NASA's twin spacecraft, Blue and Gold, have embarked on a 22-month journey to Mars, carrying with them an Easter egg of sorts - the first kiwi birds to fly to the red planet. The ESCAPADE mission aims to study how space weather affects Mars' hybrid magnetosphere and its impact on the planet's climate history.
Launched aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, the twin probes will enter Martian orbit in September 2027, separated by two days. Once there, they will conduct a series of scientific campaigns, flying in formation and then separately to observe the effects of space weather on Mars' near-space environment.
The spacecraft are adorned with kiwi birds, which are native to New Zealand, reflecting Rocket Lab's heritage. The company has a tradition of hiding the birds on its designs, dating back to its inception. The twin probes also feature plaques listing the names of the team members who contributed to the mission, making it possible for them to reach Mars.
The ESCAPADE mission is expected to provide valuable insights into Mars' climate history and the causes behind the loss of its dense atmosphere. By studying how space weather affects the planet's hybrid magnetosphere, scientists hope to better understand the complex interactions between the solar wind and Mars' atmosphere.
Launched aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, the twin probes will enter Martian orbit in September 2027, separated by two days. Once there, they will conduct a series of scientific campaigns, flying in formation and then separately to observe the effects of space weather on Mars' near-space environment.
The spacecraft are adorned with kiwi birds, which are native to New Zealand, reflecting Rocket Lab's heritage. The company has a tradition of hiding the birds on its designs, dating back to its inception. The twin probes also feature plaques listing the names of the team members who contributed to the mission, making it possible for them to reach Mars.
The ESCAPADE mission is expected to provide valuable insights into Mars' climate history and the causes behind the loss of its dense atmosphere. By studying how space weather affects the planet's hybrid magnetosphere, scientists hope to better understand the complex interactions between the solar wind and Mars' atmosphere.
! I mean, can you imagine a kiwi bird flying on a spacecraft to Mars? It's like something out of a sci-fi movie 
. But seriously, this is some crazy cool stuff. I've always been fascinated by space and the potential for life beyond Earth... although in this case it's just birds 
.
! And I love that they're hiding little Easter eggs like kiwi birds on the design - it just adds to the excitement.
. Who knows what secrets Mars has been keeping? Maybe these spacecraft will uncover some clues... or at least give us a great view of the Red Planet 
the ppl behind ESCAPADE mission hope 2 find out wut happnd 2 martys atmosphe & why it got all thin & stuff 
. And can you believe they're even hiding plaques with the team members' names? That's just... wow. I'm getting all nostalgic for old-school space missions and stuff. Remember when we used to watch those grainy VHS tapes of Apollo 11 landing on Earth? 
. Either way, this is gonna be a wild ride!
seriously tho, this mission sounds cool! i mean, its not every day we get to see us tryin to understand how space weather affects some other planet's atmosphere. and think about all the sick info they'll gather, it could potentially change our understanding of mars' climate history & how it went from bein thick with an atm to bein a total dust bowl 
they're on a 22 month journey to mars and they have kiwi birds on them lol it's like they're taking these little birdies on an intergalactic adventure 
i think it's so cool that nasa is studying how space weather affects mars' climate history and atmosphere... maybe we can learn some new things about our own planet too 
It's like something out of a sci-fi movie! I'm loving the idea behind the ESCAPADE mission, it's like they're sending little messages from space about the team that made it happen 
. And I gotta give props to Rocket Lab for keeping the kiwi tradition going - those little birds are so adorable on this thing! 
The fact that they've got plaques with the team members' names on them is just amazing, like a cosmic memorial to their hard work and dedication 
. It's all about understanding Mars' climate history now, I'm hyped for the discoveries that'll come out of this mission 
space weather must play a huge role in that. can't wait for those sci vids coming out next sept 
. But for real though, this ESCAPADE mission is gonna be a huge deal for scientists trying to figure out how Mars lost its atmosphere. I'm low-key hyped to see what kind of sick space weather they'll discover up there 
.
. anyhoo, can't wait for these twin spacecraft to get their space weather on and give us some juicy insights into Mars' climate history! 
I've always been fascinated by space stuff, but this is just so cool. I love how they included it as an Easter egg – it's like a little surprise from the team at Rocket Lab. And can you even imagine what those tiny birds would look like flying around in Martian orbit? 
It's like something out of a sci-fi movie! The fact that these twin probes are gonna study space weather and its impact on Mars' climate history is just mind-blowing too. We're basically learning more about the universe, one kiwi bird at a time... 
and who cares about some kiwi birds on a spaceship? I mean, I guess it's kinda cool that Rocket Lab is getting some love with their little bird design thingy 
. I wish they'd focus more on the actual science behind this mission instead of all the extraneous stuff 
.
anyway seriously though this mission is gonna be huge for us learning more about mars climate history and stuff 
i hope the team gets to see some sweet pics from space too 
. The fact that we can learn from this mission and maybe even figure out why Mars lost its dense atmosphere is, like, totally mind-blowing 
too!