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Science In Action: Has the Latest Mars Lander Failed?

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20/10/2016 GMT

Has the Latest Mars Lander Failed?

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Has the Latest Mars Lander Failed?

The ESA lost contact with its Schiaparelli Mars lander – has it crashed?

The ESA lost contact with its Schiaparelli Mars lander. Also, banning HFC refrigerants and the new Cell Atlas.

At the time of transmission, the European Space Agency still have no contact with the Schiaparelli Mars lander

Banning HFCs
In 1985 scientists reported that there was a depletion in the amount of ozone in the stratosphere, creating a giant hole above the Antarctic. Ozone is a form of oxygen which absorbs most of the UV radiation from the sun, helping to protect the earth. The cause of the hole was the release of chemicals used in refrigeration and in expanding foams - halons, freons and chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs. 

As a result, the Montreal Protocol, which ordered that CFCs were systematically phased out, was signed, and now the hole is shrinking. CFCs were replaced with HFCs – hydro fluorocarbons, which have little effect on ozone. But they are potent greenhouse gases. The latest update to the Montreal protocol has just been made in Rwanda, and now HFCs are on the banned list too, but what's the alternative?

New Cell Atlas
It may be a surprise to discover that we don’t know how many cell-types we have in our bodies. The Human Cell Atlas project is a huge international consortium which aims to identify and map every single bodily cell. What's more, the medical benefits could be huge. 

Picture: Artwork: The retrorockets should have fired for about 30 seconds, credit: ESA

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Fiona Roberts

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