Rock size-frequency distributions on Mars and implications for Mars Exploration Rover landing safety and operations

Details Rock size-frequency distributions on Mars and implications for Mars Exploration Rover landing safety and operations Rock size-frequency distributions on Mars and implications for Mars Exploration Rover landing safety and operations

Oct 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003jgre..108.8086g&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 108, Issue E12, pp. ROV 27-1, CiteID 8086, DOI 10.1029/2002JE002035

Mathematics

Probability

27

Planetology: Solar System Objects: Mars, Planetary Sciences: Surface Materials And Properties, Planetary Sciences: Remote Sensing, Planetary Sciences: Physical Properties Of Materials

Scientific paper

The cumulative fractional area covered by rocks versus diameter measured at the Pathfinder site was predicted by a rock distribution model that follows simple exponential functions that approach the total measured rock abundance (19%), with a steep decrease in rocks with increasing diameter. The distribution of rocks >1.5 m diameter visible in rare boulder fields also follows this steep decrease with increasing diameter. The effective thermal inertia of rock populations calculated from a simple empirical model of the effective inertia of rocks versus diameter shows that most natural rock populations have cumulative effective thermal inertias of 1700-2100 J m-2 s-0.5 K-1 and are consistent with the model rock distributions applied to total rock abundance estimates. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) airbags have been successfully tested against extreme rock distributions with a higher percentage of potentially hazardous triangular buried rocks than observed at the Pathfinder and Viking landing sites. The probability of the lander impacting a >1 m diameter rock in the first 2 bounces is <3% and <5% for the Meridiani and Gusev landing sites, respectively, and is <0.14% and <0.03% for rocks >1.5 m and >2 m diameter, respectively. Finally, the model rock size-frequency distributions indicate that rocks >0.1 m and >0.3 m in diameter, large enough to place contact sensor instruments against and abrade, respectively, should be plentiful within a single sol's drive at the Meridiani and Gusev landing sites.

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