SPACE Mars Science Laboratory Mission
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Planetary Science Division Status Report
Planetary Science Division Status Report Jim Green NASA, Planetary Science Division January 26, 2017 Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory CommiBee Outline • Planetary Science ObjecFves • Missions and Events Overview • Flight Programs: – Discovery – New FronFers – Mars Programs – Outer Planets • Planetary Defense AcFviFes • R&A Overview • Educaon and Outreach AcFviFes • PSD Budget Overview New Horizons exploresPlanetary Science Pluto and the Kuiper Belt Ascertain the content, origin, and evoluFon of the Solar System and the potenFal for life elsewhere! 01/08/2016 As the highest resolution images continue to beam back from New Horizons, the mission is onto exploring Kuiper Belt Objects with the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera from unique viewing angles not visible from Earth. New Horizons is also beginning maneuvers to be able to swing close by a Kuiper Belt Object in the next year. Giant IcebergsObjecve 1.5.1 (water blocks) floatingObjecve 1.5.2 in glaciers of Objecve 1.5.3 Objecve 1.5.4 Objecve 1.5.5 hydrogen, mDemonstrate ethane, and other frozenDemonstrate progress gasses on the Demonstrate Sublimation pitsDemonstrate from the surface ofDemonstrate progress Pluto, potentially surface of Pluto.progress in in exploring and progress in showing a geologicallyprogress in improving active surface.in idenFfying and advancing the observing the objects exploring and understanding of the characterizing objects The Newunderstanding of Horizons missionin the Solar System to and the finding locaons origin and evoluFon in the Solar System explorationhow the chemical of Pluto wereunderstand how they voted the where life could of life on Earth to that pose threats to and physical formed and evolve have existed or guide the search for Earth or offer People’sprocesses in the Choice for Breakthrough of thecould exist today life elsewhere resources for human Year forSolar System 2015 by Science Magazine as exploraon operate, interact well as theand evolve top story of 2015 by Discover Magazine. -
NASA's Curiosity Rover Maximizes Data Sent to Earth by Using International Space Data Communication Standards
Press Release For immediate release NASA's Curiosity Rover Maximizes Data Sent to Earth by Using International Space Data Communication Standards WASHINGTON, 22 August 2012 (CCSDS) – NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission began its planned 2-year Mars surface exploration mission on August 6 after landing its large, mobile laboratory called Curiosity. The goal of the mission is to assess whether Mars has ever had, or still has, environmental conditions favorable to microbial life. Curiosity, with its one-ton payload carrying capacity carries 10 science instruments that will gather samples of rocks and soil, and process and distribute them to onboard test chambers inside analytical instruments. Some of the rover’s scientific data, including images of the surface of Mars collected by Curiosity’s 17 onboard cameras, are sent directly to and from Earth via NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) of large ground antennas. However, once Curiosity becomes fully operational most of the scientific and engineering data will be transferred via relay satellites that are in orbit around Mars. These are primarily the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the Mars Odyssey (ODY) spacecraft. The MSL Mars-Earth communications systems are using internationally-agreed space data communications standards to enable reliable transmission of the expected rich data sets to be gathered by Curiosity. These standards were developed by a team of international space data communication specialists collaborating within the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). Use of internationally-agreed upon standards reduce cost and risk to space missions, and also offer rich “cross-support” capabilities to collaborate since key data interfaces are inherently interoperable. -
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Chapter 6 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Jim Taylor, Dennis K. Lee, and Shervin Shambayati 6.1 Mission Overview The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) [1, 2] has a suite of instruments making observations at Mars, and it provides data-relay services for Mars landers and rovers. MRO was launched on August 12, 2005. The orbiter successfully went into orbit around Mars on March 10, 2006 and began reducing its orbit altitude and circularizing the orbit in preparation for the science mission. The orbit changing was accomplished through a process called aerobraking, in preparation for the “science mission” starting in November 2006, followed by the “relay mission” starting in November 2008. MRO participated in the Mars Science Laboratory touchdown and surface mission that began in August 2012 (Chapter 7). MRO communications has operated in three different frequency bands: 1) Most telecom in both directions has been with the Deep Space Network (DSN) at X-band (~8 GHz), and this band will continue to provide operational commanding, telemetry transmission, and radiometric tracking. 2) During cruise, the functional characteristics of a separate Ka-band (~32 GHz) downlink system were verified in preparation for an operational demonstration during orbit operations. After a Ka-band hardware anomaly in cruise, the project has elected not to initiate the originally planned operational demonstration (with yet-to-be used redundant Ka-band hardware). 201 202 Chapter 6 3) A new-generation ultra-high frequency (UHF) (~400 MHz) system was verified with the Mars Exploration Rovers in preparation for the successful relay communications with the Phoenix lander in 2008 and the later Mars Science Laboratory relay operations. -
Selection of the Insight Landing Site M. Golombek1, D. Kipp1, N
Manuscript Click here to download Manuscript InSight Landing Site Paper v9 Rev.docx Click here to view linked References Selection of the InSight Landing Site M. Golombek1, D. Kipp1, N. Warner1,2, I. J. Daubar1, R. Fergason3, R. Kirk3, R. Beyer4, A. Huertas1, S. Piqueux1, N. E. Putzig5, B. A. Campbell6, G. A. Morgan6, C. Charalambous7, W. T. Pike7, K. Gwinner8, F. Calef1, D. Kass1, M. Mischna1, J. Ashley1, C. Bloom1,9, N. Wigton1,10, T. Hare3, C. Schwartz1, H. Gengl1, L. Redmond1,11, M. Trautman1,12, J. Sweeney2, C. Grima11, I. B. Smith5, E. Sklyanskiy1, M. Lisano1, J. Benardino1, S. Smrekar1, P. Lognonné13, W. B. Banerdt1 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 2State University of New York at Geneseo, Department of Geological Sciences, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454 3Astrogeology Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001 4Sagan Center at the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 5Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302; Now at Planetary Science Institute, Lakewood, CO 80401 6Smithsonian Institution, NASM CEPS, 6th at Independence SW, Washington, DC, 20560 7Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, London 8German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany 9Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA; Now at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926 10Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 11Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 12MS GIS Program, University of Redlands, 1200 E. Colton Ave., Redlands, CA 92373-0999 13Institut Physique du Globe de Paris, Paris Cité, Université Paris Sorbonne, France Diderot Submitted to Space Science Reviews, Special InSight Issue v. -
The Journey to Mars: How Donna Shirley Broke Barriers for Women in Space Engineering
The Journey to Mars: How Donna Shirley Broke Barriers for Women in Space Engineering Laurel Mossman, Kate Schein, and Amelia Peoples Senior Division Group Documentary Word Count: 499 Our group chose the topic, Donna Shirley and her Mars rover, because of our connections and our interest level in not only science but strong, determined women. One of our group member’s mothers worked for a man under Ms. Shirley when she was developing the Mars rover. This provided us with a connection to Ms. Shirley, which then gave us the amazing opportunity to interview her. In addition, our group is interested in the philosophy of equality and we have continuously created documentaries that revolve around this idea. Every member of our group is a female, so we understand the struggles and discrimination that women face in an everyday setting and wanted to share the story of a female that faced these struggles but overcame them. Thus after conducting a great amount of research, we fell in love with Donna Shirley’s story. Lastly, it was an added benefit that Ms. Shirley is from Oklahoma, making her story important to our state. All of these components made this topic extremely appealing to us. We conducted our research using online articles, Donna Shirley’s autobiography, “Managing Martians”, news coverage from the launch day, and our interview with Donna Shirley. We started our research process by reading Shirley’s autobiography. This gave us insight into her college life, her time working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and what it was like being in charge of such a barrier-breaking mission. -
Solar System Exploration
Theme: Solar System Exploration Cassini, a robotic spacecraft launched in 1997 by NASA, is close enough now to resolve many rings and moons of its destination planet: Saturn. The spacecraft has now closed to within a single Earth-Sun separation from the ringed giant. In November 2003, Cassini snapped the contrast-enhanced color composite pictured above. Many features of Saturn's rings and cloud-tops now show considerable detail. When arriving at Saturn in July 2004, the Cassini orbiter will begin to circle and study the Saturnian system. Several months later, a probe named Huygens will separate and attempt to land on the surface of Titan. Solar System Exploration MAJOR EVENTS IN FY 2005 Deep Impact will launch in December 2004. The spacecraft will release a small (820 lbs.) Impactor directly into the path of comet Tempel 1 in July 2005. The resulting collision is expected to produce a small impact crater on the surface of the comet's nucleus, enabling scientists to investigate the composition of the comet's interior. Onboard the Cassini orbiter is a 703-pound scientific probe called Huygens that will be released in December 2004, beginning a 22-day coast phase toward Titan, Saturn's largest moon; Huygens will reach Titan's surface in January 2005. ESA 2-1 Theme: Solar System Exploration OVERVIEW The exploration of the solar system is a major component of the President's vision of NASA's future. Our cosmic "neighborhood" will first be scouted by robotic trailblazers pursuing answers to key questions about the diverse environments of the planets, comets, asteroids, and other bodies in our solar system. -
Kevin Gill ‘11G
InSight: RIVIER ACADEMIC JOURNAL, VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1, FALL 2018 EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE: Meet Kevin Gill ‘11G Michelle Marrone (From Rivier Today, Fall 2018) From the comfort of his lab chair in sunny, southern California, Kevin Gill ’11G has a view into outer space. As a Science Data Software Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), he spends his time planning and designing technology in support of environmental science and space exploration, as well as data visualization and planetary imaging. His recent work not only produced the first-ever close views of Saturn, but also contributed to NASA’s team winning an Emmy Award. Kevin earned his M.S. in Computer Science at Rivier and has been designing software to render the unique images he gathers ever since. He used an algorithm he developed during his program at Rivier to generate hypothetical images portraying Mars as a vibrant planet with oceans, an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and a green biosphere. The images went viral and within a week his work was featured on major media networks—Discovery News, Fox News, Universe Today, and the Huffington Post. His work captured NASA’s attention and paved the way for his career move. “Rivier taught me many of the algorithms and development practices I still use today at NASA,” says Kevin. “In fact, I can trace the lineage of code currently running on NASA systems directly to my final master’s project at the University.” The systems and tools he develops support a range of scientists specializing in the areas of climate, oceanography, asteroids, planetary science, and others. -
Laser Retroreflectors for Insight and an International Mars Geophysical Network (MGN)
50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 (LPI Contrib. No. 2132) 1492.pdf Laser Retroreflectors for InSight and an International Mars Geophysical Network (MGN). S. Dell’Agnello1, G.O. Delle Monache1, L. Porcelli1,2, M. Tibuzzi1, L. Salvatori1, C. Mondaini1, M. Muccino1, L. Ioppi1, O. Luongo1, M. Petrassi1, G. Bianco1,3, R. Vittori1,4, W.B. Banerdt5, J.F. Grinblat5, C. Benedetto3, F. Pasquali3, R. Mugnuolo3, D.C. Gruel5, J.L.Vago6 and P. Baglioni6. 1Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare–Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (INFN–LNF), Via E. Fermi 40, 00044, Frascati, Italy ([email protected]); 2Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria (UniCal), Via P. Bucci, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy; 3Agenzia Spaziale Italiana– Centro di Geodesia Spaziale “Giuseppe Colombo” (ASI–CGS), Località, Terlecchia 75100, Matera, Italy; 4Italian Air Force, Rome, Italy, ASI and Embassy of Italy in Washington DC; 5NASA–Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA; 6ESA–ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Abstract. There are laser retroreflectors on the Moon, of the INFN-ASI Affiliation-Association to NASA- but there were no laser retroreflectors on Mars until the SSERVI sservi.nasa.gov) is shown in the figure below. NASA InSight mission [1][2] landed and started oper- ating successfully on the surface of the red planet on Nov. 26, 2018. The ESA ExoMars Schiaparelli mis- sion, which unfortunately failed Mars landing in 2016, was carrying a laser retroreflector like InSight [3]. These instruments are positioned by measuring the time-of-flight of short laser pulses, the so-called “laser ranging” technique (for details on satellite/lunar laser ranging and altimetry see https://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov). -
GRAIL Twins Toast New Year from Lunar Orbit
Jet JANUARY Propulsion 2012 Laboratory VOLUME 42 NUMBER 1 GRAIL twins toast new year from Three-month ‘formation flying’ mission will By Mark Whalen lunar orbit study the moon from crust to core Above: The GRAIL team celebrates with cake and apple cider. Right: Celebrating said. “So it does take a lot of planning, a lot of test- the other spacecraft will accelerate towards that moun- GRAIL-A’s Jan. 1 lunar orbit insertion are, from left, Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal ing and then a lot of small maneuvers in order to get tain to measure it. The change in the distance between investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Charles Elachi, JPL director; ready to set up to get into this big maneuver when we the two is noted, from which gravity can be inferred. Jim Green, NASA director of planetary science. go into orbit around the moon.” One of the things that make GRAIL unique, Hoffman JPL’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) A series of engine burns is planned to circularize said, is that it’s the first formation flying of two spacecraft mission celebrated the new year with successful main the twins’ orbit, reducing their orbital period to a little around any body other than Earth. “That’s one of the engine burns to place its twin spacecraft in a perfectly more than two hours before beginning the mission’s biggest challenges we have, and it’s what makes this an synchronized orbit around the moon. 82-day science phase. “If these all go as planned, we exciting mission,” he said. -
IMPLEMENTATION of TRIDENT: a DISCOVERY-CLASS MISSION to TRITON. K. L. Mitchell1 , L. M. Prockter2, W. E. Frazier1, W. D. Smythe1, B
50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 (LPI Contrib. No. 2132) 3200.pdf IMPLEMENTATION OF TRIDENT: A DISCOVERY-CLASS MISSION TO TRITON. K. L. Mitchell1 , L. M. Prockter2, W. E. Frazier1, W. D. Smythe1, B. M. Sutin1, D. A. Bearden1, and the Trident Team. 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory ([email protected]), Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States, 2Lunar and Planetary Insti- tute/USRA, Houston, TX, United States. Overview: Trident is an exciting mission concept to Why Now?: By launching during 2026, Trident investigate Neptune’s large moon Triton, an exotic can- takes advantage of a rare, efficient gravity-assist align- didate ocean world at 30 AU (Prockter et al., this meet- ment, to capitalize on a narrow – but closing – observa- ing). The concept is responsive to recommendations of tional window that enables assessment of changes in the recent NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds study Triton’s plume activity and surface characteristics since (Hendrix et al., 2019), and to the 2013 Planetary Deca- Voyager 2’s encounter one Neptune-Triton season ago. dal Survey’s habitability and workings themes (Squyres Conclusion: This mission design allows Trident to et al., 2011). A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables accomplish a scientifically rich yet radically cost-effec- an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Dis- tive investigation of an unusual icy world, dramatically covery cost cap. The spacecraft has a robust design and expanding the horizons of NASA’s Discovery Program. uses high heritage instruments (table 1) with minimal References: [1] Prockter L. M. et al. (2019) LPS L, development costs. -
+ New Horizons
Media Contacts NASA Headquarters Policy/Program Management Dwayne Brown New Horizons Nuclear Safety (202) 358-1726 [email protected] The Johns Hopkins University Mission Management Applied Physics Laboratory Spacecraft Operations Michael Buckley (240) 228-7536 or (443) 778-7536 [email protected] Southwest Research Institute Principal Investigator Institution Maria Martinez (210) 522-3305 [email protected] NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Operations George Diller (321) 867-2468 [email protected] Lockheed Martin Space Systems Launch Vehicle Julie Andrews (321) 853-1567 [email protected] International Launch Services Launch Vehicle Fran Slimmer (571) 633-7462 [email protected] NEW HORIZONS Table of Contents Media Services Information ................................................................................................ 2 Quick Facts .............................................................................................................................. 3 Pluto at a Glance ...................................................................................................................... 5 Why Pluto and the Kuiper Belt? The Science of New Horizons ............................... 7 NASA’s New Frontiers Program ........................................................................................14 The Spacecraft ........................................................................................................................15 Science Payload ...............................................................................................................16 -
The MESSENGER Mission to Mercury: Some Lessons Learned
The MESSENGER Mission to Mercury: Some Lessons Learned Sean C. Solomon Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University PI Forum #5 16 March 2016 40th LPSC The Woodlands, Texas 25 March 2009 Mission Milestones Selection as a Discovery Mission July 1999 Phase B (detailed design) January 2000 – June 2001 Phase C/D (fabrication, assembly, & test) July 2001 – July 2004 Launch August 2004 Earth flyby August 2005 Venus flybys October 2006, June 2007 Mercury flybys January 2008, October 2008, September 2009 Mercury orbital operations March 2011 – April 2015 Managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and the Carnegie Institution of Washington 2 Faced Broad Challenges • Demanding limits to mass growth • Hazardous thermal and radiation environment • Complex mission design with limited launch opportunities and a long cruise phase 3 Some Obvious Advice for PIs • Budget ample reserves: cost, schedule, mass, power • Learn project management and systems engineering • Assemble the best possible team • Accomplish as much in Phase B as possible 4 Anticipate Technical Challenges A challenge anticipated: Solar arrays • Multiple vendors engaged • Thorough testing program • Final vendor selection after all prototype testing A challenge not anticipated: Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) MESSENGER Solar Array •Expertise resided with a single vendor •That vendor was bought out by a new vendor, who closed a key facility and had to reinvent expertise MESSENGER IMU 5 …and More Technical Challenges • Manufacturer applied excess epoxy • Delamination