Cubsat MarCO repeats Pale Blue Dot shot

The first photograph taken by one of the Mars Cube One (MarCO) satellites as part of an engineering procedure to verify the correctness of the deployment of a narrow antenna. The Earth and the Moon are visible in the center of the image, on the right there is an expanded pointed antenna and a shadow from the antenna power supply. In the center left is the antenna power supply, bottom and top there is a heat-protective coating. Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech. On May 9, 2018,

on February 14, 1990, NASA sent the Voyager 1 device a command to turn around and take photographs of the planets of the solar system. One of the photos was a classic portrait of the Earth from a distance of about 6.05 billion km. The cult picture was called Pale Blue Dot , that is, a "pale blue dot." If you look closely, then in the grainy photoin the halo of sunlight, you can see one blue dot, which is slightly distinguished from the general background. This is our native planet, the cradle of mankind.

Now a similar photo was sent by Mars Cube One (MarCO) - a cubic mini-satellite of the CubeSat class (Cubsat), which is on the way to Mars. This picture was taken from a much closer distance, so in the frame you can see separately both the Earth and the Moon. They do not merge into one pixel, as in the classic Pale Blue Dot.

Apparently, with the help of this photo, NASA marks a solemn event : on May 8, 2018, MarCO was more than 1 million kilometers away from Earth.

In fact, the Mars Cube One is not one, but two identical cubic devices that accompany the InSight (Interior Investigations Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) landing module sent to Mars. MarCO-A and MarCO-B are the first mini-satellites of this form factor, sent outside the Earth's orbit.

This shot was taken with the MarCO-B, which NASA engineers affectionately call Wall-E. He used a fisheye camera and shot the first frame on May 9, 2018, that is, on the fourth day after launch. Ahead of the satellites and the landing module is still a long road to the Red Planet. The photo was taken during the engineering check that the narrowly directed antenna of the device correctly deployed. The spots of the Earth and the Moon have become a nice bonus in the technical picture.

“Take this as an expression of our respect for Voyager,” said Andy Klesh, chief engineer at MarCO's NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California. JPL has built these satellites, and is now in charge of mission management. “Cubs have never gone so far into space, so this is a big milestone.” Both of our cubsats are healthy and functioning properly. We look forward to reaching even further distances. ”


NASA Engineer Checks Mars Cube One (MarCO) Satellite Before Launch

The two MarCOs are the first cubsats ever launched into deep space. Most of these satellites never remain in orbit below 800 km above the Earth. Initially, these simple and cheap devices were designed to teach students how to design satellites, but now they are a mature commercial technology and are actively used in science and business.

The Cubs fly with the InSight spacecraft, which will attempt to land on Mars on or about November 26, 2018. As you know, each landing on the surface of Mars is a very risky event, including because of the extremely rarefied atmosphere. When InSight leaves for landing, the cubsat will continue to monitor it and send to the Earth observation data about entry into the atmosphere and landing.

A key element for successful broadcasts is high gain antennas. Now MarCO mission engineers have received confirmation that the antennas have been successfully deployed, but their testing will continue in the coming weeks.

InSight itself will not use cubesats as transponders for Earth transmissions. This work is assigned to another NASA orbiter - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. So, in Martian orbit, cubsats play the role of trackers, checking the operability of ultra-small satellites in deep space, including the reliability of antennas, a radio transmitter, and a propulsion system.

According to the official website of the MarCO mission , during May, maneuvers for correcting the trajectory are planned - these are the first such maneuvers ever performed by kubsats.