Mars Science Laboratory Landing Site Selection

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Mars Science LaboratoryLanding Site Selection

• Emily Lakdawalla
• The Planetary Society

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A bit bigger than MERs
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A bit bigger than MERs
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Bigger than a Mini!
2009 MSL Rover
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Chemistry lab on wheels

• Zap!

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Payload
ChemCam
MastCam
RAD
REMS
DAN
MAHLI APXS Brush Drill / Sieves Scoop
MARDI
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Payload

• Remote Sensing
• Mastcam Color imaging, atmospheric dust
• ChemCam Chemical composition remote
  micro-imaging
• Robotic Arm
• MAHLI - Microscopic imaging
• APXS - Chemical composition
• Also brush, drill, sieves, scoop

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Payload

• Analytical Laboratory (rover body)
• SAM - Chemical and isotopic composition,
  including organics
• CheMin - Mineralogy
• Environmental Characterization
• MARDI - Descent imagery
• REMS - Meteorology / UV (Spain)
• RAD - High-energy radiation
• DAN - Subsurface hydrogen (Russia)

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Objectives

• Explore and quantitatively assess a local region
  on Mars surface as a potential habitat for life,
  past or present.
• Assess the biological potential of at least one
  target environment.
• Determine the nature and inventory of organic
  carbon compounds.
• Inventory the chemical building blocks of life
  (C, H, N, O, P, S).
• Identify features that may represent the effects
  of biological processes.

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Objectives

• Explore and quantitatively assess a local region
  on Mars surface as a potential habitat for life,
  past or present.
• Characterize the geology and geochemistry of the
  landing region at all appropriate spatial scales
  (i.e., ranging from micrometers to meters).
• Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and
  mineralogical composition of martian surface and
  near-surface geological materials.
• Interpret the processes that have formed and
  modified rocks and regolith.

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Objectives

• Explore and quantitatively assess a local region
  on Mars surface as a potential habitat for life,
  past or present.
• Investigate planetary processes of relevance to
  past habitability, including the role of water.
• Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year)
  atmospheric evolution processes.
• Determine present state, distribution, and
  cycling of water and CO2.
• Characterize the broad spectrum of surface
  radiation, including galactic cosmic radiation,
  solar proton events, and secondary neutrons.

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Landing
Powered Flight Includes Powered Descent, Sky
Crane, Flyaway
Powered Descent
Flyaway
MLE Prime
Backshell Separation (2 km AGL)
Powered Approach (1.6 km AGL)
Sky Crane
ConstantVelocity
ConstantDeceleration
Snatch
Bridle/ Umbilical Cut
Touchdown (0.75 m/s)

• Throttle Down to 4 MLEs

Rover Separation Mobility Deploy (19 m)
1000 m MOLA
E341 s
E356 s
E356 s
E356 s
E314 s
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Landing
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Landing site constraints

• Latitude 45N to 45S
• Elevation 1 km
• Landing ellipse 25 x 20 km (wind uncertainty)
• Slopes large scale 20º (radar spoofing)
• Slopes small scale 15º (landing stability)
• Rock height 0.55 m
• Odds that a big rock is in a random sampled area
  of 4 sq m should be less than 0.50.

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Landing site constraints

• Not dusty
• Reflective to Ka-band radar
• Surface winds lt 15 m/s (steady) lt 30 m/s
  (gusts)
• This is for science operations. Must be true
  over all seasons and times of day, at 1 m above
  the surface. Also, steady winds must never exceed
  40 m/s when the rover is sleeping.

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Landing sites
Lines show 30º and 45º latitude. The map is
centered at 0ºE longitude.
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Landing sites
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Miyamoto Crater (3S, 352E)
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South Meridiani (3S, 355E)
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Nili Fossae (21N, 74E)
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Holden Crater (26S, 325E)
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Eberswalde Delta (24S, 327E)
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Mawrth Vallis (24N, 341E)
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Gale Crater (4S, 137E)