Jet AUGUST Propulsion 2013 Laboratory VOLUME 43 NUMBER 8 Mars 2020 rover to continue search for habitability By Mark Whalen Mission will demonstrate collection and storage of samples for return to Earth Planning for the 2020 Mars rover envisions a basic structure that capitalizes on the design and engineering work done for the Curiosity rover but with new science instruments selected through competition for different science objectives. As JPL celebrates the landing of Curiosity on Mars Scientist Ken Farley of Caltech. “It’s going to be a long croscopic levels to look for features that may have been one year ago in August, planning for a new mission to road, but it’ll be really important to our understanding formed by past life. deliver the next rover to the Red Planet is well under- Mars and the solar system when we get samples back.” Rather than creating powder of rock samples—as way. The mission’s suite of instruments will be determined Curiosity’s drill does—the drill on the 2020 rover will The Mars 2020 rover mission will take the next by next spring through a competitive announcement of extract cores from the uppermost few centimeters of steps in the search for whether the planet has ever opportunity. Meantime, a team working on defining the the surface of rock where life may have existed—for supported life by exploring a habitable environment mission’s science suggests that the rover include capa- example, at the site of a onetime lake. and gathering rock and soil samples for a possible bilities for unprecedented in-situ analysis of rock and soil The rover will deliver a cache of 25 to 30 samples of return to Earth by another future mission. samples. rocks weighing a total of about half a kilogram, Farley “The science community has been dreaming for To help determine drilling targets, the team said the said. Each core sample will go into individual tubes decades about bringing samples back,” noted Project rover should have the ability to analyze samples at mi- Continued on page 2 Curiosity celebrates a year on Mars By Mark Whalen Could it be a year already? The raucous and triumphant Justin Maki, engineering camera cognizant Al Chen, entry, descent and landing flight dy- celebration during the late-night hours of Sunday, Aug. 5, engineer, mastcam deputy principal investigator namics and operations lead: Aug. 5 changed everything. 2012, when space fans worldwide welcomed the Curiosity and Hand Lens Imager/Mars Descent Imager co- Now, I find myself working the 2020 mission, which specifi- rover to the surface of Mars, is still a vivid memory for many investigator: Everyone knows about the “Seven Minutes cally calls for the reuse of Curiosity’s landing system. What JPLers. Universe caught up with some of the key players of Terror,” but for me there was an eighth minute of terror: seemed so unimaginable a year ago now seems to everyone who made Mars Science Laboratory happen. waiting for the first Hazcam images after landing. While to be the next logical step. The successful landing of Curi- most of the team in the control room was celebrating and osity was obviously a payday in itself for those of us who high-fiving, I was still at my console waiting for the first worked 10 years to get seven minutes to go right. But the What were the best surprises for you during the Q few bits of image data to trickle in. My computer monitor decision to double-down on the landing system for 2020 is experience? When did you first realize that the mission was being projected live onto the control room screen, so an especially sweet validation of all of our efforts. was truly hitting a payday and has been worth all the my task on landing night was to get the picture displayed work and sacrifice? as quickly as possible. When the images came down, it was Anita Sengupta, supersonic parachute systems definitely memorable. engneer on the entry, descent and landing team: The best surprise is the outpouring of excitement, interest and Ashwin Vasavada, project scientist: Betina Pavri, lead payload downlink coordina- wonder from the general public and students. Much of the Our science team worked incredibly hard to choose the best tor: The most exciting thing for me so far is the discovery public, I believe, truly understands the value, importance, site possible to understand Mars’ early environment and that—sometime in the past—there was flowing water on challenge and accomplishment of space exploration because suitability for life. But there’s only so much you can figure the surface of Mars at Curiosity’s location in Gale Crater. of Curiosity—not only as a national endeavor, but as a hu- out from orbit, even with those amazing Hirise images. I The water was flowing long enough, and was vigorous man endeavor. After the landing I began to realize how much think most of us were stunned when we first got Curiosity’s enough, to round off rocks, like we see in streambeds on support and affection we had with the outpouring of interest telephoto lens on Mt. Sharp. It was everything we hoped for Earth. That’s a fascinating result. via social media. Landing night was the ultimate “payday” scientifically. But even more, it was gorgeous, and so Earth- for me. like. Continued on page 2 2 MARS 2020 Continued from page 1 that are inserted in the cache, which will the mission’s requirements mature, he manager, who also worked on the Mars be conducted by NASA’s Human Explora- help scientists keep track of notes on added. Exploration Rovers and Mars Pathfinder. tion and Operations Mission Directorate. how the sample was collected. The $1.5 billion mission is targeted for “We have stockpiled as much of the NASA said the decision on when and niverse “That’s what’s special about the ability launch in July or August 2020, with land- residual Mars Science Laboratory how to return Martian samples to Earth U to bring chosen samples back,” Farley ing between January and March 2021. hardware as we can and are identifying won’t be made until a later date. Mars said. “We’ll know exactly where they’re McNamee said a key milestone for the issues of high risk, in terms of parts sample return was identified as a top from, to see how they fit in relation to team is a mission concept review at JPL obsolescence and the like,” added Mc- priority by the National Research Coun- features that we can identify and charac- Aug. 6 and 7. A mission definition review Namee, who praised the documentation cil’s planetary science decadal survey in terize with the rover’s instruments.” will follow in about a year. carried out by the Curiosity staff. “It’s 2011. The mission builds on a heritage of About 70 to 80 JPLers are currently at not just hardware and software we’re in- The mission “will deliver a lot of ex- success, as it will reuse much of the work full-time on the mission, a number heriting. They have done a very nice job.” ploratory science in an area that will be engineering and design of the Curios- that will increase to between 400 and The 2020 rover’s objectives also call different from anywhere else we’ve been ity rover, flight system and skycrane, 500 by 2017-18. The core staff will be for it to demonstrate how natural re- on Mars,” Farley said. “Even if we don’t said Project Manager John McNamee. Mars Science Laboratory veterans, in- sources on Mars can be used by future bring a cache back, there will certainly Enhanced capabilities will be added as cluding Matt Wallace, the deputy project human missions. This experiment would be important scientific returns.” CURIOSITY Continued from page 1 their own personality, passion and way of contributing. Sengupta: That you really can do anything in life Q What is the best lesson you learned? I’m learning to find the right balance between leading and if you put your mind and heart in it. The more difficult the facilitating, allowing everyone to express their view but problem, the more interesting and fascinating the journey to also developing consensus quickly, since our clock is al- find the solution. My career has already benefited because I Vasavada: As a project scientist, my job has been ways ticking. took on a significant technical challenge and was successful. just as much about people as about science. I’ve learned As you grow as an engineer you grow as a person. a lot from managing a team of 400+ scientists, each with Curiosity’s top five science discoveries 1. A suitable home for life 2. Evidence for an ancient streambed 3. Radiation could pose health risk for humans 4. The hunt for elusive methane 5. Diverse environments abound According to the MSL project, Curios- The rocks found by Curiosity are Curiosity’s radiation assessment detector took measurements on the Scientists using Earth-based detectors Curiosity found many diverse signs of a ity’s top finding was that Mars could smooth and rounded and likely rolled flight to Mars and continues to take measurements on the surface. The have reported finding methane in the watery past near its Gale Crater landing have the right chemistry to have downstream for at least a few miles. findings will be used to explore different approaches for safe human Martian atmosphere. Since landing, site. Water-transported sand dunes supported living microbes, discover- The exposed bedrock above tells a space missions and habitats.