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Astronomy mars section 2 student copy
1. Martian Rovers and Landers
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Viking 1
Viking 2
Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner Rover
Spirit Rover
Opportunity Rover
Phoenix Lander
Curiosity Rover
2. Viking 1 & 2
• Performed chemical analysis
• The reaction between the iron rich soil and
atmospheric Oxygen make iron oxide which
gives Mars its color
5. Viking Mission
Viking 1
• Launch Date: Aug 20, 1975
• Orbital insertion: June 19,
1976
• Lander reached surface July
20, 1976-Chryse Planitia
• Mission Duration Aug 20,
1975 thru Nov 11, 1982
• Imaged in 2006 on the
surface of Mars by MRO
Lander Scientific Equipment
• 2 cameras
• Analysis tools
– Metabolic
– Photosynthetic
– *Gas-chromatograph mass
spectrometer- identifies
substances in a soil sample
– X-ray fluorescence
spectrometer
– Pressure, temperature, wind
velocity sensor
– A 3 axis seismometer
– Various engineering sensors
6. Viking 1 Soil Analysis Results
• Soil contained
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Silicon
Iron
Magnesium
Aluminum
Sulfur
Chlorine
Calcium
Titanium
Potassium
Trace amounts of
• Strontium
• yttrium
• The sulfur and chlorine are
likely the result of
evaporating sea water
• All soil samples heated in
the GCMS gave off water
vapor
• Search for life
– One experiment gave a
positive result for life
– DEBATED to this day!!
– Antarctica’s dry areas have no
detectable organic
compounds-but there are
organisms living in the rocks
8. Viking Mission
Viking 2
• Launched Sept 9, 1975
• Orbital insertion August 7,
1976
• Lander reached surface
Sept 3, 1976
• Mission duration Sept
9,1975 thru April 11, 1980
Lander Scientific Equipment
• 2 cameras
• Sampler arm with collector
• Temperature sensor, wind
velocity sensor
• Magnet
• Seismometer
• *High gain antenna-sends info
from the lander/rover to the
orbiter and then back to Earth
• X-ray fluorescence
spectrometer
• Pressure sensor
9. Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner Rover
Testing and Packing up
Airbag testing
12. Pathfinder-Sojourner Rover
Landed near an outflow channel
Two craft landed on the surface
• Pathfinder
– Long life-planned for 1
month, lasted 3 months
– Measured the atmosphere
and atmospheric dust
• Sojourner Rover
– Chemical analysis of soil and
rocks-consistent w/flood
waters
– Round pebbles
– Travelled 50 m
13. Mars Pathfinder (lander)
• Launch date Dec 4, 1996
• Landed July 4, 1997
• Used the airbag
touchdown
• Consisted of a Lander and
a Rover
• Mission ended Sept 27,
1997
• MRO photographed the
Pathfinder from orbit
• Scientific instruments
– Camera
– Meteorology package
– X-ray Spectrometer
• These instruments
measured:
– Geology
– Geochemistry
– Magnetic and mechanical
properties
– Atmosphere and rotational
dynamics
14. More Pathfinder results
• Atmospheric particle size= 1 μm (1 millionth of
a meter)
• Soil test indicated a warmer and wetter past
• Magnets determined soil contained
maghemite (not pure magnetite)
• Using Doppler it was determined the core is
solid
15. Scientific equipment
Findings
• 3 cameras
• Confirmed previous volcanic activity
• Laser striper hazard detection
• Found basaltic rock
system
• Found elements:
• X-ray spectrometer
– Silicon
•
Sojourner Rover (climbed off
– Examines chemical
– Magnesium iron silicate
composition of soil
Pathfinder) ***First rover to be
– Aluminum silicates of
Accelerometers
deployed on another planet***
– Measures proper acceleration
• Potentiometers
– Controls and measures
electrical devices
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Calcium
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Quartz (silicon dioxide)
Magnetite
Iron sulfide
Calcium phosphates
16. Magnetite on the Surface of Mars
• Magnetite was an important find on the surface
of Mars because:
– Magnetite (Fe3 O4 )
• can be broken down into FeO. Fe2O3
• one part wustite and one part hematite
• hematite is only formed in the presence of water
– Magnetite is known to be (on Earth) in bacteria,
brains of bees, termites, fish, mollusc teeth, some
birds, and humans
• Used to detect polarity or the inclination of the Earth’s
magnetic field
17. Delta II Heavy Lifter-Spirit and
Opportunity Launch Vehicle
Launch Patch
23. Spirit Rover
What did Spirit do?
• Gusev Crater
• Named site “Columbia
Memorial Stadium”
• Landed Jan 4, 2004
• Planned mission 90
sols(Martian days)
• Got stuck in soil on May 1,
2009
• Worked as a lander after that
• Last communication March
2010
• Travelled 7,730.48 m or 4.8 mi
• Histories first grinding of a rock
on Mars-using the Rock Abrasion
Tool (RAT)
– Adirondack
• Solar Panel efficiency jumped
from 60% to 93% in March 2005dust devils cleared off the solar
panels
– http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gall
ery/press/spirit/20050527a.html
• In 2007, Spirit’s stuck wheel
revealed a silica rich soil which is
similar to hot spring
environments on Earth
– On Earth, bacteria thrive in hot
springs
26. Spirit Rover cont.
Science Instruments
Mission and Findings
• Panoramic camera
• Navigation camera
• Mini Thermal Emission
Spectrometer (Mini-TES)
• Look for evidence of water
• Mineral composition of soil
and rocks
– ID’s rocks for investigation
• Mossbauer spectrometer
– Determines mineral content
• Alpha particle spectrometer
– Determines abundance of
elements
• Magnets
– Collects magnetic dust particles
• Microscopic imager
– Close-up images of rocks
• Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
– Exposes rock surface
– Including iron-containing
minerals
• Determine geologic processes
and how they effect the
chemistry of the planet
• Assess habitability (life)
• Spirit Rover found magnetite
in the dust and soil on Mars
• Evidence of past water
31. Opportunity Rover
What did Opportunity do?
• Launched July 7, 2003
• Landed Jan 25, 2004
• Eagle Crater
– Challenger Memorial Stadium
• Planned mission 90 sols
(Martian days)
• Currently still operating on
Mars
• Longest Mars surface
mission
• First discovery of a meteor on
another planet –named Heat
Shield Rock
• Studied Victoria Crater for 2
years
• Studied many other craters
– Endurance Crater
– Erebus Crater
• Studying Matijevic Hill
overlooking Endeavor Crater
• As of Aug 2012 she has
travelled 21 miles
32. Opportunity Cont.
Science Instruments
• Panoramic camera
• Navigation camera
• Mini Thermal Emission
Spectrometer (Mini-TES)
– ID’s rocks for investigation
• Mossbauer spectrometer
– Determines mineral content
• Alpha particle spectrometer
– Determines abundance of
elements
• Magnets
– Collects magnetic dust particles
• Microscopic imager
– Close-up images of rocks
• Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
– Exposes rock surface
Mission and Findings
• Reinforced previous findings
of the evidence of previous
liquid water on Mars
• Hematite-nicknamed
blueberries
• Has made astronomical
observations
• Has taken atmospheric data
44. Phoenix Lander
Scientific instruments
• Used MRO to relay info to
Earth
• Robotic arm
• Wet Chemistry Lab
– Microscopy, Electrochemistry,
and Conductivity Analyzer
(MECA)
– Thermal and Evolved Gas
Analyzer (TEGA)
• Soil heated to 1,000 C which
causes the gases to be
released and sent to the mass
spectrometer for analysis
– Microscopic imager
Findings
• Polygon shaped surface
features
– Ice expands and contracts with
temperature change, soil falls
into the cracks
• Photographed ice sublimation
• Water vapor detected by
TEGA’s mass spectrometer
• CONFIRMED WATER ICE ON
MARS
• Blobs on the struts of Phoenix
that changed size
– Were they salt water that
absorbed more water from the
atmosphere?
– Grew for 44 sols and then
evaporated
47. Phoenix Findings cont.
Lander
(Last slide for Mars Spacecraft
Test)
• Soil pH is between 8 and9
(alkaline)
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Chloride
• Perchlorate
– act as an antifreeze which lower
the freezing point of water
– This would allow the water to
be liquid under the temperature
and pressure conditions at the
Phoenix landing site
