Mars Exploration Rover Mission

JPL ^ | 1-3-04 | JPL

[bonesmccoy]

Mission Timeline: Entry, Descent, and Landing

The entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase begins when the spacecraft reaches the Mars atmospheric entry interface point (3522.2 kilometers or about 2,113 miles from the center of Mars) and ends with the lander on the surface of Mars in a safe state.

The rovers will arrive during the latter half of the northern winter/southern summer on Mars. Rover A will land at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time on Mars (with Earth set an hour after landing), whereas Rover B will land at around 1:15 p.m. local time on Mars (with Earth set as long as two-and-a-half hours after landing). That means that both rovers will land in the Martian afternoon while the Earth is still in view, allowing the Earth to receive the landing signal if the lander is on the base petal.

Entry, descent, and landing for the Mars Exploration Rover mission is an adaptation of the Mars Pathfinder method:

An aeroshell and a parachute decelerate the lander through the Martian atmosphere.

Prior to surface impact, retro-rockets are fired to slow the lander´s speed of descent, and airbags are inflated to cushion the lander at surface impact.

After its initial impact, the lander bounces along the Martian surface until it rolls to a stop.

The airbags are then deflated and retracted, and the lander petals and rover egress aids are deployed.

Once the petals have opened, the rover deploys its solar arrays, and places the system in a safe state. Communications during entry, descent, and landing will occur through a pair of low-gain antennas, one mounted on the backshell and the other on the rover itself. About 36 ten-second radio tones will be transmitted to Earth during descent through the atmosphere, which takes approximately six minutes. These tones are coded to indicate the accomplishment of critical steps in the entry, descent,and landing timeline. [More on these tones in the communications section]

A step-by-step guide to everything that will happen will be provided prior to entry, descent, and landing.

[clearvision]

I don't think this new one has been linked here: large panarama

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rover-images/jan-08-2004/video.jpg

[clearvision]

The smooth area in the middle right of that photo is quite interesting.... I'm guessing it is sand... but almost looks like a really smooth angled rock.

[clearvision]

Color corrected version of same shot:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040108a/color_panorama_sol6-A6R1_br.jpg

[clearvision]

OK... 4MB version of color corrected shot:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040108a/color_panorama_sol6-A6R1_med.jpg

[Paradox]

These pictures are AMAZING! The resolution is phenomenal! Wish we had more access to the photos...

[Phil V.]

The rats have taken over?

[Phil V.]

They've restored access! to all raw pics over here! ......

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/spirit.html

[Phil V.]

What do you make of this stereo?

[bonesmccoy]

Looks to me like your 3-D stereoscopic view has a low sand dune in the foreground with a crater or some sort of depression behind it.

[bonesmccoy]

I once read a study that suggested seeding microbes in the martian poles. This would theoretically unlock the gaseous CO2 through photosynthesis, create Oxygen in the atmosphere and the gradually raise the atmospheric pressure as the gaseous oxygen was vented. There would a "greenhouse" effect on Mars and raise the temperature of the surface while the atmosphere increased.

[bonesmccoy]

I don't understand what you're getting at... please explain...

[ForGod'sSake]

please explain...

Nothing cryptic really. The feature within the circle jumped out at me while I was cruising the much larger pic as a partially buried.......skull. Sort of like looking at clouds I suspect. To others it will look like a rock with some dents and dimples in it...

FGS

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

Looka like an Aerial shot of one of the dunes on Arrakis, should be sandworm sign all over.

[Paradox]

To me? It looks like that "dune" is actually something sticking up out of the martian sand. Maybe some hardened volcanic flow. Perhaps the whole area, because of the wind, really only has a relatively thin layer of martian sand.

[Far Right Field]

Did any one catch todays press conference? The TES is up and mapping the local area, and they have found bound water, silicates, CO2 (A Bunch) and carbonates. Carbonates can sometime be a marker for past life. Some really hugh stuff today.

[Paradox]

Did any one catch todays press conference? The TES is up and mapping the local area, and they have found bound water, silicates, CO2 (A Bunch) and carbonates. Carbonates can sometime be a marker for past life. Some really hugh stuff today.

Oooh! I missed it! Maybe we need a new running thread on Mars Rover info.

[Far Right Field]

Oooh! I missed it! Maybe we need a new running thread on Mars Rover info.
_____________________________________________________________

Not a bad idea, actually, and the information coming from both Gusev and Meridiani at the same time is going to be a firehose of information. The rover driver is giving a briefing Now. Gotta go.

[ChadGore]

The following, taken on SOL6, is a 7 frame, 1024 x 1024 animation of multiple contrast pictures taken of the "smudge" in the martian soil next to the Spirit landing site (2 meg total).

[ChadGore]

bttt

[e_engineer]

Ahhhh! Another face on Mars!!!

Look at the small stone in the lower left corner. ;^)