First of Two NASA Mars Rovers Lands Tonight
Posted on: Saturday, 3 January 2004, 06:00 CST
By ANDREW BRIDGES
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - A NASA spacecraft was closing in on Mars, carrying a six-wheeled vehicle that is to roam the Red Planet's rocky surface in search of geologic evidence that Mars was once suitable for life.
The spacecraft cradling the Spirit rover was scheduled to land Saturday night on Mars, alighting in an ancient crater just south of the planet's equator.
At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, members of the mission braced themselves for the unmanned spacecraft's anticipated landing on Mars' ruddy surface.
"We have done everything we know to do to ensure these missions will be a success," said JPL director Charles Elachi, adding there were no guarantees. A safe landing, other members of the mission said, would depend on Mars.
"One gust of wind or one pointy rock means we could have a bad night," said Steve Squyres, the mission's main scientist.
Previously, one in three attempts to land spacecraft on Mars have failed.
"It's an incredibly difficult place to land. Some have called it the 'death planet' for good reason," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for space science.
NASA could hear from Spirit within 10 minutes of landing, but spotty communications could also delay confirmation and transmission of the rover's first pictures for up to 24 hours.
"It could be a long wait," Squyres said.
If NASA does not hear from it by late Sunday, "We are in serious trouble," project manager Pete Theisinger said.
The $820 million project also includes a twin rover, Opportunity, which is set to arrive on Mars on Jan. 24.
The camera- and instrument-laden rovers were designed to spend 90 days analyzing Martian rocks and soil for clues that could reveal whether the Red Planet was ever a warmer, wetter place capable of sustaining life.
Today, Mars is a dry and cold world. But ancient river channels and other water-carved features spied from orbit suggest that Mars may have had a more hospitable past.
"We see these intriguing hints Mars may have been a different place long ago," Squyres said.
The rovers were not designed to look for life. Instead, NASA built them to prospect for evidence that liquid water - a necessary ingredient for life - once persisted on the surface of the planet. A direct search for life on Mars is at least a decade away, NASA scientists said.
Together, the twin robots were launched in the most intensive scientific assault on another planetary body since the Apollo missions to the moon, said Orlando Figueroa, director of NASA's Mars exploration program.
NASA launched the 384-pound Spirit and its twin in hopes they would become the fourth and fifth U.S. spacecraft to survive landing on Mars. Twenty other spacecraft from various nations have failed.
NASA's last attempt at landing on Mars, in 1999, failed when a software glitch sent the Polar Lander crashing to the ground. Since then, the space agency has increased oversight of its missions.
Impact to Egress
Even after the landers and airbags safely bounce to a complete stop on Mars, the challenges of getting to Mars continue.
It will take each rover a minimum of nine days to emerge from its lander cocoon, stand up, orient itself, safely unlock its body from the lander, and roll down to the martian ground.
In this last episode of the Challenges of Getting to Mars video series, the rover team describes the Impact to Egress phase of getting six wheels on the surface.
Video Animation of the Egress:
-----
On the Net:
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
More science, space, and technology from RedNova
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Related Articles
- NASA Rover Speeds Toward Mars Landing
- Mars Opportunity Rover On Track for Landing
- NASA rover appears to survive descent to Mars
- NASA Rover Reaches Mars, Signals Earth
- NASA awaits color images from Mars as rover begins exploration of
- Unmanned NASA rover prepares for Mars landing
- Mars rover is readied for risky Red Planet landing on Saturday
- NASA Rover Set for Risky Landing on Mars
- First of twin NASA rovers en route to Mars; voyage expected to take
- NASA Rovers Slated to Examine Two Intriguing Sites on Mars
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds