AN

INVESTIGATOR
By: Mark Vincent Cabacungan
Have you ever heard about such things like galactic patrol? How about
a galactic detective or a galactic investigator? Probably you’ll answer
would be “Never heard of it yet!” or “Is there really a thing like that?”
Actually, you might not encounter those words in any avenue or
crossroads downtown but you might recall such words like flyby,
orbiter, rover, and space return missions. Well, these four are the
primary examples of those galactic patrols or galactic detectives.

These techs, as we may call them, serves as our senses beyond that blanket of gas that we see. They are made to
study and investigate what are the things that lie yonder the skyline－the things that sit across the wide table
called the universe. One of the many space explorations include the rover Curiosity.

Curiosity was one of the most ambitious Mars mission that NASA was ever made. The
rover landed on planet Mars in March 2012 and has celebrated its 2,000 sols (Mars
days) last March, 2018. This rover is one of a kind because of its physical appearance
alone. Its sheer size is 9 feet 10 inches long by 9 feet 1 inch wide and with a high of
about 7 feet. In fact, it resembles a small SUV. In addition, it weighs 2,000 pounds and
has a wheels with a diameter of 20 inches. It was designed like this for the purpose of
rolling over obstacles that stands up to 25 inches. The power of this rover was supplied
by a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator that produces energy from
plutonium-238’s radioactive decay heat.

According to NASA, the Curiosity has four main science goals which is to determine whether life ever arose on
Mars, what characterizes Mars’ climate, the characteristic of its geology, and determine things that would
prepare for possible human exploration. During the exploration, the rover found out traces of sulfur, nitrogen,
hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon elements which are considered the “building blocks” that can support
life. It was also found that, although the planet has radiation levels, human exploration is manageable still.

Thus, these galactic detectives that we have made it easier for us to understand what lies beyond that boundaries
of the Earth. They help us study and investigate the composition and the origin of these celestial objects. Maybe,
one day, we might also find a possible home for human existence.

ASTRONOMICAL FACTS ASTRONOMICAL FACTS