Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999msls.work...27e&link_type=abstract
Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, held 22-23 June 1999 in Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.p. 27-29
Physics
Mars Surveyor 2001 Mission, Mars Surface, Mars Landing, Landing Sites, Site Selection, Geomorphology, Topography
Scientific paper
The only place within the elevation and latitude constraints for the Mars Surveyor Project 2001 (MSP01) lander that is almost guaranteed to be safe for landing is the large, smooth, nearly flat sand sheet that covers much of the floor of Ganges Chasma. While at first it might seem that this kind of surface would be boring, an array of topics consistent with Mars Surveyor goals can be addressed at this site. The reason I suggest landing on the smooth sand sheet in Ganges Chasma is very simple. It is safe. When it arrives, the MSP01 lander will have only about 31 cm of clearance with respect to obstacles such as rocks. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images obtained within the past several months (March-May 1999) have good focus and clarity qualities, and they have resolutions in the 1.4-12 m/pixel range. These images show that most surfaces within the latitude and elevation constraints of the MSP01 lander exhibit either meter-scale (boulders, yardangs, or grooves) or kilometer-scale (slopes) hazards. The Ganges sand sheet appears to be one of the few exceptions to the "rules" regarding what surfaces appear to be rough vs. smooth at the meter scale, and it is the only smooth-surfaced exception for which there is an adequate Earth analog. Part of the success of the Mars Pathfinder mission was the fact that the Ares Vallis site had a good Earth analog in the Channeled Scabland of Washington.
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