Review of NASA's Planned Mars Program (1996) / Chapter Skim
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4 KEY ISSUES FOR NASA'S MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM
4 KEY ISSUES FOR NASA'S MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Pages 28-35
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From page 28... ...
These issues are discussed in the following sections. COMPLETE GLOBAL MAPPING Various science advisory groups are consistent in emphasizing the need to complete the global mapping originally planned for Mars Observer.
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From page 29... ...
The solid rock record has the highest potential, therefore, for providing unequivocal evidence for past life: the most favored targets are lacustrine sediments, ancient hydrothermal deposits, and evaporites. Rocks can also indicate past climates through fluvial deposits, trapped atmospheres, and weathering horizons.
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From page 30... ...
Thus, in order to have a reasonable chance of successfully addressing questions of climatological and biological interest, the landers need to be equipped with rovers that move about, explore, and sample candidate sites. The distances required to move cannot be stated precisely without more information on Mars, but in view of the heterogeneity of the martian surface, the landing errors anticipated, and the prospects for future rover development, mobilities of tens of kilometers appear necessary (see Table 1 for the specifications of Sojourner, Marsokhod, and a strawman advanced rover)
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The current plan of having multiple flights during each launch window has the advantage of distributing risk, thereby reducing the chance of complete failure at any launch opportunity. However, in some circumstances, this benefit may be offset by the scientific advantages of placing a single larger capability at Mars, as mentioned in the preceding section, where mobility and scientific capability are both seen to be required for effective landers.
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in NASA's program. COMPLEX commends NASA for aggressively pursuing these opportunities and encourages additional efforts to engage international partners, both at the missions level and in mutual provision of other capabilities such as relay links and science instruments.
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, it is relatively modest and concentrates on instruments that are likely to be chosen for flight in the near term. Previous reports by COMPLEX 5 and other National Research Council committees 6six have recommended that NASA devote more attention to the provision of instruments for small-spacecraft missions.
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2. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, 1990 Update to Strategy for Exploration of the Inner Planets, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1990, p.
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7. See, for example, Space Science Board, National Research Council, Strategy for Exploration of the Inner Planets: 1977-1987, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 1978, and Space Studies Board, National Research Council, An Integrated Strategy for the Planetary Sciences: 1995-2010, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.
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