Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.p21c..05g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #P21C-05
Mathematics
Logic
5415 Erosion And Weathering, 5460 Physical Properties Of Materials, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 5494 Instruments And Techniques, 5499 General Or Miscellaneous
Scientific paper
Landing site selection for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers is based on consideration of landing safety issues and science potential as related to achieving mission objectives. Because landing safely is paramount, all mission engineering constraints must be adhered to, including relatively low latitude surfaces below the -1.3 km MOLA defined elevation with winds less than 20 m/sec. In addition, landing ellipses range from approximately 100 to 150 km in length and 20 to 15 km in width from south to north, respectively, thereby requiring that desirable targets be distributed over fairly broad areas. Mission science objectives emphasize investigation of sites favorable to the preservation of evidence of possible pre-biotic or biotic processes and those where the rovers might best define the aqueous, climatic, and geologic history. A complete list of all engineering constraints and science criteria are on the web at marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/mer2003 and webgis.wr.usgs.gov/mer. Landing safety concerns form a template that a NASA-appointed Landing Site Steering Committee uses to focus community input regarding which sites possess the highest science potential. This has been accomplished via a series of open workshops that continue to narrow an initial list of 185 potential sites. The first workshop, in January 2001, identified 26 high priority locations with broad consensus on seven proposed landing sites. Further evaluations including analysis of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) data were presented at a second workshop in October 2001 and resulted in shortening the list to four primary sites (the Hematite Region, Melas Chasma, Gusev Crater, and Athabasca Vallis) and two back-up sites (Isidis Basin and Eos Chasma). Additional imaging by MGS and Mars Odyssey coupled with detailed evaluation by the MER project culminated in a third workshop in March 2002 that solidified support for the Hematite Region, Gusev Crater, and Isidis Basin. Concerns about probable high winds at the time of landing and significant decimeter-scale surface roughness, however, saw elimination of Melas, Eos Chasma and Athabasca Vallis, respectively. Most recently, landing safety concerns related to occurrence of high winds has led to identification of a fourth "wind safe" site to the southwest of Elysium Mons. Upcoming work will focus on continued engineering evaluations and development of testable hypotheses regarding evolution of the sites that can be assessed using the Athena Science Package on board the rovers. These results will be discussed at a fourth open workshop in January 2003 with the expectation that a community recommendation will emerge regarding the relative merits of the four remaining sites. Outcomes of the fourth workshop will play an important role in formulating the final site recommendations made by the Mars Exploration Rover Project and Science Team to NASA Headquarter for approval in March 2003.
Golombek Matt
Grant Alex J.
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