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Missions to Mars

Missions to Mars. Julie A. Rathbun Lowell Observatory. Past Missions to Mars (US). Mariner 3 - 5 November 1964 - Attempted Mars Flyby Mariner 4 - 28 November 1964 - Mars Flyby Mariner 6&7 – February & March 1969 - Mars Flyby

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Missions to Mars

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  1. Missions to Mars Julie A. Rathbun Lowell Observatory

  2. Past Missions to Mars (US) • Mariner 3 - 5 November 1964 - Attempted Mars Flyby • Mariner 4 - 28 November 1964 - Mars Flyby • Mariner 6&7 – February & March 1969 - Mars Flyby • Mariner 8 - 8 May 1971 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure) • Mariner 9 - 30 May 1971 - Mars Orbiter • Viking 1 - 20 August 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander • Viking 2 - 9 September 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander • Mars Observer - 25 September 1992 – AttemptedMars Orbiter (Contact Lost – 8/22/93)

  3. Original Plan – circa 1995 • 2 missions every launch opportunity

  4. Recent & Current Missions

  5. What happened? • The life of the 2001 Mars rover…. • In 1997, NASA asked scientists for proposals for the science instruments for a 2001 sample collection rover • Another sample collection rover would be sent in 2003, with a sample retrieving rover sent in 2005 and samples arriving on earth in 2008

  6. Athena - original • Athena, a suite of instruments proposed by Steve Squyres of Cornell University, was selected • Remote science instruments: • Pancam • Mini-TES • In-Situ science instruments: • Mini-Corer • Microscopic Imager • APXS • Mossbauer Spectrometer NASA quickly discovered that this mission was too ambitious

  7. Pancam Mössbauer Spectrometer Mini-TES APXS APEX – 2001 lander • The 2001 rover was downgraded to APEX, a lander mission with • some Athena instruments on the lander (copy of previous lander) • A Sojurner clone with APXS

  8. The ’03/’05 plan – “full” Athena

  9. The ’03/’05 lander

  10. How it was supposed to work

  11. Modified Plan – circa 1999 • Same mission timeline • Different missions

  12. 1999 – Disaster strikes • September 23, 1999 – Mars Climate Orbiter lost on arrival • December 3, 1999 – Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 lost on arrival

  13. And everything falls apart…

  14. Now what? • The APEX lander was a virtual copy of Mars Polar Lander. • With the failure of that spacecraft, APEX was scrapped • The 2001 Orbiter Mission is a go – launched April 7, 2001 • NASA decides to fly EITHER an orbiter or a rover in 2003 • And the winner is…. ROVER

  15. Mars Exploration Rovers

  16. Current Plan – circa 2001 • 2001 Mars Odyssey (no lander) • 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers (no orbiter) • 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (no lander) • Beyond 2007 • Smart Lander and Long-range Rover – as early as 2007 • Sample Return – as early as 2011, likely 2014

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