Mars Surveyor in Mangala Valles: 2. Probe Design
Abstract
As a scientifically promising potential Surveyor Landing Site, Mangala Valles was recently approved for geologic analysis and initial mission planning (identifying operational scenarios and exploration strategies). One of the basic goals of the landed mission will be to provide a description of the materials forming the surface of the Mangala Valles site. Specifically, we desire a data return concerning: the compaction of soils; the average grain size, shape, and density; the permeability; the porosity; and the abundance of carbonates and silicates. Instruments designed to measure these properties would provide data to allow: the characterization of the physical state of Mars, its past geologic history, and better planning and design for future planetary exploration beyond the year 2000. The length of Mangala Valles channel system (about 850 km long) and the presence of numerous sites of high scientific interest along it argue for a networked mission configuration with considerable mobility built-in. A nominal configuration consists of a lander with a rover for studies near the landing site, balloon, and multiple balloon-borne surface probes.
- Publication:
-
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
- Pub Date:
- March 1997
- Bibcode:
- 1997LPI....28.1099P
- Keywords:
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- Mars Surface;
- Landing Sites;
- Planetary Geology;
- Thermal Conductivity;
- Planetary Composition;
- Geological Surveys;
- Carbonates;
- Balloon Sounding;
- Soil Mechanics;
- Piezoelectric Ceramics;
- Infrared Spectroscopy;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration;
- ENGINEERING DESIGN;
- MANGALA VALLES;
- MARS: PROBE;
- SOIL ANALYSIS