Background - Used for Pathfinder
Selection Prosses to Parallel Activities
- Define set of landing site constraints based on prelim. S/C design elevation, lat., ellipse size, rock abundance & height, slope, dust
- Refine capabilities of spacecraft through testing, modeling & design
- Provide mars environmental information to engineers
- Map these constraints into potential landing sites on Mars. Use available remote sensing data and models
Must Be Defensible
- Must survive multiple withering reviews, must be thorough
- Do everything possible to understand surface properties
- Factor science objectives of mission into selection of safe sites
Should Be Done in an Open Environment
- Multiple opportunities for community involvement
- Open workshops - provide science community input to landing site
- Also educational opportunities & public outreach
Summary of NASA’s Mars exploration strategy
MEPAG Analysis Reports
