MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: John G. Watson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 1998
SCIENCE TEAM CHOSEN FOR TECHNOLOGY VALIDATION MISSION TO EXPLORE
THE SUBSURFACE OF MARS
Nine researchers have been selected to be the Science Team
for the Mars Microprobes, a technology validation mission that
will hitchhike to the red planet aboard NASA's 1998 Mars Polar
Lander mission.
Two identical probes will be carried as a secondary payload
on the lander, due for launch in January 1999. Following an 11-
month cruise, the Microprobes will separate from the lander
before it enters the Martian atmosphere, and then hit the ground
at approximately 400 mph.
During the impact, each microprobe will separate into two
sections: the forebody and its instruments will penetrate up to
six feet (two meters) below the surface, while the aftbody will
remain near the surface to communicate with a radio relay on
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter while making meteorological
measurements.
The nine selected scientists are:
- David Catling, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
- Ralph Lorenz, University of Arizona, Tucson
- Julio Magalhaes, NASA Ames Research Center
- Jeffrey Moersch, NASA Ames Research Center
- Paul Morgan, Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff
- James Murphy, NASA Ames Research Center
- Bruce Murray, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
- Marsha Presley, Arizona State Univ., Phoenix
- Aaron Zent, NASA Ames Research Center
The scientific objectives of the Mars Microprobes include
searching for the presence of water ice in the soil and
characterizing its thermal and physical properties. A small drill
will bring a soil sample inside the probe, heat it, and look for
the presence of water vapor using a tunable diode laser. An
impact accelerometer will measure the rate at which the probes
come to rest, giving an indication of the hardness of the soil
and any layers present. Temperature sensors will estimate how
well the Martian soil conducts heat, a property sensitive to
different
soil properties such as grain size and water content. A sensor at
the surface will measure atmospheric pressure in tandem with a
sensor on the Mars Polar Lander.
The Mars Microprobes mission, also known as Deep Space-2
(DS-2), is scheduled to be the second launch in NASA's New
Millennium Program of technology validation flights, designed to
enable advanced science missions in the 21st century.
"I'm delighted with the selection of this excellent group of
investigators. The Mars Microprobe will give us a glimpse of the
subsurface of Mars, which in many ways is a window into the
planet's history," said Dr. Suzanne Smrekar, the DS-2 project
scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. "The
region of Mars we will explore is similar to Earth's polar
regions in that it is believed to collect ice and dust over many
millions of years. By studying the history of Mars and its
climate, we are likely to better understand the more complex
system on our own planet."
In addition to the miniaturized science instruments capable
of surviving high velocity impact, technologies to be tested on
DS-2 include a non-erosive, lightweight, single-stage atmospheric
entry system or aeroshell; power microelectronics with mixed
digital/analog advanced integrated circuits; an ultra-low
temperature lithium battery; an advanced three-dimensional
microcontroller; and flexible interconnects for system cabling.
"The combination of a single-stage entry vehicle with
electronics and instrumentation that can survive very high impact
loads will enable us to design a whole new class of very small,
rugged spacecraft for the in-situ exploration of the planets,"
explained Sarah Gavit, DS-2 project manager at JPL.
"Slamming high-precision science instruments into the
surface of Mars at 400 mph is very challenging, no doubt about
it! But once this type of technology is demonstrated, we can
envision future missions that could sample numerous regions on
Mars or make network measurements of global weather and possible
Marsquakes," said DS-2 program scientist Dr. Michael Meyer of
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
Further information on DS-2 is available on the Internet at
the following URL: http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds2/
The New Millennium Program is managed by JPL for NASA's
Office of Space Science in Washington, DC. JPL is a division of
the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.
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4/8/98 JGW
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