Physics

Physics is the bedrock beneath all Mars exploration, the science that governs how spacecraft travel, how they land, and how the planet itself behaves. Physicists study matter, energy, and the fundamental forces of nature, and their work underlies the orbital mechanics that get a spacecraft to Mars, the radiation environment that threatens crews, and the planetary processes that shaped the world we are trying to reach.

The reach of physics across a Mars mission is total. Celestial mechanics determines the launch windows and trajectories that make the journey possible only once every 26 months. The physics of the thin atmosphere dictates how landers slow down and where they can safely touch down. Radiation physics defines the hazard that shielding must counter, and the physics of heat, pressure, and materials governs how habitats and equipment survive. Understanding the planet's interior, measured by missions that recorded marsquakes, is likewise a physics problem.

Programs in physics cover mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and modern physics, providing rigorous analytical training that supports nearly every technical role in space exploration. Graduates contribute across mission design, planetary science, and the fundamental research explored throughout the science section.