United kingdom Daily news: Nasa narrows Mars rover's landing zone to a strip just 4 miles wide

Rabu, 13 Juni 2012

Nasa narrows Mars rover's landing zone to a strip just 4 miles wide

Nasa narrows Mars rover's landing zone to a strip just 4 miles wide

Curiosity will arrive closer to its ultimate destination for science operations, but also closer to the foot of a mountain slope that poses a landing hazard

By Graham Smith

PUBLISHED: 10:55 EST, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:29 EST, 13 June 2012

Nasa has narrowed the target landing spot for its most advanced Mars rover in order to shave months off its journey time travelling on the Red Planet.

The car-sized rover, Curiosity, is due to touch down on Mars in August.

It will arrive closer to its ultimate destination for science operations, but also closer to the foot of a mountain slope that poses a landing hazard.

New plan: Nasa has narrowed the target landing spot (top circle) for its Mars rover Curiosity in order to shave months off its original journey time (bottom circle) travelling on the Red Planet

Dr Peter Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said: 'We're trimming the distance we'll have to drive after landing by almost half. That could get us to the mountain months earlier.'

It has become possible to adjust landing plans because of increased confidence in precision landing technology aboard the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, which is carrying the Curiosity rover.

That spacecraft can aim closer without hitting Mount Sharp at the centre of Gale crater.

Rock layers located in the mountain are the prime location for research with the rover.

Curiosity is scheduled to land on August 5. Then, following checkout operations, it will begin a two-year study on whether the landing vicinity ever offered an environment favourable for microbial life.

The landing target ellipse had been approximately 12 miles wide and 16 miles long.

Continuing analysis of the new landing system's capabilities has allowed mission planners to shrink the area to approximately 4 miles wide and 12 miles long, assuming winds and other atmospheric conditions are as predicted.

Even with the smaller ellipse, Curiosity will be able to touch down at a safe distance from steep slopes at the edge of Mount Sharp.

Nasa's revised estimate of the landing target area for Curiosity, which is due to touch down in August

Target: The ellipse (top centre, to the left) is about 12 miles long and 4 miles wide

Nasa spokesman Dave Lavery said: 'We have been preparing for years for a successful landing by Curiosity, and all signs are good. However, landing on Mars always carries risks, so success is not guaranteed.

'Once on the ground we'll proceed carefully. We have plenty of time since Curiosity is not as life-limited as the approximate 90-day missions like Nasaâ€™s Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix lander.'

Since the spacecraft was launched in November 2011, engineers have continued testing and improving its landing software.

Mars Science Laboratory will use an upgraded version of flight software installed on its computers during the past two weeks. Additional upgrades for Mars surface operations will be sent to the rover about a week after landing.

Other preparations include upgrades to the rover's software and understanding effects of debris coming from the drill the rover will use to collect samples from rocks on Mars.

Advanced: An artist's impression of Curiosity examining a rock on Mars

Experiments at JPL indicate that Teflon from the drill could mix with the powdered samples. Testing will continue past landing with copies of the drill.

The rover will then deliver the samples to onboard instruments that can identify mineral and chemical ingredients.

John Grotzinger, the missionâ€™s project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said: 'The material from the drill could complicate, but will not prevent analysis of carbon content in rocks by one of the rover's 10 instruments. There are workarounds.

'Organic carbon compounds in an environment are one prerequisite for life. We know meteorites deliver non-biological organic carbon to Mars, but not whether it persists near the surface.

'We will be checking for that and for other chemical and mineral clues about habitability.'

Curiosity will be in good company as it nears landing - two Nasa Mars orbiters, along with a European Space Agency orbiter, will be i n position to listen to radio transmissions as Mars Science Laboratory descends through the Red Planet's atmosphere.