Back to the Future on Mars
NASA announces plans for a Mars rover in 2003 with
a second rover under consideration.
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
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."
"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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HQ Press Release 00-119
Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips
Curator: Bryan Walls
Media Relations: Steve Roy
Responsible NASA official: John M. Horack