Early Spacecraft Exploration Viking

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• The scientific goal of the Viking missions is to
  increase our knowledge of the planet Mars with
  an emphasis on the search for extra-terrestrial
  life. The scientific questions deal with the
  atmosphere, the surface, the planetary body, and
  the question of bio-organic evolution.

Viking Press Kit, July 1975
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Get down, get dirty.
Twin orbiter/lander combos
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• V1 devoted the first month to searching for
  landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
  down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia
• V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
  site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
  Planitia

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• V1 devoted the first month to searching for
  landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
  down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia
• V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
  site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
  Planitia
• Delayed landing

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• V1 devoted the first month to searching for
  landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
  down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia
• V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
  site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
  Planitia
• Delayed landing
• Landing sites selected with Mariner 9 imagery,
  Viking orbiter cameras were higher resolution

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• Landing Site Locations

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• With landers on the ground, orbiters continued
  science mission above and acted as data relays
  for landers

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Sinuous canyon in Nanedi Vallis
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Viking 2 lander touched down with one pad on a
boulder tilted 8.
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• Notable results from Viking orbiters
• Mapped 97 of the surface 52,000 total images
• Definitively determined the North residual polar
  cap is water-ice, not frozen carbon dioxide
• Stirred up a little controversy with one
  particular image

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• Notable results from Viking landers
• Biology experiments provided no clear evidence
  for the presence of living organisms in soil near
  the landing sites
• Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer found no
  evidence of organic material at either landing
  site
• Winds blew more slowly than anticipated (200
  MPH) highest recorded wind gust was 120 km/hr
  (74 mph) and average velocities were much lower
• Weather in the Martian midsummer was repetitious
  but was variable and more interesting in other
  seasons

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• Notable results from Viking landers
• Atmospheric composition
• CO2 95.32
• N 2.7
• Ar 1.6
• O 0.13
• CO 0.7
• H2O (vapor) 0.03

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• Notable results from Viking landers
• Atmospheric composition
• CO2 95.32
• N 2.7
• Ar 1.6
• O 0.13
• CO 0.7
• H2O (vapor) 0.03

• 1963
• 72 N2
• 25 CO2
• 2 Ar
• lt 0.5 O2
• Trace amounts of H2O

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Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking

• How did Viking advance scientific understanding
  of Mars?
• Difficult for life to exist on the surface at
  present, but this does not rule out past life
• More evidence for past habitability
• Weather patterns
• Though no current life, Mars is a dynamic planet
• What technological advance(s) did Viking carry?
• LANDER!!
• Higher res. Cameras
• Weather station
• Biology experiments
• Orbiters acted as communications relay, selective
  landing sites

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Early Exploration
How did Viking change and/or reaffirm perceptions
of Mars?
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History of Mars Exploration

• Viking mission operations ended in the early
  1980s
• Viking missions gave scientists the most complete
  picture of Mars to date

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History of Mars Exploration

• Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
  until the early 1990s. Why not?
• Why was it revived?

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History of Mars Exploration

• Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
  until the early 1990s. Why not?
• Why was it revived?

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History of Mars Exploration

• Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
  until the early 1990s.
• The first one failed.
• The next two gave Mars a face-lift and showed a
  new way to explore.

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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor

• Objectives
• High resolution imaging of the surface
• Study the topography and gravity
• Study the role of water and dust on the surface
  and in the atmosphere
• Study the weather and climate of Mars
• Study the composition of the surface and
  atmosphere
• Study the existence and evolution of the Martian
  magnetic field

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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
Credit Malin Space Science Systems www.msss.com
Credit Malin Space Science Systems www.msss.com
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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor

• Notable results from Global Surveyor
• The northern hemisphere is probably just as
  cratered as the southern hemisphere, but the
  craters are mostly buried.
• High-resolution imagery shows modifications to
  the surface have taken place over the past
  decade.
• Hundreds of gullies were discovered that were
  formed from liquid water (probably), possibly in
  recent times.
• The Thermal Emission Spectrometer found that just
  about all of the surface of Mars is covered with
  volcanic rock.
• Magnetometer data show remnant, alternating
  magnetic fields

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Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor

• How did Global Surveyor advance scientific
  understanding of Mars?
• Smoking gun evidence that liquid water was stable
  on the surface for long periods of time
• Mars exhibits a global dichotomy in terms of
  topography
• Spectral ID of the global surface composition
• What technological advance(s) did Global Surveyor
  carry?
• Highest-resolution camera, for the time
• Laser altimeter
• TES lithology, mineralogy
• Magnetometer remnant magnetic field

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Early Exploration
How did Mars Global Surveyor change and/or
reaffirm perceptions of Mars?
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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• The primary mission objectives were to
  demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost landings
  on, and exploration of, the Martian surface
  (Faster, Better, Cheaper)
• Scientific objectives included
• atmospheric entry science
• long-range and close-up surface imaging
• the general objective was to characterize the
  Martian environment for further exploration

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• Landed in Ares Vallis which was believed to be
  the site of an ancient flood
• Landing site selection made using Viking orbiter
  imagery
• First rover first to use airbags

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• Landing Site Locations

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• Pathfinder Landing Site

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• Pathfinder Landing Site

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• Notable results from Pathfinder
• More than 16,500 images from the lander and 550
  images from the rover
• More than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil
  and extensive data on winds and other weather
  factors
• Findings from the investigations carried out by
  scientific instruments on both the lander and the
  rover suggest that Mars was at one time in its
  past warm and wet, with water existing in its
  liquid state and a thicker atmosphere

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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder

• How did Pathfinder advance scientific
  understanding of Mars?
• Evidence on the ground for a warm, wet past
• What technological advance(s) did Pathfinder
  carry?
• First rover can be remotely operated
• New landing system

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Early Exploration
How did Mars Pathfinder change and/or reaffirm
perceptions of Mars?