0:00:35 > 0:00:37Hello!
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And welcome to the UK Space Cluster here in Harwell, Oxfordshire.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Our robotic friend here is called Rimmer, and he's an intelligent robot
0:00:44 > 0:00:48that's testing software that might one day run on the surface of Mars.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But of course, we've already got robots on the Red Planet.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53The most recent and most powerful of them,
0:00:53 > 0:00:58curiosity, is celebrating its first year on the Martian surface.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01We'll be taking a look at the highlights from that first year,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04but also finding out what it will take to get humans to
0:01:04 > 0:01:06survive on the Red Planet.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Chris North will be meeting some of Rimmer's family, and Pete Lawrence
0:01:09 > 0:01:13will be giving us tips about how to take part in the Moore Moon Marathon.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16But first, we're off to Mars.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24Mars. The Red Planet, and object of our fascination.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Since the 1960s, we've sent numerous spacecraft, landers,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and robots, all trying to tell us
0:01:33 > 0:01:38more about a world which might once have been like Earth.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Long ago, billions of years,
0:01:40 > 0:01:45we think there were seas on Mars, and even a thick atmosphere.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47But Mars lost its magnetic field,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52leaving it exposed to the corrosive power of the solar wind.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55It seems that most of its atmosphere was stripped away
0:01:55 > 0:01:58in the first billion years.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The oceans have long since disappeared,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04leaving a seemingly dry and dusty world.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But is it dead?
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Like detectives to a crime scene, we are sending missions to
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Mars to find evidence that the conditions for life once existed.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Chris and I have come to the Catapult Centre at Harwell.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23We're going to start our exploration of Mars by talking
0:02:23 > 0:02:27about the European spacecraft Mars Express.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31It celebrates 10 years of amazing stereo images which should
0:02:31 > 0:02:33look great on the video wall.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Anu Olja, from the National Space Centre, joins us,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42as well as Louisa Preston, a planetary geologist.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45They use spacecraft images to tell us what Mars is like now
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and investigate how these features may have formed.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The real joy of Mars Express is that over its 10 years,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56we've seen pretty much all of the planet.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58We get a global view of what's going on.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Now, this isn't a Mars Express image, this is from Viking,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03but you can see Mars in all its glory.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06The volcanoes here, and there's so much more here, isn't there, Anu?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Yeah, it's a gorgeous image.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We've got this enormous crack in Mars' crust.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13This is Valles Marineris.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17It's 4,000 kilometres long, and this really brings
0:03:17 > 0:03:21home how on Mars, it's as if plate tectonics were struggling to
0:03:21 > 0:03:24get started, but the internal heat engine that was driving
0:03:24 > 0:03:28the system on Earth, the parallel on Mars never got enough energy
0:03:28 > 0:03:30to really kick off the process.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And what's really nice is that Valles Marineris, of course,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34anyone can see through a small telescope,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36so it's really something to get out and have a look at.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39But we've selected some images from Mars Express.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40So, let's have a zoom-in now,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and look at some of the particular features on the surface.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46This is impressive. Where are we, and what are we looking at?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48A region called Candor Chasma.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And what I love about this image is that
0:03:50 > 0:03:52although we've got this giant rift valley,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55when we start to look closely here, we get images that we
0:03:55 > 0:03:59think are associated with flowing water, billions of years ago.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01The stuff that makes us really interested is what you
0:04:01 > 0:04:04see on the edges of these valleys, all these gullies.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07So, on Earth, we get gullies because of flowing water.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10So, these might have been carved by past water activity, which is
0:04:10 > 0:04:12obviously very interesting for us.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14So, how old is this landscape?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16When did Valles Marineris form,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and when would there have been water flowing down its sides?
0:04:19 > 0:04:21This would have been very early in Mars' history.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24This would have been 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27So, this is an ancient Martian landscape.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30However, some of the gullies have been identified as being much
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- more recent in origin, am I right, Louisa?- Yes!
0:04:32 > 0:04:36We've done time-lapse images over a period of a year and you
0:04:36 > 0:04:38can see deposits, light-tone deposits,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40that are potentially related to water, that come and go
0:04:40 > 0:04:44with the season, so there might still be activity in the
0:04:44 > 0:04:47water sense, underneath the surface that's coming out in these gullies.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49So, where are we now?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52This is a crater called Holden Crater and geologically,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- this is an absolute treasure trove of geological discovery.- Yes.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59No, absolutely. I mean, you can see impact craters.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Now, this whole area as one giant impact crater,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03but you've got smaller impact craters inside the larger one,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05so it can help you to date it.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08You know that the craters inside the large one are obviously younger.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11So, you know that area is younger, which is really interesting.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13And we have evidence of potential river systems.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16We assume that they could be carved by water simply because
0:05:16 > 0:05:18they look like things we see on Earth,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19and that's our point of reference.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22How well does that intuition hold up when you go to Mars?
0:05:22 > 0:05:23It holds up really well.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Actually, Mars can tell us a lot about the Earth as well.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28The problem is, when we see river channels on Earth,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30we've trees in the way, plants, buildings,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32we've got so many things actually in the way.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35So, we only get a general idea of what river channels are doing.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38You study Mars, you recognise them, and you learn an awful lot more.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40So, this is the geologists' favourite planet,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42there is no biology, there's no...
0:05:42 > 0:05:45No, absolutely, this is a geologist's playground, it's brilliant.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48If we go to the next image, then you'll see a close-up of, well,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49look at that!
0:05:49 > 0:05:52That must be an ancient... It looks like the riverbed to me.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It looks like I'm about to get my feet wet.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Is that's what I'm looking at?
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Yes, you're basically looking at an extremely large river channel
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and you can see all the different evidence of different flood
0:06:02 > 0:06:03episodes, different river episodes,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07you can see circular patterns that might be evidence of ghost craters
0:06:07 > 0:06:10that were once there and there have been covered with sediments since.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Next image, where are we going next? Oh, yes! Now, this one.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Now, this is about the same scale, isn't it?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18This is what I like to think of as effectively one of the largest
0:06:18 > 0:06:20skating rinks in the solar system.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25It's a crater about 35 kilometres across in the Martian High Arctic.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28We've got water-ice as, effectively, a lake here,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and then on the edges here, it's probably water-frost,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33or it's water-ice, that's been left there.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35And of course, this is why Mars fascinates us so much.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39We've all of these features that we've seen geologically that suggest
0:06:39 > 0:06:42that billions of years ago, we had running water on Mars's surface,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45which couldn't happen now, the air pressure's too low.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So, we need to try to understand,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49A - what happened to Mars' atmosphere to change it
0:06:49 > 0:06:52from this much more Earth-like world in the past?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54And, B - if it lost its atmosphere,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57what happened to the water content,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01which is one of the other key foci of Mars Express?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04And of course, Mars Express has found a lot of
0:07:04 > 0:07:06frozen water on the planet and I was reading that
0:07:06 > 0:07:10if the water was now to melt in all the craters, it would form
0:07:10 > 0:07:13an ocean that was about 11 metres deep, which I think is a lovely way
0:07:13 > 0:07:17of visualising the potential of Mars if it only had the atmosphere again.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22As incredible as spacecraft images are,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26nothing beats getting on the surface.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Robots have been scratching and sniffing Mars since 1976, looking
0:07:31 > 0:07:36for evidence of water and organics, the building blocks of life.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41Curiosity is NASA's latest mission, which landed a year ago.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45It's the size of a small car with a plutonium power pack
0:07:45 > 0:07:49and a whole suite of amazing instruments.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Its arrival at Mars was incredible and described as
0:07:53 > 0:07:57"seven minutes of terror" with a landing platform,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59jet thrusters, and a sky crane.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00The relief and jubilation
0:08:00 > 0:08:05when it touched down and opened its stereoscopic eyes was immense.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- MISSION CONTROL: - 'Touchdown confirmed.'
0:08:08 > 0:08:11This is the panorama of the landing site.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14You can see Mount Sharp far off in the distance,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and also the scars left on the surface
0:08:17 > 0:08:19from where Curiosity came down.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Now, since landing, the rover hasn't travelled very far,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24one kilometre across the surface, in fact.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27But even so, the rover has been incredibly busy.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It has. The reason it's taken so long to get going is
0:08:30 > 0:08:33because it had to test out all of the instruments that it has on board.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37One of the first to get a workout was its famous laser,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41situated atop the mast and used for vaporising rocks.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42It worked brilliantly,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and the team have been happily zapping things on Mars ever since.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50There's also been a workout for the two metre-long robotic arm.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51It's been stretched and flexed
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and the movements have been checked and tested.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57But in February, Curiosity tested what is probably its most
0:08:57 > 0:09:01exciting tool, the drill that sits on the end of the robotic arm.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The drill allows us to get beneath the surface, taking samples from
0:09:05 > 0:09:09the insides of rocks for the first time on a planet other than Earth.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Ultimately, Curiosity has its sights set on the foothills
0:09:12 > 0:09:15of Mount Sharp, eight kilometres away.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But en route, it's been going through some incredibly
0:09:18 > 0:09:19interesting science.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24John Bridges, from Leicester University, works on CheMin,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28the instrument which analyses rocks and soil, telling us what
0:09:28 > 0:09:30they're made of and in particular,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33if the conditions for life are there.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Curiosity is sending back stunning panoramas.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39John and Louisa join us
0:09:39 > 0:09:43to analyse the latest stage of this incredible journey.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Well, this is the marvellous view from inside Gale Crater,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49from Curiosity's recent image.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52You can see all sorts of things in this landscape.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54So, John, give us a brief tour.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Well, we're looking down there into Yellowknife Bay.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59We've been driving down from our landing site over there.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Down here, and then we went down the slope,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03down the river bed, if you like, into Yellowknife Bay.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Why are we actually here, Louisa?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Why is this the region for Curiosity to study?
0:10:09 > 0:10:11So, impact craters in general are fantastic sites.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13They allow us to look back into the history of a planet,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16due to the sheer act of an impact crater being formed.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- Cos they pulled stuff up from underneath?- Yep, and they eject it everywhere.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22It's also good because from orbit,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24we had a look and could see evidence of clay minerals,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and different types of minerals that would need water to form.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29And also these minerals are very good at preserving
0:10:29 > 0:10:31evidence of organic markers.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And so, we get to study this area to try
0:10:33 > 0:10:35and find evidence of habitability.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39And you can even see evidence in that image of some of the first scoops that got tested.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Let's move on to look at some of the more detailed pictures
0:10:42 > 0:10:43that we're getting coming back.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46We landed in a place that we call Peace Vallis, which is
0:10:46 > 0:10:47an ancient riverbed.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Got right up close with our robotic arm and the mast-cam,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and of course, the characteristics of an ancient riverbed on Earth.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56We found lots of little rounded clasps.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Is that what I'm looking at in the outcrop, but also underneath?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- The rounded pebbles.- Yes. Some of them have fallen down.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- And we think they were carried along by water?- Yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And they get rounded by being in this water.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08They move around with each other, hit each other,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and they get abraded, that's how they become round.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13- Which is why you find round pebbles on the beach.- Absolutely.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Exactly the same.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18So, that's an indicator that water was definitely involved in this.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19And so, I think I'm right in saying,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22that Curiosity then wandered off down this riverbed
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and I think the next image will take us a little further along. Oh, wow!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Best image!- Look at that! - This is spectacular.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33So, this is Yellowknife Bay, if I've got my bearings right.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35This is the site for some of
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Curiosity's most involved investigations.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Lo and behold, we have found clay.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43In the two drill sites that we have, we found clay in both places.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Clay is the thing that gets people really excited. So, why is that?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Well, clay must form in the presence of water, so, if we want
0:11:49 > 0:11:54to determine if this was a habitable environment, that's a key indicator.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58We really need to study the composition of the clays.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01They can preserve evidence of organic molecules,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03biosignatures, even life, potentially.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So, by studying the clays, you might be able to find these elusive
0:12:06 > 0:12:09organic compounds that we've been looking for.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- OK, let's move on to the next image. - Ahh!
0:12:11 > 0:12:15So, this is what you are referring to, the clays that you see
0:12:15 > 0:12:17just under the surface. It's amazing.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20For so long, we've been thinking of Mars as the Red Planet,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24but just under the surface, it's not as oxidised.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Yeah. Basically, you just go down centimetres,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and Mars is very different.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31What I think is absolutely wonderful is that it's our first drill hole.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34The first drill hole that we do on another planetary body,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36we actually find our science goal,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39finding a habitable environment, so, it's relatively easy.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41It's about the instruments. That's the key thing.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43It's almost like a preliminary mission.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46This mission's going to tell us where to go and what exists, then
0:12:46 > 0:12:49we can send a mission on afterwards to properly look for life.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Curiosity will spend the coming months getting to Mount Sharp,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57where there are layers of rock,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01each containing a chapter of Mars' ancient past.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Who knows what it will tell us?
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Manned exploration of Mars is still the Holy Grail though.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11When will WE be the ones to scratch and sniff the surface?
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Since we landed on the moon, Mars has been our next destination.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Ideas for how to get to Mars
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and live there seem to never get off the drawing board.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Mars seems always just around the corner.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Just how close are we to sending humans?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32It's doable, but it's pushing our technology to the limits.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34There are three main challenges for a human mission.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Number one, the duration.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Two years, approximately, away from home, there and back.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Secondly, surviving the radiation levels that you'll get.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It's survivable, but it's going to pose major challenges.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And finally, there's the business of landing on Mars in one piece.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Because, of course, it's got enough of an atmosphere that you can't
0:13:52 > 0:13:54use an approach like we did with Apollo,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57but the atmosphere is so tenuous, you can't just rely on parachutes.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00So, technologically, it's feasible,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but it is pushing the envelope right out to its limits.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06My fear is that I won't see it, but I'm going to be an optimist.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- 2030s, international mission. - Louisa?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I can't necessarily say in my opinion
0:14:10 > 0:14:13when humans will get to Mars. We've already sent robots.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I think the preparations for humans on Mars could happen
0:14:16 > 0:14:20any time now. We can start sending the robots to start gardens on Mars.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23We can start sending the cargo ships to set up habitats.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24So, hopefully,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27we'll be seeing that in the next couple of decades, for sure.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Mars fires the imagination.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35It's human nature to endeavour towards the next era of exploration.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38To get there requires investment, risk,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and cooperation, which we are not yet ready for.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45For the moment, we shall have to use rovers
0:14:45 > 0:14:47as our avatars on alien worlds.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Chris North is hunting down the next generation of Martian invaders.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I've come to find a little piece of Mars, and to meet Bridget.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Bridget is Europe's prototype for the mission called ExoMars.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08She's come to test her wheels in the Mars Yard.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Bridget is getting a little elderly.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Superseded by younger models Bruno and Bradley,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21but she's still got a bit of get up and go.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Today, she's being kitted out with a new instrument, and later in
0:15:25 > 0:15:29the year, she's off for some field expeditions in the Chilean desert.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34ExoMars will have a two metre drill to probe deep underground
0:15:34 > 0:15:37where life might still exist.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Abigail Hutty is part of the team putting Bridget through her paces.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Yes, we're looking for any kind of organic molecules.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50We'd love to find microbes or bacteria or something there, but any
0:15:50 > 0:15:54kind of indicator of past or present life would be fantastic to find.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57As well as the drill, what other stuff is it going to have on board?
0:15:57 > 0:15:59So, obviously, we've got lots of different visual systems
0:15:59 > 0:16:04so we can actually, pictorially, classify the Martian environment.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06We've also got loads of spectrometers on board
0:16:06 > 0:16:10so that we can analyse our sample to see what kind of chemical composition
0:16:10 > 0:16:15there is of the rocks and any sands or anything else that we pick up.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17We've got the ground-penetrating radar,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20so that can look for icy deposits beneath the surface,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24or different types of rocks, and their densities beneath the surface.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27How fast do you think ExoMars is going to be able to travel?
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Well, really the thing that prevents us
0:16:29 > 0:16:34from going top speed is our autonomous navigation.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So, we've actually got to be able to process the visual
0:16:38 > 0:16:41scene in front of us, make that into a map, classify things
0:16:41 > 0:16:45as a dangerous area or a safe area and then plan the course through.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49That's why we can't travel any faster than the speed that we're going to.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Aron Kisdi is designing intelligent robots who can
0:16:55 > 0:16:59decide where to go and what to look at for themselves.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01He envisages mother robots
0:17:01 > 0:17:04with little scouts who scurry around and report back.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10So, looking at the far future, we really need to send missions
0:17:10 > 0:17:13up there which utilise multiple rovers.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Now, in my opinion, I think we want these rovers to collaborate
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and work together to achieve the mission.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22So, you could have one large rover like this one
0:17:22 > 0:17:27and then smaller explorers, spreading out from it, looking
0:17:27 > 0:17:32at the terrain ahead, making sure that the big rover has safe passage.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And this way, we can move much faster and move safer
0:17:35 > 0:17:39and in case some of them fail or get damaged on the way,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43or get stuck, then they should be able to help each other out,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45to still achieve the goal. And that way,
0:17:45 > 0:17:50you get a much more robust mission than just with a single rover.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53What kind of things do you think you'll be able to ask them
0:17:53 > 0:17:55to do on their own? I mean, apart from just drive around.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Mars is huge. You have the same landmass as on Earth.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02So, we really need rovers to grow faster
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and explore more of the surface.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Something I'm very interested in is cave entrances.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12We know that there are some cave entrances on Mars.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16We have seen them from orbit, but we have never seen a close-up image.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18If we can design rovers which can move quicker by themselves,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21they can get to these entrances easier or potentially
0:18:21 > 0:18:23discover more, smaller ones,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27and once we have a close-up of them, we can design a mission
0:18:27 > 0:18:31to send a rover inside one of these caves and see what's
0:18:31 > 0:18:33hiding beneath the surface of Mars.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- Wow. So, not just driving on Mars, caving on Mars.- Ha-ha! Absolutely.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Until recently, no-one could have believed that robots would
0:18:41 > 0:18:44make such great strides on Mars.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47But it will be some time before Man is able to scrutinise
0:18:47 > 0:18:49the Martian soil for himself.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53In the meantime, we shall have to watch our robot envoys with
0:18:53 > 0:18:56envious eyes from across the gulf of space.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02But there is one world mankind has been to - the moon.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Last month, we launched our Moore Moon Marathon,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06and I've certainly enjoyed
0:19:06 > 0:19:09keeping an eye on what the moon has been up to over the last few weeks.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12But don't worry, you've got the rest of the summer to enter.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Pete Lawrence and Jon Culshaw have been down to Chipping Norton
0:19:16 > 0:19:18to see how the people there have been getting along.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25On this balmy summer's evening, Pete and I have joined some
0:19:25 > 0:19:28astronomers from the Chipping Norton Amateur Astronomical Group.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32They meet in the place called the Rollrights, which is
0:19:32 > 0:19:36a collection of impressive Neolithic and Bronze Age stones.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Atmospheric and oozing with history.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42One of the things I hope we're going to have a go at tonight is the
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Moore Moon Marathon. I've spotted the moon.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47It's just above the trees over there.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49So, you can see the moon in daylight.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It's not particularly prominent, because the sky is very bright.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54With great perspicacity,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57you spotted the moon just a few moments ago between those clouds.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59As the evening goes on, the sky will get darker,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02the moon will be a lot more obvious, and it'll sort of roll across
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the horizon and set over there, so, we should get a really good view.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10CHATTING AND LAUGHTER
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Well, the sky darkening and the moon becoming more vivid every moment,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22and the cloud clearing as well, so here is your documentation.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Let me give you this,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28so you can log down your findings in the Moore Moon Marathon.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It's like giving out the hymn sheets, it's rather nice, isn't it?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35With these, you can map the moon on your own terms.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38The naked eye, lunar seas first, and you can tick them off there, you can
0:20:38 > 0:20:41upgrade to the binocular objects, the bright and dark craters,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44quite a few of those will be visible.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Ah, we have a fellow Time Lord in our midst!
0:20:46 > 0:20:49This shouldn't happen, only in the gravest of emergencies.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- It is the Moore Moon Marathon. Here is the documentation.- Thank you.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Some of these here, lunar specials, I don't know whether you can see
0:20:56 > 0:21:00the face of the Old Lady in the moon, or the basketball player.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Mark them down on your very own chart, that Pete Lawrence made
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- so brilliantly. - Lovely. Thank you very much.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Excellent. Well done, my dears. Well done.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Oh, sorry.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13THEY LAUGH
0:21:17 > 0:21:21We've just had the most beautiful sunset and the moon now very
0:21:21 > 0:21:24vivid, very sharp-looking, perfect time to get started
0:21:24 > 0:21:27on making the observations, so, where would be a good place to begin?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30We've got five different sections with the Moore Moon Marathon.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33They're sort of designed to get a bit harder as you go through them.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35But there's another factor you have to take on board
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and that's the phase of the moon.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Some of the bits and pieces can only be seen when the moon is either
0:21:40 > 0:21:43full or beyond the full phase, which is a bit sneaky, isn't it?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It's always good to have those you've got to work for.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47You've got to work for a few of them.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49But the lunar seas, there's plenty of lunar seas
0:21:49 > 0:21:52which are visible at the moment up there, and I think it would
0:21:52 > 0:21:54be nice to go along and see how many people can pick those out
0:21:54 > 0:21:57with their eyes, because that's a bit of a challenge on its own.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58And what else can we look for?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01We've got the bright and dark craters.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04There are quite a number of those visible at the moment.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Tycho, that beautiful ray crater in the southern part of the moon,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10doesn't look like much of a ray crater at the moment,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12because you can't see those rays, can you?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15That was so surprising. When it's full, you see all of the streams,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- it's not in shadow so much. - That's right.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But it is still quite prominent, isn't it?
0:22:20 > 0:22:21You can pick it out quite well.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24But also, because you can see half of the moon at the moment,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26there's the Lady In the moon.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I can actually see the Lady if I look with the naked eye.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31You can see her there, you can see her hair up there, her profile.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34She's very grandmotherly, rather Victorian, isn't she?
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Yeah, I think so.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Or, more chillingly, I don't know whether you've spotted this...
0:22:40 > 0:22:42You've just ruined the Lady In the moon!
0:22:42 > 0:22:45You've turned her into the Cyber-Lady In the moon!
0:22:46 > 0:22:50From the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, she's a Cyberman.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52That's actually very, very scary,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55because that's quite close to what it looks like.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57That's ruined it for me, completely.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I'm sorry, Pete. Sorry.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Let's see how everyone is progressing with the Moore Moon Marathon.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12So, Rose, you've just had your first successful spot.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- What was it that you saw? - We've just seen Copernicus.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Oh, yes, it's looking very, very bright today.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's a perfect night for it. So, you've ticked that off.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24So, what are you going to look for next?
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Well, Mummy said that we should maybe look for Plato next.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30So, you've done all the seas, and now you're onto this bit.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So, well done, you. You'll have it done before the night's out!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And there's another challenge afoot tonight.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42The best shot of the moon through a mobile phone.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I might have a go at this one myself.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Wow. That is a wonderful shot there.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50We're turning the phone on.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54And we're really just balancing it over the top of the eyepiece
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and already getting a lovely view.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Let's fill in the screen of the phone.
0:23:59 > 0:24:06And just tap it to focus and very steadily, you just nab it, like that.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07And that's what you end up with.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09And that's with a camera phone.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13It's just a case of getting the right kind of wide-angle eyepiece
0:24:13 > 0:24:17that just syncs with the camera. Some will, some don't.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19So, just try the one that works the best.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22That one there is my favourite, and it gets you things like that.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23There it is.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Time for the judging. Everyone's had a go.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Lulu and Jess.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34I did take this one a couple of months ago.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36SCOFFING LAUGHTER
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- I can see the Lunar Lander! - I can see something.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- And the next one is Andy. - Right, here we go. There's mine.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- That's the Earth, Andy. Nice try. - Standing in the wrong place again.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55That's, that's lovely! OK, last but not least, Jon Culshaw.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Now, we want an unbiased opinion.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00That's terrible!
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I'm joking.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- That is pretty excellent. - Exposure-wise, lovely.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08All the wave highlights, all the way across to the terminator.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I'm... Not going to give you any more tips.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Because that's pretty good.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17But, there can only be one winner.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20After arduous adjudication, over to Jon.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Well, thank you. I'm very honoured to be presenting the prizes,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25because it means that I haven't won.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28LAUGHTER
0:25:28 > 0:25:30JON IMPERSONATES SIR PATRICK MOORE:
0:25:30 > 0:25:32And so the finest of the crop of some very,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34very superb astral photographs indeed...
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Alex!
0:25:36 > 0:25:39CLAPPING AND CHEERING
0:25:41 > 0:25:44'Well done, Alex. That's a great capture.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46'If you've used your phone to capture the moon,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'why not put it on our Flickr site? At...'
0:25:54 > 0:25:57August means one thing for Pete. The Perseid Meteor Shower.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59This year,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03the peak of the Perseids is actually on the evening of 12 August.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Ideally observed from midnight
0:26:06 > 0:26:08through to dawn. That's when it gets
0:26:08 > 0:26:10really high up in the sky.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13That's when you get the maximum number of meteors that you're likely to see.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Well, it's been a quite superb night here.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Lovely skies and a great bunch of people.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22And we have until the end of September to take
0:26:22 > 0:26:25part in the Moore Moon Marathon.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Let's hope those balmy, clear nights continue.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Now, it's time for this month's Space Surgery,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36so we've been joined by Chris North.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Well, yes, inspired by the Moore Moon Marathon, no doubt,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41we've had people writing in with questions about the moon.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Our first one comes from Ben, aged 10, who asked,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Why doesn't the moon come out sometimes?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Ben, it's a good question.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51the moon goes round an orbit once a month, so it moves through the sky.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Sometimes it's closer to the Sun and rises during the day,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and then it's quite hard to see.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Other times of the month, it's much further
0:26:57 > 0:27:00away from the Sun in the sky and we see it in the middle of the night.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02So, depending on what phase of its orbit it's in,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04depends on what time you can see it.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Lucie, of course, last month we were at Stonehenge and we
0:27:07 > 0:27:10mentioned those station stones which mark out possibly the most
0:27:10 > 0:27:14northerly and southerly positions of moonrise and moonset.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Steve Charlton asks, since the moon is steadily moving away
0:27:17 > 0:27:19from the Earth and increasing the time it takes to orbit,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21how much closer would it have been
0:27:21 > 0:27:25when the station stones were erected 5,000 years ago?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Well, the moon is moving away from us, but it's doing that very,
0:27:28 > 0:27:33very slowly, at about the same rate as your nail grows.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35So, that means that back when Stonehenge was built,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39the moon would have been closer to us by about 200 metres.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41And with that change in distance,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44you wouldn't notice anything in the orbit of the moon around the Earth
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and where it's rising and setting on the horizon.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49And, Chris, possibly and a nice, simple one for you.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53So, Steve Brown from Stokesley in North Yorkshire says,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Typically, how many people are in space at any given time?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Well, right now there are about six people, in fact, there
0:27:59 > 0:28:02are exactly six people in the space station, and that's fairly typical.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05We had nine a few weeks ago when the Chinese had three
0:28:05 > 0:28:08up there as well. But typically, we've got a space station crew
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and if you want to cheat, I tend to use a website called
0:28:11 > 0:28:14howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17which gives you a nice big number and a list of people orbiting the Earth.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20A good question, thanks very much.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23If you have any questions for our Space Surgery from this programme
0:28:23 > 0:28:27or in fact any area of astronomy, then contact us via the website...
0:28:30 > 0:28:31And don't forget,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35there's plenty of time to take part in our Moore Moon Marathon as well.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38And with a gas cloud the size of the Earth on a doomed course
0:28:38 > 0:28:40towards the centre of the galaxy,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43next month we're talking about black holes with the Astronomer Royal.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46So until then... ALL: Good night.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd