science

Tera-hertz Explorer

Tera-hertz Explorer is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tera-hertz Explorer rather than just read about it. In short: The Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX) mission is a planned orbiter and lander that will be carrying a terahertz sensor to the surface of Mars to measure the oxygen isotope ratios of various molecules in the Martian atmosphere. The objective of the mission is to understand the chain of chemical reactions that resupply the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.

Key takeaways

Tera-hertz Explorer belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tera-hertz Explorer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tera-hertz Explorer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX) mission is a planned orbiter and lander that will be carrying a terahertz sensor to the surface of Mars to measure the oxygen isotope ratios of various molecules in the Martian atmosphere. The objective of the mission is to understand the chain of chemical reactions that resupply the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. The lander, TEREX-1, was originally supposed to launch as a piggyback with another payload during the July 2020 Mars launch window, but this has subsequently been delayed to 2022 and then to the mid 2020s. As of September 2017, no official launch arrangement with a primary mission had yet been reached. The spacecraft will orbit Mars briefly before landing the instrument on the surface. A dedicated orbiter, TEREX-2, was planned for launch in 2024. It will conduct a global survey of the Martian atmosphere and surface, focusing on water and oxygen levels. The mission is being developed by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and the University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL). The project is based on a past proposal named FIRE (Far InfraRed Experiment), which was a sensor intended for JAXA's cancelled MELOS Mars orbiter. If successful, it will be Japan's first successful Mars spacecraft since the ill-fated Nozomi mission.

Development ISSL has previously developed two deep space probes: the PROCYON asteroid probe and the EQUULEUS CubeSat mission to Earth–Moon L2 Lagrangian point. NICT will put into use their experience developing the SMILES (Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder) instrument on board the ISS Kibo module, and SWI (Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument) on board the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, which the institute jointly developed with ESA and DLR (German Aerospace Center). Unlike the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, NICT's parent agency is the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). MIC formally approved the Tera-hertz Explorer mission in early 2017.

Spacecraft The preliminary lander's dimensions are a 50 cm cube, and may have a mass of 140 kg (310 lb) including propellant. Its landing system is proposed to employ an inflatable aeroshell decelerator, and an airbag.

References

External links TEREX project website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tera-hertz Explorer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tera-hertz Explorer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tera-hertz Explorer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tera-hertz Explorer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tera-hertz Explorer

In research: Tera-hertz Explorer appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tera-hertz Explorer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tera-hertz Explorer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2020s in Japan, 2020s in spaceflight, Japanese space probes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tera-hertz Explorer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tera-hertz Explorer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tera-hertz Explorer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tera-hertz Explorer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tera-hertz Explorer in simple terms?

Why does Tera-hertz Explorer matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tera-hertz Explorer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tera-hertz Explorer.