Canadian team sets sights on Mars landing, needs public help
Harrison Ruess, QMI Agency
First posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 02:07 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 02:24 PM EST
A group of Canadians hoping to land a rover on Mars in 2018 says it needs $1 million in fundraising to make the ambitious trip a reality.
The mission, Northern Light, has been in development for several years, and the group has only recently launched a fundraising campaign.
“Crowd-funded missions offer the best return on investment, engaging the public directly in space endeavours that stir our interest in science and engineering,” explained Dr. Ben Quine, the mission’s principal investigator.
The Northern Light team is a collection of scientists, professors, and engineers from across Canada who have agreed to work on the pioneering mission at reasonable cost.
The innovative approach is making this mission uniquely Canadian.
It would also make Canada the third nation to reach the surface of Mars – behind the U.S. and then-Soviet Union. The science instruments on board, also Canadian, would hunt for water and life.
In addition to building the lander and rover, the group is working to refurbish the Algonquin Radio Observatory, one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, opened in 1965 near North Bay, Ont., that would serve as the ground station.
“A successful mission will show that it is possible to achieve high-level space exploration without the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money,” said Catherine Tsouvaltsidis, Operations Manager at the ARO.
The group is offering perks for donations, ranging from voting on the landing site ($2), to clothing ($50), to naming the lander ($1 million).
They hope this project will “allow everyone to feel that they are a part of a trailblazing endeavour,” said Tsouvaltsidis.
-- On Twitter: @HarrisonRuess
Harrison Ruess, QMI Agency
First posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 02:07 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 02:24 PM EST
A group of Canadians hoping to land a rover on Mars in 2018 says it needs $1 million in fundraising to make the ambitious trip a reality.
The mission, Northern Light, has been in development for several years, and the group has only recently launched a fundraising campaign.
“Crowd-funded missions offer the best return on investment, engaging the public directly in space endeavours that stir our interest in science and engineering,” explained Dr. Ben Quine, the mission’s principal investigator.
The Northern Light team is a collection of scientists, professors, and engineers from across Canada who have agreed to work on the pioneering mission at reasonable cost.
The innovative approach is making this mission uniquely Canadian.
It would also make Canada the third nation to reach the surface of Mars – behind the U.S. and then-Soviet Union. The science instruments on board, also Canadian, would hunt for water and life.
In addition to building the lander and rover, the group is working to refurbish the Algonquin Radio Observatory, one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, opened in 1965 near North Bay, Ont., that would serve as the ground station.
“A successful mission will show that it is possible to achieve high-level space exploration without the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money,” said Catherine Tsouvaltsidis, Operations Manager at the ARO.
The group is offering perks for donations, ranging from voting on the landing site ($2), to clothing ($50), to naming the lander ($1 million).
They hope this project will “allow everyone to feel that they are a part of a trailblazing endeavour,” said Tsouvaltsidis.
-- On Twitter: @HarrisonRuess
The Beaver rover will explore the surface of Mars. (Handout)
