WO NASA NEW MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
microprobes, hitchhiking to Mars aboard NASA's 1998 Mars Surveyor Lander, will chart the
course for NASA's vision of a network approach to planetary science in the 21st century.
Volume 5, Number 1 January/February 1997
Commercial Development of Space
WO NASA NEW MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
microprobes, hitchhiking to Mars aboard NASA's 1998 Mars Surveyor Lander, will chart the
course for NASA's vision of a network approach to planetary science in the 21st century.
New Millennium Program Manager, Kane Casani said, "the probes will be the first technology validated in this new network approach to planetary science. Networks of planetary landers will address dynamic, complex systems." For example, a single lander can report on the report on weather at one spot on a planet, but a network of landers is needed to characterize the planet's dynamic climate. Similarly, a single seismometer will indicate if a quake has occurred on a planet, but a network of seismometers can measure the size of a planetary core. "We need multiple spacecraft to go beyond our initial reconnaissance to completely characterize dynamic planetary systems the way we are able to do on Earth."
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The 1998 Mars Surveyor Lander mission will carry two
highly-advanced microprobes. The microprobes will demonstrate an advanced microlaser system for detecting subsurface water on the Red Planet. |
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The microprobes will complement the climate-related scientific focus of the Mars Exploration Program's 1998 Mars Surveyor Lander by demonstrating an advanced, rugged microlaser system for detecting subsurface water. Data on polar subsurface water will aid in projecting the amount of water on Mars. Future Mars missions might use similar probes to search for subsurface ice and minerals evidence in the search for life on Mars.
"A successful microprobes mission could lead to a wide range of scientific activities not affordable with conventional technology. Microprobes penetrators also may be the most efficient, effective way to obtain soil samples and measurements from below the Martian surface," said Dr. John McNamee, manager of the 1998 Mars Surveyor Lander and Orbiter project at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The 1998 Mars Lander will launch in January 1999 and spend 11 months traveling to Mars. The microprobes will separate from the spacecraft's cruise ring just prior to the surveyor lander's entry into the Martian atmosphere. The microprobes will plummet to Mars and plunge into the planet within 120 miles of the '98 Lander targeted for Mars' icey south polar region.
Technologies to be demonstrated on this second New Millennium flight are a lightweight, single-stage entry aeroshell; a miniature, programmable telecommunications subsystem; power microelectronics with mixed digital/analog integrated circuits; an ultra low-temperature lithium battery; a microcontroller and flexible interconnects for system cabling. In-situ instrument technologies that directly measure the Martian surface include a meteorological pressure sensor, a soil temperature measurement sensor and a water and soil sample experiment.
Lockheed Martin Electro-Optical Systems is the primary industry partner for the microprobes' integration and test programs. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the New Millennium program for the Office of Space Science and Office of Mission to Planet Earth. JPL manages the Mars '98 Lander for the Office of Space Science. Lockheed Martin Astronautics Corporation is developing the Mars '98 Lander under JPL contract.
For more information, contact Diane Ainsworth at JPL.
Call 818/354-5011, E-mail: diane.e.ainsworth@jpl.nasa.gov
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