Posted on 06/04/2004 5:48:11 PM PDT by nuconvert
NASA Will Risk Sending One Rover Into Deep Martian Crater
The Associated Press
June 4, 2004
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - NASA's Mars rover Opportunity will be sent into a big crater that could offer clues to the planet's history of water, despite the risk that the craft may not be able to get out, the space agency said Friday. The potential scientific value of exploring Endurance Crater outweighs the risk that the six-wheeled rover may not be able to drive back up its inner slope, mission officials said.
The decision was made after extensive study of the impact crater as the rover moved along its rim.
Scientists are intrigued with bedrock in the crater that is older than a similar outcrop a half-mile away that Opportunity previously determined formed in a once-wet environment suitable for life.
The earliest Opportunity could be sent into the 140-yard-diameter crater would be early next week, NASA said.
Richard Cook, rover project manager at JPL, said one of the exposed rock layers will require driving only 16-23 feet down into the crater on a 25-degree slope.
"We'll take an incremental approach, edging our way down to the target," Cook said.
Opportunity will use its instruments to study the rock layers for several days, and then will be ordered to reverse back up the slope and exit the crater.
Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, have been working on opposite sides of Mars since landing in January.
Come on, roll the dice, foreward march!!!
25 degrees is pretty steep. I would assume they've done testing on the climbing ability of Rover, but are unsure of how loose the soil is in the crater.
This is more like it, roll the dice.
We may learn much and who knows it may exit safely.
Pix!
How I would love to see these pictures on TV.......but the media will be too busy pimping for OJ to promote this wonderful accomplishment by NASA.
even if Opportunity topples or get stuck, this is a fitting end to a wildly successful mission. Let the little guy go out in a blaze of glory!
Glad they are doing this.
You're correct. They have what is essentially a third rover at JPL, which they used to test capabilities, but there is only so much modeling and testing one can do.
It just occurred to me that I have no idea of the gravity ratio on Mars as opposed to Earth. Does anyone here know?
Approximately 1/3 of that on Earth.
It's about one-third Earth normal.
Thanks.
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