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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."
With far greater mobility and scientific
capability than the 1997 Mars Pathfinder Sojourner
rover, this new robotic explorer will be able to trek up
to110 yards (100 meters) across the surface each Martian
day, which is 24 hrs. 37 min. The Mars rover will carry
a sophisticated set of instruments that will allow it to
search for evidence of liquid water that may have been
present in the planet's past, as well as study the
geologic building blocks on the surface.
"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.
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."
Related Links
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.
