MARS: Orbiter Images NASA's Latest Additions to Martian Landscape

Hi My Friends: A VUELO DE UN QUUINDE EL BLOG., Late Monday night, an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover and the components that helped it survive its seven-minute ordeal from space to its present location in Mars' Gale Crater.

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Scene of a Martian Landing

The four main pieces of hardware that arrived on Mars with NASA's Curiosity rover were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this image about 24 hours after landing. The large, reduced-scale image points out the strewn hardware: the heat shield was the first piece to hit the ground, followed by the back shell attached to the parachute, then the rover itself touched down, and finally, after cables were cut, the sky crane flew away to the northwest and crashed. Relatively dark areas in all four spots are from disturbances of the bright dust on Mars, revealing the darker material below the surface dust.

Around the rover, this disturbance was from the sky crane thrusters, and forms a bilaterally symmetrical pattern. The darkened radial jets from the sky crane are downrange from the point of oblique impact, much like the oblique impacts of asteroids. In fact, they make an arrow pointing to Curiosity.

The Curiosity rover is approximately 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) away from the heat shield; about 2,020 feet (615 meters) away from the parachute and back shell; and approximately 2,100 feet (650 meters) away from the discoloration consistent with the impact of the sky crane.

This image was acquired from a special 41-degree roll of MRO, larger than the normal 30-degree limit. It rolled towards the west and towards the sun, which increases visible scattering by atmospheric dust as well as the amount of atmosphere the orbiter has to look through, thereby reducing the contrast of surface features. Future images will show the hardware in greater detail. Our view is tilted about 45 degrees from the surface (more than the 41-degree roll due to planetary curvature), like a view out of an airplane window. Tilt the images 90 degrees clockwise to see the surface better from this perspective. The views are primarily of the shadowed side of the rover and other objects.

The image scale is 39 centimeters (15.3 inches) per pixel.

Complete HiRISE image products are available at: http://uahirise.org/releases/msl-descent.php.

HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Orbiter Images NASA's Latest Additions to Martian Landscape

 

 

PASADENA, Calif. -- Late Monday night, an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover and the components that helped it survive its seven-minute ordeal from space to its present location in Mars' Gale Crater.

"This latest image is another demonstration of the invaluable assistance the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team and its sister team with the Mars Odyssey orbiter have provided the Curiosity rover during our early days on the Red Planet," said Mike Watkins, mission manager for the Mars Science Laboratory mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "The image not only satisfies our curiosity, it can provide important information on how these vital components performed during entry, descent and landing, and exactly locate the rover's touchdown site within Gale Crater."

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO) image of Curiosity and its parachute, back shell, heat shield and descent stage can be found at:

http://go.nasa.gov/OXjKz6

The Curiosity rover is in the center of the image. To the right, approximately 4,900 feet away, lies the heat shield, which protected the rover from 3,800-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures encountered during its fiery descent. On the lower left, about 2,020 feet away, are the parachute and back shell. The parachute has a constructed diameter of 71 feet and an inflated diameter of 51 feet. The back shell remains connected to the chute via 80, 165-foot-long suspension lines. To the upper-left, approximately 2,100 feet away from the rover, is a discoloration of the Mars surface consistent with what would have resulted when the rocket-powered Sky Crane impacted the surface.

"This is the first of what I imagine will be many portraits HiRISE will be taking of Curiosity on the surface of Mars," said Sarah Milkovich, HiRISE investigation scientist at JPL. "The image was taken Monday at about 10:30 p.m. Pacific when MRO was at an altitude of about 186 miles and we are getting resolution on the surface down to 1.3 feet per pixel."

As more of Curiosity's instruments are coming online, more "first images" are being downlinked from the rover's 17 cameras. The latest to come in is from the Mars Hand Lens Imager or MAHLI. The focusable color camera is located on the tool-bearing turret at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. Researchers will use it for magnified, close-up views of rocks and soils and also for wider scenes of the ground, the landscape or even the rover.

"It is great to have our first MAHLI image under our belt," said Ken Edgett, principal investigator for MAHLI from Malin Space Science in San Diego. "We tested the focus mechanism and imager and the whole system is looking good. We are looking forward to getting up close and personal with Mars."

The first MAHLI image, taken with the dust-coated clear plastic cover over the lens, is available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/Qb3l6U

The team plans for Curiosity checkout Tuesday include raising the rover's mast and continued testing of the high-gain antenna.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Some of the tools, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking rocks' elemental composition from a distance, are the first of their kind on Mars. Curiosity will use a drill and scoop which is located at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into the rover's analytical laboratory instruments.

To handle this science toolkit, Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity. The Gale Crater landing site places the rover within driving distance of layers of the crater's interior mountain. Observations from orbit have identified clay and sulfate minerals in the lower layers, indicating a wet history.

HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona in Tucson. The instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Exploration Rover projects are managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, built the orbiter.

For more information on NASA's Curiosity mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mars

and

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

For more about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit:  

http://www.nasa.gov/mro

Follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at:  

http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity

and

http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity

 NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achhutegui

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ayabaca@hotmail.com

ayabaca@yahoo.com

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MARS: ESA spacecraft records crucial NASA signals from Mars

Hi My Friends: A VUELO DE UN QUINDE EL BLOG., This morning at 7:14 CEST, ESA’s Mars Express acquired signals from NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory as it delivered the car-sized Curiosity rover onto the Red planet’s surface. ESA’s New Norcia tracking station also picked up signals directly from the NASA mission, 248 million km away at Mars.

 Curiosity's first view of Mars 

Credits: NASA

This morning at 7:14 CEST, ESA’s Mars Express acquired signals from NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory as it delivered the car-sized Curiosity rover onto the Red planet’s surface. ESA’s New Norcia tracking station also picked up signals directly from the NASA mission, 248 million km away at Mars.

A key step was completed today in ESA's ongoing support to NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Signals recorded by Mars Express during MSL’s entry and descent were successfully received at ESOC, ESA's European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany.

The open-loop recording of radio Doppler and signal spectrum transmitted by the NASA mission were stored on Mars Express and then downloaded to Earth starting at 08:15 CEST.

Animation: Mars Express tracks NASA MSL

 The recorded signals were transferred to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, for analysis immediately upon receipt at ESOC. Similar direct-to-Earth recordings made at ESA’s New Norcia ground station in Australia were also sent to NASA.  

Curiosity’s descent was also tracked by NASA’s own Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft; confirmation of touchdown was provided by Odyssey directly to NASA at 07:31 CEST.
 

ESA welcomes new friend at Mars

"Congratulations to our NASA colleagues on a hugely successful landing,” said Paolo Ferri, ESA’s Head of Solar and Planetary Mission Operations. “The Mars Express team welcomes a new friend in the neighbourhood."
Mars Express picked up MSL signals about 10 minutes before it entered the atmosphere, travelling at 21 000 km/h, for its critical descent and landing phase.
 

Download:

 HI-RES JPEG (Size: 3017 kb)

 ESOC serves as the Operations Control Centre for ESA missions, and hosts our Main Control Room (shown here), combined Dedicated Control Rooms for specific missions and the ESTRACK Control Centre - which manages our worldwide ground tracking stations. ESOC also hosts facilities for satellite communications, navigation, networks and other special functions.
Credits: ESA - J. Mai

“We tracked MSL for about 28 minutes then lost contact as expected just a few moments before Curiosity’s touchdown in Gale Crater,” said Michel Denis, Mars Express Spacecraft Operations Manager.

“NASA now have this valuable data and everyone here is delighted to have helped support Curiosity’s arrival at Mars.”
 

The signal recordings made by Mars Express and New Norcia station include information on MSL’s velocity and direction. They record the sequential critical events during descent, including parachute deployment, heat shield separation and rover separation.

They will prove valuable to scientists as they reconstruct MSL’s descent profile, helping to improve and refine models of the martian atmosphere and assess landing accuracy.

The signals recorded by Mars Express will be automatically downloaded two more times later today via New Norcia and ESA’s Cebreros station, in Spain, to ensure redundancy.   

  ESA’s first step in continuing Curiosity support
 New Norcia antenna
Credits: ESA

ESA’s first step in continuing Curiosity support In the coming weeks, Mars Express and the operations team at ESOC will perform several data relay overflights during the first phases of Curiosity’s mission on the surface of Mars. Then, ESA will offer a standby capability to provide dedicated support at short notice, if requested by NASA, by relaying data from Curiosity to Earth.   This could become necessary if Odyssey or MRO were to experience any technical problems, for example. ESA’s tracking station network can support NASA missions, due in part to long-standing technical and operational cooperation between the two agencies. “Supporting Curiosity is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation not only on Earth but also in deep space,” said Manfred Warhaut, ESA’s Head of Mission Operations. “No one likes going to Mars on their own; it takes cooperation and partnership to reduce risk and boost scientific return on investment.” ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

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Astronomía: La Sonda Curiosity Se Prepara Para Realizar un Espectacular Amartizaje

Hola amigos: A VUELO DE UN QUINDE EL BLOG., El vehículo explorador de planetas más avanzado que tiene la NASA hasta el momento lleva el rumbo exacto para aterrizar, a principios de agosto, al lado de una de las montañas marcianas, con el fin de iniciar dos años de un trabajo científico detectivesco sin precedentes. Sin embargo, lograr que el vehículo explorador Curiosity (Curiosidad, en idioma español) se pose sobre la superficie de Marte no será una tarea fácil.

"El aterrizaje de Curiosity es la misión de la NASA más difícil en la historia de la exploración planetaria con robots", dijo John Grunsfeld, quien es el administrador asociado del Directorio de Misiones Científicas de la NASA, en las oficinas centrales de la entidad, ubicadas en Washington. "El reto es monumental, pero la habilidad y la determinación que tiene el equipo de investigadores me dan mucha confianza en que podemos lograr un aterrizaje exitoso". El aterrizaje de Curiosity está planeado para la madrugada del 6 de agosto a las 5:31 GMT.

La misión del Laboratorio Científico de Marte (Mars Science Laboratory o MSL, por su sigla en idioma inglés) es la precursora de futuras misiones a Marte lideradas por seres humanos. El presidente Obama propuso el desafío de visitar el Planeta Rojo en la década de 2030.

Con el propósito de lograr el nivel de precisión necesario para aterrizar a salvo en el interior del cráter Gale, la nave espacial volará como si fuera un ala en la atmósfera alta, en lugar de caer como una piedra. Para poder hacer aterrizar el vehículo explorador de 1 tonelada, el método de la bolsa de aire utilizado en otras misiones a Marte no funcionará en esta ocasión. Ingenieros de la misión, en el Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro (Jet Propulsion Laboratory o JPL, por su sigla en idioma inglés), de la NASA, ubicado en Pasadena, California, han diseñado una especie de "grúa celestial" que funcionará durante los segundos finales del vuelo. Una mochila provista de cohetes-retro que controlan la velocidad de descenso será usada para que el vehículo explorador descienda sobre tres cordones de nailon justo antes de que se pose.

 Concepto artístico del momento del descenso a la superficie marciana del rover Curiosity. 

Durante un período crítico que solo dura aproximadamente siete minutos (también conocido como "los siete minutos del terror"), la nave espacial del Laboratorio Científico de Marte que transporta a Curiosity debe disminuir su marcha de alrededor de 13.200 millas por hora o 21.243 kilómetros por hora (aproximadamente 5.900 metros por segundo) para permitir que el vehículo explorador se pose sobre la superficie marciana a una velocidad de aproximadamente 1,7 millas por hora o 2,74 kilómetros por hora (tres cuartas partes de un metro por segundo).

"Esos siete minutos representan el desafío más importante de toda la misión", dijo Pete Theisinger, quien es el administrador de proyecto de la misión en el JPL. "Para que el aterrizaje sea exitoso, cientos de sucesos deben ocurrir correctamente, muchos de estos con una precisión de segundos, y todos controlados autónomamente por la nave espacial. Hemos hecho todo lo posible para tener éxito. Esperamos que Curiosity tenga un buen aterrizaje, pero no hay garantía de que vaya a ser así. Los riesgos son reales".

Durante las primeras semanas después del aterrizaje, los controladores de la misión en el JPL someterán al vehículo explorador a una serie de revisiones y actividades destinadas a caracterizar su funcionamiento en Marte; mientras tanto, aumentarán gradualmente las investigaciones científicas. Más tarde, Curiosity comenzará a investigar si ha sido o no el interior del cráter Gale de Marte (un área a la que históricamente se la ha asociado con la presencia de agua) un ambiente propicio para la vida microbiana.

"Misiones anteriores han revelado que el Marte de antaño poseía ambientes húmedos", dijo Michael Meyer, quien es el científico principal del Programa Marte, en las oficinas centrales de la NASA. "Curiosity nos lleva a dar el próximo paso lógico en nuestro entendimiento del potencial que tiene Marte para propiciar la vida".

 Curiosity se encargará de investigar si el interior del Cráter Gale ha sido un ambiente propicio para la vida microbiana.

Curiosity utilizará diversas herramientas, localizadas en un brazo robot, para transportar muestras de rocas y suelo marcianos a instrumentos de laboratorio, localizados en el interior del vehículo explorador, los cuales pueden determinar la composición química y mineral de las muestras. El haz de un instrumento láser lanzará una chispa sobre un blanco y leerá el espectro de luz de la misma con el objetivo de identificar los elementos químicos que están presentes en dicho blanco.

Otros instrumentos a bordo de este vehículo explorador, que tiene el tamaño de un automóvil, servirán para examinar el ambiente que hay alrededor, ya sea a distancia o mediante el contacto directo con el brazo. El vehículo explorador buscará componentes básicos para la vida y evidencia de energía disponible para la misma. También investigará factores que puedan resultar perjudiciales para la vida, tales como la radiación ambiental.

"Para llevar a cabo una misión con tan ambiciosas metas es necesario contar con un magnífico lugar de aterrizaje y una carga útil grande", dijo Doug McCuistion, director del Programa de Exploración de Marte, en las oficinas centrales de la NASA. "Durante el descenso a través de la atmósfera marciana, la misión dependerá tanto de técnicas osadas que nos permitan usar un área más pequeña como blanco, como de un robot más pesado, en el suelo, que los que fueron utilizados previamente en misiones a Marte. Tales técnicas representan un avance respecto de la meta de enviar misiones tripuladas a Marte, para las cuales requeriremos blancos todavía más precisos y naves de aterrizaje mucho más pesadas".

 El cráter Gale, lugar de aterrizaje de Curiosity, fotografiado desde arriba por el orbitador de Marte Odyssey de la NASA. En el interior de Gale, una impresionante montaña en capas, llamada "Monte Agudo", se levanta cerca de 5 kilómetros por encima del fondo del cráter.

"El lugar seleccionado para el aterrizaje está localizado al lado de una montaña informalmente llamada Monte Agudo. El destino primordial de la misión es la pendiente de la montaña. Conducir hasta allí desde el lugar de aterrizaje puede tomar muchos meses.

"Tendremos que tener paciencia. Pero valdrá la pena haber esperado; tenemos las condiciones propicias para encontrar algunos blancos de interés a lo largo del camino", dijo John Grotzinger, científico del proyecto MSL, en el Instituto de Tecnología de California (Caltech), en Pasadena. "Cuando lleguemos a las capas más bajas del Monte Agudo, las leeremos como si fueran capítulos de un libro que ilustra las cambiantes condiciones ambientales en Marte cuando era un lugar más húmedo que lo que es en la actualidad".

El pasado lunes, y en colaboración con la compañía Microsoft, se dio a conocer un juego para ofrecer al público una idea de la magnitud del reto que enfrentamos y de la aventura que significa aterrizar exactamente en el lugar de interés sobre de la superficie. Llamado "El aterrizaje del vehículo explorador de Marte", el juego es una experiencia de inmersión para la consola Xbox360, el cual permite al jugador tomar el control de su propia nave espacial y enfrentarse al difícil reto de aterrizar un vehículo explorador sobre Marte.

©Ciencia@Nasa

 Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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Asronomy:Newest NASA Mars Mission Connects Past and Future

Hi My GFriends: A VUELO DE UN QUINDE EL BLOG., NASA's newest Mars mission, landing in three days, will draw on support from missions sent to Mars years ago and will contribute to missions envisioned for future decades.

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Curiosity - Robot Geologist and Chemist in One!

This artist's concept features NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, a mobile robot for investigating Mars' past or present ability to sustain microbial life.

Curiosity will land near the Martian equator about 10:31 p.m., Aug. 5 PDT (1:31 a.m. Aug. 6 EDT).

In this picture, the rover examines a rock on Mars with a set of tools at the end of the rover's arm, which extends about 7 feet (2 meters). Two instruments on the arm can study rocks up close. A drill can collect sample material from inside of rocks and a scoop can pick up samples of soil. The arm can sieve the samples and deliver fine powder to instruments inside the rover for thorough analysis.

The mast, or rover's "head," rises to about 6.9 feet (2.1 meters) above ground level, about as tall as a basketball player. This mast supports two remote-sensing science instruments: the Mast Camera, or "eyes," for stereo color viewing of surrounding terrain and material collected by the arm; and, the Chemistry and Camera instrument, which uses a laser to vaporize a speck of material on rocks up to about 23 feet (7 meters) away and determines what elements the rocks are made of.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information about Curiosity is at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

 Newest NASA Mars Mission Connects Past and Future

PASADENA, Ca. -- NASA's newest Mars mission, landing in three days, will draw on support from missions sent to Mars years ago and will contribute to missions envisioned for future decades.

"Curiosity is a bold step forward in learning about our neighboring planet, but this mission does not stand alone. It is part of a sustained, coordinated program of Mars exploration," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This mission transitions the program's science emphasis from the planet's water history to its potential for past or present life."

As the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft places the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars next week, NASA will be using the Mars Odyssey orbiter, in service since 2001, as a relay for rapidly confirming the landing to Curiosity's flight team and the rest of the world. Earth will be below the Mars horizon from Curiosity's perspective, so the new rover will not be in direct radio contact with Earth. Two newer orbiters also will be recording Curiosity's transmissions, but that data will not be available on Earth until hours later.

When Curiosity lands beside a mountain inside a crater at about 10:31 p.m. PDT, Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT Aug. 6), the 1-ton rover's two-year prime mission on the surface of Mars will begin. However, one of the rover's 10 science instruments, the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, already has logged 221 days collecting data since the spacecraft was launched on its trip to Mars on Nov. 26, 2011.

"Our observations already are being used in planning for human missions," said Don Hassler of Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., principal investigator for Curiosity's RAD.

The instrument recorded radiation spikes from five solar flare events spewing energetic particles from the sun into interplanetary space. Radiation from galactic cosmic rays, originating from supernova explosions and other extremely distant events, accounted for more of the total radiation experienced on the trip than the amount from solar particle events. Inside the spacecraft, despite shielding roughly equivalent to what surrounds astronauts on the International Space Station, RAD recorded radiation amounting to a significant contribution to a NASA astronaut's career-limit radiation dose.

Curiosity's main assignment is to investigate whether its study area ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. To do that, it packs a science payload weighing 15 times as much as the science instruments on previous Mars rovers. The landing target, an area about 12 miles by 4 miles (20 kilometers by 7 kilometers), sits in a safely flat area between less-safe slopes of the rim of Gale Crater and the crater's central peak, informally called Mount Sharp. The target was plotted to be within driving distance of layers on Mount Sharp, where minerals that formed in water have been seen from orbit.

"Some deposits right inside the landing area look as though they were deposited by water, too," said John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, project scientist for Curiosity. "We have a great landing site that was a strong science contender for earlier missions, but was not permitted for engineering constraints because no earlier landing could be targeted precisely enough to hit a safe area inside Gale Crater. The science team feels very optimistic about exploration of Mount Sharp and the surrounding region that includes the landing ellipse."

Mission engineers designed a sky crane maneuver, lowering Curiosity on nylon cords from a rocket backpack because the rover is too heavy to use the airbag system developed for earlier rovers. "We know it looks crazy," said Adam Steltzner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, leader of the team that developed the system. "It really is the result of careful choices." By designing the aeroshell enclosing Curiosity to create lift and be steerable, engineers were able to build a system that lands much more precisely instead of dropping like a rock.

JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Mars Science Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information about the mission is available at http://www.nasa.gov/mars and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

 

 

Guy Webster/D.C. Agle 818-354-6278/818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Guy.Webster@jpl.nasa.gov / Agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown/Steve Cole
NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726/202-358-0918
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov / stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

ayabaca@gmail.com

ayabaca@hotmail.com

ayabaca@yahoo.com

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