Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jun 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999msls.work....1b&link_type=abstract
Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, p. 1
Mathematics
Logic
Mars Surveyor 2001 Mission, Landing Sites, Mars Landing, Highlands, Roving Vehicles, Mars Surface
Scientific paper
The original plan for the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander was to land in a location which may have been conducive to ancient martian life and use the sampling capabilities of the rover to collect materials which could contain biogenic evidence. However, the recent revisions to the mission architecture removes the sampling capabilities and thus changes the goal of this mission to exploring the landing location with a rover similar in design to Sojourner but carrying the more detailed Athena rover science instrumentation. Although identifying locations which may have been conducive to the existence of martian life is still a major emphasis of this mission, the lack of sampling capability means that this mission will be more focused on providing in-depth information about the landing area. The heavily cratered southern highlands will be a prime location for the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander for the following reasons: (1) the ancient age of this region provides the opportunity to investigate soil and rocks formed early in martian history, and (2) most models of Mars' geologic history indicate that conditions conducive to the existence of martian lifeforms were present only during the period when the highlands existed. Thus, a highlands landing site would provide a new perspective of martian geologic history, including information about sites which may have been able to support ancient life. This is a perspective lacking from current surface lander investigations due to their location on the younger northern plains. The engineering constraints combined with the limited high-resolution Viking coverage have severely restricted the possible range of landing sites. Using the maps located on the MS01 Landing Site web page for elevation, rock abundance, thermal inertia, and Viking coverage, I have identified four highlands sites which could provide interesting environments for the study of ancient martian materials. These sites, in order of possible interest, are as follows: (1) Sinus Sabaeus (9.12 S 347.81 W): (2) Ravi Vallis region (2.8 S 40.8 W); (3) Amenthes Boundary area (2.5 N 241.5 W); and (4) lani Chaos region (5 S 21 W).
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