Back to the Future on Mars
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Back to the Future on Mars
NASA announces plans for a Mars rover in 2003 with
a second rover under consideration.
July
28, 2000 -- In 2003, NASA plans to launch a relative of the
now-famous 1997 Mars
Pathfinder rover. Using drop, bounce, and roll technology,
this larger cousin is expected to reach the surface of the Red
Planet in January, 2004 and begin the longest journey of scientific
exploration ever undertaken across the surface of that alien
world.
Dr. Edward Weiler, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science,
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC., announced today that the
Mars Rover was his choice from two mission options which had
been under study since March.
Above: This artist's rendering shows a view of NASA's
Mars 2003 Rover as it sets off to roam the surface of the red
planet. The rover is scheduled for launch in June 2003 and will
arrive in January 2004, shielded in its landing by an airbag
shell. The airbag/lander structure, which has no scientific instruments
of its own, is shown to the right in this image, behind the rover.
[more
information]
"Today I am announcing that we have selected the Mars
Exploration Program Rover rather than the orbiter option, which
was an extremely difficult decision to make," said Weiler.
"At the same time, we want to look into what could be an
amazing opportunity, as well as a challenge, by sending two such
rovers to two very different locations on Mars in 2003 rather
than just one."
"We are evaluating the implications of a two-rover option,
Weiler added. "I intend to make a decision in the next few
weeks so that, if the decision is to proceed with two rovers,
we can meet the development schedule for a 2003 launch."
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"This mission will give us the first ever robot field geologist on Mars. It not only has the potential for breakthrough scientific discoveries, but also gives us necessary experience in full-scale surface science operations which will benefit all future missions," said Scott Hubbard, Mars Program Director at NASA Headquarters. "A landed mission in 2003 also allows us to take advantage of a very favorable alignment between Earth and Mars."
After launch atop a Delta II rocket, and a cruise of seven and a half months, the spacecraft should enter the Martian atmosphere January 20, 2004. In a landing similar to that of the Pathfinder spacecraft, a parachute will deploy to slow the spacecraft down, and airbags will inflate to cushion the landing. Upon reaching the surface the spacecraft will bounce about a dozen times and could roll as far as a half-mile (about one kilometer). When it comes to a stop, the airbags will deflate and retract, and the petals will open, bringing the lander to an upright position and revealing the rover.
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Where the Pathfinder mission consisted of a lander, with science
instruments and camera, as well as the small Sojourner rover,
the Mars 2003 mission features a design that is dramatically
different. This new spacecraft will consist entirely of the large,
long-range rover, which comes to the surface inside a Pathfinder
landing system, making it essentially a mobile scientific lander.
Immediately after touchdown, the rover is expected to provide
a virtual tour of the landing site by sending back a high resolution
360-degree, panoramic, color and infrared image. It will then
leave the petal structure behind, driving off as scientists command
the vehicle to go to rock and soil targets of interest.
Above: This 360 degree image shows in colorful detail the surroundings of the Sagan Memorial Station at the Mars Pathfinder landing site. Like Pathfinder, the Mars 2003 lander will send back a panoramic color image soon after it reaches Mars. [more information]
This rover will be able to travel almost as far in one Martian
day as the Sojourner rover did over its entire lifetime. Rocks
and soils will be analyzed with a set of five instruments. A
special tool called the "RAT," or Rock Abrasion Tool,
will also be used to expose fresh rock surfaces for study.
The rover will weigh about 300 pounds (nearly 150 kilograms)
and has a range of up to about 110 yards (100 meters) per sol,
or Martian day. Surface operations will last for at least 90
sols, extending to late April 2004, but could continue longer,
depending on the health of the rover.
"By studying a diverse array of martian materials, including
the interiors of rocks, the instruments aboard the Rover will
reveal the secrets of past martian environments, possibly providing
new perspectives on where to focus the quest for signs of past
life," said Dr. Jim Garvin, NASA Mars Program Scientist
at NASA Headquarters. "Furthermore, the Rover offers never-before-possible
opportunities for discoveries about the martian surface at scales
ranging from microscopic to that of gigantic boulders. This is
a key stepping stone to the future of our Mars exploration program."
One aspect of the Mars Rover's mission is to determine history
of climate and water at a site or sites on Mars where conditions
may once have been warmer and wetter and thus potentially favorable
to life as we know it here on Earth. 
The
exact landing site has not yet been chosen, but is likely to
be a location such as a former lakebed or channel deposit - a
place where scientists believe there was once water. A site will
be selected on the basis of intensive study of orbital data collected
by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, as well as the Mars 2001
orbiter, and other missions.
Right: This is a close-up view of the arm on NASA's
Mars 2003 Rover that contains several of the scientific instruments.
The Microscopic Imager is being extended toward the rock, the
Alpha-Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is pointing back toward
the rover body, the Mossbauer spectrometer is pointing away from
the viewer (i.e., toward the rover's left front wheel), and the
Rock Abrasion Tool is pointing toward the viewer. [more
information]
The alternative mission, which had been under consideration
for the 2003 opportunity, was a Mars scientific orbiter, which
featured a camera capable of imaging objects as small as about
two feet (60 cm) across, an imaging spectrometer designed to
search for mineralogical evidence of the role of ancient water
in martian history, and other science objectives.
Teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA,
and Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO, conducted separate,
intensive, two-month studies of the missions.
"Both teams did an absolutely superb job in preparing these
proposals in a very compressed time frame," said Dr. Weiler.
"They both deserve a lot of credit for what they were able
to achieve."
"This project can be accommodated within the President's
budget request for NASA and we will spend the next few weeks
refining our budget estimates and other requirements, plus the
impacts and the consequences of sending two rovers to Mars instead
of one," said Hubbard. "When we have fully addressed
all of the issues, which may take several weeks, we will announce
our final plans."
Mars Exploration Program - from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Science@NASA Stories about Mars:
Making a Splash on Mars -- June 29, 2000. Scientists ponder how to keep water in its liquid form on super-dry and cold Mars.
Mars Surprise -- June 22, 2000. New pictures
from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft reveal gullies on
Mars, possibly created by recent flash floods
Martian
Swiss Cheese -- March 9, 2000. New pictures from NASA's
Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft show exotic terrain made of dry
ice near the Red Planet's south pole.
Unearthing
Clues to Martian Fossils -- June 11, 1999. The hunt for
signs of ancient life on Mars is leading scientists to an otherworldly
lake on Earth.
The Red
Planet in 3D -- May 27, 1999. New data from Mars Global
Surveyor reveal the topography of Mars better than many continental
regions on Earth.
Search for Life on Mars will Start in Siberia -- May 27, 1999. NASA funds permafrost study to support astrobiology research.
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Headlines| For lesson plans and educational activities related to breaking science news, please visit Thursday's Classroom |
Source: NASA
HQ Press Release 00-119 Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips Curator: Bryan Walls Media Relations: Steve Roy Responsible NASA official: John M. Horack |