MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAMNSTA/ITEA/NASA-NES ROBOTICS INSTITUTE

Sheri KlugMars Space Flight FacilityArizona State University

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Earth / Mars Comparison

Earth Mars

?

shape shapecolor

color

size

size

temperaturetemperature

atmosphere

atmosphere

polar caps polar caps

magnetic field magnetic field

life

life

weather weather

water

water

Simple Facts About Mars

Diameter: 6794 km (53% of Earth - 4222 mi)

Mars Day: 24 hours, 39.5 minutes

Mars Year: 687 Earth Days

Atmosphere: 95% carbon Dioxide, 3% nitrogen

Gravity: 38% of Earth

Temperature: -140C to 20C (-220F to 68F)

What is the main objective for the

exploration of Mars?

(Poll question)

Characterize the Geology

Determine if Life Ever Arose on Mars

Characterize the Climate

Prepare for Human Exploration

When?Where?Form?

Amount?

MARS SCIENCE STRATEGY:Follow the Water!

MARS SCIENCE STRATEGY:Follow the Water!Common

Thread

LIFE

CLIMATE

GEOLOGY

HUMAN

Water is key to life as we know it on Earth.

Mars Exploration Program Timeline

How often does NASA launch a

spacecraft to Mars?

(Poll question)

MGS has returned more images than all past Mars missions

combined… so far!

Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)

Science Results

• Discovered water ice in the upper few feet of the surface, at near the poles

• Tracked dramatic seasonal changes, such as the comings and goings of polar ice, clouds and dust storms.

• Created maps showing radiation and minerals

Mars Odyssey

OpportunityLanded: January 24, 2004Currently Sol 496

SpiritLanded: January 3, 2004Currently Sol 517

Mars Exploration Rovers

Opportunity Rover Rolling Again!

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter represents the “next generation” of Mars orbiters.

MRO at Kennedy Space Center Clean Room

The Atlas V rocket will launch MRO into space.

Atlas 5 Rocket:Stage 1 blasts off from Earth and Stage 2 powers the spacecraft onto a precise trajectory toward Mars.

Stage 1Atlas booster

MRO spacecraft

Protective nose cone

Stage 2Centaur engine

As with any Mars mission, just getting to the target is half the battle. MRO has many obstacles to overcome…

Obstacle_01: Launch

Sitting on top of a giant, controlled explosion, the spacecraft is subjected to intense vibration and incredible acoustic rumbling from the violent force of the rocket.

Obstacle_02: Cruise

For seven months, the orbiter travels through the freezing vacuum of interplanetary space.

Throughout the 300-million-mile journey, MRO is susceptible to damaging solar particles that can be spewed from the Sun without warning.

< start orbit insertion

< closest approach

< end orbit insertion

March_2006

Obstacle_03: Orbit Insertion

At the precise moment, MRO must execute a 25-minute rocket burn to slow down enough to be captured into orbit. As the spacecraft passes on the far side of Mars, engineers on Earth face complete radio silence.

Obstacle_04: Aerobraking

Streaking across the Martian sky, MRO dips into the atmosphere to trim its orbit to the precise path.

Come in too high, and the thin atmosphere isn’t enough to slow down the spacecraft… too low, and the intense friction destroys the spacecraft.

Obstacle_04: Aerobraking, Cont.

This high-friction, high-intensity process repeats over 500 times!

Each successive dip into the atmosphere tightens up the orbital path until the spacecraft is ready to begin its science mission.

In planning a mission to Mars, what

is the most mission critical part of the

procedure?

(Poll question)

MRO – Searching for the Water

SHARAD: Shallow Radar Instrument Objective: Penetrates the ground to search for water ice at depths greater than three feet.

CRISM SpectrometerObjective: Analyzes the surface, creating a color map of mineral deposits that indicates where water recently lay.

Where is the next landing site for future habitat-seeking rover missions?

CTX camera: Context cameraObjective: Provides wide area views to give context to high-resolution data from other instruments.HiRISE camera: High-res cameraObjective: Zooms in on landforms and debris in areas where water once flowed.

MRO will return a lot of data….

MRO will return 34 terabits of data -- equivalent to about 1,000 DVDs.

Classroom resources to reinforce STEM learning available

Mars Robotics Education Poster & Activities

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom

RockAroundThe World

Send UsYour Rocks!

~ 6400 RocksReceived

The Imagine Mars Project is a science, technology and artsinitiative that guides students to create a community on Mars.This program ties to NASA’s long-term vision for human exploration.

Inner City Student Mars MuralOn Elementary School Wall

Mars Gravity Science through Dance Student Concepts of Mars Colony

Students withArt Projects

SCIENCE THROUGH ARTS & HUMANITIES

Why is NASA interested in having

students participate in their

missions?

(Poll question)

Mars Websiteshttp://mars.jpl.nasa.govhttp:marsed.asu.eduhttp://msip.asu.eduhtttp://marsbound.asu.edu