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Astroearth - by CMoreStars

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Landing a laboratory on planet Mars

April 10th 2009 05:31

Category: No Category

MSL large parahute array

Landing a laboratory on planet Mars. This will be one of NASA’s most ambitious projects so far.

Due to be launched in 2012 MB landing a rover on the planet the rover is the size of, small car. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will be the most technologically advanced rover produced so far.

MSL rover

The landing will use the largest parachute ever used in NASA space history the parachute will be at least 55 feet wide. Because of the mass of the MSL airbags won’t be enough to make the landing,a combination of large parachute retro rockets and a sky crane will be used to land the rover on the surface.

Rover comparions between past and future

As the MSL descends through the Martian atmosphere the large parachute will deploy this will slow the rover significantly. A tether will also deploy lowering the rover gently towards the surface of the planet. At the right moment retro rockets will complete the final leg to achieve touchdown. This will be the largest rover sent to Mars so far. It will much larger than Spirit or opportunity.

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Comments

9 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by S.L.

April 10th 2009 07:12

The Political Brief

Another good one, CarlCan! What sort of power will it have and how long will it run? How far can it travel, where will the landing site be?

Comment by CarlCan

April 11th 2009 00:38

Astroearth
Camera Sense

Eberswalde Crater is one site that is considered favourite it offers the chance to explore an ancient river delta. In fact, the delta is the most convincing sign that a Martian river once flowed into a standing body of water.
The power will be generated by a radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of plutonium's radioactive decay. the power source is similar to the one on the Voyager space craft and is still going ofter 30 odd years.
This power source gives the mission an operating lifespan on Mars' surface of at least a full Martian year (687 Earth days)

It is expected that the Rover will travel many hundreds of Kilometers during its life span.

Proposed landing site Eberswalde Crater

Comment by S.L.

April 11th 2009 00:45

The Political Brief

We should gets lots of info, CarlCan during a Martian year. I wonder if Mars has seasons...

Comment by CarlCan

April 11th 2009 01:29

Astroearth
Camera Sense

Yes Mars has seasons similar to what we have here on Earth.

Earth and Mars could have been twins.
Mars is often refered to as a failed Earth.

Comment by S.L.

April 11th 2009 01:34

The Political Brief

Was it the distance from the sun that caused the failure? Or the loss of the atmosphere (assuming it ever had one). How do the seasonal changes appear? Sorry to have so many questions, CarlCan, but Mars has always been interesting to me (ever since I discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs!) LOL

Comment by Kristin Wolgemuth

April 11th 2009 14:00

Poetry Lighthouse
Time to Get Up Club

I think this kind of research is interesting, but infuriating at the same time. People are dying of starvation and curable diseases, and we're sending a rover to Mars. Where are our priorities?

Comment by S.L.

April 11th 2009 14:14

The Political Brief

NASA's been around a long time, Kirsten. If we abandon space exploration, one of the results would be lots of unemployed people. They have companies who make the parts to make the parts to build our space craft. (I know this because one of my uncles owned such a company). If NASA didn't do research and come up with projects, there would literally be thousands of people out of work. That would solve nothing. Hundreds of small businesses provide all sorts of support from tools to parts to cleaning, to fuel production, to food processing. Would you have them out of work because others are doing without jobs?

If you want to do something to help those less fortunate in the dismal economy, attend a tea party and complain about the insane taxes and pork that the government is stealing from future generations under the guise of "stimulus" packages and bail outs that never work.

Comment by CarlCan

April 12th 2009 14:47

Astroearth
Camera Sense

Hi

S.L.

Mars has a thin atmosphere, it have seasons.

The summer can get to around 21c winter is pretty cold.
The seas evaporated many eons ago but there is plenty of frozen water below the surface of Mars.
Mars has polar ice caps. we are indeed fortunate here on Earth if our moon was not present our seas would be dry. We are just far away from the Sun that our climate is ideal for us to survive. and Just enough tilt in our axis to give us a very good living.