| In 2003 NASA sent the Mars rover on a mission to | | | | in nanotechnology. Carbon atoms can be manipulated |
| the red planet to uncover what the martian landscape | | | | to build machines from the bottom up. This means that |
| was like. Since the inception of the mission NASA has | | | | very small tools and robots can be manufactured |
| spent about 924 million dollars. This is not a huge | | | | using this science. Robots can be built so small with all |
| amount of money when you consider the Endeavor | | | | the tools the original Martian rovers had. 100 of these |
| shuttle cost about 1.7 billion dollars. A lot of information | | | | micro or nano robots will take up the same space as |
| was gathered by these Mars rovers. The little robots | | | | the rovers did. A drawback is that they are so small it |
| also lasted far beyond what they were designed to on | | | | would be almost impossible for them to navigate the |
| the martian landscape. One major setback for the | | | | Martian landscape. What is needed is some type of |
| rovers is that they get stuck in the soft sand that mars | | | | vehicle for them to use that is light weight in order to |
| is made up of. They are agile and can maneuver into | | | | explore the red planet. |
| and out of may areas, but when caught in the quick | | | | Beach balls could be the answer to a low cost |
| sand of mars they are useless. The mars rovers also | | | | exploration mission to mars. These tiny robots could be |
| can be guided and they have tools such as video | | | | encased in these lightweight, clear, beach balls. These |
| cameras, thermal sensors, and drills in which to gather | | | | beach ball vehicles when landed on Mars could be |
| data. | | | | inflated or deflated by a micro pumping mechanism in |
| Two major drawbacks in Mars exploration is cost and | | | | the robots. When inflated the winds of mars would |
| being able to navigate the rough martian landscape. | | | | move the balls across the martian landscape. When a |
| With hardly any support from the Obama | | | | test was needed, such as video, temperature, or |
| administration for NASA programs, they have had to | | | | chemical analysis, the balls could be deflated to keep |
| start thinking out of the box to further space | | | | the nano robots in place. Some of these Martian |
| exploration. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology are | | | | beach balls would be caught in crevices, but the |
| helping to pave the way for lower cost missions in that | | | | majority of them would survive. The amount of |
| the smaller the payload a space mission has the lower | | | | information we could gain from this would be huge and |
| the cost is. | | | | the cost would be low. Can you picture these martian |
| Nanotechnology is building things on the atom level. In | | | | beach balls bouncing all over the landscape. I know I |
| recent years the carbon atom has played a major role | | | | can. NASA the beach balls have landed. |