First Landing Site Workshop for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers January 24-25, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center Mountain View, California Sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Ames Research Center Lunar and Planetary Institute Steering Committee Matt Golombek, Co-Chair, Jet Propulsion Laboratory John Grant, Co-Chair, Smithsonian Institution Bruce Jakosky, University of Colorado, Boulder Mike Carr, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park Phil Christensen, Arizona State University Jack Farmer, Arizona State University Virginia Gulick, NASA Ames Research Center/SETI Institute Michael Malin, Malin Space Science Systems, Inc. George McGill, University of Massachussetts Richard Morris, NASA Johnson Space Center Timothy Parker, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Roger Phillips, Washington University Mike Shepard, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Kenneth Tanaka, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff Compiled in 2001 by LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE The Institute is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under Contract No. NASW-4574 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Material in this volume may be copied without restraint for library, abstract service, education, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any paper or portion thereof requires the written permission of the authors as well as the appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. Abstracts in this volume may be cited as Author A. B. (2001 ) Title of abstract. In First Landing Site Workshop for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers, p. xx. LPI Contribution No. 1079, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. This report is distributed by ORDER DEPARTMENT Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston "IX 77058-1113 Phone: 281-486-2172 Pax: 281-486-2186 E-mail: [email protected] Please contact the Order Department for ordering information. 2003MERWorkshopiii Preface This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the Firsi Landing Site Workshop for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers, January 24-25, 2001. The Steering Committee consisted of Matt Golombek, Co-Chair (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), John Grant, Co-Chair (Smithsonian Institution), Bruce Jakosky (University of Colorado, Boulder), Mike Carr (U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park), Phil Christensen (Arizona State University), Jack Farmer (Arizona State University), Virginia Gulick (NASA Ames Research Center/SETI hTstitute), Michael Malin (Malin Space Science Systems, Inc.), George McGill (University of Massachussetts), Richard Morris (NASA Johnson Space Center), Timothy Parker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Roger Phillips (Washington University), Mike Shepard (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and Kenneth Tanaka (U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff). Logistics were provided by Virginia Gulick and the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Administrative and publications support were provided by the Publications and Program Services Department of the Lunar and Planetary Institute. 2003 MER Workshop v Contents Exobiology at Sinus Meridiani --2003 and Beyond C C Allen, F. Westall, andR. T. Sehelble ................................................................................ 1 Results from FIDO Prototype Mars Rover Field Trials R. E. Arvidson ........................................................ :.................................................................. 3 Potential MER Landing Sites in the Terra Meridiani and Valles Marineris Regions of Mars N. G. Barlow .............................................................................................................................. 4 Mineralogy Considerations for 2003 MER Site Selection and the Importance for Astrobiology J. L. Bishop ....................................................... _....................................................................... 6 Assessing Layered Materials in Gale Crater N. T. Bridges ............................................................................................................................. 8 Exploring Impact Crater Paleolakes in 2003 N. A. Cabrol and E. A. Grin ..................................................................................................... 10 The TES Hematite-rich Region in Sinus Meridiani; A Proposed Landing Site for the 2003 Rover P. R. Christensen, J. Bandfield, V. Hamilton, S. Ruff R. Morris, M. Lane, and M. Malin ............................................................................................................................. 12 Analysis of Potential MER Sites in the Southern Isidis Region L. S. Crumpler, K. L. Tanaka, and T. M. Hare .......................................................................... 14 MER 2003 Landing Site Proposal: Amazonian Lacustrine Materials R. A. De Hon ............................................................................................................................. 16 A New Era in Geodesy and Cartography: Implications for Landing Site Operations T. C. Duxbury ........................................................................................................................... 17 MOLA-based Landing Site Characterization T. C. Duxbury and A. B. Ivanov ............................................................................................... 18 Mars 2003: Site Priorities for Astrobiology J. Farmer, D. Nelson, R. Greeley, and R. Kuzmin ..................................................................... 20 Submarine Volcanic Landforms and Endolithic Microorganisms M. R. Fisk .................................................................................................................................. 22 vi LPI Contribution No. 1079 Potential Noachian-aged Sites for MER-B M. S. Gilmore and K. L. Tanaka ............................................................................................... 23 Extreme Rock Distributions on Mars and Implications for Landing Safety M. P. Golombek ........................................................................................ 25 Themaal Inertia of Rocks and Rock Populations and Implications for Landing Hazards on Mars M. P. Golombek, B. M. Jakosky, and M. T. Mellon ................................................................... 27 Potential Mars Exploration Rover Landing Sites West and South ofApollinaris Patera V. C. Gulick ............................................................................................................................... 29 A Virtual Web Environment for Mars Landing Site Studies V. C Gulick, D. G. Deardorff and G. A. Briggs ...................................................................... 31 Planetary GIS on the Web for the MER 2003 Landers T. M. Hare, K. L. Tanaka, and J. A. Skinner ............................................................................. 33 Recent Results from Mars Global Surveyor Affecting Landing Site Selection and Habitats for Past or Present Biological Activity W. K. Hartmann ........................................................................................................................ 35 MER 2003 Operations Support and Landing Site Characterization by Mars Express , HRSC/SRC Imaging Data E. Hauber, G. Neukum, T. Behnke, R. Jaumann, R. Pischel, H. Hoffmann, J. Oberst, and the HRSC Science Team ...................................................................................... 37 Terra Meridiani Hematite Deposit Landing Site Rationale B. M. Hynek, R. E. Arvidson, R. J. Phillips, and F. P. Seelos ................................................... 39 Broad Perspectives on Mars Landing Site Selection: Geological Factors from Centimeter to Kilometer Scales B. M. Jakosky and M. P. Golombek .......................................................................................... 41 Physical Properties of PotentiaI Mars Landing Sites from MGS TES-derived Thermal Inertia B. M. Jakosky, M T. Mellon, and S. M. Pelkey ......................................................................... 43 Atmospheric Constraints on Landing Site Selection D. M. Kass andJ. T. Schofield .................................................................................................. 45 Eos Chasma as a Potenital Site for the MER-A Landing R. O. Kuzmin, R. Greeley, D. M. Nelson, J. D. Farmer, and H. P. Klein ................................... 47 2003 MER Workshop vii Melas Chasma: Major Scientific Opportunity forMER 2003 N. Mangold, F. Costard, P. Masson, and J.-P. Peulvast ........................................................... 49 Potential 2003 Landing Sites in the Cerberus Plains, SE Elysium Planitia A. McEwen, P. Lanagan, R. Beyer, L. Keszthelyi, and D. Burr ................................................. 51 Hubble Space Telescope Visible to Near-IR Imaging and Spectroscopy of Mars in Support of Future Landing Site Selection R. K Morris andJ. F. Bell III ..................................................................................................... 53 Durius Valles Outflow Basin, Mars: Proposed Site for MER-A D. M. Nelson, J. D. Farmer, R. Greeley, R. O. Kuzmin, and H. P. Klein ................................... 55 Impact Crater Landing Sites for the 2003 Mars Explorer Rovers -- Accessing Lacustrine and Hydrothemaal Deposits H. E. Newsom ........................................................................................................................... 57 TES Hematite Landing Sites in Sinus Meridiani for 2003 Mars Exploration Rover E. Noreen, K. L. Tanaka, and M. G. Chapman .......................................................................