE TWO:
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers each weigh aboutone-hundred-eighty kilograms. They are expected to travel as many asforty meters each Martian day. They are expected to last at leastninety Earth days but could continue longer depending on thecondition of the two vehicles.
One of the major problems the two rovers face is the extreme coldof the Martian night. The coldest atmospheric nighttime temperaturethey can expect is about one-hundred degrees below zero Celsius.Special heater devices will help keep the rover’s electronic andscience equipment protected from the extreme cold.
VOICE ONE:
Each rover carries five scientific instruments. They also carryspecial tools that can cut away the surface of rocks. These toolsare used to expose the inside of rocks for examination. Each rovercarries special cameras. The rovers will take photographs of theminerals inside the rocks. The cameras will also be used to choosethe most interesting rocks for inspection.
The rovers also carry an instrument called the Thermal EmissionSpectrometer. This instrument will examine the area to identifydifferent kinds of minerals. A major goal of this device is to findunusual minerals that are formed by the action of water. Thespectrometer will also be used with the rover’s camera to choose newareas to explore.
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The rovers also carry an instrument called the MossbauerSpectrometer. It is used to examine rocks for evidence of mineralsthat contain iron. It will help scientists learn if water was partof the formation of these minerals. This device is a very smallversion of devices used by scientists to study rocks and soil onEarth.
Another instrument carried by both rovers is called theMicroscopic Imager. This device examines soil and rocks to find outhow those rocks and soil were formed. For example, the size andshape of very small rocks and soil will show how they were moved andplaced in the area being inspected.
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VOICE ONE:
The scientific devices and the cameras on the Spirit andOpportunity will provide photographs and measurements each day.Scientists will command the vehicles to go to rock and soil targetsof interest and to study them. The first rock and soil studies willbe near the landing areas. But later studies will be done as farfrom the landing areas as possible. During the three months ofplanned exploration the rovers are expected to travel almost onekilometer to search for evidence of water.
NASA officials say that the equipment carried on each of therovers is almost equal to a geologist – a scientific expert on soiland rocks. These mechanical geologists will move across the surfaceof Mars searching for the most interesting soil and rocks toexamine.
VOICE TWO:
Cathy Weitz is a Mars Exploration Rover program scientist at NASAheadquarters. She says the rovers are NASA’s effort to understandthe importance of water on Mars. She says the rovers will be used tofind rocks and soil that could provide evidence about wetenvironments in the history of the planet.
Orlando Figueroa is the director of the Mars Exploration programat NASA. He says NASA sees the Spirit and Opportunity as the firststeps in Mars exploration for the next ten years. He added that therovers will provide the knowledge necessary for human exploration ofMars in the future.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Paul Thompson and produced by MarioRitter. Audio assistance was provided by Sulaiman Tarawaley. This isSteve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week foranother EXPLORATIONS program in Special English on the Voice ofAmerica.