Fri, Dec 17, 2004
Missions Include Measuring Hydrogen -- Precursor Of Water
NASA has selected eight proposals to provide instrumentation and
associated science investigations for the mobile Mars Science
Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2009. Proposals selected
today were submitted to NASA in response to an announcement of
opportunity released in April.
The Mars Science Laboratory mission, part of NASA's Mars
Exploration Program, would deliver a mobile laboratory to the
surface of Mars to explore a local region as a potential habitat
for past or present life. The laboratory would operate under its
own power. It is expected to remain active for one Mars year, equal
to two Earth years, after landing.
In addition to the instrumentation selected, Mars Science
Laboratory would carry a pulsed neutron source and detector for
measuring hydrogen (including water), provided by the Russian
Federal Space Agency. The project would also include a
meteorological package and an ultraviolet sensor provided by the
Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.
"This mission represents a tremendous leap forward in the
exploration of Mars," said NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator
for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr. Ghassem Asrar. "MSL is the
next logical step beyond the twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers. It
will use a unique set of analytical tools to study the red planet
for over a year and unveil the past and present conditions for
habitability of Mars," Asrar said.
"The Mars Science Laboratory is an extremely capable system, and
the selected instruments will bring an analytical laboratory to the
Martian surface for the first time since the Viking landers over 25
years ago," said Douglas McCuistion, Mars Exploration Program
director at NASA Headquarters.
The selected proposals will conduct preliminary design studies
to focus on how the instruments can be accommodated on the mobile
platform, completed and delivered consistent with the mission
schedule. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages
the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the Science Mission
Directorate.
Selected investigations and principal investigators:
- "Mars Science Laboratory Mast Camera," Michael Malin, Malin
Space Science Systems, San Diego, CA. Mast Camera would perform
multi-spectral, stereo imaging at lengths ranging from kilometers
to centimeters, and can acquire compressed high-definition video at
10 frames per second without the use of the rover computer.
- "ChemCam: Laser Induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and
Micro-Imaging," Roger Wiens, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los
Alamos, N.M. ChemCam would ablate surface coatings from materials
at standoff distances of up to 10 meters and measure elemental
composition of underlying rocks and soils.
- "Mahli: Mars HandLens Imager for the Mars Science Laboratory,"
Kenneth Edgett, Malin Space Science Systems. Mahli would image
rocks, soil, frost and ice at resolutions 2.4 times better, and
with a wider field of view, than the Microscopic Imager on the Mars
Exploration Rovers.
- "The Alpha-Particle-X-ray-Spectrometer for Mars Science
Laboratory," Ralf Gellert, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry,
Mainz, Germany. This instrument would determine elemental abundance
of rocks and soil. It will be provided by the Canadian Space
Agency.
- "CheMin: An X-ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence instrument for
definitive mineralogical analysis in the Analytical Laboratory of
Mars Science Laboratory," David Blake, NASA's Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, CA. CheMin, would identify and quantify all minerals
in complex natural samples such as basalts, evaporites and soils,
one of the principle objectives of Mars Science Laboratory.
- "Radiation Assessment Detector," Donald Hassler, Southwest
Research Institute, Boulder, CO. This instrument would characterize
the broad spectrum of radiation at the surface of Mars, an
essential precursor to human exploration of the planet. The
instrument would be funded by the Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
- "Mars Descent Imager," Michael Malin, Malin Space Science
Systems. The Mars Descent Imager would produce high-resolution
color-video imagery of the descent and landing phase,
providing geological context information, as well as allowing for
precise landing-site determination.
- "Sample Analysis at Mars with an integrated suite consisting of
a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, and a tunable laser
spectrometer," Paul Mahaffy, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. This instrument would perform mineral and
atmospheric analyses, detect a wide range of organic compounds and
perform stable isotope analyses of organics and noble gases.
More News
Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift d>[...]
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding>[...]
“Teaming up with the EAA and Berlin Express for this event in Cincinnati will give warbird fans a unique opportunity to see the aircraft that helped defend freedom and gave t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
Aero Linx: The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission was created by the 1935 Legislature to oversee the development of aviation in the state. The Comm>[...]