More About the Mission
In late May and then again in early June 2003, two separate Mars Rovers
will be launched on a 7 1/2 month journey to the surface Mars. The first
Rover is expected to land on the Martian surface on January 2, 2004
and the second one on January 20, 2004. The Rovers will land using
airbags similar to those used on the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission.
Whereas the Pathfinder mission used a "base station" that
contained several instruments, the Rovers, each having a mass of 150 kilograms,
will carry all instrumentation with them and be able to venture up to
100 meters per day across the Martian terrain. Their lifetime on the surface is
expected to be at least 90 Martian days.
The following instruments will be carried on the twin Rover
missions and will be used to help scientists study both the
climate and water history of Mars in the two different landing
locations.
The Panoramic Cameras will be used to image the terrain
surrounding the Rovers to help select various soil and rock
samples for more intensive study by the other instruments.
They will help guide the Rovers on their journey while also
returning high resolution panoramic images of the surrounding
Martian surface.
The Rock Abrasion Tool will be used to expose the unaltered
interiors of rocks allowing the other instruments to study them.
The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometers will
image the scene around the Rovers in the infrared region
of the spectrum and will be used in conjunction with the
Panoramic Camera to help identify surface minerals associated
with water action.
The Mossbaur Spectrometers will be placed against
rocks in attempts to identify minerals containing
iron. It will help identify what role water may have
played in the mineral's formation and to what extent
the rocks have been weathered.
The Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometers will measure
concentrations of major elements in rocks and the Martian
soil allowing studies of how they were formed and what
weathering processes have altered them over time.
The Microscopic Imagers will look at fine scale features
of soil and rocks in sediments laid down by water. These
include grain size and other surface features which can help
reveal how the minerals were transported and deposited.
Please join us in this learning adventure and journey of mystery
as we explore the surface of our neighboring planet.
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