The Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mission timeline Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
• Scientific goals: search for and characterize a wide range of rocks • Launched separately in and soils that hold clues to past water activity on Mars summer 2007 on Delta • Part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program which includes three II rockets previous successful landers: the two Viking landers in 1976 and • Landed January 2004 Pathfinder in 1997, and now Mars Phoenix in 2008 on opposite sides of • Total cost of Mars building, launching, landing and operating the rovers for the initial 90 sol -long primary mission: $820 million • Both rovers still Spirit launch functioning over June 10, 2003 four years after Opportunity launch landing! July 7, 2003
Rover design Athena science payload Opportunity: Eagle Crater Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Pancam (2) miniTES UHF and X-band PMA (pancam antennas mast assembly)
72-cell solar panels RAT MI Forward and rear IDD (instrument 6-wheel rocker APXS Hazcams (fisheye) deployment -bogey design, Mössbauer device) wheel diameter=10” Navcam (2)
Opportunity: Mission Success Mars Exploration Rover Mission
El Capitan Sol 29
El Capitan Sol 29
Overgaard Sol 690 Farewell to Eagle Crater Meridiani Rocks: Grab bag Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Heat Shield Rock Sol 349 Sol 530
Bounce Rock Sol 66
Meridiani sand Meridiani sky Opportunity’s traverse Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission HiRISE Images Victoria HiRISE Images Victoria Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Opportunity Opportunity
Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Where next? Spirit: Gusev Crater Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Shortest Straight Line Distance to Endeavour is 12.2 kilometers
Gusev volcanic plains Spirit’s Traverse Gusev rocks: Volcanic Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Gong Gong sol 736 Tomahawk 3 cm x 3 cm Sol 693
Comanche Sol 694
Sulfur & silica serendipity Sulfur & silica serendipity Home Plate Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission Raw APXS Data
A1194-Kenosha Comets 16 A847-Progress2 Si d 14 n o c 12 91% pure e S SiO ! / 10 2 s t n 8 u
o 6 C
4
2
0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Energy (keV) Wind and dust Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Where next for Spirit? Data sent to Mars Exploration Rover Mission ODY in local Rovers execute plan Mars Exploration Rover Mission afternoon,
relayed to Earth
Spacecraft plan radiated Scientists & to rover direct engineers from Earth examine data
Engineering team + Scientists & engineers call subset of scientists into a telecon and discuss create a plan for the spacecraft what to do that sol
Mast-mounted instruments Arm-mounted instruments Mars Exploration Rover Mission Mars Exploration Rover Mission
• Panoramic Camera (Pancam), for • Mössbauer spectrometer Oliv determining the mineralogy, texture, and (MB) for mineralogy of iron ine structure of the local terrain -bearing rocks and soils • Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer • Alpha particle X-Ray Mazatzal Sol 76 Hema (Mini-TES) for identifying promising rocks Spectrometer (APXS) for tite Hem and soils for closer examination abundances of elements in atite • Both are mounted 1.5 m high rocks and soils • One motor turns the mast 360°; a separate • Magnets, for collecting elevation motor points the cameras 90° magnetic dust particles above and below the horizon • Microscopic Imager (MI) for close-up, high-resolution images • Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), for removing dusty and weathered rock surfaces and exposing fresh material