20/07/2016

MSLLandingSiteMSLMarsScienceLaboratory

Wednesday,July20,2016

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MSL Landing Site

NASA

Mars Science
Laboratory
MissionUpdates

announced

TechnicalDetails

the
Landing

RoverOverview

Site for the

CruiseStage

Mars

AeroshellandHeatShield

Science
Laboratory

DescentStageandSkyCrane

Mission on
July

OTHER

SamplingSystem

22,

2011. The

MSLMissionGallery

Missionwill

MSLVideoGallery

target the
Gale

MissionProfile

Crater

to

be

its

Photo:NASAJPL

landing site. The Mars Rover will explore the lower portions of a 5Km mound of stratified
materials that scientists are interested in. Variations in texture, appearance and mineralogy
that have been observed suggest that those materials include the record of Martian history
fromageologicalandclimaticstandpoint.
The landing site selection process occurred from 2006 to 2011 and included numerous
proposalsandworkshops.
The actual landing site will drive the entire MSL mission and strategic mission operations.
Whileselectingthesite,ideallandingsiteresourcesandrequirementswereconstantlylooked
at. Those include evidence of a certain extent of habitability (past or present), meet all
engineering and safety policies and allow operational performance. Meeting those
requirements depends on geological, chemical and mineralogical properties. Also playing a
large role for rover operations is the terrain of the landing site. In addition to that, climatic

MissionObjectives
ScienceInstruments
APXSInstrumentInformation
ChemCamInstrumentOverview
CheMinInstrumentInformation
DANInstrumentInformation
MAHLIInstrumentInformation
MastCamInstrumentInformation
MEDLIMSLEDLInstrument
Suite
RADInstrumentOverview

conditionshavetobewithinthethermalrequirementsofthevehicleatalltimes.

REMSInstrumentOverview

A series of community led, open workshops have been conducted in parallel with rover

SAMSampleAnalysisatMars

development.ALandingSiteSteeringCommitteethatwascochairedbyDr.JohnGrantofthe
SmithsonianandDr.MatthewGolombeckofNASAsJetPropulsionLaboratory,organizedand
ledtheworkshops.Thosewereheldin20062008,2010and2011.Over60potentiallanding
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Personnel,InstitutionsandSupport
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MSLLandingSiteMSLMarsScienceLaboratory

sites were considered and eventually narrowed down to a list of four. The final landing site
wasannouncedafterthefinalworkshopandwhenanalysesbytheMSLmissionteamwere
complete.

SciencePlanning&Operations
LandingSpecial
EDLCommunications

2xDVB
C/C2/T/T2/S/S2
inputs,2xCIslots

UniversalDual
DVBCI

The MSL rover

was

designed

without

particular
landing site in
mindsothatthe
rover

can

access more of
the

Martian

Surface.

The

vehicle

can

tolerate

broader
Image:NASAJPL

spectrum

in

environmental

conditionsandtheprocessofselectingalandingsitecouldbeextendedandoccurlaterinthe
missiondesignprocedure.
A decision was made to land the MSL Mission at the Gale Crater which is at 4.49S and
137.42E. Within GaleCrater,amountainraisesupto3milesabovethecraters floor. That
mountainwillbeexploredbyMSLtoexaminearecordoftheMartianEvolution.Curiositywill
land on a smooth region in front of the mountain. The landing site is elliptical (6.4 by 19.8
Kilometers)andallowsallowsasafelandingevenatthehighesterrorrateinthedescentand
landingsequence.
Galeisbelievedtobe3.5to3.8billionyearsold.Thecraterhasaspanof154Km.Anunusual
featureofGalethatplayedalargeroleinitsselectionisanenormousmoundofdebristhatis
slightly taller than the southern rim of the crater itself. This material is expected to have a
historyof2billionyearsconservingalargerecordofMartianEvolution,bothgeologicallyand
atmospherically. The exact origin of that mound is not completely known. Scientists suggest
thatitistheerodedremnantofvarioussedimentarylayersthatoncefilledthecraterentirely,
probably deposited on a lakebed in its original configuration. The material may have been
layered by winds or volcanic ash falling from the sky. This would enable MSL to identify
sedimentsthathaveformedorhavebeenalteredinthepresenceofwater.
GaleissittingataverylowelevationpositiononMars(at4444m).Theverticalprofilethatis
exposed causes attraction similar to that of Mars famous Valles Marineris Valley that is the
largest canyon in the solar system. Gale holds a diversity of features and layers for
investigating changing environmental conditions which will provide extensive information on
thePlanetshabitability,past,presentandfuture.
Through the mounds layers, a number of channels track along which are the features that
haveformedmostrecently.Thesechannelsareupto250mdeepand2Kmfromsidetoside
presenting different layers on orbiter photography. These channels might offer a chance to
explore the past of the Planets evolution. The channel is lower and lies on a gently sloping
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pile

MSLLandingSiteMSLMarsScienceLaboratory

the

are

suspected

to

have

washed

down

the

channel.

GalesTopographyPhoto:RyanAnderson
Adsby Google

LandingSite

MarsRover

NASAMars

LaunchSite

In Depth MSL Landing Site Documents

Anderson&Bell:GeologicmappingandcharacterizationofGaleCraterandimplicationsfor
itspotentialasaMarsScienceLaboratory
Wray:GaleCrater:TheMarsScienceLaboratory/CuriosityRoverLandingSite
ScienceTargetsAlongaProposedGaleTraverse

Next Mars Rover to Storm Gale Crater

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