Mars 2011
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This article or section contains information regarding a future spaceflight. Due to the nature of the content, details may change dramatically as the launch date approaches and/or more information becomes available. |
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NASA is planning to send the second mission of the Mars Scout Program in 2011. While this mission was originally supposed to be a "double" in which two scientific units were sent, NASA is currently only planning to fund one mission. On January 8, 2007, NASA announced the two finalists[1]:
- MAVEN
- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that Mars lost most of its atmosphere billions of years ago. The MAVEN orbiter would study the current rate of atmospheric loss with an emphasis on the role of the solar wind, whose rapidly moving ions and magnetic field may be responsible for Mars' current condition.
- Great Escape
- An upper-atmosphere orbiter intended to study the evolution of the Martian atmosphere. [2]
Other candidates included:
- Artemis
- This mission would launch up to four saucer-shaped landers, two feet (0.61m) in diameter, from a "mother ship" orbiting Mars. Each would parachute onto the surface, analyzing the soil and atmosphere. Two of the four landers would be targeted at the polar regions.
- Chronos
- This mission would consist of a probe designed to melt through a polar ice cap using heated jets. It would travel up to 100 yards (91m) below the surface, analyzing the melted water to determine the climatic history of Mars.
- KittyHawk
- This mission would create three or four winged gliders with approximately six-foot (1.83m) wingspans and would explore the Valles Marineris canyon system. The gliders would carry infrared spectrometers and cameras.
- MOO
- Using a spectrometer on the Mars Express Orbiter, methane was discovered in the Martian atmosphere. The reason for this is a mystery as a typical methane molecule can only survive for about 100 years before being destroyed by UV light, so there must be an active source of methane somewhere beneath Mars' surface. The Mars Organics Observer would use an orbiter to characterize the Martian methane: where it's being emitted, how much is being emitted, and how often it's being emitted.
- The Naiades
- Named for nymphs of springs, lakes, and rivers from Greek mythology, this mission would send two landers to a region which likely holds groundwater. The landers would search for the groundwater using low-frequency electromagnetics and other instruments.
- Pascal
- This mission would create 24 tiny weather stations to be landed all across Mars.
- SCIM
- A sample return mission that would briefly dip into the Martian atmosphere to scoop up about 1000 dust grains and a few liters of air without slowing from escape velocity.
- THOR
- Similar to NASA's Deep Impact, this mission would slam two copper spheres into Mars' surface to create craters in a region known to have water ice, and maybe liquid water, a few meters under the surface. An accompanying orbiter would analyze the craters from orbit.
- Urey
- This mission calls for a lander/rover pair designed to analyze the ages of rocks. It would be targeted for the Cerberus Highlands region, and would look for specific minerals to help scientists compare the cratering of Mars with that of the Moon.
This mission is budgeted (as of January 2007) for no more than US$475 million.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] See also
| Mars Spacecraft Missions | |
|---|---|
| Flybys: Mariner 4 | Mariner 6 | Mariner 7 | Mars 4 | Rosetta | |
| Orbiters: Mariner 9 | Mars 2 | Mars 3 | Mars 5 | Mars 6 | Viking 1 | Viking 2 | Phobos 2 | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars Odyssey | Mars Express Orbiter | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | |
| Landers and Rovers: Mars 3 | Viking 1 | Viking 2 | Mars Pathfinder | Spirit rover | Opportunity rover | |
| Future: Dawn (2007) | Phoenix Scout (2007) | Mars Science Laboratory (2009) | Phobos-Grunt (2009) | Mars 2011 | ExoMars (2013) | Astrobiology Field Laboratory (2016?) | |
| See also: Mars | Exploration of Mars | Colonization of Mars | |
