MSL landing sites |
MSL landing sites |
Oct 5 2008, 12:27 AM
Post
#76
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 715 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
With the expectation that MSL will eventually fly, Science published an article on the down selection of MSL sites at the recent workshop. Excerpts follow:
Culture Wars Over How to Find an Ancient Niche for Life on Mars Richard A. Kerr In deciding how to do that [maximize science], most attendees aligned themselves with one of two parties. Spectroscopists, who find martian minerals from orbit by their distinctive spectral colors, tended to favor sites that beam strong spectral signatures of rock altered by water. Geologists, by contrast, preferred sites whose geological forms speak most eloquently of past water pooling on the surface. Leading spectroscopists had proposed two of the seven landing sites still in the running (Science, 9 November 2007, p. 908) because the sites simply screamed "water!" to them... Bibring advocated landing on the highlands above Mawrth Vallis, a site blazing with the spectral colors of water-related minerals... For similar reasons, John Mustard of Brown University and colleagues argued for landing in Nili Fossae, a great crack in the martian crust from which MSL could drive into a side canyon where many of the half-dozen aqueous minerals of the region outcrop. [Geologists, however, weren't convinced.] In the case of Mawrth, was the source of the clays sediment that washed into a lake? Was it volcanic ash that fell from the sky? Was it crustal rock altered by hot springs? ...many geologists favored landing in 67-kilometer-wide Eberswalde Crater. "It's the best delta on Mars," meaning a river must have flowed into a lake in Eberswalde, dropping its load of sediment on entering the still water... Other favorites of geologists were Holden Crater, another likely crater lake with layered, clay-bearing deposits but no true delta, and Gale Crater, whose 5-kilometer-high mound of layered deposits boasts a variety of water-related minerals, although the origin of the mound is uncertain. -------------------- |
|
|
Nov 20 2008, 01:13 AM
Post
#77
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 213 Joined: 21-January 07 From: Wigan, England Member No.: 1638 |
JPL announces final 4 candidates:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-219 They are: - Gale - Eberswalde - Holden - Mawrth |
|
|
Nov 20 2008, 01:24 AM
Post
#78
|
|
Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
Is this really news? or did I miss something? I had a sense that those were the finalists anyway.
-------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
|
|
|
Nov 20 2008, 01:39 AM
Post
#79
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2542 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
Is this really news? There were seven sites coming out of the third landing site workshop, and three of these were eliminated on 5 Nov, so I'd say that this counts as news. http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/index.html -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
|
|
|
Mar 28 2009, 02:40 PM
Post
#80
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 530 Joined: 21-March 06 From: Canada Member No.: 721 |
JPL announces final 4 candidates: - Gale - Eberswalde - Holden - Mawrth Apparently, final might be too strong a word. This from Ted Stryk's article in Emily's blog: There will be a call for new sites utilizing new data; if any beat the four candidates significantly, they could be selected. Final site selection will be about six months before launch. Boy, that would be like parachuting in a new contestant halfway through Survivor. Somebody has got to be bummed. |
|
|
Mar 29 2009, 12:57 AM
Post
#81
|
|
Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10226 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Not really! It only makes sense to take advantage of the deluge of new data, especially CRISM and HiRISE. Why stick to the old list if a really compelling new one turns up? It would have to be really good to get on the list.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PDF: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
|
|
Mar 29 2009, 02:06 PM
Post
#82
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 237 Joined: 22-December 07 From: Alice Springs, N.T. Australia Member No.: 3989 |
Just a thought.....
In the light of the MSL mission statement 'Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability." ' at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/overview/ and 'a growing awareness of potential, widespread mud volcanism in the lowlands of Mars' which has the potential to bring to the surface a lot of interesting chemicals - even that associated with microbial life forms if such life is/were to have existed http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2009/pdf/1034.pdf and 'the features could be mud volcanoes but may also be sedimentary remnants from retreating glaciers. However, either way, the presence of fine grained clays in the deposits would be ideal locations to look for organic molecules, "like amonia and proteins." ' http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2009/03...es-on-mars.html And that a lot more could be discovered about this during the next few years before the final landing site decision will be taken............... That a 'is still today' mud volcano type site could make an outside run in the final straight to challenge the late Amazonian phylosillicate sites. Worth watching! |
|
|
Mar 30 2009, 07:44 AM
Post
#83
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
... a 'is still today' mud volcano type site could make an outside run in the final straight to challenge the late Amazonian phylosillicate sites. Worth watching! It's a high stakes gamble: On one hand, investigating material ejected from below the surface may reveal evidence of current life. On the other hand, the amorphous dried mud ejecta may reveal no signs of current life and we would have lost the opportunity to investigate the rich history that would be revealed in layered phylosillicate sites. A history of an ancient, more Earth-like Mars. |
|
|
Mar 30 2009, 11:17 AM
Post
#84
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 237 Joined: 22-December 07 From: Alice Springs, N.T. Australia Member No.: 3989 |
It's a high stakes gamble: You're right! It is and I respect your opinion! That's why it's an outside run and we'll need to know a lot more to tip the risk/reward balance in its favour before giving up on those millions and millions of years of layered history. But I think of the risk levels in the Apollo program - particularly Apollo 11 - and then also, what an utterly amazing prize if evidence of life were to be discovered! If only HiRise could priority search and find a mud volcano or two near some significant phylosillicate deposits................unlikely, but........... |
|
|
Apr 2 2009, 11:08 AM
Post
#85
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Fátima - Portugal Member No.: 3927 |
In 2000 Nasa choose to expand the envelop for MER 2003 Mission in 30% to have two roover before one previously decided.
Now the budget of MSL is over 2 Billions, so with maybe 700 millions more we could have second MSL to launch in 2013, so a back up MSL in case of failure of launch, or landing of the MSL 2011, or a second site to explore in Mars...so sad that nasa don't think about this possibility. And now with the 2,5 billions that senate want to give to Nasa for have shuttle program continuing in 2011, we can have 3 more MSL, so the possibily to explore 4 sites with a launch in 2011, another in 2013 and two in 2016 (with planet Mars in a most favourable situation). I know, i known... i'm dreaming . PS: Sorry for my bad english. |
|
|
Apr 2 2009, 11:20 AM
Post
#86
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14434 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
|
|
|
Apr 3 2009, 02:03 PM
Post
#87
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Fátima - Portugal Member No.: 3927 |
You are. There is simply not the money to do what you talk about. You also talk about the space shuttle - that is a banned subject on this forum. Sorry to citing the space shuttle, it was only to say how to landing in the 4 landing sites, where the money could came from. More realisticly, i hope the other space agencies could launch their own mission to explore the other three sites that MSL will not go, begining by the Europoean Exo-Mars Mission. One question: would it be possible for the Mid -Rover Mission, that it was one time estudied, be capable to go to theses sites? |
|
|
Apr 10 2009, 03:48 PM
Post
#88
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 18 Joined: 17-May 05 From: FL & WV Member No.: 390 |
I know the sites of the potential mud volcano that were recently reported differ from the sites of the methane venting reported earlier, based on ground based observations by a team led by Michael Mumma of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and as reported in New Scientist (as quoted below):
“We observed and mapped multiple plumes of methane on Mars, one of which released about 19,000 metric tonnes of methane,” team member Geronimo Villanueva of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, said in a statement. However, a search for potential mud volcanos near the sites of the reported methane vents might produce interesting results and perhaps identify a potental landing site for a future mission (MSL or later). |
|
|
Jun 4 2009, 02:24 AM
Post
#89
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 13 Joined: 6-April 09 Member No.: 4720 |
In 2000 Nasa choose to expand the envelop for MER 2003 Mission in 30% to have two roover before one previously decided. Now the budget of MSL is over 2 Billions, so with maybe 700 millions more we could have second MSL to launch in 2013, so a back up MSL in case of failure of launch, or landing of the MSL 2011, or a second site to explore in Mars...so sad that nasa don't think about this possibility. And now with the 2,5 billions that senate want to give to Nasa for have shuttle program continuing in 2011, we can have 3 more MSL, so the possibily to explore 4 sites with a launch in 2011, another in 2013 and two in 2016 (with planet Mars in a most favourable situation). I know, i known... i'm dreaming . PS: Sorry for my bad english. Don't forget to budget for some really long extension cords. There's no more Plutonium 238 available for RTGs. |
|
|
Jun 4 2009, 05:19 PM
Post
#90
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 242 Joined: 21-December 04 Member No.: 127 |
Don't forget to budget for some really long extension cords. There's no more Plutonium 238 available for RTGs. They are restarting production, finally: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30621668/ |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd September 2024 - 01:43 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |