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Final Three Landing Sites for the Mars 2020 Rover

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Final Three Landing Sites for the Mars 2020 Rover 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2018 (LPI Contrib. No. 2083) 2130.pdf FINAL THREE LANDING SITES FOR THE MARS 2020 ROVER. M. P. Golombek1, J. A. Grant2, K. A. Far- ley3, K. H. Williford1, R. E. Otero1, A. Chen1, 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasa- dena, CA 91109, 2Smithsonian Institution, Center for Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington, D.C. 20560, 3Divi- sion of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125. Introduction: Three landing sites (Jezero crater, NE Two of the candidate sites (Jezero crater and NE Syrtis, and Columbia Hills) remain under consideration Syrtis) were consistently assessed higher relative to cri- for the Mars 2020 Rover mission following the 3rd teria 1 and 2 and were as high or nearly as highly ranked Landing Site Workshop and subsequent meeting by the as any other sites relative to criteria 3 and 4. By contrast, Mars Landing Site Steering Committee and the Project two of the candidate sites (Holden crater and SW Melas) Science Group. This abstract describes the results of were consistently assessed the lowest relative to criteria these meetings. 1 and 2 and were ranked lower or nearly as low as any Third Landing Site Workshop: The third Mars other site relative to criteria 3 and 4. 2020 Landing Site Workshop was held in Monrovia, Assessment of the remaining four sites (Columbia CA, from February 8-10, 2017. The meeting was very Hills, Eberswalde crater, Mawrth Vallis, and Nili Fos- well attended, with over ~200 participants including sae) revealed them to be intermediate to the other sites members of the science community and the Mars 2020 and led to fairly similar values relative to each criterion. project and instrument science teams. The workshop Nevertheless, Nili Fossae was assessed slightly lower was broadcast via the web, attracting an additional ~50 relative to criteria 1 and 4, all four intermediate sites had participants per day. nearly the same value for criterion 2, and Eberswalde The workshop objective was strongly focused on crater was slightly higher for criterion 3. discussion of the science merits of the eight candidate Committee Meeting: Following the workshop, the landing sites under study since the downselection fol- Mars Landing Site Steering Committee and the Mars lowing the Second Landing Site Workshop [1, 2]. The 2020 Project Science Group, and several Mars 2020 en- goal of the workshop was to provide a community as- gineers met to make the site down-selection. Key inputs sessment of five science criteria (Table 1) as all landing that informed committee deliberations were the discus- sites appear acceptably safe. The website sions and assessments from the workshop, the science marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov displays the workshop program, team’s Landing Site Working Group, and engineering workshop presentations and workshop assessments. At- factors related to predicted operational efficiency (for tendees voted on the merits of each criteria for each site. some sites). Mars 2020 has a distinct and diverse set of goals cen- tered on in situ investigations, preparation of a scientif- Table 1: Science criteria used to assess landing sites. ically worthy sample cache for possible Earth return, 1: The site is an astrobiologically relevant ancient envi- seeking signs of ancient life, and investigating non-bio- ronment and has geologic diversity that has the potential logical aspects of Mars geology, climate, and planetary to yield fundamental scientific discoveries when it is: a) history. Accomplishing these objectives depends on the characterized for the processes that formed and modified efficiency of engineering and science operations includ- the geologic record; and b) subjected to astrobiologically ing drive distance, traversability, and temperature ex- relevant investigations (e.g., assessment of habitability tremes. Extreme temperatures affect in situ exploration and biosignature preservation potential). by limiting time available for driving and for the use of 2: A rigorously documented and returnable cache of scientific instruments under optimal performance con- rock and regolith samples assembled at this site has the ditions. High surface temperatures may also lead to potential to yield fundamental scientific discoveries if re- some sample degradation as the cache awaits potential turned to Earth in the future. Earth return on the martian surface. 3: There is high confidence in the assumptions, evi- Holden – relative to the other sites, especially dence, and any interpretive models that support the as- broadly similar crater lake settings, Holden was found sessments for Criteria 1 and 2 for the site. to lack a diversity of compelling scientific targets. 4: There is high confidence that the highest-science- Holden is also the site most challenged by temperature value regions of interest at the site can be adequately in- extremes and long traverse distances over potentially vestigated in pursuit of Criteria 1 and 2 within the prime difficult terrain. mission. Melas – like Holden, Melas was found inferior to 5: The site has high potential for significant water re- broadly similar lake sites. In particular, the lack of evi- sources that may be of use for future exploration— dence for mineralogical and lithologic diversity, espe- whether in the form of water-rich hydrated minerals, cially the absence of compelling igneous rocks, were ice/ice regolith or subsurface ice. notable weaknesses. Melas is thought to be the youngest of the lake sites under consideration, which may make 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2018 (LPI Contrib. No. 2083) 2130.pdf it less interesting from the perspectives of astrobiology could provide important chronostratigraphic context, and planetary evolution. but only if determined to be of igneous origin. Highly Nili Fossae – the presence of an undisputed igneous desirable Hesperian Syrtis lava flows and sulfates have unit correlatable to the Syrtis lavas was a strong attrac- been identified in the region, but at a distance of 20 to tion to this site, but the astrobiological potential of the 30 km from the landing ellipse, which may be beyond site was considered by the committee to be inferior to the range of an extended mission. that available at other potential landing sites. Although ranked lower than either Jezero or NE Syr- Eberswalde – this crater lake site was found less tis, the committee agreed to retain the Columbia Hills compelling than the broadly similar, but significantly site after lengthy discussion. older, Jezero site. While Eberswalde offers an attrac- 3) Columbia Hills – this site, visited by the Mars tively compact distribution of scientific targets, like Exploration Rover Spirit, possesses a range of poten- Holden, it suffers from temperature extremes that re- tially attractive targets for Mars 2020 to investigate. duce operational efficiency. Most notable among these is a silica-rich, putative hy- Mawrth – the central attraction of this site is its ex- drothermal sinter deposit that some scientists, by anal- traordinary accumulation of phyllosilicates, and its ogy to Earth, suggest is an excellent target for seeking great antiquity. Although this site was considered favor- evidence of possible ancient martian life. An additional ably, strong concerns were raised about the uncertain attraction is a diverse suite of previously characterized origin of the phyllosilicates, the strong dependence on volcanic rocks, useful for returned sample science. Con- different models for phyllosilicate formation and altera- siderable time in the workshop was spent evaluating the tion for the astrobiological relevance of the site, and the evidence supporting a hot spring origin for the key tar- perceived degree of difficulty that the science team get at this site, and whether a surface mission could ad- would have in establishing a robust geologic context at equately test the hypothesis. In the end, the committee the site during surface exploration. Taken together, agreed to retain this site to allow the nascent understand- these concerns were deemed important enough by the ing of its geologic setting to be further developed and committee to drop the site from further consideration. tested, and to allow time for the project to more deeply The next two sites were ranked substantially higher study the site’s science value and potential engineering than all others, and therefore are included among the fi- challenges (including sampling cm-scale sinter depos- nal three: its). Unlike the sites removed from further considera- 1) Jezero crater – this site was strongly endorsed tion, it was believed that important changes in our as- by the Mars 2020 Landing Site Working Group and by sessment of this site might emerge in the coming the workshop attendees. Jezero offers a well-defined months. Absent such revision, this site compares unfa- delta environment including facies of fine grained clay vorably to both NE Syrtis and Jezero. that are most favorable for organic concentration and The three remaining candidate landing sites are preservation, a large and geologically diverse headwa- thought to represent each of the three environments ters region emptying into an open, deep lake, and an in- most commonly considered favorable for detecting pos- triguing carbonate-bearing unit that may preserve a rec- sible ancient life on Mars: fine-grained sediments and ord of the ancient martian carbon cycle. Jezero is clearly chemical precipitates deposited in lakes (Jezero),
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