ExoMars Options

[Cosmic Penguin]

First ExoMars rover landing site selection workshop underway: http://exploration.esa.int/mars/53190-1st-...ction-workshop/

Any updates on which sites are under selection?

[Paolo]

the usually reliable Jonathan Amos says:

The sites are generally clustered in a relatively tight zone close to the equator. They are: Hypanis Vallis, Simud Vallis, Mawrth, Oxia Planum (x2), Coogoon Valles, Oxia Palus and Southern Isidis.

[vjkane]

The journal Nature's website reports that the list of candidate landing sites have been narrowed to four. In a replay of the choices from the landing site discussions for the MER and Curiosity rovers, the sites are divided by whether they have strong spectral signatures for water-modified minerals (Mawrth Vallis and Oxia Planum) or geomorphic evidence for past flowing water (Hypanis Vallis and Oxia Palus).

Mawrth Vallis and Oxia Planum are both fairly far north, enough so that receiving enough sunlight to survive a winter might be challenging. I've read that the rover will have "novel batteries and heaters" (not sure if the heaters are also novel). Does anyone have a link to more information? Also, I have a vague recollection that the rover can tilt its solar panels, which would be useful to maximize solar exposure. Is my memory playing tricks on me?

[tedstryk]

Is Schiaparelli going to carry a camera? I could swear I've read that it was, but I can't find any reference to it anywhere.

[Paolo]

as far as I know, just a descent "webcam". see also http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&p=193748

[tedstryk]

This is disappointing. Since InSight will have already landed, it will be a record fourth (assuming Oppy and Curiosity are still with us) operational lander on Mars, and I had visions of four views on the same day (unless the webcam is mounted in a way that it can actually see something on the surface).

[bobik]

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/docs/7B.1_Lore...%20overview.pdf



"HP" means Herschel/Planck. According to this abstract DeCa will take 15 images, separated by 1.5 seconds.

[dvandorn]

Okay, so ESA will spend a lot of money on an EDL demonstrator, and has no plans to have a camera aboard the lander which can document the post-landing state of the lander???

So, if it lands and they get, say, 30 minutes of telemetry and then the thing goes dead, with no immediate check-out imaging they may not have a clue as to what caused a post-landing failure?

To me, if you want to verify a landing system, you need more than just basic survival to the surface to evaluate whether or not the landing system will be able to support landing the rover. You need to make sure that your actual landing systems have worked, that you didn't, say, bend the gear or provide too little clearance or overestimated your system's ability to deal with landing with one paw on a big rock, etc. There is no better way, IMHO, to answer those questions than to take a quick deck pan to see exactly what kind of shape your lander is in after it sets down.

Spending lots of millions of Euros to verify a landing system and then not providing a basic means of actually verifying that the landing worked as planned is, IMHO, being very penny-wise and pound-foolish.

-the other Doug (with my shield, not yet upon it)

[djellison]

It is what it is - no point complaining and moaning about it.

[tedstryk]

It is what it is - no point complaining and moaning about it.

The original proposal for the current payload included a possible wide angle camera that could see the surface (it might double as the descent camera, not sure).

• The opportunity exists to accommodate a few, simple sensors (requiring no deployment and limited electrical power and data return) and a camera system that will operate independently (from the platform) and autonomously after landing on the Mars surface. Measurements could be conducted during the surface mission.

It was also listed on a description of the model payload and clearly stated to not be part of the DREAMS payload. But since then I can't find any reference to it or its deletion. So it is what it is, but I'm not sure what what it is, well, is.

[vjkane]

So, if it lands and they get, say, 30 minutes of telemetry and then the thing goes dead, with no immediate check-out imaging they may not have a clue as to what caused a post-landing failure?

Depending on the resolution of the descent camera, the last few images a few meters above the ground, and before the jets kick up dust, may give a much better characterization of the final landing site than a series of panoramic shots post landing looking at the total number of pixels to be returned. Especially if the landing is in the late afternoon or early morning where shadows will really help interpret an overhead scene.

[djellison]

Indeed - we don't really know what it is - which renders comment even more meaningless.

[Explorer1]

And of course there's also HiRISE to view the landing site; it won't be a mystery like Beagle 2 no matter what happens.

[Phil Stooke]

https://www.cospar-assembly.org/abstractcd/...0.2-0041-14.pdf


This links to an abstract from the COSPAR meeting coming up in Moscow in a couple of weeks. The abstracts can be found through the meeting site:

https://www.cospar-assembly.org/

This specific abstract is about a microrover or nanokhod for the ExoMars lander (2018 mission). There are lots of others including some on results of Chang'E 3 in the Moon section. Worth a browse!

Phil

[nprev]

Thanks, Phil.

Okay, I'm officially confused. Is this nanorover gonna be tethered to the descent stage or something while the main rover goes elsewhere? What is the current baseline design of this mission? Have they passed CDR yet? The ESA site doesn't seem to have any current information.