MSL - Mars Science Laboratory - Page 3

01101001 · #61 (**permalink**) 09-November-2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01101001

Aviation Week: Mars Science Lab Rover Trimmed

Planetary Society Weblog: News Flash: ChemCam and MARDI have been saved!

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Late today, I got the announcement that two of these instruments have received a reprieve, MARDI and ChemCam. The best news is about ChemCam, without which the rover would have had almost no ability to figure out, from a distance, which rocks were most worth investigating up close.
[...]
I have mixed feelings about this. It is fabulous, fabulous, an enormous relief, that MSL will not be blind to the chemical composition of rocks spotted from a distance. It will save a lot of wasted driving to spots that turn out to be similar to rocks investigated before; and will also allow the rover to spot unusual things it might otherwise have missed. [...] At the same time, I feel like I'm supposed to be feeling super-grateful despite the fact that science capability has still, in the end, been descoped; there's still three more instruments that were affected.

Launch window · #62 (**permalink**) 13-November-2007, 11:45 PM

Great news, I'm glad they found a solution to their budget woes. The last few MSL landing sites look very interesting

ToSeek · #63 (**permalink**) 07-January-2008, 04:03 PM

Reconaissance of MSL Sites

The number of sites is down to six. (See also the Universe Today follow-up.)

aurora · #64 (**permalink**) 09-January-2008, 07:34 PM

Interesting. We should do a poll on the 6 sites.

ToSeek · #65 (**permalink**) 22-February-2008, 06:36 PM

Mars Science Lab Could Cost $2 Billion

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The total cost of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission could reach $2 billion as the program races to surmount its developmental problems and make its scheduled 2009 launch, according to Associate Administrator for Science Alan Stern.

A surface rover the size of a small car, the flagship-level MSL mission originally was approved at a cost of $1.5 billion, Stern told a Feb. 20 meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) in Monrovia, Calif. The latest estimate for the program is $1.8 billion, but it continues to rise, Stern said.

MSL's problems began to surface last year, when NASA had to shift $62 million to the program and cost-cap its various instruments to keep it on track. Just a few months later, the program revealed it would not be able to make its September 2009 launch date without another infusion of cash, as it dealt with a costly change in its thermal protection scheme (DAILY, Feb. 14).

Following an evaluation by an independent cost team, NASA is bracing itself to shift an estimated $165 million to keep MSL going. That money will be taken from current appropriations, and will come from within the Science Mission Directorate's Planetary division, Stern said.

"From what we've been told by the independent cost review team, this is not the end," Stern said. "It's going to go up some more. We just don't know how much."

KaiYeves · #66 (**permalink**) 22-February-2008, 11:57 PM

One advantage of MSL over Spirit and Oppy- it's easier to draw. The MERs have basically an enlarged Sojourner body, but then that solar panel is sort of a funny shape and hard to draw.

3488 · #67 (**permalink**) 23-February-2008, 12:02 AM

This is beginning to look like a front runner for site selection.

MSL to land in Mawrth Vallis?

Andrew Brown.

JonClarke · #68 (**permalink**) 23-February-2008, 01:34 AM

Yes, I think that because of the clays and Noachian rocks Mawrth Vallis and Nilli Fossae are highly rated by both the MSL and ExoMars teams (and there are people common to both). I suspect that one of these will get the pick for one of the rovers, unless it is ruled out by the engineers.

Jon

3488 · #69 (**permalink**) 26-February-2008, 10:32 PM

Thanks Jon.

Mawrth Vallis does look like a really ideal site. Let hope the engineers do not find anything of undue concern within the proposed landing ellipse.

From the start, when the MRO began returning HiRISE images of this area, I did think this was the site. The potential selection seems to back up my own preference for this site.

The exposed clays as you say appear to date right back to the Noachian, not long after the crust of Mars colled sufficiently to allow for liquid water, Mars had a dense atmosphere & that Mars still had a global magnetosphere.

If this site is chosen & MSL lands safely, we will learn so much from this mission.

I am just concerned the landing procedure looks too complicated, winching down the MSL from a thrusting skycrane???

Just hope the concept is tested thoroughly.

Andrew Brown.

ToSeek · #70 (**permalink**) 29-February-2008, 04:09 PM

From Universe Today, but worth noting in this thread:

Development Problems May Delay Mars Science Laboratory Mission Until 2011

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NASA's over budget Mars Science Laboratory mission, scheduled for a 2009 launch, may be delayed due to problems with the atmospheric re-entry shield design. A new shield will cost up to $30 million, adding to the $1.8 billion price tag, $165 million more than planned. The mission uses innovative landing technologies and is powered by a mini-nuclear reactor, giving it the ability to travel faster and carry a bigger payload over the Martian terrain. This new setback may postpone the launch until 2011.

01101001 · #71 (**permalink**) 18-May-2008, 05:01 AM

I like this generational family picture:

They're growing kids big these days.

NASA MSL: Third-Generation Mars Rover Dwarfs Predecessors

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Mars rovers appear to be shrinking with age! The biggest, baddest, newest rover being built is the Mars Science Laboratory rover (right). It's the size of a small sport-utility vehicle. Still exploring Mars four years after landing are the dune-buggy-sized rovers Spirit and Opportunity (left). The first-generation rover, Sojourner, is the size of a microwave oven.

Why are the rovers getting bigger? The answer is one word: science. The mass and volume of science instruments -- tools the rovers use to study the Martian surface and environment -- have remained fairly constant at about 10 percent. To determine if Mars ever could have supported life, the Mars Science Laboratory rover will travel farther, carry more instruments, and sample more rocks and soils than ever before. Like a car with more gizmos, the newest robotic beast has to evolve to carry all the gear!

BetaDust · #72 (**permalink**) 18-May-2008, 09:00 AM

Cool Pic! all in one. Thx 01101001.

Swift · #73 (**permalink**) 19-May-2008, 07:04 PM

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Originally Posted by BetaDust

Cool Pic! all in one. Thx 01101001.

Ditto, very nice.
Isn't it every parents dream that their kids will do even more in life then them. Spirit and Opportunity must be so proud.

01101001 · #74 (**permalink**) 16-September-2008, 03:44 PM

Emily Lakdawalla has been attending, and reporting on, the current (3rd round) MSL landing site meetings.
Planetary Society Weblog: MSL landing site meeting: Where on Mars to look for ancient life:

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[Roger Buick] said, "Go somewhere with diverse sedimentary rocks, diverse lithology, deposited over a range of times, with long-lived water bodies, rapid lithification, fine grain size (phyllosillicates are wonderful things). Little evidence of oxidation or acidic alteration. Somewhere with little susbsequent disturbance -- Mars is a good place for that. Somewhere only recently exposed -- a little crater. Somewhere where the basic geology is pretty well understood.

"Perhaps you will get lucky on Mars. Good luck, all of you."

Also, earlier: Planetary Society Weblog: MSL landing site meeting, September 15-17, 2008

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Last year, I had discussions with scientists who told me that all this debate was worthless because in the end they'd go for the safest spot, which would be Meridiani. It'll be interesting to see whether they were right.

01101001 · #75 (**permalink**) 16-September-2008, 06:42 PM

And, another one: Planetary Society Weblog: MSL landing site meeting: Getting beaten up is good for science

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These landing site selection meetings are fascinating because I don't know of any other venue in which so many scientists get together and participate in open discussion (and, yes, even pointed argument). Ordinarily, in planetary science, there are talks, followed by a brief question-and-response; even for the most controversial talks, there are usually only a few minutes for discussion, and no back-and-forth, only comment and response, and then it's on to the next talk.

This meeting (and the others like it in the past for MSL and the rovers) is structured differently. [...]

djellison · #76 (**permalink**) 17-September-2008, 09:29 AM

Personally, I'm hoping Gale Crater gets it - it's an utterly STUNNING site with a massive ammount of easily accesable exposed bedrock all the way up a canyon thru the central crater peak.

JonClarke · #77 (**permalink**) 17-September-2008, 09:37 AM

Gale's my favourite too. Not only is it scientifically attractive and ranks high in the engineering criteria, I like it because it is named after an Australian amateur astronomer, the only Australian on mars (although there are some Australian place ames like Warrego Vallis and Nhill, Cooma, and Canberra craters).

I will be very annoyed if we go to Meridiani again.

Jon

Manchurian Taikonaut · #78 (**permalink**) 17-September-2008, 03:06 PM

Potential MSL Site: Eberswalde
http://martianchronicles.wordpress.c...te-eberswalde/

djellison · #79 (**permalink**) 17-September-2008, 03:23 PM

Fair credit to Ryan - he's being doing a great job with documenting events at the meeting with a good write up of each site. It'll be interesting to see hwo the voting goes.

01101001 · #80 (**permalink**) 17-September-2008, 05:19 PM

Emily Lakdawalla