Mars' nordligste feltgeolog - Phoenix Mars Lander

Results from the Mars Phoenix Lander Robotic Arm experiment

[1] The Mars Phoenix Lander was equipped with a 2.4 m Robotic Arm (RA) with an Icy Soil Acquisition Device capable of excavating trenches in soil deposits, grooming hard icy soil surfaces with a scraper blade, and acquiring icy soil samples using a rasp tool. A camera capable of imaging the scoop interior and a thermal and electrical conductivity probe were also included on the RA. A dozen tren...

The CG Mars Lander

The design of Mars lander cameras for Mars Pathfinder, Mars Surveyor '98 and Mars Surveyor '01

The Mars Pathfinder, Mars Surveyor ’98, and Mars Surveyor ’01 lander designs all utilize charged coupled device (CCD)-based cameras to conduct scientific investigations, assist with navigation of surface rovers and/or confirm sample acquisition and delivery by robotic arms (RAs). The extreme temperature and pressure environment of the Martian surface, the vibration and shock experienced during ...

Analysing Rock Samples for the Mars Lander

In the near future NASA intends to explore various regions of our solar system using robotic devices such as rovers, spacecraft, airplanes, and/or balloons. Such platforms will carry imaging devices, and a variety of analytical instruments intended to evaluate the chemical and mineralogical nature of the environment(s) that they encounter. The imaging and/or spectroscopic devices will acquire t...

Computational Aeroheating Predictions for Mars Lander Configurations

The proposed Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is intended to deliver a large rover to the Martian surface within 10 km of the target site. This paper presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of forebody heating rates for two MSL entry configurations with fixed aerodynamic trim tabs. Results are compared to heating on a 70-deg sphere-cone reference geometry. All three heatshi...