M ars conjures up images of a dry, dusty and desolate planet. But if you examine the minerals beneath its surface and the shape of every mound and crevice, it becomes apparent its past holds a different story. Craters once contained bodies of water, and its abundant liquid carved grooves and valleys. How do we know all of this about a planet millions of miles away from our own, and one which humans have never set foot on? Observations and findings have been achieved using machines.
Scientists and engineers on Earth can control and monitor these vehicles after they’ve completed their long journey to Mars. NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) is an array of giant terrestrial radio antennae and satellites in orbit around Mars that creates communication links between the operators and their experiments on the Martian surface. The data the DSN receives, such as images from rovers on the ground, is transferred over radio waves. A rover will first send the data to one of NASA’s Mars orbiters, which then relays the information back to Earth.