Mars Surface near Viking Lander 1 Footpad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

This image, which has been flipped horizontally, was taken by Viking Lander 1 on August 1, 1976, 12 sols after landing. Much like images that have returned from Phoenix, the soil beneath Viking 1 has been exposed due to exhaust from thruster engines during descent. This is visible to the right of the struts of Viking's surface-sampler arm housing, seen on the left.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Viking Orbiter completion mission and Viking Lander monitor mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillette, R. L.

1980-01-01

A brief history of the Viking Missions is presented. The status of the present Viking Orbiter and Landers for the period from February 1, 1980 through March 31, 1980 is discussed, with emphasis on data transmission abilities.

Spectral mixture modeling: Further analysis of rock and soil types at the Viking Lander sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, John B.; Smith, Milton O.

1987-01-01

A new image processing technique was applied to Viking Lander multispectral images. Spectral endmembers were defined that included soil, rock and shade. Mixtures of these endmembers were found to account for nearly all the spectral variance in a Viking Lander image.

Conclusion of Viking Lander Imaging Investigation: Picture catalog of experiment data record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, S. D.; Ashmore, T. C.

1985-01-01

The images returned by the two Viking landers during the Viking Survey Mission are presented in this report. Listing of supplemental information which describe the conditions under which the images were acquired are included. Subsets of the images are listed in a variety of sequences to aid in locating images of interest. The format and organization of the digital magnetic tape storage of the images are described. A brief description of the mission and the camera system is also included.

Cost effectiveness as applied to the Viking Lander systems-level thermal development test program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buna, T.; Shupert, T. C.

1974-01-01

The economic aspects of thermal testing at the systems-level as applied to the Viking Lander Capsule thermal development program are reviewed. The unique mission profile and pioneering scientific goals of Viking imposed novel requirements on testing, including the development of a simulation technique for the Martian thermal environment. The selected approach included modifications of an existing conventional thermal vacuum facility, and improved test-operational techniques that are applicable to the simulation of the other mission phases as well, thereby contributing significantly to the cost effectiveness of the overall thermal test program.

The Viking Orbiter and its Mariner inheritance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, A. E.; Norris, H. W.

1975-01-01

The orbiter system of the Viking spacecraft performs the functions of transporting the lander into orbit around Mars, surveying the proposed landing sites, relaying lander data to earth, and conducting independent scientific observations of Mars. The orbiter system is a semiautomatic, solar-powered, triaxially stabilized platform capable of making trajectory corrections and communicating with earth on S-band. Its instruments for visual imaging, detecting water vapor, and thermal mapping are mounted on a separate two-degree-of-freedom scan platform. Radio science is conducted at three frequencies, using the main S-band system, a separate X-band derived from the S-band, and the UHF one-way link with the lander.

The Vikings are coming. [landing site selection and experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spitzer, C. R.

1976-01-01

The exploration of Mars with the aid of the two Viking landers is discussed. The probable landing date for Viking Lander 1 will be July 4, 1976, and for Lander 2 September 4, 1976. The criteria used in selecting the landing site are considered along with the procedure to be employed in the final approach of the lander to the planet and the touchdown. A description is given of the studies to be conducted by the lander, taking into account the search for life and the collection of meteorological and seismological data. Attention is also given to technical data concerning the spacecraft, details regarding the software, and the ground facilities on earth which are used for the Viking project.

The mosaics of Mars: As seen by the Viking Lander cameras

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinthal, E. C.; Jones, K. L.

1980-01-01

The mosaics and derivative products produced from many individual high resolution images acquired by the Viking Lander Camera Systems are described: A morning and afternoon mosaic for both cameras at the Lander 1 Chryse Planitia site, and a morning, noon, and afternoon camera pair at Utopia Planitia, the Lander 11 site. The derived products include special geometric projections of the mosaic data sets, polar stereographic (donut), stereoscopic, and orthographic. Contour maps and vertical profiles of the topography were overlaid on the mosaics from which they were derived. Sets of stereo pairs were extracted and enlarged from stereoscopic projections of the mosaics.

Imaging experiment: The Viking Lander

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mutch, T.A.; Binder, A.B.; Huck, F.O.; Levinthal, E.C.; Morris, E.C.; Sagan, C.; Young, A.T.

1972-01-01

The Viking Lander Imaging System will consist of two identical facsimile cameras. Each camera has a high-resolution mode with an instantaneous field of view of 0.04??, and survey and color modes with instantaneous fields of view of 0.12??. Cameras are positioned one meter apart to provide stereoscopic coverage of the near-field. The Imaging Experiment will provide important information about the morphology, composition, and origin of the Martian surface and atmospheric features. In addition, lander pictures will provide supporting information for other experiments in biology, organic chemistry, meteorology, and physical properties. ?? 1972.

Location of Viking 1 Lander on the surface of Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morris, E.C.; Jones, K.L.; Berger, J.P.

1978-01-01

A location of the Viking 1 Lander on the surface of Mars has been determined by correlating topographic features in the lander pictures with similar features in the Viking orbiter pictures. Radio tracking data narrowed the area of search for correlating orbiter and lander features and an area was found on the orbiter pictures in which there is good agreement with topographic features on the lander pictures. This location, when plotted on the 1:250,000 scale photomosaic of the Yorktown Region of Mars (U.S. Geological Survey, 1977) is at 22.487??N latitude and 48.041??W longitude. ?? 1978.

The Martian surface as imaged, sampled, and analyzed by the Viking landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arvidson, Raymond E.; Gooding, James L.; Moore, Henry J.

1989-01-01

Data collected by two Viking landers are analyzed. Attention is given to the characteristics of the surface inferred from Lander imaging and meteorology data, physical and magnetic properties experiments, and both inorganic and organic analyses of Martian samples. Viking Lander 1 touched down on Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976 and continued to operate for 2252 sols, until November 20, 1982. Lander 2 touched down about 6500 km away from Lander 1, on Utopia Planitia on September 3, 1976. The chemical compositions of sediments at the two landing sites are similar, suggesting an aeolian origin. The compositions suggest an iron-rich rock an are matched by various clays and salts.

A conceptual design and operational characteristics for a Mars rover for a 1979 or 1981 Viking science mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darnell, W. L.; Wessel, V. W.

1974-01-01

The feasibility of a small Mars rover for use on a 1979 or 1981 Viking mission was studied and a preliminary design concept was developed. Three variations of the concept were developed to provide comparisons in mobility and science capability of the rover. Final masses of the three rover designs were approximately 35 kg, 40 kg, and 69 kg. The smallest rover is umbilically connected to the lander for power and communications purposes whereas the larger two rovers have secondary battery power and a 2-way very high frequency communication link to the lander. The capability for carrying Viking rovers (including development system) to the surface of Mars was considered first. It was found to be feasible to carry rovers of over 100 kg. Virtually all rover systems were then studied briefly to determine a feasible system concept and a practical interface with the comparable system of a 1979 or 1981 lander vehicle.

Improved coordinates of features in the vicinity of the Viking lander site on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, M. E.; Dole, S. H.

1980-01-01

The measurement of longitude of the Viking 1 landing site and the accuracy of the coordinates of features in the area around the landing site are discussed. The longitude must be measured photogrammatically from the small crater, Airy 0, which defines the 0 deg meridian on Mars. The computer program, GIANT, which was used to perform the analytical triangulations, and the photogrammetric computation of the longitude of the Viking 1 lander site are described. Improved coordinates of features in the vicinity of the Viking 1 lander site are presented.

Errors in Viking Lander Atmospheric Profiles Discovered Using MOLA Topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withers, Paul; Lorenz, R. D.; Neumann, G. A.

2002-01-01

Each Viking lander measured a topographic profile during entry. Comparing to MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter), we find a vertical error of 1-2 km in the Viking trajectory. This introduces a systematic error of 10-20% in the Viking densities and pressures at a given altitude. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Soil and surface temperatures at the Viking landing sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kieffer, H. H.

1976-01-01

The annual temperature range for the Martian surface at the Viking lander sites is computed on the basis of thermal parameters derived from observations made with the infrared thermal mappers. The Viking lander 1 (VL1) site has small annual variations in temperature, whereas the Viking lander 2 (VL2) site has large annual changes. With the Viking lander images used to estimate the rock component of the thermal emission, the daily temperature behavior of the soil alone is computed over the range of depths accessible to the lander; when the VL1 and VL2 sites were sampled, the daily temperature ranges at the top of the soil were 183 to 263 K and 183 to 268 K, respectively. The diurnal variation decreases with depth with an exponential scale of about 5 centimeters. The maximum temperature of the soil sampled from beneath rocks at the VL2 site is calculated to be 230 K. These temperature calculations should provide a reference for study of the active chemistry reported for the Martian soil.

Soil and surface temperatures at the viking landing sites.

PubMed

Kieffer, H H

1976-12-11

The annual temperature range for the martian surface at the Viking lander sites is computed on the basis of thermal parameters derived from observations made with the infrared thermal mappers. The Viking lander 1 (VL1) site has small annual variations in temperature, whereas the Viking lander 2 (VL2) site has large annual changes. With the Viking lander images used to estimate the rock component of the thermal emission, the daily temperature behavior of the soil alone is computed over the range of depths accessible to the lander; when the VL1 and VL2 sites were sampled, the daily temperature ranges at the top of the soil were 183 to 263 K and 183 to 268 K, respectively. The diurnal variation decreases with depth with an exponential scale of about 5 centimeters. The maximum temperature of the soil sampled from beneath rocks at the VL2 site is calculated to be 230 K. These temperature calculations should provide a reference for study of the active chemistry reported for the martian soil.

Viking Lander imaging investigation: Picture catalog of primary mission experiment data record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, R. B.

1978-01-01

All the images returned by the two Viking Landers during the primary phase of the Viking Mission are presented. Listings of supplemental information which described the conditions under which the images were acquired are included together with skyline drawings which show where the images are positioned in the field of view of the cameras. Subsets of the images are listed in a variety of sequences to aid in locating images of interest. The format and organization of the digital magnetic tape storage of the images are described. The mission and the camera system are briefly described.

Viking Phase III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

VIKING PHASE III - With the incredible success of the Viking missions on Mars, mission operations have progressed though a series of phases - each being funded as mission success dictated its potential. The Viking Primary Mission phase was concluded in November, 1976, when the reins were passed on to the second phase - the Viking Extended Mission. The Extended Mission successfully carried spacecraft operations through the desired period of time needed to provided a profile of a full Martian year, but would have fallen a little short of connecting and overlapping a full Martian year of Viking operations which scientists desired as a means of determining the degree of duplicity in the red planet's seasons - at least for the summer period. Without this continuation of spacecraft data acquisitions to and beyond the seasonal points when the spacecraft actually began their Mars observations, there would be no way of knowing whether the changing environmental values - such as temperatures and winds atmospheric dynamics and water vapor, surface thermal dynamics, etc. - would match up with those acquired as the spacecraft began investigations during the summer and fall of 1976. This same broad interest can be specifically pursued at the surface - where hundreds of rocks, soil drifts and other features have become extremely familiar during long-term analysis. This picture was acquired on the 690th Martian day of Lander 1 operations - 4009th picture sequence commanded of the two Viking Landers. As such, it became the first picture acquired as the third phase of Viking operations got under way - the Viking Continuation Mission. Between the start of the Continuation Mission in April, 1978, until spacecraft operations are concluded in November, the landers will acquire an additional 200 pictures. These will be used to monitor the two landscaped for the surface changes. All four cameras, two on Lander 1 and two on Lander 2, continue to operate perfectly. Both landers will also continue to monitor weather conditions - recording atmospheric pressure and its variations, daily temperature extremes, and wind behavior at the two lander locations.

The Martian surface as imaged, sampled, and analyzed by the Viking landers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arvidson, R.E.; Gooding, J.L.; Moore, H.J.

1989-02-01

Data collected by two Viking landers are analyzed. Attention is given to the characteristics of the surface inferred from Lander imaging and meteorology data, physical and magnetic properties experiments, and both inorganic and organic analyses of Martian samples. Viking Lander 1 touched down on Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976 and continued to operate for 2252 sols, until November 20, 1982. Lander 2 touched down about 6500 km away from Lander 1, on Utopia Planitia on September 3, 1976. The chemical compositions of sediments at the two landing sites are similar, suggesting an aeolian origin. The compositions suggest an iron-richmore » rock an are matched by various clays and salts. 89 refs.« less

Viking Lander 1's U.S. Flag on Mars Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The flag of the United States with the rocky Martian surface in the background is seen in this color picture taken on the sixth day of Viking Lander 1 on Mars (July 26). The flag is on the RTG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) wind screen. Below the flag is the bicentennial logo and the Viking symbol which shows an ancient Viking ship. This Viking symbol was designed by Peter Purol of Baltimore, winner of the Viking logo contest open to high school science students. To the right is the Reference Test Chart used for color balancing of the color images. At the bottom is the GCMS Processor Distribution Assembly with the wind screens unfurled demonstrating that the GCMS cover was deployed properly. The scene in the background is looking almost due west on Mars. The lighter zone at the far horizon is about 3 km (nearly 2 miles) from the Lander. The darker line below this is a hill crest much closer to the Lander (about 200 m or about 650 feet). The picture was taken at local Mars Time of 7:18 A.M., hence the relatively dark sky and the far horizon illuminated by the sun just rising behind the Lander.

Viking survey paper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soffen, G.

1976-01-01

The paper reviews Viking injection into Mars orbit, the landing, and the Orbiter. The following Viking investigations are discussed: the search for life (photosynthetic analysis, metabolic analysis, and respiration), molecular analysis, inorganic chemistry, water detection, thermal mapping, radio science, and physical and seismic characteristics. Also considered are the imaging system, the lander camera, entry science, and Mars weather.

Study of application of adaptive systems to the exploration of the solar system. Volume 3: Mars landed systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The results of a more detailed study of three missions to the surface of Mars: (1) an advanced lander, (2) a lander with a small tethered rover, and (3) a lander with a medium sized rover that operates independently of the lander for most of its functions but communicates with Earth through the lander are presented. For all three missions it was assumed that the Viking orbiter and lander would be used with modifications as required to improve the science package, to accommodate the rovers, and to handle the increased payloads.

Photogrammetry of the Viking Lander imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. S. C.; Schafer, F. J.

1982-01-01

The problem of photogrammetric mapping which uses Viking Lander photography as its basis is solved in two ways: (1) by converting the azimuth and elevation scanning imagery to the equivalent of a frame picture, using computerized rectification; and (2) by interfacing a high-speed, general-purpose computer to the analytical plotter employed, so that all correction computations can be performed in real time during the model-orientation and map-compilation process. Both the efficiency of the Viking Lander cameras and the validity of the rectification method have been established by a series of pre-mission tests which compared the accuracy of terrestrial maps compiled by this method with maps made from aerial photographs. In addition, 1:10-scale topographic maps of Viking Lander sites 1 and 2 having a contour interval of 1.0 cm have been made to test the rectification method.

The Viking X ray fluorescence experiment - Sampling strategies and laboratory simulations. [Mars soil sampling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baird, A. K.; Castro, A. J.; Clark, B. C.; Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H., Jr.; Keil, K.; Gooding, J. L.

1977-01-01

Ten samples of Mars regolith material (six on Viking Lander 1 and four on Viking Lander 2) have been delivered to the X ray fluorescence spectrometers as of March 31, 1977. An additional six samples at least are planned for acquisition in the remaining Extended Mission (to January 1979) for each lander. All samples acquired are Martian fines from the near surface (less than 6-cm depth) of the landing sites except the latest on Viking Lander 1, which is fine material from the bottom of a trench dug to a depth of 25 cm. Several attempts on each lander to acquire fresh rock material (in pebble sizes) for analysis have yielded only cemented surface crustal material (duricrust). Laboratory simulation and experimentation are required both for mission planning of sampling and for interpretation of data returned from Mars. This paper is concerned with the rationale for sample site selections, surface sampler operations, and the supportive laboratory studies needed to interpret X ray results from Mars.

Entry System Design Considerations for Mars Landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lockwood, Mary Kae; Powell, Richard W.; Graves, Claude A.; Carman, Gilbert L.

2001-01-01

The objective for the next generation or Mars landers is to enable a safe landing at specific locations of scientific interest. The 1st generation entry, descent and landing systems, ex. Viking and Pathfinder, provided successful landing on Mars but by design were limited to large scale, 100s of km, landing sites with minimal local hazards. The 2 nd generation landers, or smart landers, will provide scientists with access to previously unachievable landing sites by providing precision landing to less than 10 km of a target landing site, with the ability to perform local hazard avoidance, and provide hazard tolerance. This 2nd generation EDL system can be utilized for a range of robotic missions with vehicles sized for science payloads from the small 25-70 kg, Viking, Pathfinder, Mars Polar Lander and Mars Exploration Rover-class, to the large robotic Mars Sample Return, 300 kg plus, science payloads. The 2nd generation system can also be extended to a 3nd generation EDL system with pinpoint landing, 10's of meters of landing accuracy, for more capable robotic or human missions. This paper will describe the design considerations for 2nd generation landers. These landers are currently being developed by a consortium of NASA centers, government agencies, industry and academic institutions. The extension of this system and additional considerations required for a 3nd generation human mission to Mars will be described.

Interannual, seasonal and diurnal Mars surface environmental cycles observed from Viking to Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, German; Vicente-Retortillo, Álvaro; Kemppinen, Osku; Fischer, Erik; Fairen, Alberto G.; Guzewich, Scott David; Haberle, Robert; Lemmon, Mark T.; Newman, Claire E.; Renno, Nilton O.; Richardson, Mark I.; Smith, Michael D.; De la Torre, Manuel; Vasavada, Ashwin R.

2016-10-01

We analyze in-situ environmental data from the Viking landers to the Curiosity rover to estimate atmospheric pressure, near-surface air and ground temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and dust opacity with the highest confidence possible. We study the interannual, seasonal and diurnal variability of these quantities at the various landing sites over a span of more than twenty Martian years to characterize the climate on Mars and its variability. Additionally, we characterize the radiative environment at the various landing sites by estimating the daily UV irradiation (also called insolation and defined as the total amount of solar UV energy received on flat surface during one sol) and by analyzing its interannual and seasonal variability.In this study we use measurements conducted by the Viking Meteorology Instrument System (VMIS) and Viking lander camera onboard the Viking landers (VL); the Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology (ASIMET) package and the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) onboard the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) lander; the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) and Pancam instruments onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER); the Meteorological Station (MET), Thermal Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) and Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) onboard the Phoenix (PHX) lander; and the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) and Mastcam instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover.A thorough analysis of in-situ environmental data from past and present missions is important to aid in the selection of the Mars 2020 landing site. We plan to extend our analysis of Mars surface environmental cycles by using upcoming data from the Temperature and Wind sensors (TWINS) instrument onboard the InSight mission and the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument onboard the Mars 2020 mission.

Viking lander location and spin axis of Mars: determination from radio tracking data.

PubMed

Michael, W H; Tolson, R H; Mayo, A P; Blackshear, W T; Kelly, G M; Cain, D L; Brenkle, J P; Shapiro, I I; Reasenberg, R D

1976-08-27

Radio tracking data from the Viking lander have been used to determine the lander position and the orientation of the spin axis of Mars. The areocentric coordinates of the lander are 22.27 degrees N, 48.00 degrees W, and 3389.5 kilometers from the center of mass; the spin axis orientation, referred to Earth's mean equator and equinox of 1950.0, is 317.35 degrees right ascension and 52.71 degrees declination.

Viking lander camera radiometry calibration report, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, M. R.; Atwood, D. L.; Morrill, M. E.

1977-01-01

The requirements the performance validation, and interfaces for the RADCAM program, to convert Viking lander camera image data to radiometric units were established. A proposed algorithm is described, and an appendix summarizing the planned reduction of camera test data was included.

Viking lander spacecraft battery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newell, D. R.

1976-01-01

The Viking Lander was the first spacecraft to fly a sterilized nickel-cadmium battery on a mission to explore the surface of a planet. The significant results of the battery development program from its inception through the design, manufacture, and test of the flight batteries which were flown on the two Lander spacecraft are documented. The flight performance during the early phase of the mission is also presented.

Viking Lander spacecraft battery. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newell, D.R.

1976-09-01

The Viking Lander was the first spacecraft to fly a sterilized nickel--cadmium battery on a mission to explore the surface of a planet. The significant results of the battery development program from its inception through the design, manufacture, and test of the flight batteries which were flown on the two Lander spacecraft are documented. The flight performance during the early phase of the mission is also presented.

The enigma of radiation effects in Drosphilia.

PubMed

Novitski, E

1976-12-24

Approximately 3 months of radio tracking data from the Viking landers have been analyzed to determine the lander locations, the orientation of the spin axis of Mars, and a first estimate from Viking data of the planet's spin rate. Preliminary results have also been obtained for atmospheric parameters and radii at occultation points and for properties of the surface in the vicinity of lander 1.

Experimental test of the variability of G using Viking lander ranging data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hellings, R. W.; Adams, P. J.; Anderson, J. D.; Keesey, M. S.; Lau, E. L.; Standish, E. M.; Canuto, V. M.; Goldman, I.

1983-01-01

Results are presented from the analysis of solar-system astrometric data, notably the range data to the Viking landers on Mars. A least-squares fit of the parameters of the solar system model to these data limits a simple time variation in the effective Newtonian gravitational constant to (2 + or - 4) x 10 to the -12th/yr and a rate of drift of atomic clocks relative to the implicit clock of relativistic dynamics to (1 + or - 8) x 10 to the -12th/yr. The error limits quoted are the result of uncertainties in the masses of the asteroids.

SNAP 19 Viking Program. Bimonthly technical progress report, October 1979-November 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1979-12-01

Monitoring and evaluation of Viking 1 Lander power system data continued. The RTG series power range as measured at the PCDA was 65 to 68 watts at fin root temperatures between 280/sup 0/F and 310/sup 0/F. The Mars landed performance history of Viking 1 include both the minimum and maximum data for each of the SOL days. Monitoring and evaluation of Viking 2 Lander power system data continued. The RTG series power range as measured at the PCDA was 71 to 72 watts at fin root temperatures between 230/sup 0/F and 260/sup 0/F. The Mars landed performance history of Vikingmore » 2 include both the minimum and maximum data for each of the SOL days. The performance of both power systems continues to be very satisfactory. Power system performance data for Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft were monitored through the reporting period. The estimated RTG system net power was 116 watts for Pioneer 10 and 118 watts for Pioneer Saturn. The September 1 encounter with Saturn appears to have had no deleterious effect on the RTG's of the spacecraft power system. The telemetry signals from both spacecrafts remain satisfactory.« less

Viking radio science data analysis and synthesis. [rotation of Mars, solar system dynamics, and gravitational laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shapiro, I. I.

1984-01-01

The rotational motion of Mars and its geophysical ramifications were investigated. Solar system dynamics and the laws of gravitation were also studied. The planetary ephemeris program, which was the central element in data analysis for this project, is described in brief. Viking Lander data were used in the investigation.

The Viking mortar - Design, development, and flight qualification.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brecht, J. P.; Pleasants, J. E.; Mehring, R. D.

1973-01-01

Approximately 25,400 ft above the local surface of Mars, a radar height sensor fires the Viking mortar, which ejects a 53-ft D sub o disk-gap-band (DGB) parachute. The parachute decelerates and stabilizes the Viking lander sufficiently for the terminal engine system to take over and effect a soft landing. The general design and environmental requirements for the mortar system are presented; various illustrations of the mortar components and how the mortar system functions also are presented. Primary emphasis is placed on manufacturing, developing, and qualification testing of the mortar system.

Historical perspective - Viking Mars Lander propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrisey, Donald C.

1989-01-01

This paper discusses the Viking 1 and 2 missions to Mars in 1975-1976 and describes the design evolution of the Viking Terminal Descent Rocket Engines responsible for decelerating the Viking Mars Landers during the final portion of their descent from orbit. The Viking Terminal Descent Rocket Engines have twice the thrust of the largest monopropellant hydrazine engine developed previously but weigh considerably less. The engine has 18 nozzles, the capability of 10:1 throttling, is totally sealed until fired, employs no organic unsealed materials, is 100 percent germ free, utilized hydrazine STM-20 as the propellant, and starts at a temperature more than 45 F below the propellant's freezing point.

Thermal tides in the dusty martian atmosphere: a verification of theory.

PubMed

Zurek, R W; Leovy, C B

1981-07-24

Major features of the daily surface pressure oscillations observed by the Viking landers during the two great dust storms on Mars in 1977 can be explained in terms of the classical atmospheric tidal theory developed for the earth's atmosphere. The most dramatic exception is the virtual disappearance of only the diurnal tide at Viking Lander 1 just before the second storm. This disappearance is attributed to destructive interference between the usually westward-traveling tide and an eastward-traveling diurnal Kelvin mode generated by orographically induced differential heating. The continuing Viking Lander 1 pressure measurements can be used with the model to monitor future great dust storms.

The annual cycle of pressure on Mars measured by Viking landers 1 and 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, S. L.; Ryan, J. A.; Tillman, J. E.; Henry, R. M.; Leovy, C. B.

1980-01-01

Daily mean atmospheric pressures at the two Viking landers are presented for slightly more than a Martian year. The seasonal variation of pressure owing to exchange of CO2 with the polar caps is quite evident and contradicts, in part, earlier theoretical results. Day-to-day variations are the result of passage of synoptic-scale high and low pressure systems and are an important clue to the general circulation of the atmosphere. The effects of global dust storms on the general circulation and on the diurnal variation of pressure are detected and interpreted.

The development of pyro shock test requirements for Viking Lander Capsule components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrett, S.

1975-01-01

The procedure used to derive component-level pyro shock specifications for the Viking Lander Capsule (VLC) is described. Effects of shock path distance and mechanical joints between the device and the point at which the environment is to be estimated are accounted for in the method. The validity of the prediction technique was verified by a series of shock tests on a full-scale structural model of the lander body.

Surface erosion caused on Mars from Viking descent engine plume

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hutton, R.E.; Moore, H.J.; Scott, R.F.; Shorthill, R.W.; Spitzer, C.R.

1980-01-01

During the Martian landings the descent engine plumes on Viking Lander 1 (VL-1) and Viking Lander 2 (VL-2) eroded the Martian surface materials. This had been anticipated and investigated both analytically and experimentally during the design phase of the Viking spacecraft. This paper presents data on erosion obtained during the tests of the Viking descent engine and the evidence for erosion by the descent engines of VL-1 and VL-2 on Mars. From these and other results, it is concluded that there are four distinct surface materials on Mars: (1) drift material, (2) crusty to cloddy material, (3) blocky material, and (4) rock. ?? 1980 D. Reidel Publishing Co.

Inorganic chemical investigation by x-ray fluorescence analysis: The Viking Mars Lander

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toulmin, P.; Baird, A.K.; Clark, B. C.; Keil, Klaus; Rose, H.J.

1973-01-01

The inorganic chemical investigation added in August 1972 to the Viking Lander scientific package will utilize an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer in which four sealed, gas-filled proportional counters will detect X-rays emitted from samples of the Martian surface materials irradiated by X-rays from radioisotope sources (55Fe and 109Cd). The output of the proportional counters will be subjected to pulse-height analysis by an on-board step-scanning single-channel analyzer with adjustable counting periods. The data will be returned to Earth, via the Viking Orbiter relay system, and the spectra constructed, calibrated, and interpreted here. The instrument is inside the Lander body, and samples are to be delivered to it by the Viking Lander Surface Sampler. Calibration standards are an integral part of the instrument. The results of the investigation will characterize the surface materials of Mars as to elemental composition with accuracies ranging from a few tens of parts per million (at the trace-element level) to a few percent (for major elements) depending on the element in question. Elements of atomic number 11 or less are determined only as a group, though useful estimates of their individual abundances maybe achieved by indirect means. The expected radiation environment will not seriously hamper the measurements. Based on the results, inferences can be drawn regarding (1) the surface mineralogy and lithology; (2) the nature of weathering processes, past and present, and the question of equilibrium between the atmosphere and the surface; and (3) the extent and type of differentiation that the planet has undergone. The Inorganic Chemical Investigation supports and is supported by most other Viking Science investigations. ?? 1973.

The Viking biology results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, Harold P.

1989-01-01

A brief review of the purposes and the results from the Viking Biology experiments is presented, in the expectation that the lessons learned from this mission will be useful in planning future approaches to the biological exploration of Mars. Since so little was then known about potential micro-environments on Mars, three different experiments were included in the Viking mission, each one based on different assumptions about what Martian organisms might be like. In addition to the Viking Biology Instrument (VBI), important corollary information was obtained from the Viking lander imaging system and from the molecular analysis experiments that were conducted using the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS) instrument. No biological objects were noted by the lander imaging instrument. The GCMS did not detect any organic compounds. A description of the tests conducted by the Gas Exchange Experiment, the Labeled Release experiment, and the Pyrolytic Release experiment is given. Results are discussed. Taken as a whole, the Viking data yielded no unequivocal evidence for a Martian biota at either landing site. The results also revealed the presence of one or more reactive oxidants in the surface material and these need to be further characterized, as does the range of micro-environments, before embarking upon future searches for extant life on Mars.

Inorganic chemical investigation by X-ray fluorescence analysis - The Viking Mars Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H. J., Jr.; Baird, A. K.; Clark, B. C.; Keil, K.

1973-01-01

The inorganic chemical investigation experiment added in August 1972 to the Viking Lander scientific package uses an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer in which four sealed, gas-filled proportional counters detect X-rays emitted from samples of the Martian surface materials irradiated by X-rays from radioisotope sources (Fe-55 and Cd-109). The instrument is inside the Lander body, and samples are to be delivered to it by the Viking Lander Surface Sampler. Instrument design is described along with details of the data processing and analysis procedures. The results of the investigation will characterize the surface materials of Mars as to elemental composition with accuracies ranging from a few tens of parts per million (at the trace-element level) to a few per cent (for major elements) depending on the element in question.

Mars atmospheric circulation - Aspects from Viking Landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, J. A.

1985-01-01

Winds measured by the two Viking Landers have been filtered and then compared with predictions from the general circulation model and to Orbiter observations of clouds and surface phenomena that indicate wind direction. This was done to determine the degree to which filtered winds may represent aspects of the general circulation. Excellent agreement was found between wind direction data from Lander 1 and the model predictions and Orbiter observations. For Lander 2, agreement was generally good, but there were periods of disagreement which indicate that the filtering did not remove other extraneous effects. It is concluded that Lander 1 gives a good representation of the general circulation at 22.5 deg N latitude but that Lander 2 is suspect. Most wind data from Lander 1 have yet to be analyzed. It appears that when analyzed these Lander 1 data (covering 3.5 Mars years) can provide information about interannual variations in the general circulation at the Lander latitude.

The Mars climate for a photovoltaic system operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Flood, Dennis J.

1989-01-01

Detailed information on the climatic conditions on Mars are very desirable for the design of photovoltaic systems for establishing outposts on the Martian surface. The distribution of solar insolation (global, direct and diffuse) and ambient temperature is addressed. This data are given at the Viking lander's locations and can also be used, to a first approximation, for other latitudes. The insolation data is based on measured optical depth of the Martian atmosphere derived from images taken of the sun with a special diode on the Viking cameras; and computation based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation. The ambient temperature (diurnal and yearly distribution) is based on direct measurements with a thermocouple at 1.6 m above the ground at the Viking lander locations. The insolation and ambient temperature information are short term data. New information about Mars may be forthcoming in the future from new analysis of previously collected data or from future flight missions. The Mars climate data for photovoltaic system operation will thus be updated accordingly.

Viking lander: Creating the science teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The teams of scientists and the contractors involved in designing and fabricating the Viking lander spacecraft for Mars exploration are discussed. The requirements established for each member of the research teams are enumerated and the personnel selection process is described. Two instruments for the lander, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and a biology life detection instrument, are addressed in terms of costs, design, planning, and subcontractors. The challenges and ultimate success of the research management efforts are related in detail.

Tracking and data system support for the Viking 1975 mission to Mars. Volume 2: Launch through landing of Viking 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mudgway, D. J.; Traxler, M. R.

1977-01-01

Problems inherent in the deployment and management of a worldwide tracking and data acquisition network to support the two Viking Orbiters and two Viking Landers simultaneously over 320 million kilometers (200 million miles) of deep space are discussed. Activities described include tracking coverage of the launch phase, the deep space operations during the long cruise phase that occupied approximately 11 months, and the implementation of the a vast worldwide network of tracking sttions and global communications systems. The performance of the personnel, hardware, and software involved in this vast undertaking are evaluated.

Processing the Viking lander camera data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinthal, E. C.; Tucker, R.; Green, W.; Jones, K. L.

1977-01-01

Over 1000 camera events were returned from the two Viking landers during the Primary Mission. A system was devised for processing camera data as they were received, in real time, from the Deep Space Network. This system provided a flexible choice of parameters for three computer-enhanced versions of the data for display or hard-copy generation. Software systems allowed all but 0.3% of the imagery scan lines received on earth to be placed correctly in the camera data record. A second-order processing system was developed which allowed extensive interactive image processing including computer-assisted photogrammetry, a variety of geometric and photometric transformations, mosaicking, and color balancing using six different filtered images of a common scene. These results have been completely cataloged and documented to produce an Experiment Data Record.

Surface-material maps of Viking landing sites on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.; Keller, J. M.

1991-01-01

Researchers mapped the surface materials at the Viking landing sites on Mars to gain a better understanding of the materials and rock populations at the sites and to provide information for future exploration. The maps extent to about 9 m in front of each lander and are about 15 m wide - an area comparable to the area of a pixel in high resolution Viking Orbiter images. The maps are divided into the near and far fields. Data for the near fields are from 1/10 scale maps, umpublished maps, and lander images. Data for the far fields are from 1/20 scale contour maps, contoured lander camera mosaics, and lander images. Rocks are located on these maps using stereometric measurements and the contour maps. Frequency size distribution of rocks and the responses of soil-like materials to erosion by engine exhausts during landings are discussed.

Study of advanced atmospheric entry systems for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Entry system designs are described for various advanced Mars missions including sample return, hard lander, and Mars airplane. The Mars exploration systems for sample return and the hard lander require decleration from direct approach entry velocities of about 6 km/s to terminal velocities consistent with surface landing requirements. The Mars airplane entry system is decelerated from orbit at 4.6 km/s to deployment near the surface. Mass performance characteristics of major elements of the Mass performance characteristics are estimated for the major elements of the required entry systems using Viking technology or logical extensions of technology in order to provide a common basis of comparison for the three entry modes mission mode approaches. The entry systems, although not optimized, are based on Viking designs and reflect current hardware performance capability and realistic mass relationships.

A Monte Carlo analysis of the Viking lander dynamics at touchdown. [soft landing simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muraca, R. J.; Campbell, J. W.; King, C. A.

1975-01-01

The performance of the Viking lander has been evaluated by using a Monte Carlo simulation, and all results are presented in statistical form. The primary objectives of this analysis were as follows: (1) to determine the three sigma design values of maximum rigid body accelerations and the minimum clearance of the lander body during landing; (2) to determine the probability of an unstable landing; and (3) to determine the probability of the lander body striking a rock. Two configurations were analyzed with the only difference being in the ability of the primary landing gear struts to carry tension loads.

Early meteorological results from the viking 2 lander.

PubMed

Hess, S L; Henry, R M; Leovy, C B; Mitchell, J L; Ryan, J A; Tillman, J E

1976-12-11

Early results from the meteorological instruments on the Viking 2 lander are presented. As on lander 1, the daily patterns of temperature, wind, and pressure have been highly repetitive during the early summer period. The average daily maximum temperature was 241 degrees K and the diurnal minimum was 191 degrees K. The wind has a vector mean of 0.7 meter per second from the southeast with a diurnal amplitude of 3 meters per second. Pressure exhibits both diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations, although of substantially smaller amplitude than those of lander 1. Departures from the repetitive diurnal patterns begin to appear on sol 37.

Viking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The Viking program, its characteristics, goals, and investigations are described. The program consists of launching two spacecraft to Mars in 1975 to soft-land on the surface and test for signs of life. Topics discussed include the launch, the journey through space, tracking, Mars orbit and landing, experiments on the search for life, imaging systems, lander camera, water detection experiments, thermal mapping, and a possible weather station on Mars.

Analysis of the Viking Lander 1 surface wind vector for sols 45 to 375

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leovy, C. B.

1984-01-01

The Viking Lander 1 wind sensor data during the period between sols 45 and 375 were corrected. During this period, the heating element of the quadrant sensor which provided the primary signal used for determining wind direction had failed, but both hot film wind sensors were functioning normally. The wind speed and direction corrections are explained.

The Viking project. [summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soffen, G. A.

1977-01-01

The Viking project launched two unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 1975 for scientific exploration with special emphasis on the search for life. Each spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander. The landing sites were finally selected after the spacecraft were in orbit. Thirteen investigations were performed: three mapping experiments from the orbiter, one atmospheric investigation during the lander entry phase, eight experiments on the surface of the planet, and one using the spacecraft radio and radar systems. The experiments on the surface dealt principally with biology, chemistry, geology, and meteorology. Seventy-eight scientists have participated in the 13 teams performing these experiments. This paper is a summary of the project and an introduction to the articles that follow.

Revision to Planetary Protection Policy for Mars Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeVincenzi, D. L.; Stabekis, P.; Barengoltz, J.; Morrison, David (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Under existing COSPAR policy adopted in 1984, missions to Mars (landers, probes, and some orbiters) are designated as Category IV missions. As such, the procedures for implementing planetary protection requirements could include trajectory biasing, cleanrooms, bioload reduction, sterilization of hardware, and bioshields, i. e. requirements could be similar to Viking. However, in 1992, a U. S. National Academy of Sciences study recommended that controls on forward contamination of Mars be tied to specific mission objectives. The report recommended that Mars landers with life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level sterilization procedures for bioload reduction, while spacecraft (including orbiters) without life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level pre sterilization procedures for bioload reduction but need not be sterilized. In light of this, it is proposed that the current policy's Category IV missions and their planetary protection requirements be divided into two subcategories as follows: Category IV A, for missions comprising landers and probes without life detection experiments and some orbiters, which will meet a specified bioburden limit for exposed surfaces; Category IV B, for landers and probes with life detection experiments, which will require complete system sterilization. For Category IV A missions, bioburden specifications will be proposed and implementing procedures discussed. A resolution will be proposed to modify the existing COSPAR policy to reflect these changes. Similar specifications, procedures, and resolution for Category IV B missions will be the subject of a later study.

The surface of Mars: the view from the viking 2 lander.

PubMed

Mutch, T A; Grenander, S U; Jones, K L; Patterson, W; Arvidson, R E; Guinness, E A; Avrin, P; Carlston, C E; Binder, A B; Sagan, C; Dunham, E W; Fox, P L; Pieri, D C; Huck, F O; Rowland, C W; Taylor, G R; Wall, S D; Kahn, R; Levinthal, E C; Liebes, S; Tucker, R B; Morris, E C; Pollack, J B; Saunders, R S; Wolf, M R

1976-12-11

Viking 2 lander began imaging the surface of Mars at Utopia Planitia on 3 September 1976. The surface is a boulder-strewn reddish desert cut by troughs that probably form a polygonal network. A plateau can be seen to the east of the spacecraft, which for the most probable lander location is approximately the direction of a tongue of ejecta from the crater Mie. Boulders at the lander 2 site are generally more vesicular than those near lander i. Fines at both lander sites appear to be very fine-grained and to be bound in a duricrust. The pinkish color of the sky, similar to that observed at the lander I site, indicates suspension of surface material. However, the atmospheric optical depth is less than that at the lander I site. After dissipation of a cloud of dust stirred during landing, no changes other than those stemming from sampling activities have been detected in the landscape. No signs of large organisms are apparent at either landing site.

The surface of Mars - The view from the Viking 2 lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mutch, T. A.; Grenander, S. U.; Jones, K. L.; Patterson, W.; Arvidson, R. E.; Guinness, E. A.; Avrin, P.; Carlston, C. E.; Binder, A. B.; Sagan, C.

1976-01-01

Viking 2 lander began imaging the surface of Mars at Utopia Planitia on September 3, 1976. The surface is a boulder-strewn reddish desert cut by troughs that probably form a polygonal network. A plateau can be seen to the east of the spacecraft, which for the most probable lander location is approximately the dirction of a tongue of ejecta from the crater Mie. Boulders at the lander 2 site are generally more vesicular than those near lander 1. Fines at both lander sites appear to be very fine-grained and to be bound in a duricrust. The pinkish color of the sky, similar to that observed at the lander 1 site, indicates suspension of surface material. However, the atmospheric optical depth is less than that at the lander 1 site. After dissipation of a cloud of dust stirred during landing, no changes other than those stemming from sampling activities have been detected in the landscape. No signs of large organisms are apparent at either landing site.

Analytical determination of the effect of structural elasticity on landing stability of a version of the Viking Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laurenson, R. M.

1972-01-01

A limited analytical investigation was conducted to assess the effects of structural elasticity on the landing stability of a version of the Viking Lander. Two landing conditions and two lander mass and inertia distributions were considered. The results of this investigation show that the stability-critical surface slopes were lower for an uphill landing than for a downhill landing. In addition, the heavy footpad mass with its corresponding inertia distribution resulted in lower stability-critical ground slopes than were obtained for the light footpad mass and its corresponding inertia distribution. Structural elasticity was observed to have a large effect on the downhill landing stability of the light footpad mass configuration but had a negligible effect on the stability of the other configuration examined. Because of the limited nature of this study, care must be exercised in drawing conclusions from these results relative to the overall stability characteristics of the Viking Lander.

Imaging experiment: The Viking Mars orbiter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, M.H.; Baum, W.A.; Briggs, G.A.; Masursky, H.; Wise, D.W.; Montgomery, D.R.

1972-01-01

The general objectives of the Imaging Experiment on the Viking Orbiter are to aid the selection of Viking Lander sites, to map and monitor the chosen sites during lander operations, to aid in the selection of future landing sites, and to extend our knowledge of the planet. The imaging system consists of two identical vidicon cameras each attached to a 1026 mm T/8 telescope giving approximately 1?? square field of view. From an altitude of 1500 km the picture elements will be approximately 24m apart. The vidicon is coupled with an image intensifier which provides increased sensitivity and permits electronic shuttering and image motion compensation. A vidicon readout time of 2.24 sec enables pictures to be taken in rapid sequence for contiguous coverage at high resolution. The camera differs from those previously flown to Mars by providing contiguous coverage at high resolution on a single orbital pass, by having sufficient sensitivity to use narrow band color filters at maximum resolution, and by having response in the ultraviolet. These capabilities will be utelized to supplement lander observations and to extend our knowledge particularly of volcanic, erosional, and atmospheric phenomena on Mars. ?? 1972.

Analysis and interpretation of Viking inorganic chemistry data (Mars data analysis program)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, B. C.

1982-01-01

Soil samples gathered by the Viking Lander from the surface of Mars were analyzed. The Martian fines were lower in aluminum, iron, sulfur, and chlorine than typical terrestrial continental soils or lunar mare fines. Sample variabilities were as great within a few meters as between lander locations (4500 km apart) implying the existence of a universal Martian regolith component of constant average composition.

A new look at dust and clouds in the Mars atmosphere - Analysis of emission-phase-function sequences from global Viking IRTM observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancy, R. T.; Lee, Steven W.

1991-01-01

The present analysis of emission-phase function (EPF) observations from the IR thermal mapper aboard the Viking Orbiter encompasses polar latitudes, and Viking Lander sites, and spans a wide range of solar longitudes. A multiple scattering radiative transfer model which incorporates a bidirectional phase function for the surface and atmospheric scattering by dust and clouds yields surface albedos and dust and ice optical properties and optical depths for the variety of Mars conditions. It is possible to fit all analyzed EPF sequences corresponding to dust scattering with an albedo of 0.92, rather than the 0.86 given by Pollack et al. on the bases of Viking Lander observations.

Surface Changes in Chryse Planitia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

At the conclusion of the Viking Continuation Mission (May to November, 1978), all four cameras on the Viking Landers - two on each spacecraft - continued to function normally. During the two and one-half years since the landers touched down on Mars, images totaled 2,255 for Viking Lander 1 and 2,016 for Viking Lander 2. The surface around the landers was completely photographed by the end of 1976; subsequent images acquired during 1977-1978 have concentrated on searching for changes in the scene - changes which can be used to infer both the types of erosive processes which modify the landscape around the landers and the rates at which these processes may occur. The major surface changes have included the water-ice snow seen by Lander 2 during the winter at Utopia Planitia, and a thin dust layer deposited at both sites during the dust storms of 1977. The most recently identified change occurred at Chryse Planitia between VL-1 sols 767 (Sept. 16, 1978) and 771 (Sept. 20, 1978) as seen in the lower photo. Picture at top, selected to show similar lighting conditions, was taken during sol 25 (August 15, 1976). The change (A) appears as a small circle-like formation on the side of a drift in the lee, or downwind, side of Whale Rock. This is believed to have been a small-scale landslide of an unstable dust layer which had accumulated behind the rock. Interpretation of this feature would be difficult without an earlier change (B) near Big Joe, a slump which occurred between sols 74 and 183. The new slump is approximately 25- 35 meters from the lander, and just under a meter across. The slumping probably was initiated by the daily heating and cooling of the surface by solar radiation. More importantly, it is now believed that, based on the repeated occurrence of such slumping features, a dust layer which overlies the surface may in fact be redistributed fairly regularly during periods of high wind activity. There are no obvious indications of fossil slump features, therefore similar features must be destroyed on a regular basis. After the end of February, when Viking operations essentially terminate, Lander 1 will continue preselected observations over a period of possibly up to 10 years, following the instructions stored in its computer memory. Earth commands will be required only to initiate data transmission to Earth. During this time, it is now anticipated that one of the yearly planetwide global dust storms may reach an intensity necessary to shift the dust cover around the lander significantly.

Winter frost at Viking Lander 2 site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svitek, Thomas; Murray, Bruce

1990-01-01

This paper presents quantitative evidence for cold trapping (frost redeposition) at the Viking Lander 2 site. This evidence consists of the frost surface coverage and color transition, the timing of this transition, and the limited vertical mixing and horizontal water transport. It is argued that cold trapping must be a general property of seasonal frost and, therefore, must be considered in order to understand the evolution of the surface environment of Mars.

Inference of dust opacities for the 1977 Martian great dust storms from Viking Lander 1 pressure data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zurek, R. W.

1981-01-01

The tidal heating components for the dusty Martian atmosphere are computed based on dust optical parameters estimated from Viking Lander imaging data, and used to compute the variation of the tidal surface pressure components at the Viking Lander sites as a function of season and the total vertical extinction optical depth of the atmosphere. An atmospheric tidal model is used which is based on the inviscid, hydrostatic primitive equations linearized about a motionless basic state the temperature of which varies only with height, and the profiles of the tidal forcing components are computed using a delta-Eddington approximation to the radiative transfer equations. Comparison of the model results with the observed variations of surface pressure and overhead dust opacity at the Viking Lander 1 site reveal that the dust opacities and optical parameters derived from imaging data are roughly representative of the global dust haze necessary to reproduce the observed surface pressure amplitudes, with the exception of the model-inferred asymmetry parameter, which is smaller during the onset of a great storm. The observed preferential enhancement of the semidiurnal tide with respect to the diurnal tide during dust storm onset is shown to be due primarily to the elevation of the tidal heating source in a very dusty atmosphere.

Planetary Seismology : Lander- and Wind-Induced Seismic Signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph

2016-10-01

Seismic measurements are of interest for future geophysical exploration of ocean worlds such as Europa or Titan, as well as Venus, Mars and the Moon. Even when a seismometer is deployed away from a lander (as in the case of Apollo) lander-generated disturbances are apparent. Such signatures may be usefully diagnostic of lander operations (at least for outreach), and may serve as seismic excitation for near-field propagation studies. The introduction of these 'spurious' events may also influence the performance of event detection and data compression algorithms.Examples of signatures in the Viking 2 seismometer record of lander mechanism operations are presented. The coherence of Viking seismometer noise levels and wind forcing is well-established : some detailed examples are examined. Wind noise is likely to be significant on future Mars missions such as InSight, as well as on Titan and Venus.

Ferrate (IV) as a Possible Oxidant on the Martian Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsapin, Alexandre; Goldfeld, M. G.; McDonald, G. D.; Nealson, K. H.; Mohnke, J.; Moskovitz, B.; Solheid, P.; Kemner, K. H.; Orlandini, K.

Viking experiments showed that Martian soil has a very strong oxidant, which could be responsible for the results of experiments performed on Viking landers. These experiments were designed specifically to detect life on Mars. The nature of that oxidant was not determined during Viking mission. Later several groups tried to reconstruct Viking experiments and find out the nature of Martian oxidant. None of these attempts were completely successful. The general perception was that there are several chemically different oxidants on Martian surface. In this study we suggested that potassium ferrate K_2FeO_4 can be Martian oxidant responsible at least partially for the results of experiments on Viking landers. We characterized liquid and powder preparation of Fe (VI) with EPR, optical spectroscopy, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and by Fe-XANES. All properties of our preparations of (FeVI) are consistent with the proposal role of that compound as a strong oxidant on Martian surface.

Telecommunications and data acquisition systems support for the Viking 1975 mission to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mudgway, D. J.

1983-01-01

The background for the Viking Lander Monitor Mission (VLMM) is given, and the technical and operational aspects of the tracking and data acquisition support that the Network was called upon to provide are described. An overview of the science results obtained from the imaging, meteorological, and radio science data is also given. The intensive efforts that were made to recover the mission are described.

Viking Seismometer PDS Archive Dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, R. D.

2016-12-01

The Viking Lander 2 seismometer operated successfully for over 500 Sols on the Martian surface, recording at least one likely candidate Marsquake. The Viking mission, in an era when data handling hardware (both on board and on the ground) was limited in capability, predated modern planetary data archiving, and ad-hoc repositories of the data, and the very low-level record at NSSDC, were neither convenient to process nor well-known. In an effort supported by the NASA Mars Data Analysis Program, we have converted the bulk of the Viking dataset (namely the 49,000 and 270,000 records made in High- and Event- modes at 20 and 1 Hz respectively) into a simple ASCII table format. Additionally, since wind-generated lander motion is a major component of the signal, contemporaneous meteorological data are included in summary records to facilitate correlation. These datasets are being archived at the PDS Geosciences Node. In addition to brief instrument and dataset descriptions, the archive includes code snippets in the freely-available language 'R' to demonstrate plotting and analysis. Further, we present examples of lander-generated noise, associated with the sampler arm, instrument dumps and other mechanical operations.

On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet, 1958 - 1978

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ezell, E. C. (Editor); Ezell, L. N. (Editor)

1984-01-01

The exploration of Mars is covered by the following topics: Mariner spacecraft and launch vehicles, search for Martian life; Voyager spacecraft; creation of Viking; Viking Orbiter and its Mariner inheritance; Viking lander; building a complex spacecraft; selecting landing sites; site certification, and data from Mars.

Site alteration effects from rocket exhaust impingment during a simulated Viking Mars landing. Part 1: Nozzle development and physical site alternation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romine, G. L.; Reisert, T. D.; Gliozzi, J.

1973-01-01

A potential interference problem for the Viking '75 scientific investigation of the Martian surface resulting from retrorocket exhaust plume impingement of the surface was investigated experimentally and analytically. It was discovered that the conventional bell nozzle originally planned for the Viking Lander retrorockets would produce an unacceptably large amount of physical disturbance to the landing site. An experimental program was subsequently undertaken to find and/or develop a nozzle configuration which would significantly reduce the site alteration. A multiple nozzle configuration, consisting of 18 small bell nozzles, was shown to produce a level of disturbance that was considered by the Viking Lander Science Teams to be acceptable on the basis of results from full-scale tests on simulated Martian soils.

Viking High-Resolution Topography and Mars '01 Site Selection: Application to the White Rock Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, K. L.; Kirk, Randolph L.; Mackinnon, D. J.; Howington-Kraus, E.

1999-06-01

Definition of the local topography of the Mars '01 Lander site is crucial for assessment of lander safety and rover trafficability. According to Golombek et al., steep surface slopes may (1) cause retro-rockets to be fired too early or late for a safe landing, (2) the landing site slope needs to be < 1deg to ensure lander stability, and (3) a nearly level site is better for power generation of both the lander and the rover and for rover trafficability. Presently available datasets are largely inadequate to determine surface slope at scales pertinent to landing-site issues. Ideally, a topographic model of the entire landing site at meter-scale resolution would permit the best assessment of the pertinent topographic issues. MOLA data, while providing highly accurate vertical measurements, are inadequate to address slopes along paths of less than several hundred meters, because of along-track data spacings of hundreds of meters and horizontal errors in positioning of 500 to 2000 m. The capability to produce stereotopography from MOC image pairs is not yet in hand, nor can we necessarily expect a suitable number of stereo image pairs to be acquired. However, for a limited number of sites, high-resolution Viking stereo imaging is available at tens of meters horizontal resolution, capable of covering landing-ellipse sized areas. Although we would not necessarily suggest that the chosen Mars '01 Lander site should be located where good Viking stereotopography is available, an assessment of typical surface slopes at these scales for a range of surface types may be quite valuable in landing-site selection. Thus this study has a two-fold application: (1) to support the proposal of White Rock as a candidate Mars '01 Lander site, and (2) to evaluate how Viking high resolution stereotopography may be of value in the overall Mars '01 Lander site selection process.

Mars boundary layer simulations - Comparison with Viking lander and entry observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, R. M.; Houben, H. C.

1991-01-01

Diurnal variations of wind and temperature in the lower Martian atmosphere are simulated with a boundary layer model that includes radiative heating in a dusty CO2 atmosphere, turbulence generated by convection and/or shear stresses, a surface heat budget, and time varying pressure forces due to sloping terrain. Model results for early northern summer are compared with Viking lander observations to determine the model's strengths and weaknesses, and suitability as an engineering model.

The initial exploration of Mars - Rationale for a return mission to Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craddock, Robert A.

1992-01-01

A discussion of the concepts behind planning a landing site on Mars is presented. On the basis of the engineering constraints and the scientific objectives which are likely to be imposed on the first few missions to the surface, reasons for supporting a return to Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 landing site are given. Samples from the Hesperian ridged plains would be useful in establishing an absolute age for the present crater chronology, and samples of soils from the vicinity of the Viking 1 lander would be useful in determining the significance of the results from the Viking biological experiments. Soil samples would provide consistency between unmanned and manned missions, may contain fossil microorganisms, and could be useful in determining the mechanism responsible for outflow channel formation.

Two Mars years of surface changes seen at the Viking Landing sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guinness, E. A.; Leff, C. E.; Arvidson, R. E.

1982-01-01

An analysis of the spectrophotometric properties of the new dust deposited at the Viking Lander 1 site indicates that the new deposits are the same as the bright red material that only partially covered the site at the beginning of the mission. Certain areas of the Viking 1 site also showed an increase in contrast during the second year. The contrast increase is thought to be due to the partial removal of the recently deposited dust cover by high-velocity winds. What is more, a small soil slump occurred near the base of a boulder lying about 25 m from the lander. It is noted that whereas no obvious erosion has been detected at the Viking 2 site, periodic removal of the dust cover at this site is implied by the abundance of rocks at the site.

Perchlorate Salts in the Martian Surface Environment - A Reexamination of the 1976 Viking Biology Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dillon, James; Quinn, R. C.

2010-01-01

The Viking Mars landers of 1976 conducted three biology experiments designed to detect the presence of microbial life in the Martian surface. The gas exchange experiment carried out by the Viking landers periodically sampled the gaseous headspace of Mars soil samples saturated with an organic/inorganic aqueous mixture, M4 nutrient. A gas chromatograph measured the change in concentrations of N2, O2, CO2, Kr, H2, and CH4 over various time intervals. The presence of metabolically active microbial life would be confirmed by the consumption or release of one of these gases. A significant release of O2 was detected after the addition of nutrient, however since the Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer experiment did not detect organics in the soil, this rapid release of O2 could not be attributed to microbial life, but rather a chemical reaction. The recent discovery of the oxidizer perchlorate in the Martian soil by the Phoenix Mars lander was investigated as the principal cause of this O2 release detected by the Viking gas exchange experiment. A variety of oxychloride salts ranging from hypochlorite to perchlorate were examined under conditions similar to the Viking experiment in order to determine if a rapid release of O2 would be detected upon addition of M4 nutrient. No oxychloride species examined decomposed with the kinetics required to support an oxychloride as the cause of the O2 response detected by the Viking experiment.

Study of a quasi-microscope design for planetary landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giat, O.; Brown, E. B.

1973-01-01

The Viking Lander fascimile camera, in its present form, provides for a minimum object distance of 1.9 meters, at which distance its resolution of 0.0007 radian provides an object resolution of 1.33 millimeters. It was deemed desirable, especially for follow-on Viking missions, to provide means for examing Martian terrain at resolutions considerably higher than that now provided. This led to the concept of quasi-microscope, an attachment to be used in conjunction with the fascimile camera to convert it to a low power microscope. The results are reported of an investigation to consider alternate optical configurations for the quasi-microscope and to develop optical designs for the selected system or systems. Initial requirements included consideration of object resolutions in the range of 2 to 50 micrometers, an available field of view of the order of 500 pixels, and no significant modifications to the fascimile camera.

Refinement of planetary protection policy for Mars missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeVincenzi, D. L.; Stabekis, P.; Barengoltz, J.

1996-01-01

Under existing COSPAR policy adopted in 1984, missions to Mars (landers, probes, and some orbiters) are designated as Category IV missions. As such, the procedures for implementing planetary protection requirements could include trajectory biasing, cleanrooms, bioload reduction, sterilization of hardware, and bioshields. In 1992, a U.S. National Research Council study recommended that controls on forward contamination of Mars be tied to specific mission objectives. The report recommended that Mars landers with life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level sterilization procedures for bioload reduction, while spacecraft (including orbiters) without life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level pre-sterilization procedures for bioload reduction but need not be sterilized. In light of this, it is proposed that the current policy's Category IV and its planetary protection requirements be divided into two sub-categories as follows: Category IVa, for missions comprising landers and probes without life detection experiments, which will meet a specified bioburden limit for exposed surfaces, and Category IVb, for landers and probes with life detection experiments, which will require sterilization of landed systems. In addition, Category III orbiter mission specifications are expanded to be consistent with these recommendations.

Photogrammetry of the Viking-Lander imagery.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, S.S.C.; Schafer, F.J.

1982-01-01

We have solved the problem of photogrammetric mapping from the Viking Lander photography in two ways: 1) by converting the azimuth and elevation scanning imagery to the equivalent of a frame picture by means of computerized rectification; and 2) by interfacing a high-speed, general-purpose computer to the AS-11A analytical plotter so that all computations of corrections can be performed in real time during the process of model orientation and map compilation. Examples are presented of photographs and maps of Earth and Mars. -from Authors

Update: Viking Lander NiCd batteries. Year six

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britting, A. O., Jr.

1982-01-01

The performance of NiCd batteries on the Viking Mars landers is discussed. During evaluation, three of the four batteries were maintained in the discharged state. Battery charge regimes and close-together, deep-discharge, reconditioning cycles to retard degradation of batteries are discussed. The effect of elevated temperatures during Martian summer on battery performance were also considered. Tabulated data for average battery capacity as a function of time are given. A design uplink to allow more frequent, greater depth of discharge reconditioning cycles was proposed.

Fine particles on mars: Observations with the viking 1 lander cameras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mutch, T.A.; Arvidson, R. E.; Binder, A.B.; Huck, F.O.; Levinthal, E.C.; Liebes, S.; Morris, E.C.; Nummedal, D.; Pollack, James B.; Sagan, C.

1976-01-01

Drifts of fine-grained sediment are present in the vicinity of the Viking 1 lander. Many drifts occur in the lees of large boulders. Morphologic analysis indicates that the last dynamic event was one of general deflation for at least some drifts. Particle cohesion implies that there is a distinct small-particle upturn in the threshold velocity-particle size curve; the apparent absence of the most easily moved particles (150 micrometers in diameter) may be due to their preferential transport to other regions or their preferential collisional destruction. A twilight rescan with lander cameras indicates a substantial amount of red dust with mean radius on the order of 1 micrometer in the atmosphere.

Fine particles on Mars: observations with the viking 1 lander cameras.

PubMed

Mutch, T A; Arvidson, R E; Binder, A B; Huck, F O; Levinthal, E C; Liebes, S; Morris, E C; Nummedal, D; Pollack, J B; Sagan, C

1976-10-01

Drifts of fine-grained sediment are present in the vicinity of the Viking 1 lander. Many drifts occur in the lees of large boulders. Morphologic analysis indicates that the last dynamic event was one of general deflation for at least some drifts. Particle cohesion implies that there is a distinct small-particle upturn in the threshold velocity-particle size curve; the apparent absence of the most easily moved particles (150 micrometers in diameter) may be due to their preferential transport to other regions or their preferential collisional destruction. A twilight rescan with lander cameras indicates a substantial amount of red dust with mean radius on the order of 1 micrometer in the atmosphere.

The Martian annual atmospheric pressure cycle - Years without great dust storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tillman, James E.; Johnson, Neal C.; Guttorp, Peter; Percival, Donald B.

1993-01-01

A model of the annual cycle of pressure on Mars for a 2-yr period, chosen to include one year at the Viking Lander 2 and to minimize the effect of great dust storms at the 22-deg N Lander 1 site, was developed by weighted least squares fitting of the Viking Lander pressure measurements to an annual mean, and fundamental and the first four harmonics of the annual cycle. Close agreement was obtained between the two years, suggesting that an accurate representation of the annual CO2 condensation-sublimation cycle can be established for such years. This model is proposed as the 'nominal' Martian annual pressure cycle, and applications are suggested.

Physical properties of the martian surface from the viking 1 lander: preliminary results.

PubMed

Shorthill, R W; Hutton, R E; Moore, H J; Scott, R F; Spitzer, C R

1976-08-27

The purpose of the physical properties experiment is to determine the characteristics of the martian "soil" based on the use of the Viking lander imaging system, the surface sampler, and engineering sensors. Viking 1 lander made physical contact with the surface of Mars at 11:53:07.1 hours on 20 July 1976 G.M.T. Twenty-five seconds later a high-resolution image sequence of the area around a footpad was started which contained the first information about surface conditions on Mars. The next image is a survey of the martian landscape in front of the lander, including a view of the top support of two of the landing legs. Each leg has a stroke gauge which extends from the top of the leg support an amount equal to the crushing experienced by the shock absorbers during touchdown. Subsequent images provided views of all three stroke gauges which, together with the knowledge of the impact velocity, allow determination of "soil" properties. In the images there is evidence of surface erosion from the engines. Several laboratory tests were carried out prior to the mission with a descent engine to determine what surface alterations might occur during a Mars landing. On sol 2 the shroud, which protected the surface sampler collector head from biological contamination, was ejected onto the surface. Later a cylindrical pin which dropped from the boom housing of the surface sampler during the modified unlatching sequence produced a crater (the second Mars penetrometer experiment). These two experiments provided further insight into the physical properties of the martian surface.

Physical properties of the martian surface from the Viking 1 lander: preliminary results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shorthill, R.W.; Hutton, R.E.; Moore, H.J. II

1976-08-27

The purpose of the physical properties experiment is to determine the characteristics of the martian ''soil'' based on the use of the Viking lander imaging system, the surface sampler, and engineering sensors. Viking 1 lander made physical contact with the surface of Mars at 11:53:07.1 hours on 20 July 1976 G.M.T. Twenty-five seconds later a high-resolution image sequence of the area around a footpad was started which contained the first information about surface conditions on Mars. The next image is a survey of the martian landscape in front of the lander, including a view of the top support of twomore » of the landing legs. Each leg has a stroke gauge which extends from the top of the leg support an amount equal to the crushing experienced by the shock absorbers during touchdown. Subsequent images provided views of all three stroke gauges which, together with the knowledge of the impact velocity, allow determination of ''soil'' properties. In the images there is evidence of surface erosion from the engines. Several laboratory tests were carried out prior to the mission with a descent engine to determine what surface alterations might occur during a Mars landing. On sol 2 the shroud, which protected the surface sampler collector head from biological contamination, was ejected onto the surface. Later a cylindrical pin which dropped from the boom housing of the surface sampler during the modified unlatching sequence produced a crater (the second Mars penetrometer experiment). These two experiments provided further insight into the physical properties of the martian surface.« less

Testing the H2O2-H2O hypothesis for life on Mars with the TEGA instrument on the Phoenix lander.

PubMed

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Turse, Carol; Houtkooper, Joop M; McKay, Christopher P

2008-04-01

In the time since the Viking life-detection experiments were conducted on Mars, many missions have enhanced our knowledge about the environmental conditions on the Red Planet. However, the martian surface chemistry and the Viking lander results remain puzzling. Nonbiological explanations that favor a strong inorganic oxidant are currently favored (e.g., Mancinelli, 1989; Plumb et al., 1989; Quinn and Zent, 1999; Klein, 1999; Yen et al., 2000), but problems remain regarding the lifetime, source, and abundance of that oxidant to account for the Viking observations (Zent and McKay, 1994). Alternatively, a hypothesis that favors the biological origin of a strong oxidizer has recently been advanced (Houtkooper and Schulze-Makuch, 2007). Here, we report on laboratory experiments that simulate the experiments to be conducted by the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument of the Phoenix lander, which is to descend on Mars in May 2008. Our experiments provide a baseline for an unbiased test for chemical versus biological responses, which can be applied at the time the Phoenix lander transmits its first results from the martian surface.

Location and Geologic Setting for the Three U.S. Mars Landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, T. J.; Kirk, R. L.

1999-01-01

Super resolution of the horizon at both Viking landing sites has revealed "new" features we use for triangulation, similar to the approach used during the Mars Pathfinder Mission. We propose alternative landing site locations for both landers for which we believe the confidence is very high. Super resolution of VL-1 images also reveals some of the drift material at the site to consist of gravel-size deposits. Since our proposed location for VL-2 is NOT on the Mie ejecta blanket, the blocky surface around the lander may represent the meter-scale texture of "smooth palins" in the region. The Viking Lander panchromatic images typically offer more repeat coverage than does the IMP on Mars Pathfinder, due to the longer duration of these landed missions. Sub-pixel offsets, necessary for super resolution to work, appear to be attributable to thermal effects on the lander and settling of the lander over time. Due to the greater repeat coverage (particularly in the near and mid-fields) and all-panchromatic images, the gain in resolution by super resolution processing is better for Viking than it is with most IMP image sequences. This enhances the study of textural details near the lander and enables the identification rock and surface textures at greater distances from the lander. Discernment of stereo in super resolution im-ages is possible to great distances from the lander, but is limited by the non-rotating baseline between the two cameras and the shorter height of the cameras above the ground compared to IMP. With super resolution, details of horizon features, such as blockiness and crater rim shapes, may be better correlated with Orbiter images. A number of horizon features - craters and ridges - were identified at VL-1 during the misison, and a few hils and subtle ridges were identified at VL-2. We have added a few "new" horizon features for triangulation at the VL-2 landing site in Utopia Planitia. These features were used for independent triangulation with features visible in Viking Orbiter and MGS MOC images, though the actual location of VL-1 lies in a data dropout in the MOC image of the area. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

The Viking parachute qualification test technique.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raper, J. L.; Lundstrom, R. R.; Michel, F. C.

1973-01-01

The parachute system for NASA's Viking '75 Mars lander was flight qualified in four high-altitude flight tests at the White Sands Missile range (WSMR). A balloon system lifted a full-scale simulated Viking spacecraft to an altitude where a varying number of rocket motors were used to propel the high drag, lifting test vehicle to test conditions which would simulate the range of entry conditions expected at Mars. A ground-commanded cold gas pointing system located on the balloon system provided powered vehicle azimuth control to insure that the flight trajectory remained within the WSMR boundaries. A unique ground-based computer-radar system was employed to monitor inflight performance of the powered vehicle and insure that command ignition of the parachute mortar occurred at the required test conditions of Mach number and dynamic pressure. Performance data were obtained from cameras, telemetry, and radar.

Compositional variability of the Martian surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, John B.; Smith, Milton O.

1991-01-01

Spectral reflectance data from Viking Landers and Orbiters and from telescopic observations were analyzed with the objective of isolating compositional information about the Martian surface and assessing compositional variability. Two approaches were used to calibrate the data to reflectance to permit direct comparisons with laboratory reference spectra of well characterized materials. In Viking Lander multispectral images (six spectral bands) most of the spectral variation is caused by changes in lighting geometry within individual scenes, from scene to scene, and over time. Lighting variations are both wavelength independent and wavelength dependent. By calibrating lander image radiance values to reflectance using spectral mixture analysis, the possible range of compositions was assessed with reference to a collection of laboratory samples, also resampled to the lander spectral bands. All spectra from the lander images studied plot (in six-space) within a planar triangle having at the apexes the respective spectra of tan basaltic palagonite, gray basalt, and shale. Within this plane all lander spectra fit as mixtures of these three endmembers. Reference spectra that plot outside of the triangle are unable to account for the spectral variation observed in the images.

Diurnal variations of the Martian surface layer meteorological parameters during the first 45 sols at two Viking Lander sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sutton, J.L.; Leovy, C.B.; Tillman, J.E.

1978-12-01

Wind speed, ambient and surface temperatures from both Viking Landers have been used to compute bulk Richardson numbers and Monin-Obukhov lengths during the earliest phase of the Mars missions. These parameters are used to estimate drag and heat transfer coefficients, friction velocities and surface heat fluxes at the two sites. The principal uncertainty is in the specification of the roughness length. Maximum heat fluxes occur near local noon at both sites, and are estimated to be in the range 15--20 W m/sup -2/ at the Viking 1 site and 10--15 W m/sup -2/ at the Viking 2 site. Maximum valuesmore » of friction velocity occur in late morning at Viking 1 and are estimated to be 0.4--0.6 m s/sup -1/. They occur shortly after drawn at the Viking 2 site where peak values are estimated to be in the range 0.25--0.35 m s/sup -1/. Extension of these calculations to later times during the mission will require allowance for dust opacity effects in the estimation of surface temperature and in the correction of radiation errors of the Viking 2 temperature sensor.« less

Martian physical properties experiments: The Viking Mars Lander

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shorthill, R.W.; Hutton, R.E.; Moore, H.J.; Scott, R.F.

1972-01-01

Current data indicate that Mars, like the Earth and Moon, will have a soil-like layer. An understanding of this soil-like layer is an essential ingredient in understanding the Martian ecology. The Viking Lander and its subsystems will be used in a manner similar to that used by Sue Surveyor program to define properties of the Martian "soil". Data for estimates of bearing strength, cohesion, angle of internal friction, porosity, grain size, adhesion, thermal inertia, dielectric constants, and homogeneity of the Martian surface materials will be collected. ?? 1972.

Viking Lander 2 Anniversary

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-13

This portion of NASA Mars Odyssey image covers NASA Viking 2 landing site shown with the X. The second landing on Mars took place September 3, 1976 in Utopia Planitia. The exact location of Lander 2 is not as well established as Lander 1 because there were no clearly identifiable features in the lander images as there were for the site of Lander 1. The Utopia landing site region contains pedestal craters, shallow swales and gentle ridges. The crater Goldstone was named in honor of the Tracking Station in the desert of California. The two Viking Landers operated for over 6 years (nearly four martian years) after landing. This one band IR (band 9 at 12.6 microns) image shows bright and dark textures, which are primarily due to differences in the abundance of rocks on the surface. The relatively cool (dark) regions during the day are rocky or indurated materials, fine sand and dust are warmer (bright). Many of the temperature variations are due to slope effects, with sun-facing slopes warmer than shaded slopes. The dark rings around several of the craters are due to the presence of rocky (cool) material ejected from the crater. These rocks are well below the resolution of any existing Mars camera, but THEMIS can detect the temperature variations they produce. Daytime temperature variations are produced by a combination of topographic (solar heating) and thermophysical (thermal inertia and albedo) effects. Due to topographic heating the surface morphologies seen in THEMIS daytime IR images are similar to those seen in previous imagery and MOLA topography. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04023

Simulations of the Viking Gas Exchange Experiment using palagonite and Fe-rich montmorillonite as terrestrial analogs: implications for the surface composition of Mars.

PubMed

Quinn, R; Orenberg, J

1993-10-01

Simulations of the Gas Exchange Experiment (GEX), one of the Viking Lander Biology Experiments, were run using palagonite and Fe-rich montmorillonite as terrestrial analogs of the Martian soil. These terrestrial analogs were exposed to a nutrient solution of the same composition as that of the Viking Landers under humid (no contact with nutrient) and wet (intimate contact) conditions. The headspace gases in the GEX sample cell were sampled and then analyzed by gas chromatography under both humid and wet conditions. Five gases were monitored: CO2, N2, O2, Ar, and Kr. It was determined that in order to simulate the CO2 gas changes of the Viking GEX experiment, the mixture of soil analog mineral plus nutrient medium must be slightly (pH = 7.4) to moderately basic (pH = 8.7). This conclusion suggests constraints upon the composition of terrestrial analogs to the Mars soil; acidic components may be present, but the overall mixture must be basic in order to simulate the Viking GEX results.

Simulations of the Viking gas exchange experiment using palagonite and Fe-rich montmorillonite as terrestrial analogs - Implications for the surface composition of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, Richard; Orenberg, James

1993-10-01

Simulations of the Gas Exchange Experiment (GEX), one of the Viking Lander Biology Experiments, were run using palagonite and Fe-rich montmorillonite as terrestrial analogs of the Martian soil. These terrestrial analogs were exposed to a nutrient solution of the same composition as that of the Viking Landers under humid (no contact with nutrient) and wet (intimate contact) conditions. The headspace gases in the GEX sample cell were sampled and then analyzed by gas chromatography under both humid and wet conditions. Five gases were monitored: CO2, N2, O2, Ar, and Kr. It was determined that in order to simulate the CO2 gas changes of the Viking GEX experiment, the mixture of soil analog mineral plus nutrient medium must be slightly (pH = 7.4) to moderately basic (pH = 8.7). This conclusion suggests constraints upon the composition of terrestrial analogs of the Mars soil; acidic components may be present, but the overall mixture must be basic in order to simulate the Viking GEX results.

VL1 Digs A Deep Hole On Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

VIKING LANDER DIGS A DEEP HOLE ON MARS -- This six-inch-deep, 12- inch-wide, 29-inch-long hole was dug Feb. 12 and 14 by Viking Lander 1 as the first sequence in an attempt to reach a foot beneath the surface of the red planet. The activity is in the same area where Lander 1 acquired its first soil samples last July. The trench was dug by repeatedly backhoeing in a left-right-center pattern. The backhoe teeth produced the small parallel ridges at the far end of the trench (upper left). The larger ridges running the length of the trench are material left behind during the backhoe operation. What appears to be small rocks along the ridges and in the soil at the near end of the trench are really small dirt clods. The clods and the steepness of the trench walls indicate the material is cohesive and behaves something like ordinary flour. After a later sequence, to be performed March 1 and 2, a soil sample will be taken from the bottom of the trench for inorganic soil analysis and later for biology analysis. Information about the soil taken from the bottom of the trench may help explain the weathering process on Mars and may help resolve the dilemma created by Viking findings that first suggest but then cast doubt on the possibility of life in the Martian soil. The trench shown here is a result of one of the most complex command sequences yet performed by the lander. Viking l has been operating at Chryse Planitia on Mars since it landed July 20, 1976.

Valles Marineris

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-06-08

A color image of Valles Marineris, the great canyon of Mars; north toward top. The scene shows the entire canyon system, over 3,000 km long and averaging 8 km deep, extending from Noctis Labyrinthus, the arcuate system of graben to the west, to the chaotic terrain to the east. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color; Mercator projection. The image extends from latitude 0 degrees to 20 degrees S. and from longitude 45 degrees to 102.5 degrees. The connected chasma or valleys of Valles Marineris may have formed from a combination of erosional collapse and structural activity. Layers of material in the eastern canyons might consist of carbonates deposited in ancient lakes. Huge ancient river channels began from Valles Marineris and from adjacent canyons and ran north. Many of the channels flowed north into Chryse Basin, which contains the site of the Viking 1 Lander and the future site of the Mars Pathfinder Lander. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00422

Models and Measurements of the Rotation of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folkner, W. M.; Konopliv, A. S.; Park, R. S.; Dehant, V. M. A.; Yseboodt, M.; Rivoldini, A.

2016-12-01

The rotation of Mars has been determined more accurately than for any other planet except Earth. This has been done using radio tracking data from spacecraft orbiting Mars or landed on Mars, starting with Mariner 9 in 1972 continuing through the present with several orbiters currently in operation. The Viking landers in 1976 provided the first clear measurements of variation in length of day. Mars Pathfinder combined with Viking lander provided the first estimate of the martian precession rate. The model for rigid Mars rotation developed by Reasenberg and King for Viking data analysis is accurate enough to fit the currently available measurements. With the InSight mission to be launched in 2018 and the ExoMars lander mission to be launched in 2020, nutation of Mars due to non-rigid effects are expected to be detectable, requiring improved models for the effects of the martian fluid core. We will present an overview of the current measurements sets, including comparisons of length-of-day variations from independent subsets, plans for the InSight and ExoMars missions, and summarize potential modeling improvements.

Viking Mars lander 1975 dynamic test model/orbiter developmental test model forced vibration test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortenberry, J.; Brownlee, G. R.

1974-01-01

The Viking Mars Lander 1975 dynamic test model and orbiter developmental test model were subjected to forced vibration sine tests. Flight acceptance (FA) and type approval (TA) test levels were applied to the spacecraft structure in a longitudinal test configuration using a 133,440-N (30,000-lb) force shaker. Testing in the two lateral axes (X, Y) was performed at lower levels using four 667-N (150-lb) force shakers. Forced vibration qualification (TA) test levels were successfully imposed on the spacecraft at frequencies down to 10 Hz. Measured responses showed the same character as analytical predictions, and correlation was reasonably good. Because of control system test tolerances, orbiter primary structure generally did not reach the design load limits attained in earlier static testing. A post-test examination of critical orbiter structure disclosed no apparent damage to the structure as a result of the test environment.

Correspondence and Least Squares Analyses of Soil and Rock Compositions for the Viking Lander 1 and Pathfinder Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, K. W.; Arvidson, R. E.; Jolliff, B. L.; Clark, B. C.

2000-01-01

Correspondence and Least Squares Mixing Analysis techniques are applied to the chemical composition of Viking 1 soils and Pathfinder rocks and soils. Implications for the parent composition of local and global materials are discussed.

Mars and the remarkable Viking results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soffen, G. A.

1978-01-01

It is pointed out that the Viking missions to Mars are the most extraordinary and complex remote effort ever performed by man. Factors which made the Viking results so remarkable are related to the technological engineering accomplishment, the voluminous scientific data about the planet, and the public interest. Quite surprisingly it was found that the Viking 1 landing site was very similar to the California desert. Attention is given to details of spacecraft landing on the Martian surface, aspects of landing site selection, the design and the operation of Lander instruments, the nine different investigations performed by the Lander, the significance of the pictures obtained of Mars, the remarkable heterogeneity of the planet, the extent and variety of volcanism, the presence of water in the solid and gaseous form on the Martian surface, the presence of water in the liquid phase at some time in the past, the two natural Martian satellites, the composition of the Martian polar caps and their changes during the seasons, the composition of the atmosphere, and the biological results, which remain ambiguous.

Frost at the Viking Lander 2 Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Photo from Viking Lander 2 shows late-winter frost on the ground on Mars around the lander. The view is southeast over the top of Lander 2, and shows patches of frost around dark rocks. The surface is reddish-brown; the dark rocks vary in size from 10 centimeters (four inches) to 76 centimeters (30 inches) in diameter. This picture was obtained Sept. 25, 1977. The frost deposits were detected for the first time 12 Martian days (sols) earlier in a black-and-white image. Color differences between the white frost and the reddish soil confirm that we are observing frost. The Lander Imaging Team is trying to determine if frost deposits routinely form due to cold night temperatures, then disappear during the warmer daytime. Preliminary analysis, however, indicates the frost was on the ground for some time and is disappearing over many days. That suggests to scientists that the frost is not frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) but is more likely a carbon dioxide clathrate (six parts water to one part carbon dioxide). Detailed studies of the frost formation and disappearance, in conjunction with temperature measurements from the lander's meteorology experiment, should be able to confirm or deny that hypothesis, scientists say.

Assessment of Mars Pathfinder landing site predictions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Golombek, M.P.; Moore, H.J.; Haldemann, A.F.C.; Parker, T.J.; Schofield, J.T.

1999-01-01

Remote sensing data at scales of kilometers and an Earth analog were used to accurately predict the characteristics of the Mars Pathfinder landing site at a scale of meters. The surface surrounding the Mars Pathfinder lander in Ares Vallis appears consistent with orbital interpretations, namely, that it would be a rocky plain composed of materials deposited by catastrophic floods. The surface and observed maximum clast size appears similar to predictions based on an analogous surface of the Ephrata Fan in the Channeled Scabland of Washington state. The elevation of the site measured by relatively small footprint delay-Doppler radar is within 100 m of that determined by two-way ranging and Doppler tracking of the spacecraft. The nearly equal elevations of the Mars Pathfinder and Viking Lander 1 sites allowed a prediction of the atmospheric conditions with altitude (pressure, temperature, and winds) that were well within the entry, descent, and landing design margins. High-resolution (~38 m/pixel) Viking Orbiter 1 images showed a sparsely cratered surface with small knobs with relatively low slopes, consistent with observations of these features from the lander. Measured rock abundance is within 10% of that expected from Viking orbiter thermal observations and models. The fractional area covered by large, potentially hazardous rocks observed is similar to that estimated from model rock distributions based on data from the Viking landing sites, Earth analog sites, and total rock abundance. The bulk and fine-component thermal inertias measured from orbit are similar to those calculated from the observed rock size-frequency distribution. A simple radar echo model based on the reflectivity of the soil (estimated from its bulk density), and the measured fraction of area covered by rocks was used to approximate the quasi-specular and diffuse components of the Earth-based radar echos. Color and albedo orbiter data were used to predict the relatively dust free or unweathered surface around the Pathfinder lander compared to the Viking landing sites. Comparisons with the experiences of selecting the Viking landing sites demonstrate the enormous benefit the Viking data and its analyses and models had on the successful predictions of the Pathfinder site. The Pathfinder experience demonstrates that, in certain locations, geologic processes observed in orbiter data can be used to infer surface characteristics where those processes dominate over other processes affecting the Martian surface layer. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

Performance evaluation of a quasi-microscope for planetary landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcher, E. E.; Huck, F. O.; Wall, S. D.; Woehrle, S. B.

1977-01-01

Spatial resolutions achieved with cameras on lunar and planetary landers have been limited to about 1 mm, whereas microscopes of the type proposed for such landers could have obtained resolutions of about 1 um but were never accepted because of their complexity and weight. The quasi-microscope evaluated in this paper could provide intermediate resolutions of about 10 um with relatively simple optics that would augment a camera, such as the Viking lander camera, without imposing special design requirements on the camera of limiting its field of view of the terrain. Images of natural particulate samples taken in black and white and in color show that grain size, shape, and texture are made visible for unconsolidated materials in a 50- to 500-um size range. Such information may provide broad outlines of planetary surface mineralogy and allow inferences to be made of grain origin and evolution. The mineralogical descriptions of single grains would be aided by the reflectance spectra that could, for example, be estimated from the six-channel multispectral data of the Viking lander camera.

Viking magnetic properties investigation: preliminary results.

PubMed

Hargraves, R B; Collinson, D W; Spitzer, C R

1976-10-01

Three permanent magnet arrays are aboard the Viking lander. By sol 35, one array, fixed on a photometric reference test chart on top of the lander, has clearly attracted magnetic particles from airborne dust; two other magnet arrays, one strong and one weak, incorporated in the backhoe of the surface sampler, have both extracted considerable magnetic mineral from the surface as a result of nine insertions associated with sample acquisition. The loose martian surface material around the landing site is judged to contain 3 to 7 percent highly magnetic mineral which, pending spectrophotometric study, is thought to be mainly magnetite.

A Viking satellite orbit trim strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hintz, G. R.

1971-01-01

One strategy is submitted for meeting the varied and stringent requirements of the Viking Project on the control of the satellite orbit to obtain reconnaissance and to prepare for lander release. To satisfy these requirements, different orbit trim maneuver strategies were developed for two typical Viking missions. In addition, a summary of recent numerical results is included to show that this strategy satisfies the mission requirements which have been identified.

Maps of the Martian Landing Sites and Rover Traverses: Viking 1 and 2, Mars Pathfinder, and Phoenix Landers, and the Mars Exploration Rovers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, T. J.; Calef, F. J., III; Deen, R. G.; Gengl, H.

2016-12-01

The traverse maps produced tactically for the MER and MSL rover missions are the first step in placing the observations made by each vehicle into a local and regional geologic context. For the MER, Phoenix and MSL missions, 25cm/pixel HiRISE data is available for accurately localizing the vehicles. Viking and Mars Pathfinder, however, relied on Viking Orbiter images of several tens of m/pixel to triangulate to horizon features visible both from the ground and from orbit. After Pathfinder, MGS MOC images became available for these landing sites, enabling much better correlations to horizon features and localization predictions to be made, that were then corroborated with HiRISE images beginning 9 years ago. By combining topography data from MGS, Mars Express, and stereo processing of MRO CTX and HiRISE images into orthomosaics (ORRs) and digital elevation models (DEMs), it is possible to localize all the landers and rover positions to an accuracy of a few tens of meters with respect to the Mars global control net, and to better than half a meter with respect to other features within a HiRISE orthomosaic. JPL's MIPL produces point clouds of the MER Navcam stereo images that can be processed into 1cm/pixel ORR/DEMs that are then georeferenced to a HiRISE/CTX base map and DEM. This allows compilation of seamless mosaics of the lander and rover camera-based ORR/DEMs with the HiRISE ORR/DEM that can be viewed in 3 dimensions with GIS programs with that capability. We are re-processing the Viking Lander, Mars Pathfinder, and Phoenix lander data to allow similar ORR/DEM products to be made for those missions. For the fixed landers and Spirit, we will compile merged surface/CTX/HiRISE ORR/DEMs, that will enable accurate local and regional mapping of these landing sites, and allow comparisons of the results from these missions to be made with current and future surface missions.

Hydrogeology of Basins on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arvidson, Raymond E.

2001-01-01

This document summarizes the work accomplished under NASA Grant NAG5-3870. Emphasis was put on the development of the FIDO rover, a prototype for the twin-Mers which will be operating on the surface of Mars in 2004, specifically the primary work was the analysis of FIDO field trials. The grantees also analyzed VIKING Lander 1 XRFS and Pathfinder APXS data. Results show that the Viking site chemistry is consistent with an andesite, and the Pathfinder site is consistent with a basaltic andesite. The grantees also worked to demonstrate the capability to simulate annealing methods to apply to the inversion of remote sensing data. They performed an initial analyses of Sojourner engineering telemetry and imaging data. They performed initial analyses of Viking Lander Stereo Images, and of Hematite deposits in Terra Meridiani. They also acquired and analyzed the New Goldstone radar data.

Rationale for a Mars Pathfinder mission to Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craddock, Robert A.

1994-01-01

Presently the landing site for Mars Pathfinder will be constrained to latitudes between 0 deg and 30 deg N to facilitate communication with earth and to allow the lander and rover solar arrays to generate the maximum possible power. The reference elevation of the site must also be below 0 km so that the descent parachute, a Viking derivative, has sufficient time to open and slow the lander to the correct terminal velocity. Although Mars has as much land surface area as the continental crust of the earth, such engineering constraints immediately limit the number of possible landing sites to only three broad areas: Amazonis, Chryse, and Isidis Planitia. Of these, both Chryse and Isidis Planitia stand out as the sites offering the most information to address several broad scientific topics.

New estimates of the Martian landers and rovers coordinates by combining Doppler data and topography model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Maistre, Sebastien

2015-11-01

We propose here a new method to determine the three coordinates of a spacecraft landed on Mars with a high accuracy as early as the very beginning of the mission. The method consists of determining first the in-equatorial plane coordinates with Doppler data only and then inferring the Z-coordinate (along the polar axis) using the MOLA topography model. The method is applied to several landed missions, providing good estimate of the Z-coordinate of Viking lander 1, Pathfinder and Spirit, but failing to improve the Z of Opportunity and Viking lander 2. Finally, the method is applied in the InSight landing ellipse showing the high probability to get InSight’s Z coordinate with a precision better than 10m after only a couple of days of observations.

Viking Lander Mosaics of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, E. C.

1985-01-01

The Viking Lander 1 and 2 cameras acquired many high-resolution pictures of the Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia landing sites. Based on computer-processed data of a selected number of these pictures, eight high-resolution mosaics were published by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Atlas of Mars, Miscellaneous Investigation Series. The mosaics are composites of the best picture elements (pixels) of all the Lander pictures used. Each complete mosaic extends 342.5 deg in azimuth, from approximately 5 deg above the horizon to 60 deg below, and incorporates approximately 15 million pixels. Each mosaic is shown in a set of five sheets. One sheet contains the full panorama from one camera taken in either morning or evening. The other four sheets show sectors of the panorama at an enlarged scale; when joined together they make a panorama approximately 2' X 9'.

Debris Kicked Up By Impact of A Protective Cover from Viking Lander 1

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-12

The patch of dark material toward the top of this picture (arrow) taken by NASA's Viking 1 Lander is the debris kicked up by the impact of a protective cover ejected from the spacecraft at 1 a.m. today. The cylindrical cover, which bounced out of view of the camera, protects the scoop at the end of the soil sampler arm. (The scoop will dig into the Martian surface for the first time on July 28). Dust and debris atop the footpad remains as it was seen in the Lander's first picture taken immediately after landing two days ago. No wind modification is apparent. On the surface, a variety of block sizes, shapes and tones are seen, and some rocks are Partially buried. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00384

Image quality prediction - An aid to the Viking lander imaging investigation on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huck, F. O.; Wall, S. D.

1976-01-01

Image quality criteria and image quality predictions are formulated for the multispectral panoramic cameras carried by the Viking Mars landers. Image quality predictions are based on expected camera performance, Mars surface radiance, and lighting and viewing geometry (fields of view, Mars lander shadows, solar day-night alternation), and are needed in diagnosis of camera performance, in arriving at a preflight imaging strategy, and revision of that strategy should the need arise. Landing considerations, camera control instructions, camera control logic, aspects of the imaging process (spectral response, spatial response, sensitivity), and likely problems are discussed. Major concerns include: degradation of camera response by isotope radiation, uncertainties in lighting and viewing geometry and in landing site local topography, contamination of camera window by dust abrasion, and initial errors in assigning camera dynamic ranges (gains and offsets).

Development of performance criteria for advanced Viking seismic experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The characteristics and requirements of the seismic instrument for mapping the internal structure of the planet Mars are briefly described. The types of signals expected to exist are microseismic background generated by wind and pressure variations and thermal effects, disturbances of or in the landed vehicle, signals caused by faulting and volcanic activity, and signals due to meteoritic impacts. The advanced instrument package should include a short-period vertical component system, a long-period or wide-band 3-component system, a high frequency vertical component system, and a system for detection and rejection of lander noises. The Viking '75, Surveyor, and Apollo systems are briefly described as potential instruments to be considered for modification. Data processing and control systems are also summarized.

Testing general relativity with Landers on the Martian satellite Phobos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, J. D.; Borderies, N. J.; Campbell, J. K.; Dunne, J. A.; Ellis, J.

1989-01-01

A planned experiment to obtain range and Doppler data with the Phobos 2 Lander on the surface of the Martian satellite Phobos is described. With the successful insertion on January 29, 1989 of Phobos 2 into Mars orbit, it is anticipated that the Lander will be placed on the surface of Phobos in April 1989. Depending on the longevity of the Lander, range and Doppler data for a period of from one to several years are expected. Because these data are of value in performing solar-system tests of general relativity, the current accuracy of the relevant relativity tests using Deep Space Network data from the Mariner-9 orbiter of Mars in 1971 and from the Viking Landers in 1976-1982 is reviewed. The expected improvement from data anticipated during the Phobos 2 Lander Mission is also discussed; most important will be an improved sensitivity to any time variation in the gravitational 'constant' as measured in atomic units.

Formulation of image quality prediction criteria for the Viking lander camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huck, F. O.; Jobson, D. J.; Taylor, E. J.; Wall, S. D.

1973-01-01

Image quality criteria are defined and mathematically formulated for the prediction computer program which is to be developed for the Viking lander imaging experiment. The general objective of broad-band (black and white) imagery to resolve small spatial details and slopes is formulated as the detectability of a right-circular cone with surface properties of the surrounding terrain. The general objective of narrow-band (color and near-infrared) imagery to observe spectral characteristics if formulated as the minimum detectable albedo variation. The general goal to encompass, but not exceed, the range of the scene radiance distribution within single, commandable, camera dynamic range setting is also considered.

Reflectance characteristics of the Viking lander camera reference test charts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, S. D.; Burcher, E. E.; Jabson, D. J.

1975-01-01

Reference test charts provide radiometric, colorimetric, and spatial resolution references for the Viking lander cameras on Mars. Reflectance measurements of these references are described, including the absolute bidirectional reflectance of the radiometric references and the relative spectral reflectance of both radiometric and colorimetric references. Results show that the bidirection reflectance of the radiometric references is Lambertian to within + or - 7% for incidence angles between 20 deg and 60 deg, and that their spectral reflectance is constant with wavelength to within + or - 5% over the spectral range of the cameras. Estimated accuracy of the measurements is + or - 0.05 in relative spectral reflectance.

Observations of Martian surface winds at the Viking Lander 1 site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, James R.; Leovy, Conway B.; Tillman, James E.

1990-01-01

Martian surface winds at the Viking Lander 1 have been reconstructed using signals from partially failed wind instrumentation. Winds during early summer were controlled by regional topography, and then underwent a transition to a regime controlled by the Hadley circulation. Diurnal wind oscillations were controlled primarily by regional topography and boundary layer forcing, although a global mode may have been influencing them during two brief episodes. Semidiurnal wind oscillations were controlled by the westward-propagating semidiurnal tide from sol 210 onward. Comparison of the synoptic variations at the two sites suggests that the same eastward propagating wave trains were present at both sites.

Preliminary meteorological results on Mars from the viking 1 lander.

PubMed

Hess, S L; Henry, R M; Leovy, C B; Ryan, J A; Tillman, J E; Chamberlain, T E; Cole, H L; Dutton, R G; Greene, G C; Simon, W E; Mitchell, J L

1976-08-27

The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 4 sols of operation. The instruments are working satisfactorily. Temperatures fluctuated from a low of 188 degrees K to an estimated maximum of 244 degrees K. The mean pressure is 7.65 millibars with a diurnal variation of amplitude 0.1 millibar. Wind speeds averaged over several minutes have ranged from essentially calm to 9 meters per second. Wind directions have exhibited a remarkable regularity which may be associated with nocturnal downslope winds and gravitational oscillations, or to tidal effects of the diurnal pressure wave, or to both.

Multicolor observations of phobos with the viking lander cameras: evidence for a carbonaceous chondritic composition.

PubMed

Pollack, J B; Veverka, J; Pang, K; Colburn, D; Lane, A L; Ajello, J M

1978-01-06

The reflectivity of Phobos has been determined in the spectral region from 0.4 to 1.1 micrometers from images taken with a Viking lander camera. The reflectivity curve is flat in this spectral interval and the geometric albedo equals 0.05 +/- 0.01. These results, together with Phobos's reflectivity spectrum in the ultraviolet, are compared with laboratory spectra of carbonaceous chondrites and basalts. The spectra of carbonaceous chondrites are consistent with the observations, whereas the basalt spectra are not. These findings raise the possibility that Phobos may be a captured object rather than a natural satellite of Mars.

Preliminary meteorological results on Mars from the Viking 1 lander

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hess, S.L.; Henry, R.M.; Leovy, C.B.

1976-08-27

The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 4 sols of operation. The instruments are working satisfactorily. Temperatures fluctuated from a low of 188/sup 0/K to an estimated maximum of 244/sup 0/K. The mean pressure is 7.65 millibars with a diurnal variation of amplitude 0.1 millibar. Wind speeds averaged over several minutes have ranged from essentially calm to 9 meters per second. Wind directions have exhibited a remarkable regularity which may be associated with nocturnal downslope winds and gravitational oscillations, or to tidal effects of the diurnal pressure wave, or to both.

Modeling the Martian seasonal CO2 cycle. I - Fitting the Viking Lander pressure curves. II - Interannual variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Stephen E.; Paige, David A.

1992-01-01

The present diurnal and seasonal thermal model for Mars, in which surface CO2 frost condensation and sublimation are determined by the net effects of radiation, latent heat, and heat conduction in subsurface soil layers, in order to simulate seasonal exchanges of CO2 between the polar caps and atmosphere, successfully reproduces the measured pressured variations at the Viking Lander 1 site. In the second part of this work, the year-to-year differences between measured surface pressures at Viking sites as a function of season are used as upper limits on the potential magnitudes of interannual variations in the Martian atmosphere's mass. Simulations indicate that the dust layers deposited onto the condensing north seasonal polar cap during dust storms can darken seasonal frost deposits upon their springtime uncovering, while having little effect on seasonal pressure variations.

Did Viking discover life on Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guaita, Cesare

2017-08-01

The last analytical results of SAM laboratory onboard of Curiosity offer a new insight on the interpretation of the Label Release (LR) experiment performed on Mars by the two Viking landers about 40 years ago. The fundamental action of perchlorate salt, able to decompose all organic compounds at high temperature ( > 300°C) is discussed.

Martian soil stratigraphy and rock coatings observed in color-enhanced Viking Lander images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strickland, E. L., III

1979-01-01

Subtle color variations of martian surface materials were enhanced in eight Viking Lander (VL) color images. Well-defined soil units recognized at each site (six at VL-1 and four at VL-2), are identified on the basis of color, texture, morphology, and contact relations. The soil units at the Viking 2 site form a well-defined stratigraphic sequence, whereas the sequence at the Viking 1 site is only partially defined. The same relative soil colors occur at the two sites, suggesting that similar soil units are widespread on Mars. Several types of rock surface materials can be recognized at the two sites; dark, relatively 'blue' rock surfaces are probably minimally weathered igneous rock, whereas bright rock surfaces, with a green/(blue + red) ratio higher than that of any other surface material, are interpreted as a weathering product formed in situ on the rock. These rock surface types are common at both sites. Soil adhering to rocks is common at VL-2, but rare at VL-1. The mechanism that produces the weathering coating on rocks probably operates planet-wide.

Mass spectrometer-pyrolysis experiment for atmospheric and soil sample analysis on the surface of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mauersberger, Konrad; Mahaffy, Paul; Niemann, Hasso

1992-01-01

Results from the Viking mission will form the foundation for future in-depth investigations of atmosphere-surface interactions on Mars. The two Viking landers carried impressive instrumentation to obtain and analyze soil samples: the sites were observed by cameras, and the collector head was located on a long boom and allowed the collection of large samples at various depths. A selection of grain sizes was possible and a distribution system supplied a number of experiments with soil material. Despite stationary vehicles, a wide sampling field was reachable. The GCMS system, responsible for atmospheric as well as surface soil analysis, worked well on both landers. Atmospheric measurements resulted in the determination of the abundance of noble gases as well as of other molecular species. Isotopic composition measurements included the important ratios of C-13/C-12, N-15/N-14, and Ar-36/Ar-40. To verify these past results and to advance detailed studies of noble gas isotope ratios and minor constituents, better instrument sensitivities, higher precision, and lower background contributions are required in future Mars missions. Soil analysis during the Viking mission concentrated on organic material. Heating cycles were performed to 500 C and only water and carbon dioxide were identified. Higher pyrolysis temperatures are of primary importance to advance our understanding of the mineralogy and gas loading of surface material and atmospheric exchange.

Photovoltaic power system operation in the Mars environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Flood, Dennis J.

1989-01-01

Detailed information on the environmental conditions on Mars are very desirable for the design of photovoltaic systems for establishing outposts on the Martian surface. The variation of solar insolation (global, direct, and diffuse) at the Viking lander's locations is addressed. It can be used, to a first approximation, for other latitudes. The radiation data is based on measured optical depth of the Martian atmosphere derived from images taken of the sun with a special diode on the Viking cameras; and computation based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation. The data are used to make estimates of photovoltaic system power, area and mass for a surface power system using regenerative fuel cells for storage and nighttime operation.

Viking Lander 2 Anniversary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

This portion of a daytime IR image covers the Viking 2 landing site (shown with the X). The second landing on Mars took place September 3, 1976 in Utopia Planitia. The exact location of Lander 2 is not as well established as Lander 1 because there were no clearly identifiable features in the lander images as there were for the site of Lander 1. The Utopia landing site region contains pedestal craters, shallow swales and gentle ridges. The crater Goldstone was named in honor of the Tracking Station in the desert of California. The two Viking Landers operated for over 6 years (nearly four martian years) after landing. This one band IR (band 9 at 12.6 microns) image shows bright and dark textures, which are primarily due to differences in the abundance of rocks on the surface. The relatively cool (dark) regions during the day are rocky or indurated materials, fine sand and dust are warmer (bright). Many of the temperature variations are due to slope effects, with sun-facing slopes warmer than shaded slopes. The dark rings around several of the craters are due to the presence of rocky (cool) material ejected from the crater. These rocks are well below the resolution of any existing Mars camera, but THEMIS can detect the temperature variations they produce. Daytime temperature variations are produced by a combination of topographic (solar heating) and thermophysical (thermal inertia and albedo) effects. Due to topographic heating the surface morphologies seen in THEMIS daytime IR images are similar to those seen in previous imagery and MOLA topography.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Viking Mars launch set for August 11

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panagakos, N.

1975-01-01

The 1975-1976 Viking Mars Mission is described in detail, from launch phase through landing and communications relay phase. The mission's scientific goals are outlined and the various Martian investigations are discussed. These investigations include: geological photomapping and seismology; high-resolution, stereoscopic horizon scanning; water vapor and thermal mapping; entry science; meteorology; atmospheric composition and atmospheric density; and, search for biological products. The configurations of the Titan 3/Centaur combined launch vehicles, the Viking orbiters, and the Viking landers are described; their subsystems and performance characteristics are discussed. Preflight operations, launch window, mission control, and the deep space tracking network are also presented.

Free-Flight Test Results of Scale Models Simulating Viking Parachute/Lander Staging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polutchko, Robert J.

1973-01-01

This report presents the results of Viking Aerothermodynamics Test D4-34.0. Motion picture coverage of a number of Scale model drop tests provides the data from which time-position characteristics as well as canopy shape and model system attitudes are measured. These data are processed to obtain the instantaneous drag during staging of a model simulating the Viking decelerator system during parachute staging at Mars. Through scaling laws derived prior to test (Appendix A and B) these results are used to predict such performance of the Viking decelerator parachute during staging at Mars. The tests were performed at the NASA/Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Vertical Assembly Building (VAB). Model assemblies were dropped 300 feet to a platform in High Bay No. 3. The data consist of an edited master film (negative) which is on permanent file in the NASA/LRC Library. Principal results of this investigation indicate that for Viking parachute staging at Mars: 1. Parachute staging separation distance is always positive and continuously increasing generally along the descent path. 2. At staging, the parachute drag coefficient is at least 55% of its prestage equilibrium value. One quarter minute later, it has recovered to its pre-stage value.

Suggestion for extended Viking magnetic properties experiment on future Mars missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madsen, M. B.; Knudsen, J. M.; Vistisen, L.; Hargraves, R. B.

1993-01-01

A remarkable result from the Viking missions was the discovery that the Martian soil is highly magnetic, in the sense that the soil is attracted by a small magnet. The soil was found to adhere almost equally well to a strong and a weak SmCo magnet in the Viking lander backhoe at both landing sites. An array of permanent magnets, with the purpose of establishing if the magnetic particles on Mars are present as discrete or as composite particles, has been constructed.

Interior structure and seasonal mass redistribution of Mars from radio tracking of Mars Pathfinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folkner, W. M.; Yoder, C. F.; Yuan, D. N.; Standish, E. M.; Preston, R. A.

1997-01-01

Doppler and range measurements to the Mars Pathfinder lander made using its radio communications system have been combined with similar measurements from the Viking landers to estimate improved values of the precession of Mars' pole of rotation and the variation in Mars' rotation rate. The observed precession of -7576 +/- 35 milliarc seconds of angle per year implies a dense core and constrains possible models of interior composition. The estimated annual variation in rotation is in good agreement with a model of seasonal mass exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ice caps.

Interior structure and seasonal mass redistribution of Mars from radio tracking of Mars Pathfinder.

PubMed

Folkner, W M; Yoder, C F; Yuan, D N; Standish, E M; Preston, R A

1997-12-05

Doppler and range measurements to the Mars Pathfinder lander made using its radio communications system have been combined with similar measurements from the Viking landers to estimate improved values of the precession of Mars' pole of rotation and the variation in Mars' rotation rate. The observed precession of -7576 +/- 35 milliarc seconds of angle per year implies a dense core and constrains possible models of interior composition. The estimated annual variation in rotation is in good agreement with a model of seasonal mass exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ice caps.

Secular Climate Change on Mars: An Update Using MSL Pressure Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberle, R. M.; Gómez-Elvira, J.; De La Torre Juarez, M.; Harri, A.; Hollingsworth, J. L.; Kahanpää, H.; Kahre, M. A.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martin-Torres, F. J.; Mischna, M. A.; Moores, J. E.; Newman, C. E.; Rafkin, S. C.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Thomas, P. C.; Vasavada, A. R.; Wong, M. H.; Rodríguez-Manfredi, J. A.

2013-12-01

The South Polar Residual Cap (SPRC) on Mars is an icy reservoir of CO2. If all the CO2 trapped in the SPRC were released to the atmosphere the mean annual global surface pressure would rise by ~20 Pa. Repeated MOC and HiRISE imaging of scarp retreat rates within the SPRC have led to the suggestion that the SPRC is losing mass. Estimates for the loss rate vary between 0. 5 Pa per Mars Decade to 13 Pa per Mars Decade. Assuming 80% of this loss goes directly into the atmosphere, and that the loss is monotonic, the global annual mean surface pressure should have increased between ~1-20 Pa since the Viking mission (19 Mars years ago). Surface pressure measurements by the Phoenix Lander only 2 Mars years ago were found to be consistent with these loss rates. Here we compare surface pressure data from the MSL mission with that from Viking Lander 2 (VL-2) to determine if the trend continues. We use VL-2 because it is at the same elevation as MSL (-4500 m). However, based on the first 100 sols of data there does not appear to be a significant difference between the dynamically adjusted pressures of the two landers. This result implies one of several possibilities: (1) the cap is not losing mass and the difference between the Viking and Phoenix results is due to uncertainties in the measurements; (2) the cap has lost mass between the Viking and Phoenix missions but it has since gone back to the cap or into the regolith; or (3) that our analysis is flawed. The first possibility is real since post-mission analysis of the Phoenix sensor has shown that there is a +3 (×2) Pa offset in the data and there may also be uncertainties in the Viking data. The loss/gain scenario for the cap seems unlikely since scarps continue retreating, and regolith uptake implies something unique about the past several Mars years. That our analysis is flawed is certainly possible owing to the very different environments of the Viking and MSL landers. MSL is at the bottom of a deep crater in the southern tropics (~5°S), whereas VL-2 is at a high latitude (~48°N) in the northern plains. And in spite of the fact that the two landers are at nearly identical elevations, they are in very different thermal environments (e.g., MSL is warm when VL-2 is cold), which can have a significant affect on pressures. For these reasons, our confidence in the comparison will increase as more MSL data become available. We will report the results up through sol 360 at the meeting.

Erosional and depositional history of central Chryse Planitia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crumpler, L. S.

1992-01-01

This map uses high resolution image data to assess the detailed depositional and erosional history of part of Chryse Planitia. This area is significant to the study of the global geology of Mars because it represents one of only two areas on the martian surface where planetary geologic mapping is assisted with 'ground truth.' In this case the ground truth was provided by Viking Lander 1. Additional questions addressed in this study are concerned with the following: the geologic context of the regional plains surface and the local surface of the Viking Lander 1 site; and the relative influence of volcanic, sedimentary, impact, aeolian, and tectonic processes at the regional and local scales.

Preliminary Global Topographic Model of Mars Based on MOLA Altimetry, Earth-Based Radar, and Viking, Mariner and MGS Occultations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Neumann, Gregory A.

1999-01-01

The recent altimetry data acquired by MOLA over the northern hemisphere of Mars have been combined with the Earth-based radar data obtained between 1971 and 1982, and occultation measurements of the Viking 1 and 2 Orbiters, Mariner 9, and MGS to derive a global model of the shape and topography of Mars. This preliminary model has a horizontal resolution of about 300 km. Vertical accuracy is on average a few hundred meters in the region of the data. Datasets: The altimetry and radar datasets were individually binned in 1.25 degree grids and merged with the occultation data. The Viking and Mariner occultation data in the northern hemisphere were excluded from the combined dataset where MOLA altimetry were available. The laser altimetry provided extensive and almost complete coverage of the northern hemisphere north of latitude 30 while the radar provided longitudinal coverage at several latitude bands between 23N and 23S. South of this region the only data were occultations. The majority of the occultations were obtained from Mariner 9, and the rest from Viking 1 & 2, and MGS. Earlier studies had shown that the Viking and Mariner occultations were on average only accurate to 500 meters. The recent MGS occultations are accurate to a few tens of meters. However, the highest southern latitude reached by the MGS occultations is only about 64S and data near the target region for the Mars 98 lander is limited to a few Viking and Mariner observations of relatively poor quality. In addition to the above datasets the locations of the Viking 1, Viking 2, and Pathfinder landers, obtained from the radio tracking of their signals, were included.

Viking 1975 Orbiter Development Test Model/Lander Dynamic Test Model dynamic environmental testing - An overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milder, G.

1975-01-01

The current work presents an overview of the Viking 1975 environmental testing from an engineering standpoint. An extremely large vibration test fixture had to be designed, analyzed, and integrated into a test setup that employed hydrostatic bearings in a new fashion. A vibration control system was also required that would allow for thirty-six channels of sine-wave peak select control from acceleration, force-of-strain transducers. In addition, some 68 channels of peak limiting shutdown capability were needed for backup and monitoring of other data during the forced vibration test. Pretesting included analyses of the fixture design, overturning moment, control system capabilities, and response of the entire spacecraft/fixture/exciter system to the test environment. Closed-loop control for acoustic testing was a necessity due to the fact that the Viking spacecraft took up a major portion of the volume of the 10,000 cu ft chamber. The spacecraft emerged from testing undamaged.

Are the Viking Lander sites representative of the surface of Mars?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakosky, B. M.; Christensen, P. R.

1986-01-01

Global remote sensing data of the Martian surface, collected by earth- and satellite-based instruments, are compared with data from the two Viking Landers to determine if the Lander data are representative of the Martian surface. The landing sites are boulder-strewn and feature abundant fine material and evidence of strong eolian forces. One site (VL-1) is in a plains-covered basin which is associated with volcanic activity; the VL-2 site is in the northern plains. Thermal IR, broadband albedo, color imaging and radar remote sensing has been carried out of the global Martian surface. The VL-1 data do not fit a general correlation observed between increases in 70-cm radar cross-sections and thermal inertia. A better fit is found with 12.5-cm cross sections, implying the presence of a thinner or discontinuous duricrust at the VL-1 site, compared to other higher-inertia regions. A thin dust layer is also present at the VL-2 site, based on the Lander reflectance data. The Lander sites are concluded to be among the three observed regions of anomalous reflectivity, which can be expected in low regions selected for the landings. Recommendations are furnished for landing sites of future surface probes in order to choose sites more typical of the global Martian surface.

Credit WCT. Photographic copy of photograph, interior view of Dd ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Credit WCT. Photographic copy of photograph, interior view of Dd test cell with VO (Viking Orbiter)-75 spacecraft engine mounted for testing. (Viking was a Mars orbiter and lander mission.) The end of the engine nozzle is inserted into a diffuser in order to conduct exhaust gases out of the chamber. All piping and tubing is stainless steel. Note ports in background through which instrumentation wiring passes. Nozzles at top of view are part of an internal fire suppression (or "Firex") system. (JPL negative no. 384-9428, 24 April 1972) - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Edwards Facility, Test Stand D, Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, Kern County, CA

The chemistry and mineralogy of Mars soil and dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banin, A.

1991-01-01

A single geological unit consisting of fine, apparently weathered soil material is covering large portions of the surface of Mars. This soil material has been thoroughly homogenized by global dust storms and it is plausible to assume that Mars dust is strongly correlated with it. The chemical-elemental composition of the soil was directly measured by the Viking Landers. Positive detection of Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Ti, S, Cl, and Br was achieved. Analyses of the SNC meteorites, a group of meteorites that has been suggested to be ejected Martian rocks, supply additional elemental-concentration data, broadening considerably the chemical data-base on the surface materials. A composition model for Mars soil, giving selected average elemental concentrations of major and trace elements, was recently suggested. It was constructed by combining the Viking Lander data, the SNC meteorite analyses, and other analyses. The mineralogy of the surface materials on Mars has not been directly measured yet. By use of various indirect approaches, including chemical correspondence to the surface analyses, spectral analogies, simulations of Viking Lander experiments, analyses of the SNC meteorites and various modeling efforts, the mineralogical composition was constrained to some extent. No direct analyses of soil reactivity have been done yet. Indirect evidence, mostly from the Viking biology experimental results, suggests that the soil probably has a slightly acidic reaction and is generally oxidized. Unambiguous identification of the Mars soil minerals by direct mineralogical analyses, and non-disturbed or in-situ measurements of the soil's reactivity, are of primary importance in future Mars research.

Photogrammetric portrayal of Mars topography.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, S.S.C.

1979-01-01

Special photogrammetric techniques have been developed to portray Mars topography, using Mariner and Viking imaging and nonimaging topographic information and earth-based radar data. Topography is represented by the compilation of maps at three scales: global, intermediate, and very large scale. The global map is a synthesis of topographic information obtained from Mariner 9 and earth-based radar, compiled at a scale of 1:25,000,000 with a contour interval of 1 km; it gives a broad quantitative view of the planet. At intermediate scales, Viking Orbiter photographs of various resolutions are used to compile detailed contour maps of a broad spectrum of prominent geologic features; a contour interval as small as 20 m has been obtained from very high resolution orbital photography. Imagery from the Viking lander facsimile cameras permits construction of detailed, very large scale (1:10) topographic maps of the terrain surrounding the two landers; these maps have a contour interval of 1 cm. This paper presents several new detailed topographic maps of Mars.-Author

Photogrammetric portrayal of Mars topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. S. C.

1979-01-01

Special photogrammetric techniques have been developed to portray Mars topography, using Mariner and Viking imaging and nonimaging topographic information and earth-based radar data. Topography is represented by the compilation of maps at three scales: global, intermediate, and very large scale. The global map is a synthesis of topographic information obtained from Mariner 9 and earth-based radar, compiled at a scale of 1:25,000,000 with a contour interval of 1 km; it gives a broad quantitative view of the planet. At intermediate scales, Viking Orbiter photographs of various resolutions are used to compile detailed contour maps of a broad spectrum of prominent geologic features; a contour interval as small as 20 m has been obtained from very high resolution orbital photography. Imagery from the Viking lander facsimile cameras permits construction of detailed, very large scale (1:10) topographic maps of the terrain surrounding the two landers; these maps have a contour interval of 1 cm. This paper presents several new detailed topographic maps of Mars.

Secular Climate Change on Mars: An Update Using One Mars Year of MSL Pressure Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberle, R. M.; Gómez-Elvira, J.; De La Torre Juarez, M.; Harri, A. M.; Hollingsworth, J. L.; Kahanpää, H.; Kahre, M. A.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martín-Torres, J.; Mischna, M. A.; Moores, J.; Newman, C. E.; Rafkin, S. C.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; Thomas, P. C.; Vasavada, A. R.; Wong, M. H.; Zorzano, M. P.

2014-12-01

The South Polar Residual Cap (SPRC) on Mars is an icy reservoir of CO2. If all the CO2 trapped in the SPRC were released to the atmosphere the mean annual global surface pressure would rise by ~20 Pa. Repeated MOC and HiRISE imaging of scarp retreat within the SPRC led to suggestions that the SPRC is losing mass. Estimates for the loss rate vary between 0. 5 Pa per Mars Decade to 13 Pa per Mars Decade. Assuming 80% of this loss goes directly into the atmosphere, an estimate based on some modeling (Haberle and Kahre, 2010), and that the loss is monotonic, the global annual mean surface pressure should have increased between ~1-20 Pa since the Viking mission (~20 Mars years ago). Surface pressure measurements by the Phoenix Lander only 2.5 Mars years ago were found to be consistent with these loss rates. Last year at this meeting we compared surface pressure data from the MSL mission through sol 360 with that from Viking Lander 2 (VL-2) for the same period to determine if the trend continues. The results were ambiguous. This year we have a full Mars year of MSL data to work with. Using the Ames GCM to compensate for dynamics and environmental differences, our analysis suggests that the mean annual pressure has decreased by ~ 8 Pa since Viking. This result implies that the SPRC has gained (not lost) mass since Viking. However, the estimated uncertainties in our analysis are easily at the 10 Pa level and possibly higher. Chief among these are the hydrostatic adjustment of surface pressure from grid point elevations to actual elevations and the simulated regional environmental conditions at the lander sites. For these reasons, the most reasonable conclusion is that there is no significant difference in the size of the atmosphere between now and Viking. This implies, but does not demand, that the mass of the SPRC has not changed since Viking. Of course, year-to-year variations are possible as implied by the Phoenix data. Given that there has been no unusual behavior in the climate system as observed by a variety of spacecraft at Mars since Phoenix, its seems more likely that the Phoenix data simply did not have a long enough record to accurately determine annual mean pressure changes as Haberle and Kahre (2010) cautioned. In the absence of a strong signal in the MSL data, we conclude that if the SPRC is loosing mass it is not going into the atmosphere reservoir.

Secular Climate Change on Mars: An Update Using One Mars Year of MSL Pressure Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, R. M.; Gomez-Elvira, J.; de la Torre Juarez, M.; Harri, A-M.; Hollingsworth, J. L.; Kahanpaa, H.; Kahre, M. A.; Lemmon, M.; Martin-Torres, F. J.; Mischna, M.;

Viking bistatic radar observations of the hellas basin on Mars: preliminary results.

PubMed

Simpson, R A; Tyler, G L; Brenkle, J P; Sue, M

1979-01-05

Preliminary reduction of Viking bistatic radar data gives root-mean-square surface slopes in the Hellas basin on Mars of about 4 degrees on horizontal scales averaged over 10 centimeters to 100 meters. This roughness decreases slightly with position along the ground track, south to north. The dielectric constant in this area appears to be approximately 3.1, greater than the martian average. These values are characteristic of lunar maria and are similar to those found near the Viking lander site in Chryse with the use of Earth-based radar.

The surface of Mars: there view from the viking 1 lander.

PubMed

Mutch, T A; Binder, A B; Huck, F O; Levinthal, E C; Liebes, S; Morris, E C; Patterson, W R; Pollack, J B; Sagan, C; Taylor, G R

1976-08-27

The first photographs ever returned from the surface of Mars were obtained by two facsimile cameras aboard the Viking 1 lander, including black-and-white and color, 0.12 degrees and 0.04 degrees resolution, and monoscopic and stereoscopic images. The surface, on the western slopes of Chtyse Planitia, is a boulder-strewn deeply reddish desert, with distant eminences-some of which may be the rims of impact craters-surmounted by a pink sky. Both impact and aeolian processes are evident. After dissipation of a small dust cloud stirred by the landing maneuvers, no subsequent signs of movement were detected on the landscape, and nothing has been observed that is indicative of macroscopic biology at this time and place.

The surface of Mars: The view from the Viking 1 lander

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mutch, T.A.; Binder, A.B.; Huck, F.O.; Levinthal, E.C.; Liebes, S.; Morris, E.C.; Patterson, W.R.; Pollack, James B.; Sagan, C.; Taylor, G.R.

1976-01-01

The first photographs ever returned from the surface of Mars were obtained by two facsimile cameras aboard the Viking 1 lander, including black-and-white and color, 0.12?? and 0.04?? resolution, and monoscopic and stereoscopic images. The surface, on the western slopes of Chryse Planitia, is a boulder-strewn deeply reddish desert, with distant eminences - some of which may be the rims of impact craters - surmounted by a pink sky. Both impact and aeolian processes are evident. After dissipation of a small dust cloud stirred by the landing maneuvers, no subsequent signs of movement were detected on the landscape, and nothing has been observed that is indicative of macroscopic biology at this time and place.

Geochemical and mineralogical interpretation of the Viking inorganic chemical results. [for Martian surface materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H. J., Jr.; Christian, R. P.; Baird, A. K.; Evans, P. H.; Clark, B. C.; Keil, K.; Kelliher, W. C.

1977-01-01

The current status of geochemical, mineralogical, petrological interpretation of refined Viking Lander data is reviewed, and inferences that can be drawn from data on the composition of Martian surface materials are presented. The materials are dominantly fine silicate particles admixed with, or including, iron oxide particles. Both major element and trace element abundances in all samples are indicative of mafic source rocks (rather than more highly differentiated salic materials). The surface fines are nearly identical in composition at the two widely separated Lander sites, except for some lithologic diversity at the 100-m scale. This implies that some agency (presumably aeolian processes) has thoroughly homogenized them on a planetary scale. The most plausible model for the mineralogical constitution of the fine-grained surface materials at the two Lander sites is a fine-grained mixture dominated by iron-rich smectites, or their degradation products, with ferric oxides, probably including maghemite and carbonates (such as calcite), but not such less stable phases as magnesite or siderite.

Improvements in the Global Reference Atmospheric Model and comparisons with a global 3-D numerical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Alyea, F. N.; Chimonas, George; Cunnold, D. M.

1989-01-01

The status of the Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM) and the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (MARS-GRAM) is reviewed. The wavelike perturbations observed in the Viking 1 and 2 surface pressure data, in the Mariner 9 IR spectroscopy data, and in the Viking 1 and 2 lander entry profiles were studied and the results interpreted.

The Meteorology Instrument on Viking Lander 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Those Martian weather reports, received here daily from more than 200 million miles away, start right here at Viking l's meteorology instrument. Mounted atop the extended boom, the meteorology sensors face away from the spacecraft. They stand about four feet above the surface and measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind velocity and wind direction. The cable parallel to the boom is connected inside the spacecraft body with the electronics for operating the sensors, reading the data and preparing it for transmission to Earth. A second Mars weather station will begin operation next month when Viking 2 lands somewhere in the planet's northern latitude Viking 2 arrives at Mars and goes into orbit tomorrow (August 7).

A spectral reflectance estimation technique using multispectral data from the Viking lander camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, S. K.; Huck, F. O.

1976-01-01

A technique is formulated for constructing spectral reflectance curve estimates from multispectral data obtained with the Viking lander camera. The multispectral data are limited to six spectral channels in the wavelength range from 0.4 to 1.1 micrometers and most of these channels exhibit appreciable out-of-band response. The output of each channel is expressed as a linear (integral) function of the (known) solar irradiance, atmospheric transmittance, and camera spectral responsivity and the (unknown) spectral responsivity and the (unknown) spectral reflectance. This produces six equations which are used to determine the coefficients in a representation of the spectral reflectance as a linear combination of known basis functions. Natural cubic spline reflectance estimates are produced for a variety of materials that can be reasonably expected to occur on Mars. In each case the dominant reflectance features are accurately reproduced, but small period features are lost due to the limited number of channels. This technique may be a valuable aid in selecting the number of spectral channels and their responsivity shapes when designing a multispectral imaging system.

The "soil" of Mars (viking 1).

PubMed

Shorthill, R W; Moore, H J; Scott, R F; Hutton, R E; Liebes, S; Spitzer, C R

1976-10-01

The location of the Viking 1 lander is most ideal for the study of soil properties because it has one footpad in soft material and one on hard material. As each soil sample was acquired, information on soil properties was obtained. Although analysis is still under way, early results on bulk density, particle size, angle of internal friction, cohesion, adhesion, and penetration resistance of the soil of Mars are presented.

The "Soil" of mars (viking 1)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shorthill, R.W.; Moore, H.J.; Scott, R.F.; Hutton, R.E.; Liebes, S.; Spitzer, G.R.

1976-01-01

The location of the Viking 1 lander is most ideal for the study of soil properties because it has one footpad in soft material and one on hard material. As each soil sample was acquired, information on soil properties was obtained. Although analysis is still under way, early results on bulk density, particle size, angle of internal friction, cohesion, adhesion, and penetration resistance of the soil of Mars are presented.

Viking 75 Project.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, J. S., Jr.; Sibbers, C. W.

1972-01-01

Description of the Viking Project, a current effort to explore Mars using two unmanned spacecraft, consisting of an orbiter and lander each, during the 1975-1976 opportunity. The experiments on the surface will deal principally with biology, geology, and meteorology. If life is discovered on Mars, the dramatic find would greatly expand the field of exobiology and lead to a remarkable opportunity to study life that may be similar or different from our own.

The surface of Mars - The view from the Viking 1 lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mutch, T. A.; Patterson, W. R.; Binder, A. B.; Huck, F. O.; Taylor, G. R.; Levinthal, E. C.; Liebes, S., Jr.; Morris, E. C.; Pollack, J. B.; Sagan, C.

1976-01-01

Imagery of the surface of Mars obtained by Viking 1 is analyzed. The lander is situated on the western slopes of the 5-km deep Chryse Planitia depression, about 2 km higher than the floor. The topography is gently rolling. Angular rocks and small sand dunes are visible. There are very few craters; initial evaluations indicate that crater area densities are several orders of magnitude below saturation for crater sizes less than about 50 m. The presence of scour marks and of fine-grained deposits in some boulders indicates that some aeolian activity has occurred. Almost all the sky brightness can be attributed to scattering by particles present in the atmosphere. No signs of movement have been detected, consistent with the low seasonal winds recorded by meteorological instruments.

Three mars years: Viking lander 1 imaging observations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arvidson, R. E.; Guinness, E.A.; Moore, H.J.; Tillman, J.; Wall, S.D.

1983-01-01

The Mutch Memorial Station (Viking Lander 1) on Mars acquired imaging and meteorological data over a period of 2245 martian days (3:3 martian years). This article discusses the deposition and erosion of thin deposits (ten to hundreds of micrometers) of bright red dust associated with global dust storms, and the removal of centimeter amounts of material in selected areas during a dust storm late in the third winter. Atmospheric pressure data acquired during the period of intense erosion imply that baroclinic disturbances and strong diurnal solar tidal heating combined to produce strong winds. Erosion occurred principally in areas where soil cohesion was reduced by earlier surface sampler activities. Except for redistribution of thin layers of materials, the surface appears to be remarkably stable, perhaps because of cohesion of the undisturbed surface material.

Three Mars years: viking lander 1 imaging observations.

PubMed

Arvidson, R E; Guinness, E A; Moore, H J; Tillman, J; Wall, S D

1983-11-04

The Mutch Memorial Station (Viking Lander 1) on Mars acquired imaging and meteorological data over a period of 2245 martian days (3:3 martian years). This article discusses the deposition and erosion of thin deposits (ten to hundreds of micrometers) of bright red dust associated with global dust storms, and the removal of centimeter amounts of material in selected areas during a dust storm late in the third winter. Atmospheric pressure data acquired during the period of intense erosion imply that baroclinic disturbances and strong diurnal solar tidal heating combined to produce strong winds. Erosion occurred principally in areas where soil cohesion was reduced by earlier surface sampler activities. Except for redistribution of thin layers of materials, the surface appears to be remarkably stable, perhaps because of cohesion of the undisturbed surface material.

Simulations of surface winds at the Viking Lander sites using a one-level model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridger, Alison F. C.; Haberle, Robert M.

1992-01-01

The one-level model developed by Mass and Dempsey for use in predicting surface flows in regions of complex terrain was adapted to simulate surface flows at the Viking lander sites on Mars. In the one-level model, prediction equations for surface winds and temperatures are formulated and solved. Surface temperatures change with time in response to diabatic heating, horizontal advection, adiabatic heating and cooling effects, and horizontal diffusion. Surface winds can change in response to horizontal advection, pressure gradient forces, Coriolis forces, surface drag, and horizontal diffusion. Surface pressures are determined by integration of the hydrostatic equation from the surface to some reference level. The model has successfully simulated surface flows under a variety of conditions in complex-terrain regions on Earth.

Three Mars years - Viking Lander 1 imaging observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arvidson, R. E.; Guinness, E. A.; Moore, H. J.; Tillman, J.; Wall, S. D.

1983-01-01

The Mutch Memorial Station (Viking Lander 1) on Mars acquired imaging and meteorological data over a period of 2245 martian days (3.3 martian years). This article discusses the deposition and erosion of thin deposits (ten to hundreds of micrometers) of bright red dust associated with global dust storms, and the removal of centimeter amounts of material in selected areas during a dust storm late in the third winter. Atmospheric pressure data acquired during the period of intense erosion imply that baroclinic disturbances and strong diurnal solar tidal heating combined to produce strong winds. Erosion occurred principally in areas where soil cohesion was reduced by earlier surface sampler activities. Except for redistribution of thin layers of materials, the surface appears to be remarkably stable, perhaps because of cohension of the undisturbed surface material.

On the spectral reflectance properties of materials exposed at the Viking landing sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guinness, E.; Arvidson, R.; Dale-Bannister, M.; Singer, R.; Bruckenthal, E.

1987-01-01

Reflectance data derived from Viking Lander multispectral data were used to characterize the types of soils and blocks exposed at the landing sites and to search for evidence of relatively unaltered igneous rocks. A comprehensive effort was mounted to examine multispectral data that combines testing of camera radiometric calibrations, explicitly removing the effects of atmospheric attenuation and skylight, and quantitatively comparing the corrected data to reflectance data from laboratory materials. Bi-directional reflectances for blue, green and red channels were determined for 31 block and soil exposures at Viking landing sites.

Viking 1: early results. [Mars atmosphere and surface examinations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

A brief outline of the Viking 1 mission to Mars is followed by descriptions of the Martian landing site and the scientific instrumentation aboard Viking 1 orbiter and lander. Measurements of the Martian atmosphere provided data on its molecular composition, temperature and pressure. The detection of nitrogen in the Martian atmosphere indicates the existence of life. Panoramic photographs of the Martian surface were also obtained and are shown. Preliminary chemical and biological investigations on samples of Martian soil indicated the presence of the elements iron, calcium, silicon, titanium and aluminum as major constituents. Observed biochemical reactions were judged conducive of biological activity.

Computer image processing - The Viking experience. [digital enhancement techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, W. B.

1977-01-01

Computer processing of digital imagery from the Viking mission to Mars is discussed, with attention given to subjective enhancement and quantitative processing. Contrast stretching and high-pass filtering techniques of subjective enhancement are described; algorithms developed to determine optimal stretch and filtering parameters are also mentioned. In addition, geometric transformations to rectify the distortion of shapes in the field of view and to alter the apparent viewpoint of the image are considered. Perhaps the most difficult problem in quantitative processing of Viking imagery was the production of accurate color representations of Orbiter and Lander camera images.

Atmospheric measurements on Mars - The Viking meteorology experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlain, T. E.; Cole, H. L.; Dutton, R. G.; Greene, G. C.; Tillman, J. E.

1976-01-01

The Viking meteorology experiment is one of nine experiments to be carried out on the surface of Mars by each of two Viking Landers positioned at different latitudes and longitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The meteorology experiment will measure pressure, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction at 1.5-hr intervals throughout the Martian day. The duration of each measurement period, the interval between data samples for a measurement period, and the time at which the measurement period is started will be varied throughout the mission. The scientific investigation and the sensors and electronics used for making the atmospheric measurement are discussed.

Testing Phoenix Mars Lander Parachute in Idaho

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will parachute for nearly three minutes as it descends through the Martian atmosphere on May 25, 2008. Extensive preparations for that crucial period included this drop test near Boise, Idaho, in October 2006.

The parachute used for the Phoenix mission is similar to ones used by NASA's Viking landers in 1976. It is a 'disk-gap-band' type of parachute, referring to two fabric components -- a central disk and a cylindrical band -- separated by a gap.

Although the Phoenix parachute has a smaller diameter (11.8 meters or 39 feet) than the parachute for the 2007 Mars Pathfinder landing (12.7 meters or 42 feet), its Viking configuration results in slightly larger drag area. The smaller physical size allows for a stronger system because, given the same mass and volume restrictions, a smaller parachute can be built using higher strength components. The Phoenix parachute is approximately 1.5 times stronger than Pathfinder's. Testing shows that it is nearly two times stronger than the maximum opening force expected during its use at Mars.

Engineers used a dart-like weight for the drop testing in Idaho. On the Phoenix spacecraft, the parachute is attached the the backshell. The backshell is the upper portion of a capsule around the lander during the flight from Earth to Mars and protects Phoenix during the initial portion of the descent through Mars' atmosphere.

Phoenix will deploy its parachute at about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles) in altitude and at a velocity of 1.7 times the speed of sound. A mortar on the spacecraft fires to deploy the parachute, propelling it away from the backshell into the supersonic flow. The mortar design for Phoenix is essentially the same as Pathfinder's. The parachute and mortar are collectively called the 'parachute decelerator system.' Pioneer Aerospace, South Windsor, Conn., produced this system for Phoenix. The same company provided the parachute decelerator systems for Pathfinder, Mars Polar Lander, Spirit, and Opportunity, ensuring that lessons learned from past programs were incorporated into the Phoenix system.

During the first 25 seconds of the three-minute period when Phoenix descends on its parachute, the spacecraft will cast away its heat shield and extend its three legs. About 43 seconds before reaching the surface of Mars, the lander will shed the parachute by separating from the backshell. The lander will begin firing its descent thrusters half a second after the separation from the backshell and continue using them until touchdown.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Reanalysis of the Viking results suggests perchlorate and organics at midlatitudes on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarro-González, Rafael; Vargas, Edgar; de la Rosa, José; Raga, Alejandro C.; McKay, Christopher P.

2010-12-01

The most comprehensive search for organics in the Martian soil was performed by the Viking Landers. Martian soil was subjected to a thermal volatilization process to vaporize and break organic molecules, and the resultant gases and volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Only water at 0.1-1.0 wt% was detected, with traces of chloromethane at 15 ppb, at Viking landing site 1, and water at 0.05-1.0 wt% and carbon dioxide at 50-700 ppm, with traces of dichloromethane at 0.04-40 ppb, at Viking landing site 2. These chlorohydrocarbons were considered to be terrestrial contaminants, although they had not been detected at those levels in the blank runs. Recently, perchlorate was discovered in the Martian Arctic soil by the Phoenix Lander. Here we show that when Mars-like soils from the Atacama Desert containing 32 ± 6 ppm of organic carbon are mixed with 1 wt% magnesium perchlorate and heated, nearly all the organics present are decomposed to water and carbon dioxide, but a small amount is chlorinated, forming 1.6 ppm of chloromethane and 0.02 ppm of dichloromethane at 500°C. A chemical kinetics model was developed to predict the degree of oxidation and chlorination of organics in the Viking oven. Reinterpretation of the Viking results therefore suggests ≤0.1% perchlorate and 1.5-6.5 ppm organic carbon at landing site 1 and ≤0.1% perchlorate and 0.7-2.6 ppm organic carbon at landing site 2. The detection of organics on Mars is important to assess locations for future experiments to detect life itself.

The Martian Paleoenvironment and the Evolution of Macroorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trego, Kent D.

1983-04-01

The Viking biology experiments have revealed the possibility that life in the form of microorganisms may exist on Mars (Levin and Straat, 1981). However, the Viking landers did not provide evidence of the presence of macroorganisms. There are many speculative reasons why macroorganisms are not present while microorganisms might exist. Recent developments in the research of Martian geology, however, might offer an explanation why the evolution of macroorganisms would not take place on Mars.

Experimental and simulation study results of an Adaptive Video Guidance System /AVGS/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schappell, R. T.; Knickerbocker, R. L.

1975-01-01

Studies relating to stellar-body exploration programs have pointed out the need for an adaptive guidance scheme capable of providing automatic real-time guidance and site selection capability. For the case of a planetary lander, without such guidance, targeting is limited to what are believed to be generally benign areas in order to ensure a reasonable landing-success probability. Typically, the Mars Viking Lander will be jeopardized by obstacles exceeding 22 centimers in diameter. The benefits of on-board navigation and real-time selection of a landing site and obstacle avoidance have been demonstrated by the Apollo lunar landings, in which man performed the surface sensing and steering functions. Therefore, an Adaptive Video Guidance System (AVGS) has been developed, bread-boarded, and flown on a six-degree-of-freedom simulator.

Optical analysis of a compound quasi-microscope for planetary landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, S. D.; Burcher, E. E.; Huck, F. O.

1974-01-01

A quasi-microscope concept, consisting of facsimile camera augmented with an auxiliary lens as a magnifier, was introduced and analyzed. The performance achievable with this concept was primarily limited by a trade-off between resolution and object field; this approach leads to a limiting resolution of 20 microns when used with the Viking lander camera (which has an angular resolution of 0.04 deg). An optical system is analyzed which includes a field lens between camera and auxiliary lens to overcome this limitation. It is found that this system, referred to as a compound quasi-microscope, can provide improved resolution (to about 2 microns ) and a larger object field. However, this improvement is at the expense of increased complexity, special camera design requirements, and tighter tolerances on the distances between optical components.

Viking-2 Seismometer Measurements on Mars: PDS Data Archive and Meteorological Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph D.; Nakamura, Yosio; Murphy, James R.

2017-11-01

A data product has been generated and archived on the NASA Planetary Data System (Geosciences Node), which presents the seismometer readings of Viking Lander 2 in an easy-to-access form, for both the raw ("high rate") waveform records and the compressed ("event mode") amplitude and frequency records. In addition to the records themselves, a separate summary file for each instrument mode lists key statistics of each record together with the meteorological measurements made closest in time to the seismic record. This juxtaposition facilitates correlation of the seismometer instrument response to different meteorological conditions, or the selection of seismic data during which wind disturbances can be expected to be small. We summarize data quality issues and also discuss lander-generated seismic signals, due to operation of the sampling arm or other systems, which may be of interest for prospective missions to other bodies. We review wind-seismic correlation, the "Martian solar day (sol) 80" candidate seismic event, and identify the seismic signature of a probable dust devil vortex on sol 482 : the seismometer data allow an estimate of the peak wind, occurring between coarsely spaced meteorology measurements. We present code to generate the plots in this paper to illustrate use of the data product.

Evidence of solar wind energy deposition into the ionosphere of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mantas, G. P.; Hanson, W. B.

1985-01-01

Suprathermal electron fluxes measured in the ionosphere of Mars by the retarding potential analyzer (RPA) on Viking lander 1 are presented and compared with the photoelectron flux that is produced by the absorption of the solar EUV. The calculation of the equilibrium photoelectron population on Mars is based on the multistream electron transport theory and a model neutral atmosphere and ionosphere that was actually observed by Viking lander 1. From the theoretical equilibrium photoelectron population, the expected RPA volt-ampere characteristic curves are computed and compared with those recorded by the instrument. The theoretical and the observed RPA currents below about 170 km are in agreement, confirming that the solar EUV is the main source of suprathermal electrons at these altitudes. Above about 170 km an additional source of suprathermal electrons is required to explain the observations.

A boundary-layer model for Mars - Comparison with Viking lander and entry data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, Robert M.; Houben, Howard C.; Hertenstein, Rolf; Herdtle, Tomas

1993-01-01

A 1D boundary-layer model of Mars based on a momentum equation that describes friction, pressure gradient, and Coriolis forces is presented. Frictional forces and convective heating are computed using the level-2 turbulence closure theory of Mellor and Yamada (1974). The model takes into account the radiative effects of CO2 gas and suspended dust particles. Both radiation and convection depend on surface temperatures which are computed from a surface heat budget. Model predictions are compared with available observations from Viking landers. It is concluded that, in general, the model reproduces the basic features of the temperature data. The agreement is particularly good at entry time for the V L-2 site, where the model and observations are within several degrees at all levels for which data are available.

The control net of Mars - May 1977. [from Viking lander spacecraft radio tracking data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, M. E.

1978-01-01

The development of planet-wide control nets of Mars is reviewed, and the May 1977 update is described. This updated control net was computed by means of a large single-block analytical triangulation incorporating the new direction of the spin axis and the new rotation rate of Mars, as determined from radio tracking data provided by the Viking lander spacecraft. The analytical triangulation adjusts for planimetric control only (areocentric latitude and longitude) and for the camera orientation angles. Most of the areocentric radii at the control points were interpolated from radio occultation measurements, but a few were determined photogrammetically, and a substantial number were derived from elevation contours on the 1976 USGS topographic series of Mars maps. A value of V, measured from Mars' vernal equinox along the equator to the prime meridian (Airy-0) is presented.

Pyrolysis of organic compounds in the presence of ammonia The Viking Mars lander site alteration experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzer, G.; Oro, J.

1977-01-01

The influence of ammonia on the pyrolysis pattern of selected organic substances sorbed on an inorganic phase was investigated. The thermal degradation products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The feasibility of this technique was tested on a meteoritic sample. All substances examined react with ammonia at the pyrolysis temperature of 500 C, the major products being nitriles and heterocyclic compounds in which nitrogen was incorporated. Based on these results, a model for the non-equilibrium production of organic compounds on Jupiter is discussed. The investigation was performed in connection with the Viking lander molecular analysis. The results obtained indicate that the concentrations of ammonia in the retrorocket fuel exhaust would have been probably too small to produce significant changes in the Martian soil organic compounds if any were found.

Observations of Martian surface winds at the Viking Lander 1 site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murphy, J.R.; Leovy, C.B.; Tillman, J.E.

1990-08-30

Partial failure of the wind instrumentation on the Viking Lander 1 (VL1) in the Martian subtropics (22.5{degree}N) has limited previous analyses of meteorological data for this site. The authors describe a method for reconstructing surface winds using data from the partially failed sensor and present and analyze a time series of wind, pressure, and temperature at the site covering 350 Mars days (sols). At the beginning of the mission during early summer, winds were controlled by regional topography, but they soon underwent a transition to a regime controlled by the Hadley circulation. Diurnal and semidiurnal wind oscillations and synoptic variationsmore » have been analyzed and compared with the corresponding variations at the Viking Lander 2 middle latitude site (48{degree}N). Diurnal wind oscillations were controlled primarily by regional topography and boundary layer forcing, although a global mode may have been influencing them during two brief episodes. Semidiurnal wind oscillations were controlled by the westward propagating semidiurnal tide from sol 210 onward. Comparison of the synoptic variations at the two sites suggests that the same eastward propagating wave trains were present at both sites, at least following the first 1977 great dust storm, but discordant inferred zonal wave numbers and phase speeds at the two sites cast doubt on the zonal wave numbers deduced from analyses of combined wind and pressure data, particularly at the VL1 site where the signal to noise ratio of the dominant synoptic waves is relatively small.« less

Dry-heat resistance of selected psychrophiles. [Viking lander in spacecraft sterilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winans, L.; Pflug, I. J.; Foster, T. L.

1977-01-01

The dry-heat resistance characteristics of spores of psychrophilic organisms isolated from soil samples from the Viking spacecraft assembly areas at Cape Kennedy Space Flight Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla., were studied. Spore suspensions were produced, and dry-heat D values were determined for the microorganisms that demonstrated growth or survival under a simulated Martian environment. The dry-heat tests were carried out by using the planchet-boat-hot plate system at 110 and 125 C with an ambient relative humidity of 50% at 22 C. The spores evaluated had a relatively low resistance to dry heat. D (110 C) values ranged from 7.5 to 122 min, whereas the D (125 C) values ranged from less than 1.0 to 9.8 min.

Environment Monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Viking landers touched down on Mars equipped with a variety of systems to conduct automated research, each carrying a compact but highly sophisticated instrument for analyzing Martian soil and atmosphere. Instrument called a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) had to be small, lightweight, shock resistant, highly automated and extremely sensitive, yet require minimal electrical power. Viking Instruments Corporation commercialized this technology and targeted their primary market as environmental monitoring, especially toxic and hazardous waste site monitoring. Waste sites often contain chemicals in complex mixtures, and the conventional method of site characterization, taking samples on-site and sending them to a laboratory for analysis is time consuming and expensive. Other terrestrial applications are explosive detection in airports, drug detection, industrial air monitoring, medical metabolic monitoring and for military, chemical warfare agents.

Surface composition of Mars: A Viking multispectral view

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, John B.; Smith, Milton O.; Arvidson, Raymond E.; Dale-Bannister, Mary; Guinness, Edward A.; Singer, Robert; Adams, John B.

1987-01-01

A new method of analyzing multispectral images takes advantage of the spectral variation from pixel to pixel that is typical for natural planetary surfaces, and treats all pixels as potential mixtures of spectrally distinct materials. For Viking Lander images, mixtures of only three spectral end members (rock, soil, and shade) are sufficient to explain the observed spectral variation to the level of instrumental noise. It was concluded that a large portion of the Martian surface consists of only two spectrally distinct materials, basalt and palgonitic soil. It is emphasized, however, that as viewed through the three broad bandpasses of Viking Orbiter, other materials cannot be distinguished from the mixtures.

Geologic history of central Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 landing site, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craddock, Robert A.; Crumpler, L. S.; Aubele, Jayne C.

1993-01-01

A 1:500,000 scale geologic mapping was undertaken to synthesize the broad-scale geology of Chryse Planitia with the local geology of the Viking 1 landing site. The geology of Mars Transverse Mercators (MTM's) 20047 and 25047 has been presented previously. As part of the goals for the Mars Geologic Mapping program, the rational and scientific objectives for a return mission to Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 Lander have also been presented. However, in mapping central Chryse Planitia our principle objective was to determine the depositional and erosional history of the Chryse Planitia basin. These results are presented.

High-Frequency Orographically Forced Variability in a Single-Layer Model of the Martian Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keppenne, C. L.; Ingersoll, A. P.

1993-01-01

A shallow water model with realistic topography and idealized zonal wind forcing is used toinvestigate orographically forced modes in the Martian atmosphere. Locally, the model reproduceswell the climatology at the sites of Viking Lander I and II (VL1 and VL2) as inferred from theViking Lander fall and spring observations. Its variability at those sites is dominated by a 3-sol(Martian solar day) oscillation in the region of VL1 and by a 6-sol oscillation in that of VL2. Theseoscillations are forced by the zonal asymmetries of the Martian mountain field. It is suggested thatthey contribute to the observed variability by reinforcing the baroclinic oscillations with nearbyperiods identified in observational studies. The spatial variability associated with the orographicallyforced oscillations is studied by means of extended empirical orthogonal function analysis. The 3-solVL1 oscillation corresponds to a tropical, eastward-traveling, zonal-wavenumber one pattern...

Spacecraft exploration of Phobos and Deimos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duxbury, Thomas C.; Zakharov, Alexander V.; Hoffmann, Harald; Guinness, Edward A.

2014-11-01

We review the previous exploration of Phobos and Deimos by spacecraft. The first close-up images of Phobos and Deimos were obtained by the Mariner 9 spacecraft in 1971, followed by much image data from the two Viking orbiters at the end of the 70s, which formed the basis for early Phobos and Deimos shape and dynamic models. The Soviet Phobos 2 spacecraft came within 100 km of landing on Phobos in 1988. Mars Global Surveyor (1996-2006) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (since 2005) made close-up observations of Phobos on several occasions. Mars Express (since 2003) in its highly elliptical orbit is currently the only spacecraft to make regular Phobos encounters and has returned large volumes of science data for this satellite. Landers and rovers on the ground (Viking Landers, Mars Pathfinder, MER rovers, MSL rover) frequently made observations of Phobos, Deimos and their transits across the solar disk.

Biology and the exploration of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, H. P.

1987-12-01

Knowledge of Mars based on the findings of two Viking landers during 1976 and 1977 is reviewed. The most significant observation was the absence of any detectable organic compounds at the two landing sites. Viking did indicate, however, that the surface contained unidentified strong oxidant(s) that could account for the absence of organics. Consideration has been given to the possibility that chemical evolution on Mars produced living organisms under earlier, more benevolent conditions, but these organisms could not adapt to worsening conditions over geologic time and became extinct.

A Natural Way to Stay Sweet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

A revolutionary, low-calorie sugar is now available to the food and beverage market, offering an all-natural alternative to table sugar and artificial sweeteners. Tagatose, a sugar that appears in nature in small quantities, began its unusual journey to the commercial market nearly 30 years ago, when Dr. Gilbert V. Levin invented a life detection experiment to place aboard NASA s Mars Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers. The experiment involved using radiation-laced nutrients to determine the presence of microbial life in Martian soil samples.

Effects of nonequilibrium ablation chemistry on Viking radio blackout.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, J. S.; Schexnayder, C. J., Jr.; Grose, W. L.

1973-01-01

The length of the entry blackout period during descent of the Viking Lander into the Mars atmosphere is predicted from calculated profiles of electron density in the shock layer over the aeroshell. Nonequilibrium chemistry plays a key role in the calculation, both in the inviscid flow and in the boundary layer. This is especially true in the boundary layer contaminated with ablation material, for which nonequilibrium chemistry predicts electron densities two decades lower than the same case calculated with equilibrium chemistry.

Types of rocks exposed at the Viking landing sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guinness, E.; Arvidson, R.; Dale-Bannister, M.

1985-01-01

Spectral estimates derived from Viking Lander multispectral images have been used to investigate the types of rocks exposed at both landing sites, and to infer whether the rocks are primary igneous rocks or weathering products. These analyses should aid interpretations of spectra to be returned from the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on the upcoming Mars Observer Mission. A series of gray surfaces on the Landers were used to check the accuracy of the camera preflight calibrations. Results indicate that the pre-flight calibrations for the three color channels are probably correct for all cameras but camera 2 on Lander 1.more » The calibration for the infrared channels appears to have changed, although the cause is not known. For this paper, only the color channels were used to derive data for rocks. Rocks at both sites exhibit a variety of reflectance values. For example, reflectance estimates for two rocks in the blue (0.4-0.5 microns), green (0.5-0.6 microns), and red (0.6-0.75 microns) channels are 0.16, 0.23, and 0.33 and 0.12, 0.19, 0.37 at a phase angle of 20 degrees. These values have been compared with laboratory reflectance spectra of analog materials and telescopic spectra of Mars, both convolved to the Lander bandpasses. Lander values for some rocks are similar to earth based observations of martian dark regions and with certain mafic igneous rocks thinly coated with amorphous ferric-oxide rich weathering products. These results are consistent with previous interpretations.« less

Spectral mixture modeling - A new analysis of rock and soil types at the Viking Lander 1 site. [on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, J. B.; Smith, M. O.; Johnson, P. E.

1986-01-01

A Viking Lander 1 image was modeled as mixtures of reflectance spectra of palagonite dust, gray andesitelike rock, and a coarse rocklike soil. The rocks are covered to varying degrees by dust but otherwise appear unweathered. Rocklike soil occurs as lag deposits in deflation zones around stones and on top of a drift and as a layer in a trench dug by the lander. This soil probably is derived from the rocks by wind abrasion and/or spallation. Dust is the major component of the soil and covers most of the surface. The dust is unrelated spectrally to the rock but is equivalent to the global-scale dust observed telescopically. A new method was developed to model a multispectral image as mixtures of end-member spectra and to compare image spectra directly with laboratory reference spectra. The method for the first time uses shade and secondary illumination effects as spectral end-members; thus the effects of topography and illumination on all scales can be isolated or removed. The image was calibrated absolutely from the laboratory spectra, in close agreement with direct calibrations. The method has broad applications to interpreting multispectral images, including satellite images.

Viking Lander: subsurface water analyzing probe. [Mars subsoil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simmons, G.J.

1969-10-01

A small terradynamic (soil penetrating) vehicle, to be released from the Viking Lander at an altitude of between 5000 and 6000 feet before the terminal descent on the vernier rockets begins, will implant a sensor package 3 to 5 feet beneath the surface to measure water content of Mars subsoil. As it penetrates the soil, the vehicle separates into a probe which carries the primary instrumentation and a tail section which contains the power supply, secondary sensors, and transmitter and antenna assembly. The two sections remain linked by a hard wire umbilical which provides for power and data flow betweenmore » the sections. After impact, a soil moisture subsystem would be activated to gather approximately 100 milligrams of soil at the depth of the penetrating probe. After the mass of the sample is measured, its water content would be determined by heating in a sealed known volume and measuring the dew point of the resulting water vapor with a specular reflection dew point indicator. The penetrating probe and the tail section each contain a pair of aluminum oxide hygrometer elements and one sensistor temperature sensor which, on request by an on-board programmer will measure temperature and absolute water content of the vapor phase in equilibrium with the surrounding soil. Once each 8 hours, the digitized output of the sensors would be transmitted by the RF link to the Lander. This apparatus is expected to measure the water vapor in equilibrium with the soil water in concentrations as low as 0.01 microgram per liter at --60/sup 0/C and absolute soil water in amounts as small as 10 micrograms per gram of soil. A radioisotope power supply would provide an expected life for this instrumentation package in excess of the proposed 90-day mission for the Mars Viking Lander.« less

When the Viking Missions Discovered Life on the Red Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianciardi, G.; Miller, J. D.; Straat, P. A.; Levin, G. V.

2012-09-01

The first (and only) dedicated life detection experiments on another planet were performed by the Viking Landers of 1976. In the Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment of Levin and Straat, injections of organic compounds into Martian soil samples caused radioactive gas to evolve approaching plateaus of 10,000 - 15,000 cpm over several sols (Martian days). These "actives" were run at lander sites 1 and 2 with similar results. In contrast, the LR response to the 160o C control sample soils was very low. In conjunction with the active experiment results this negative result from the controls satisfied the pre-mission criteria for life. However, a controversy immediately arose concerning a biologic interpretation of the data. In an attempt to resolve this issue in the current work, we have employed complexity analysis of the Viking LR data for the initial six sols, and of terrestrial LR pilot studies using bacteria-laden, active soil (Biol 5) and sterilized soil (Biol 6). . Measures of mathematical complexity permitted a deep analysis of signal structure. Martian LR active response data were strongly superimposable upon the terrestrial biological time series, forming a welldefined cluster; and the heat-treated control samples, terrestrial and Martian, also clustered together, but distant from the active group, suggesting that the LR had, indeed, detected biological activity on Mars. The results presente herein are a key subset of the details published earlier by the same authors (IJASS, 13 (1), 14-26, 2012).

Modeling the effects of martian surface frost on ice table depth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, K. E.; McKay, Christopher P.; Heldmann, J. L.

2015-11-01

Ground ice has been observed in small fresh craters in the vicinity of the Viking 2 lander site (48°N, 134°E). To explain these observations, current models for ground ice invoke levels of atmospheric water of 20 precipitable micrometers - higher than observations. However, surface frost has been observed at the Viking 2 site and surface water frost and snow have been shown to have a stabilizing effect on Antarctic subsurface ice. A snow or frost cover provides a source of humidity that should reduce the water vapor gradient and hence retard the sublimation loss from subsurface ice. We have modeled this effect for the Viking 2 landing site with combined ground ice and surface frost models. Our model is driven by atmospheric output fields from the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). Our modeling results show that the inclusion of a thin seasonal frost layer, present for a duration similar to that observed by the Viking Lander 2, produces ice table depths that are significantly shallower than a model that omits surface frost. When a maximum frost albedo of 0.35 was permitted, seasonal frost is present in our model from Ls = 182° to Ls = 16°, resulting in an ice table depth of 64 cm - which is 24 cm shallower than the frost-free scenario. The computed ice table depth is only slightly sensitive to the assumed maximum frost albedo or thickness in the model.

Characterization of rock populations on planetary surfaces - Techniques and a preliminary analysis of Mars and Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garvin, J. B.; Mouginis-Mark, P. J.; Head, J. W.

1981-01-01

A data collection and analysis scheme developed for the interpretation of rock morphology from lander images is reviewed with emphasis on rock population characterization techniques. Data analysis techniques are also discussed in the context of identifying key characteristics of a rock that place it in a single category with similar rocks. Actual rock characteristics observed from Viking and Venera lander imagery are summarized. Finally, some speculations regarding the block fields on Mars and Venus are presented.

Viking Landers and remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.; Jakosky, B. M.; Christensen, P. R.

1987-01-01

Thermal and radar remote sensing signatures of the materials in the lander sample fields can be crudely estimated from evaluations of their physical-mechanical properties, laboratory data on thermal conductivities and dielectric constants, and theory. The estimated thermal inertias and dielectric constants of some of the materials in the sample field are close to modal values estimated from orbital and earth-based observations. This suggests that the mechanical properties of the surface materials of much of Mars will not be significantly different that those of the landing sites.

Viking magnetic properties investigation: further results.

PubMed

Hargraves, R B; Collinson, D W; Arvidson, R E; Spitzer, C R

1976-12-11

The amounts of magnetic particles held on the reference test chart and backhoe magnets on lander 2 and lander 1 are comparable, indicating the presence of an estimated 3 to 7 percent by weight of relatively pure, strongly magnetic particles in the soil at the lander 2 sampling site. Preliminary spectrophotometric analysis of the material held on the backhoe magnets on lander 1 indicates that its reflectance characteristics are indistinguishable from material within a sampling trench with which it has been compared. The material on the RTC magnet shows a different spectrum, but it is suspected that the difference is the result of a reflectance contribution from the magnesium metal covering on the magnet. It is argued that the results indicate the presence, now or originally, of magnetite, which may be titaniferous.

Viking '75 spacecraft design and test summary. Volume 3: Engineering test summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmberg, N. A.; Faust, R. P.; Holt, H. M.

1980-01-01

The engineering test program for the lander and the orbiter are presented. The engineering program was developed to achieve confidence that the design was adequate to survive the expected mission environments and to accomplish the mission objective.

Gas Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A miniature gas chromatograph, a system which separates a gaseous mixture into its components and measures the concentration of the individual gases, was designed for the Viking Lander. The technology was further developed under National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and funded by Ames Research Center/Stanford as a toxic gas leak detection device. Three researchers on the project later formed Microsensor Technology, Inc. to commercialize the product. It is a battery-powered system consisting of a sensing wand connected to a computerized analyzer. Marketed as the Michromonitor 500, it has a wide range of applications.

Solar radiation for Mars power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Landis, Geoffrey A.

1991-01-01

Detailed information about the solar radiation characteristics on Mars are necessary for effective design of future planned solar energy systems operating on the surface of Mars. A procedure and solar radiation related data from which the diurnally and daily variation of the global, direct (or beam), and diffuse insolation on Mars are calculated, are presented. The radiation data are based on measured optical depth of the Martian atmosphere derived from images taken of the Sun with a special diode on the Viking Lander cameras; and computation based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation.

Perchlorate radiolysis on Mars and the origin of martian soil reactivity.

PubMed

Quinn, Richard C; Martucci, Hana F H; Miller, Stephanie R; Bryson, Charles E; Grunthaner, Frank J; Grunthaner, Paula J

2013-06-01

Results from the Viking biology experiments indicate the presence of reactive oxidants in martian soils that have previously been attributed to peroxide and superoxide. Instruments on the Mars Phoenix Lander and the Mars Science Laboratory detected perchlorate in martian soil, which is nonreactive under the conditions of the Viking biology experiments. We show that calcium perchlorate exposed to gamma rays decomposes in a CO2 atmosphere to form hypochlorite (ClO(-)), trapped oxygen (O2), and chlorine dioxide (ClO2). Our results show that the release of trapped O2 (g) from radiation-damaged perchlorate salts and the reaction of ClO(-) with amino acids that were added to the martian soils can explain the results of the Viking biology experiments. We conclude that neither hydrogen peroxide nor superoxide is required to explain the results of the Viking biology experiments.

Planetary protection implementation on future Mars lander missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, Robert; Devincenzi, Donald L.

1993-06-01

A workshop was convened to discuss the subject of planetary protection implementation for Mars lander missions. It was sponsored and organized by the Exobiology Implementation Team of the U.S./Russian Joint Working Group on Space Biomedical and Life Support Systems. The objective of the workshop was to discuss planetary protection issues for the Russian Mars '94 mission, which is currently under development, as well as for additional future Mars lander missions including the planned Mars '96 and U.S. MESUR Pathfinder and Network missions. A series of invited presentations was made to ensure that workshop participants had access to information relevant to the planned discussions. The topics summarized in this report include exobiology science objectives for Mars exploration, current international policy on planetary protection, planetary protection requirements developed for earlier missions, mission plans and designs for future U.S. and Russian Mars landers, biological contamination of spacecraft components, and techniques for spacecraft bioload reduction. In addition, the recent recommendations of the U.S. Space Studies Board (SSB) on this subject were also summarized. Much of the discussion focused on the recommendations of the SSB. The SSB proposed relaxing the planetary protection requirements for those Mars lander missions that do not contain life detection experiments, but maintaining Viking-like requirements for those missions that do contain life detection experiments. The SSB recommendations were found to be acceptable as a guide for future missions, although many questions and concerns about interpretation were raised and are summarized. Significant among the concerns was the need for more quantitative guidelines to prevent misinterpretation by project offices and better access to and use of the Viking data base of bio-assays to specify microbial burden targets. Among the questions raised were how will the SSB recommendations be integrated with existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) policy and how will they apply to and affect Mars '94, Mars '96, MESUR Pathfinder, and MESUR Network missions? One additional topic briefly considered at the workshop was the identification of some issues related to planetary protection considerations for Mars sample return missions. These issues will form the basis for a follow-on joint U.S./Russian workshop on that subject.

Planetary protection implementation on future Mars lander missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, Robert; Devincenzi, Donald L.

1993-01-01

A workshop was convened to discuss the subject of planetary protection implementation for Mars lander missions. It was sponsored and organized by the Exobiology Implementation Team of the U.S./Russian Joint Working Group on Space Biomedical and Life Support Systems. The objective of the workshop was to discuss planetary protection issues for the Russian Mars '94 mission, which is currently under development, as well as for additional future Mars lander missions including the planned Mars '96 and U.S. MESUR Pathfinder and Network missions. A series of invited presentations was made to ensure that workshop participants had access to information relevant to the planned discussions. The topics summarized in this report include exobiology science objectives for Mars exploration, current international policy on planetary protection, planetary protection requirements developed for earlier missions, mission plans and designs for future U.S. and Russian Mars landers, biological contamination of spacecraft components, and techniques for spacecraft bioload reduction. In addition, the recent recommendations of the U.S. Space Studies Board (SSB) on this subject were also summarized. Much of the discussion focused on the recommendations of the SSB. The SSB proposed relaxing the planetary protection requirements for those Mars lander missions that do not contain life detection experiments, but maintaining Viking-like requirements for those missions that do contain life detection experiments. The SSB recommendations were found to be acceptable as a guide for future missions, although many questions and concerns about interpretation were raised and are summarized. Significant among the concerns was the need for more quantitative guidelines to prevent misinterpretation by project offices and better access to and use of the Viking data base of bioassays to specify microbial burden targets. Among the questions raised were how will the SSB recommendations be integrated with existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) policy and how will they apply to and affect Mars '94, Mars '96, MESUR Pathfinder, and MESUR Network missions? One additional topic briefly considered at the workshop was the identification of some issues related to planetary protection considerations for Mars sample return missions. These issues will form the basis for a follow-on joint U.S./Russian workshop on that subject.

Curiosity: organic molecules on Mars? (Italian Title: Curiosity: molecole organiche su Marte?)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guaita, C.

2015-05-01

First analytical results from SAM instrument onboard of Curiosity are coherent with the presence, on Mars, of organic molecules possibly linked to bacterial metabolism. These data require also a modern revision of the debated results obtained by Viking landers.

Measurement of Martian boundary layer winds by the displacement of jettisoned lander hardware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paton, M. D.; Harri, A.-M.; Savijärvi, H.

2018-07-01

Martian boundary layer wind speed and direction measurements, from a variety of locations, seasons and times, are provided. For each lander sent to Mars over the last four decades a unique record of the winds blowing during their descent is preserved at each landing site. By comparing images acquired from orbiting spacecraft of the impact points of jettisoned hardware, such as heat shields and parachutes, to a trajectory model the winds can be measured. We start our investigations with the Viking lander 1 mission and end with Schiaparelli. In-between we extract wind measurements based on observations of the Beagle 2, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix and Curiosity landing sites. With one exception the wind at each site during the lander's descent were found to be < 8 m s-1. High speed winds were required to explain the displacement of jettisoned hardware at the Phoenix landing site. We found a tail wind ( > 20 m s-1), blowing from the north-west was required at a high altitude ( > 2 km) together with a gust close to the surface ( < 500 m altitude) originating from the north. All in all our investigations yielded a total of ten unique wind measurements in the PBL. One each from the Viking landers and one each from Beagle 2, Spirit, Opportunity and Schiaparelli. Two wind measurements, one above about 1 km altitude and one below, were possible from observations of the Curiosity and Phoenix landing site. Our findings are consistent with a turbulent PBL in the afternoon and calm PBL in the morning. When comparing our results to a GCM we found a good match in wind direction but not for wind speed. The information provided here makes available wind measurements previously unavailable to Mars atmosphere modellers and investigators.

Testing relativity with solar system dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hellings, R. W.

1984-01-01

A major breakthrough is described in the accuracy of Solar System dynamical tests of relativistic gravity. The breakthrough was achieved by factoring in ranging data from Viking Landers 1 and 2 from the surface of Mars. Other key data sources included optical transit circle observations, lunar laser ranging, planetary radar, and spacecraft (Mariner 9 to Mars and Mariner 10 to Mercury). The Solar System model which is used to fit the data and the process by which such fits are performed are explained and results are discussed. The results are fully consistent with the predictions of General Relativity.

Thermophysical Properties of the Phoenix Mars Landing Site Study Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putzig, N. E.; Mellon, M. T.; Golombek, M. P.; Arvidson, R. E.

2006-03-01

Analysis of Phoenix Mars study regions places 4 of 5 in a previously-identified duricrust-dominated thermophysical unit which also contains the Viking and Spirit landing sites. Extrapolation of lander-observed properties to the study regions may be complicated by surface heterogeneity.

The Effect of CO2 Ice Cap Sublimation on Mars Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batterson, Courtney

2016-01-01

Sublimation of the polar CO2 ice caps on Mars is an ongoing phenomenon that may be contributing to secular climate change on Mars. The transfer of CO2 between the surface and atmosphere via sublimation and deposition may alter atmospheric mass such that net atmospheric mass is increasing despite seasonal variations in CO2 transfer. My study builds on previous studies by Kahre and Haberle that analyze and compare data from the Phoenix and Viking Landers 1 and 2 to determine whether secular climate change is happening on Mars. In this project, I use two years worth of temperature, pressure, and elevation data from the MSL Curiosity rover to create a program that allows for successful comparison of Curiosity pressure data to Viking Lander pressure data so a conclusion can be drawn regarding whether CO2 ice cap sublimation is causing a net increase in atmospheric mass and is thus contributing to secular climate change on Mars.

Development and testing of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the Mars Rover Program : elemental analysis at stand-off distances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cremers, D. A.; Wiens, R. C.; Arp, Z. A.

2003-01-01

One of the most Fundamental pieces of information about any planetary body is the elemental cornposition of its surface materials. The Viking Martian landers employed XRF (x-ray fluorescence) and the MER rovers are carrying APXS (alpha-proton x-ray spectrometer) instruments upgraded from that used on the Pathfinder rover to supply elemental composition information for soils and rocks for which direct contact is possible. These in-situ analyses require that the lander or rover be in contact with the sample

The MASSE Project: Applications of Biotechnology for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynch, Kennda; Steele, Andrew; Hedgecock, Jud; Wainwright, Norm; McKay, David S.; Maule, Jake; Schweitzer, Mary

2003-01-01

Automated life-detection experiments for solar system exploration have been previously. proposed and used onboard the. Viking, Mars lander,s, although. with ambiguous results. The recent advances in biotechnology such as biosensors, protein microarrays, and microfluidics alongside increased. knowledge in biomarker science have led to vastly improved sophistication and sensitivity for a new approach in life detection. The MASSE project has taken the challenge of integrating all of this knowledge into a new generation of interplanetary flight instrumentation for the main purpose.ot combining several mutually. confirming tests for life, organic/microbial contamination, prebiotic and abiotic chemicals into a small low powered instrument. Although the primary goal is interplanetary exploration, several terrestrial applications have become apparent specifically in point-of-care medical technology, bio-warfare, environmental sensing and microbial monitoring of manned space-flight vehicles.

Overview of the Mars Science Laboratory Parachute Decelerator Subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sengupta, Anita; Steltzner, Adam; Witkowski, Al; Rowan, Jerry; Cruz, Juan

2007-01-01

In 2010 the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will deliver NASA's largest and most capable rover to the surface of Mars. MSL will explore previously unattainable landing sites due to the implementation of a high precision Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) system. The parachute decelerator subsystem (PDS) is an integral prat of the EDL system, providing a mass and volume efficient some of aerodynamic drag to decelerate the entry vehicle from Mach 2 to subsonic speeds prior to final propulsive descent to the sutface. The PDS for MSL is a mortar deployed 19.7m Viking type Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachute; chosen to meet the EDL timeline requirements and to utilize the heritage parachute systems from Viking, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rover, and Phoenix NASA Mars Lander Programs. The preliminary design of the parachute soft goods including materials selection, stress analysis, fabrication approach, and development testing will be discussed. The preliminary design of mortar deployment system including mortar system sizing and performance predictions, gas generator design, and development mortar testing will also be presented.

Remote X-Ray Diffraction and X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis on Planetary Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David F.; DeVincenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The legacy of planetary X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) began in 1960 when W. Parish proposed an XRD instrument for deployment on the moon. The instrument was built and flight qualified, but the Lunar XRD program was cancelled shortly before the first human landing in 1969. XRF chemical data have been collected in situ by surface landers on Mars (Viking 1 & 2, Pathfinder) and Venus (Venera 13 & 14). These highly successful experiments provide critical constraints on our current understanding of surface processes and planetary evolution. However, the mineralogy, which is more critical to planetary surface science than simple chemical analysis, will remain unknown or will at best be imprecisely constrained until X-ray diffraction (XRD) data are collected. Recent progress in X-ray detector technology allows the consideration of simultaneous XRD (mineralogic analysis) and high-precision XRF (elemental analysis) in systems miniaturized to the point where they can be mounted on fixed landers or small robotic rovers. There is a variety of potential targets for XRD/XRF equipped landers within the solar system, the most compelling of which are the poles of the moon, the southern highlands of Mars and Europa.

Image quality prediction: an aid to the Viking Lander imaging investigation on Mars.

PubMed

Huck, F O; Wall, S D

1976-07-01

Two Viking spacecraft scheduled to land on Mars in the summer of 1976 will return multispectral panoramas of the Martian surface with resolutions 4 orders of magnitude higher than have been previously obtained and stereo views with resolutions approaching that of the human eye. Mission constraints and uncertainties require a carefully planned imaging investigation that is supported by a computer model of camera response and surface features to aid in diagnosing camera performance, in establishing a preflight imaging strategy, and in rapidly revising this strategy if pictures returned from Mars reveal unfavorable or unanticipated conditions.

The Gas Exchange Experiment for life detection - The Viking Mars Lander.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oyama, V. I.

1972-01-01

The Gas Exchange Experiment of the Viking mission accepts a sample of Martian soil, incubates this soil with nutrient medium, and periodically samples the enclosed atmosphere over this soil for the gases H2, N2, O2, Kr, and CO2. These gases are analyzed by an automated gas chromatograph, and the data are transmitted to earth. The design of the experiment and the qualitative and quantitative changes, if any, of gas composition should allow conclusions to be made on the presence of life on Mars. Data and theory substantiating this approach are presented.

On the structure of the upper atmosphere of Mars according to data from experiments on the Viking space vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Izakov, M. N.

1979-01-01

Altitude profiles of the concentrations of the atmospheric components measured by the on board mass spectrometers during the descent of Viking lander are discussed by assuming that temperature has a smoother profile, and the eddy mixing coefficients are smaller at altitudes of 120 to 170 km than those formally determined. The influence of acoustic gravitational waves and errors in measurements and calculations are discussed in relation to the convolutions in the altitude profiles of the concentrations of the atmospheric components and the temperature of the atmosphere.

Viking heat sterilization - Progress and problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daspit, L. P.; Cortright, E. M.; Stern, J. A.

1974-01-01

The Viking Mars landers to be launched in 1975 will carry experiments in biology, planetology, and atmospheric physics. A terminal dry-heat sterilization process using an inert gas was chosen to meet planetary quarantine requirements and preclude contamination of the biology experiment by terrestrial organisms. Deep sterilization is performed at the component level and terminal surface sterilization at the system level. Solutions to certain component problems relating to sterilization are discussed, involving the gyroscope, tape recorder, battery, electronic circuitry, and outgassing. Heat treatment placed special requirements on electronic packaging, including fastener preload monitoring and solder joints. Chemical and physical testing of nonmetallic materials was performed to establish data on their behavior in heat-treatment and vacuum environments. A Thermal Effects Test Model and a Proof Test Capsule were used. It is concluded that a space vehicle can be designed and fabricated to withstand heat sterilization requirements.

Comparison of property between two Viking Seismic tapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Yamada, R.

2016-12-01

Tthe restoration work of the seismometer data onboard Viking Lander 2 is still continuing. Originally, the data were processed and archived both in MIT and UTIG separately, and each data is accessible via the Internet today. Their file formats to store the data are different, but both of them are currently readable due to the continuous investigation. However, there is some inconsistency between their data although most of their data are highly consistent. To understand the differences, the knowledge of archiving and off-line processing of spacecraft is required because these differences are caused by the off-line processing.The data processing of spacecraft often requires merge and sort processing of raw data. The merge processing is normally performed to eliminate duplicated data, and the sort processing is performed to fix data order. UTIG did not seem to perform these merge and sort processing. Therefore, the UTIG processed data remain duplication. The MIT processed data did these merge and sort processing, but the raw data sometimes include wrong time tags, and it cannot be fixed strictly after sort processing. Also, the MIT processed data has enough documents to understand metadata, while UTIG data has a brief instruction. Therefore, both of MIT and UTIG data are treated complementary. A better data set can be established using both of them. In this presentation, we would show the method to build a better data set of Viking Lander 2 seismic data.

Perchlorate Radiolysis on Mars and the Origin of Martian Soil Reactivity

PubMed Central

Martucci, Hana F.H.; Miller, Stephanie R.; Bryson, Charles E.; Grunthaner, Frank J.; Grunthaner, Paula J.

2013-01-01

Abstract Results from the Viking biology experiments indicate the presence of reactive oxidants in martian soils that have previously been attributed to peroxide and superoxide. Instruments on the Mars Phoenix Lander and the Mars Science Laboratory detected perchlorate in martian soil, which is nonreactive under the conditions of the Viking biology experiments. We show that calcium perchlorate exposed to gamma rays decomposes in a CO2 atmosphere to form hypochlorite (ClO−), trapped oxygen (O2), and chlorine dioxide (ClO2). Our results show that the release of trapped O2 (g) from radiation-damaged perchlorate salts and the reaction of ClO− with amino acids that were added to the martian soils can explain the results of the Viking biology experiments. We conclude that neither hydrogen peroxide nor superoxide is required to explain the results of the Viking biology experiments. Key Words: Mars—Radiolysis—Organic degradation—in situ measurement—Planetary habitability and biosignatures. Astrobiology 13, 515–520. PMID:23746165

Mineral/Water Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

An x-ray fluorescence spectrometer developed for the Viking Landers by Martin Marietta was modified for geological exploration, water quality monitoring, and aircraft engine maintenance. The aerospace system was highly miniaturized and used very little power. It irradiates the sample causing it to emit x-rays at various energies, then measures the energy levels for sample composition analysis. It was used in oceanographic applications and modified to identify element concentrations in ore samples, on site. The instrument can also analyze the chemical content of water, and detect the sudden development of excessive engine wear.

A Reassessment of the Mars Ocean Hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, T. J.

2004-01-01

Initial work on the identification and mapping of potential ancient shorelines on Mars was based on Viking Orbiter image data (Parker et al., 1987, 1989, 1993). The Viking Orbiters were designed to locate landing site for the two landers and were not specifically intended to map the entire planet. Fortunately, they mapped the entire planet. Unfortunately, they did so at an average resolution of greater than 200m/pixel. Higher resolution images, even mosaics of interesting regions, are available, but relatively sparse. Mapping of shorelines on Earth requires both high-resolution aerial photos or satellite images and good topographic information. Three significant sources of additional data from missions subsequent to Viking are useful for reassessing the ocean hypothesis. These are: MGS MOC images; MGS MOLA topography; Odyssey THEMIS IR and VIS images; and MER surface geology at Meridiani and Gusev. Okay, my mistake: Four.

Photogrammetric analysis of horizon panoramas: The Pathfinder landing site in Viking orbiter images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oberst, J.; Jaumann, R.; Zeitler, W.; Hauber, E.; Kuschel, M.; Parker, T.; Golombek, M.; Malin, M.; Soderblom, L.

1999-01-01

Tiepoint measurements, block adjustment techniques, and sunrise/sunset pictures were used to obtain precise pointing data with respect to north for a set of 33 IMP horizon images. Azimuth angles for five prominent topographic features seen at the horizon were measured and correlated with locations of these features in Viking orbiter images. Based on this analysis, the Pathfinder line/sample coordinates in two raw Viking images were determined with approximate errors of 1 pixel, or 40 m. Identification of the Pathfinder location in orbit imagery yields geological context for surface studies of the landing site. Furthermore, the precise determination of coordinates in images together with the known planet-fixed coordinates of the lander make the Pathfinder landing site the most important anchor point in current control point networks of Mars. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

No Organic Compounds on Mars? Understanding the Structure of Spiral Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Nancy D.; Morrison, David

1977-01-01

A prime goal of the Viking missions to Mars is to search for life on that planet. Each of the two landers incorporate three specific life-detection experiments, and all have operated successfully. However, as any newspaper reader knows, the results are ambiguous, in that some experiments suggest a highly active martian biology while others appear to indicate that the samples are sterile. It would be premature to conclude from the results of the biological experiments that martian life forms have definitely been detected. In addition, the picture is clouded by unexpected results from another Viking experiment, which is designed to detect organic and inorganic chemical compounds in the martian soil. In Science for 1 October 1976, K. Biemann of MIT and ten of his colleagues report the first results from the Viking 1 Gas-Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) experiment.

Project Viking.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

NASA will launch two spacecraft to Mars in 1975 to soft-land on the surface and test for signs of life. After confirming the site data from orbit, each of the spacecraft will separate into two parts, an orbiter and a lander. Together they will conduct scientific studies of the Martian atmosphere and surface. The lander's instruments will collect data for transmission to earth, direct or via the orbiter, including panoramic, stereo color pictures of its immediate surroundings, molecular organic and inorganic analyses of the soil, and atmospheric, meteorological, magnetic, and seismic characteristics. It will also make measurements of the atmosphere as it descends to the surface.

Determination of the hypersonic-continuum/rarefied-flow drag coefficient of the Viking lander capsule 1 aeroshell from flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanchard, R. C.; Walberg, G. D.

1980-01-01

Results of an investigation to determine the full scale drag coefficient in the high speed, low density regime of the Viking lander capsule 1 entry vehicle are presented. The principal flight data used in the study were from onboard pressure, mass spectrometer, and accelerometer instrumentation. The hypersonic continuum flow drag coefficient was unambiguously obtained from pressure and accelerometer data; the free molecule flow drag coefficient was indirectly estimated from accelerometer and mass spectrometer data; the slip flow drag coefficient variation was obtained from an appropriate scaling of existing experimental sphere data. Comparison of the flight derived drag hypersonic continuum flow regime except for Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 100,000, for which an unaccountable difference between flight and ground test data of about 8% existed. The flight derived drag coefficients in the free molecule flow regime were considerably larger than those previously calculated with classical theory. The general character of the previously determined temperature profile was not changed appreciably by the results of this investigation; however, a slightly more symmetrical temperature variation at the highest altitudes was obtained.

Mars Pathfinder meteorological observations on the basis of results of an atmospheric global circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forget, Francois; Hourdin, F.; Talagrand, O.

1994-01-01

The Mars Pathfinder Meteorological Package (ASI/MET) will measure the local pressure, temperature, and winds at its future landing site, somewhere between the latitudes 0 deg N and 30 deg N. Comparable measurements have already been obtained at the surface of Mars by the Viking Landers at 22 deg N (VL1) and 48 deg N (VL2), providing much useful information on the martian atmosphere. In particular the pressure measurements contain very instructive information on the global atmospheric circulation. At the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (LMD), we have analyzed and simulated these measurements with a martian atmospheric global circulation model (GCM), which was the first to simulate the martian atmospheric circulation over more than 1 year. The model is able to reproduce rather accurately many observed features of the martian atmosphere, including the long- and short-period oscillations of the surface pressure observed by the Viking landers. From a meteorological point of view, we think that a landing site located near or at the equator would be an interesting choice.

Completion of the Viking Labeled Release experiment on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levin, G. V.; Straat, P. A.

1979-01-01

The final Labeled Release (LR) cycle on each Viking lander tested a surface sample that had been stored for several months at approximately 10 C prior to the onset of the active sequence. At each lander site, activity was strongly diminished. This thermal sensitivity of the active agent on the surface of Mars is consistent with a biological explanation of the LR experiment. At the end of one of these cycles, the incubation mixture was heated to 50 C to release any radioactive gas trapped in the sample matrix. The results suggest that more than one carbon substrate is involved in the LR reaction on Mars. The thermal data from the stored samples, coupled with data from previous cycles, have formed the basis for evaluation of the thermal decomposition of the Mars active agent. The slope of the resulting Arrhenius plot has been used to test the fit of other flight data and to calculate the activation energy for thermal decomposition of the Mars agent. The results and their interpretation still leave unresolved the question of whether the Mars LR data were generated by biological or chemical activity.

Completion of the Viking labeled release experiment on Mars.

PubMed

Levin, G V; Straat, P A

1979-12-01

The final Labeled Release (LR) cycle on each Viking lander tested a surface sample that had been stored for several months at approximately 10 degrees C prior to the onset of the active sequence. At each lander site, activity was strongly diminished. This thermal sensitivity of the active agent on the surface of Mars is consistent with a biological explanation of the LR experiment. At the end of one of these cycles, the incubation mixture was heated to 50 degrees C to release any radioactive gas trapped in the sample matrix. The results suggest that more than one carbon substrate is involved in the LR reaction on Mars. The thermal data from the stored samples, coupled with data from previous cycles, have formed the basis for evaluation of the thermal decomposition of the Mars active agent. The slope of the resulting Arrhenius plot has been used to test the fit of other flight data and to calculate the activation energy for thermal decomposition of the Mars agent. The results and their interpretation still leave unresolved the question of whether the Mars LR data were generated by biological or chemical activity.

Wind reconstruction algorithm for Viking Lander 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kynkäänniemi, Tuomas; Kemppinen, Osku; Harri, Ari-Matti; Schmidt, Walter

2017-06-01

The wind measurement sensors of Viking Lander 1 (VL1) were only fully operational for the first 45 sols of the mission. We have developed an algorithm for reconstructing the wind measurement data after the wind measurement sensor failures. The algorithm for wind reconstruction enables the processing of wind data during the complete VL1 mission. The heater element of the quadrant sensor, which provided auxiliary measurement for wind direction, failed during the 45th sol of the VL1 mission. Additionally, one of the wind sensors of VL1 broke down during sol 378. Regardless of the failures, it was still possible to reconstruct the wind measurement data, because the failed components of the sensors did not prevent the determination of the wind direction and speed, as some of the components of the wind measurement setup remained intact for the complete mission. This article concentrates on presenting the wind reconstruction algorithm and methods for validating the operation of the algorithm. The algorithm enables the reconstruction of wind measurements for the complete VL1 mission. The amount of available sols is extended from 350 to 2245 sols.

The seasonal CO2 cycle on Mars - An application of an energy balance climate model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, P. B.; North, G. R.

1982-01-01

Energy balance climate models of the Budyko-Sellers variety are applied to the carbon-dioxide cycle on Mars. Recent data available from the Viking mission, in particular the seasonal pressure variations measured by Viking landers, are used to constrain the models. No set of parameters was found for which a one-dimensional model parameterized in terms of ground temperature gave an adequate fit to the observed pressure variations. A modified, two-dimensional model including the effects of dust storms and the polar hood reasonably reproduces the pressure curve, however. The implications of these results for Martian climate changes are discussed.

Abstracts for the Planetary Geology Field Conference on Aeolian Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, R. (Editor); Black, D. (Editor)

1978-01-01

The Planetary Geology Field Conference on Aeolian Processes was organized at the request of the Planetary Geology Program office of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to bring together geologists working on aeolian problems on earth and planetologists concerned with similar problems on the planets. Abstracts of papers presented at the conference are arranged herein by alphabetical order of the senior author. Papers fall into three broad categories: (1) Viking Orbiter and Viking Lander results on aeolian processes and/or landforms on Mars, (2) laboratory results on studies of aeolian processes, and (3) photogeology and field studies of aeolian processes on Earth.

Sulfate Formation on Mars by Volcanic Aerosols: A New Look

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaney, D. L.

1996-03-01

Sulfur was measured at both Viking Lander sites in abundances of 5-9 wt % SO3. Because the sulfur was more concentrated in clumps which disintegrated and the general oxidized nature of the Martian soil, these measurements led to the assumption that a sulfate duricrust existed. Two types of models for sulfate formation have been proposed. One is a formation by upwardly migrating ground water. The other is the formation of sulfates by the precipitation of volcanic aerosols. Most investigators have tended to favor the ground water origin of sulfates on Mars. However, evidence assemble since Viking may point to a volcanic aerosol origin.

Viking Lander's Buried Footpad #3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

One of Viking l's three feet, which should be visible in this view, lies buried beneath a cover of loose Martian soil. This picture, taken Sunday (August 1), is the first to show the buried footpad #3. If not buried, the edge of the foot would be seen extending across the picture about midway between top and bottom. The foot sank about five inches, and fine-grained soil slumped into the depression and over the foot. The cracked nature of the surface near the slump area and the small, steep cliff at left indicates that the material is weakly cohesive. The surface material here is very similar mechanically to lunar soil.

Computations of Viking Lander Capsule Hypersonic Aerodynamics with Comparisons to Ground and Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edquist, Karl T.

2006-01-01

Comparisons are made between the LAURA Navier-Stokes code and Viking Lander Capsule hypersonic aerodynamics data from ground and flight measurements. Wind tunnel data are available for a 3.48 percent scale model at Mach 6 and a 2.75 percent scale model at Mach 10.35, both under perfect gas air conditions. Viking Lander 1 aerodynamics flight data also exist from on-board instrumentation for velocities between 2900 and 4400 m/sec (Mach 14 to 23.3). LAURA flowfield solutions are obtained for the geometry as tested or flown, including sting effects at tunnel conditions and finite-rate chemistry effects in flight. Using the flight vehicle center-of-gravity location (trim angle approx. equals -11.1 deg), the computed trim angle at tunnel conditions is within 0.31 degrees of the angle derived from Mach 6 data and 0.13 degrees from the Mach 10.35 trim angle. LAURA Mach 6 trim lift and drag force coefficients are within 2 percent of measured data, and computed trim lift-to-drag ratio is within 4 percent of the data. Computed trim lift and drag force coefficients at Mach 10.35 are within 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively, of wind tunnel data. Computed trim lift-to-drag ratio is within 2 percent of the Mach 10.35 data. Using the nominal density profile and center-of-gravity location, LAURA trim angle at flight conditions is within 0.5 degrees of the total angle measured from on-board instrumentation. LAURA trim lift and drag force coefficients at flight conditions are within 7 and 5 percent, respectively, of the flight data. Computed trim lift-to-drag ratio is within 4 percent of the data. Computed aerodynamics sensitivities to center-of-gravity location, atmospheric density, and grid refinement are generally small. The results will enable a better estimate of aerodynamics uncertainties for future Mars entry vehicles where non-zero angle-of-attack is required.

Physical properties of the surface materials at the Viking landing sites on Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, H.J.; Hutton, R.E.; Clow, G.D.; Spitzer, C.R.

1987-01-01

This report summarizes the results of the Physical Properties Investigation of the Viking '75 Project, activities of the surface samplers, and relevant results from other investigations. The two Viking Landers operated for nearly four martian years after landing on July 20 (Lander 1) and Sept. 3 (Lander 2), 1976; Lander 1 acquired its last pictures on or about Nov. 5, 1982. Lander 1 rests on a smooth, cratered plain at the west edge of Chryse Planitia (22.5 ? N, 48.0? W), and Lander 2 rests 200 km west of the crater Mie in Utopia Planitia (48.0? N, 225.7? W). Lander 1 views showed that dune-like deposits of drift material were superposed on rock-strewn surfaces. Soil-like material from the rock-strewn areas was called blocky material. Lander 2 views also showed a rock-strewn surface. Polygonal to irregular features, etched by the wind, revealed crusty to cloddy material among rocks. Both landers descended to the surface along nearly vertical trajectories. Velocities at touchdown were about 2 m/s for both landers. Footpad 2 of Lander 1 penetrated drift material 0.165 m, and footpad 3 penetrated blocky material 0.036 m. The two visible footpads of Lander 2 struck rocks. Erosion by exhausts from the forward engines produced craters with rims of mixed fine-grained material and platy to equidimensional clods, crusts, and fragments. Comparison of engine-exhaust erosion on Mars with terrestrial data suggested that drift material behaved like a weakly cohesive material with a grain size less than 3-9 /-lm. Although not sand, blocky and crusty to cloddy materials eroded like sand-with grain sizes of 0.01 or 0.2 cm. The surface samplers accomplished an impressive number of tasks. All experiments that required samples received samples. Deep holes, as much as 0.22 m deep, were excavated by both landers. Lander 2 successfully pushed rocks and collected samples from areas originally beneath the rocks. Tasks specifically accomplished for the Physical Properties Investigation include: (1) acquiring motor-current data while excavating trenches, (2) performing surface-bearing tests, (3) performing backhoe touchdowns, (4) attempting to chip or scratch rocks, (5) comminuting samples, (6) measuring subsurface diurnal temperatures, and (7) constructing conical piles of materials on and among rocks. Sample trenches in the three major types of soil-like materials were different from one another. Trenches in drift material, which were typically 0.06 m deep, had steep walls along much of their lengths, lumpy tailings and floors, and smooth domed surfaces with sparse fine fractures around their tips. Trenches in blocky material, which were typically 0.03-0.04 m deep, had steep walls near their tips, and surfaces around their tips were displaced upward and some appeared blocky. Trenches in crusty to cloddy material, which were typically 0.04-0.05 m deep, had steep and often irregular slopes near their tips, clods and slabs of crust in their tailings, and disrupted areas around their tips composed of mixed fine-grained material and slabs of crust or thick polygonal clods that had been displaced upwards. Data acquired during landing, trenching, surface-bearing tests, backhoe touchdowns, and from other science experiments were used to determine the mechanical properties of drift, blocky, and crusty to cloddy materials. Drift material appeared to be very fine grained, with local planes of weakness; in general, the drift material was consistent with a material having an angle of internal friction about 18?, a cohesion ranging from 0.7 to 3.0 kPa, and a bulk density of 1,200 kg/m 3 . Blocky material was consistent with a material having an angle of internal friction about 30?, cohesions from 1.5 to 16 kPa, and a bulk density of 1,600 kg/m 3 . Crusty to cloddy material had variable properties. For chiefly crusty to cloddy material, angles of internal friction were about 35 ? , and cohesions were from 0.5 to 5.2 kPa. For mixed fines and crusts, a

The Meteorological Experiment on the Mars Surveyor '98 Polar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crisp, D.

1999-01-01

When it lands on Mars on December 3, 1999, the Mars Surveyor '98 Mars Polar Lander (MPL) will provide the first opportunity to make in-situ measurements of the near-surface weather climate, and volatile inventory in the Martian south polar region. To make the most of this opportunity, the MPL's Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) payload includes the most comprehensive complement of meteorological instruments ever sent to Mars. Like the Viking and the Mars Pathfinder Lander, the MVACS Meteorological (Met) package includes sensors for measuring atmospheric pressures, temperatures, and wind velocities. This payload also includes a 2-channel tunable diode laser spectrometer for in-situ measurements of the atmospheric water vapor abundance near the ground, and improved instruments for measuring the relative abundances of oxygen isotopes (in water vapor and CO2) and a surface temperature probe for measuring the surface and sub-surface temperatures. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the environmental conditions anticipated at the surface in the Martian regions. We will then provide an over-view of the MVACS Met instrument and describe the MET sensors in detail, including their principle of operation, range, resolution, accuracy, sampling strategy, heritage, accommodation on the Lander, and their control and data handling system. Finally, we will describe the operational sequences, resource requirements, and the anticipated data volumes for each of the Met instruments.

The Viking mission search for life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, H. P.; Lederberg, J.; Rich, A.; Horowitz, N. H.; Oyama, V. I.; Levin, G. V.

1976-01-01

The scientific payload on the Viking Mars landers is described. Shortly after landing, two facsimile cameras capable of stereoscopic imaging will scan the landing site area in black and white, color, and infrared to reveal gross evidence of past or present living systems. A wide range mass spectrometer will record a complete mass spectrum for soil samples from mass 12 to mass 200 every 10.3 sec. Three experiments based on different assumptions on the nature of life on Mars, if it exists, will be carried out by the bio-lab. A pyrolytic release experiment is designed to measure photosynthetic or dark fixation of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into organic compounds. A labelled release experiment will test for metabolic activity during incubation of a surface sample moistened with a solution of radioactively labelled simple organic compounds. A gas exchange experiment will detect changes in the gaseous medium surrounding a soil sample as the result of metabolic activity. The hardware, function, and terrestrial test results of the bio-lab experiments are discussed.

Evaluation of wet tantalum capacitors after exposure to extended periods of ripple current, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, G. W.; Lasharr, J. C.; Shumaker, M. J.

1974-01-01

The application of tantalum capacitors in the Viking Lander includes both dc voltage and ripple current electrical stress, high temperature during nonoperating times (sterilization), and high vibration and shock loads. The capacitors must survive these severe environments without any degradation if reliable performance is to be achieved. A test program was established to evaluate both wet-slug tantalum and wet-foil capacitors under conditions accurately duplicating actual Viking applications. Test results of the electrical performance characteristics during extended periods of ripple current, the characteristics of the internal silver migration as a function for extended periods of ripple current, and the existence of any memory characteristics are presented.

Evaluation of wet tantalum capacitors after exposure to extended periods of ripple current, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, C. M.

1975-01-01

The application of tantalum capacitors in the Viking Lander includes dc voltage and ripple current electrical stress, high temperature during nonoperating times (sterilization), and high vibration and shock loads. The capacitors must survive these severe environments without any degradation if reliable performance is to be achieved. A test program was established to evaluate both wet-slug tantalum and wet-foil capacitors under conditions accurately duplicating actual Viking applications. Test results of the electrical performance characteristics during extended periods of ripple current, the characteristics of the internal silver migration as a function of extended periods of ripple current, and the existence of any memory characteristics are presented.

High Resolution Image From Viking Lander 1

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-12

NASA's Viking 1 took this high-resolution picture today, its third day on Mars. Distance from the camera to the nearfield (bottom) is about 4 meters (13 feet); to the horizon, about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles). The photo shows numerous angular blocks ranging in size from a few centimeters to several meters. The surface between the blocks is composed of fine-grained material. Accumulation of some fine-grained material behind blocks indicates wind deposition of dust and sand downwind of obstacles. The large block on the horizon is about 4 meters (13 feet) wide. Distance across the horizon is about 34 meters (110 feet). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00385

Studies of MGS TES and MPF MET Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Jeff R.

2003-01-01

The work supported by this grant was divided into two broad areas: (1) mesoscale modeling of atmospheric circulations and analyses of Pathfinder, Viking, and other Mars data, and (2) analyses of MGS TES temperature data. The mesoscale modeling began with the development of a suitable Mars mesoscale model based upon the terrestrial MM5 model, which was then applied to the simulation of the meteorological observations at the Pathfinder and Viking Lander 1 sites during northern summer. This extended study served a dual purpose: to validate the new mesoscale model with the best of the available in-situ data, and to use the model to aid in the interpretation of the surface meteorological data.

Physical properties (particle size, rock abundance) from thermal infrared remote observations: Implications for Mars landing sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christensen, P. R.; Edgett, Kenneth S.

1994-01-01

Critical to the assessment of potential sites for the 1997 Pathfinder landing is estimation of general physical properties of the martian surface. Surface properties have been studied using a variety of spacecraft and earth-based remote sensing observations, plus in situ studies at the Viking lander sites. Because of their value in identifying landing hazards and defining scientific objectives, we focus this discussion on thermal inertia and rock abundance derived from middle-infrared (6 to 30 microns) observations. Used in conjunction with other datasets, particularly albedo and Viking orbiter images, thermal inertia and rock abundance provide clues about the properties of potential Mars landing sites.

ExoMars Lander Radioscience LaRa, a Space Geodesy Experiment to Mars.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehant, Veronique; Le Maistre, Sebastien; Yseboodt, Marie; Peters, Marie-Julie; Karatekin, Ozgur; Van Hove, Bart; Rivoldini, Attilio; Baland, Rose-Marie; Van Hoolst, Tim

2017-04-01

The LaRa (Lander Radioscience) experiment is designed to obtain coherent two-way Doppler measurements from the radio link between the ExoMars lander and Earth over at least one Martian year. The instrument life time is thus almost twice the one Earth year of nominal mission duration. The Doppler measurements will be used to observe the orientation and rotation of Mars in space (precession, nutations, and length-of-day variations), as well as polar motion. The ultimate objective is to obtain information / constraints on the Martian interior, and on the sublimation / condensation cycle of atmospheric CO2. Rotational variations will allow us to constrain the moment of inertia of the entire planet, including its mantle and core, the moment of inertia of the core, and seasonal mass transfer between the atmosphere and the ice caps. The LaRa experiment will be combined with other ExoMars experiments, in order to retrieve a maximum amount of information on the interior of Mars. Specifically, combining LaRa's Doppler measurements with similar data from the Viking landers, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers landers, and the forthcoming InSight-RISE lander missions, will allow us to improve our knowledge on the interior of Mars with unprecedented accuracy, hereby providing crucial information on the formation and evolution of the red planet.

The Shock and Vibration Bulletin. Part 2. Invited Papers, Structural Dynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-08-01

VIKING LANDER DYNAMICS 41 Mr. Joseph C. Pohlen, Martin Marietta Aerospace, Denver, Colorado Structural Dynamics PERFORMANCE OF STATISTICAL ENERGY ANALYSIS 47...aerospace structures. Analytical prediction of these environments is beyond the current scope of classical modal techniques. Statistical energy analysis methods...have been developed that circumvent the difficulties of high-frequency nodal analysis. These statistical energy analysis methods are evaluated

Composition and stability of the condensate observed at the Viking Lander 2 site on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, H. M.; Jakosky, B. M.

1986-04-01

Surface energy balance and near-surface temperature data from the Viking Lander 2 site taken during the first winter that condensated were observed and analyzed to determine the relative stability of CO2 and H2O frosts. The CO2 frost stability is calculated with an equilibrium surface energy balance model, i.e., the total energy incident on a frost surface is compared with the blackbody energy emitted by the surface. The energy sources considered were IR emission from the atmosphere, sunlight, and the sensible heat flux from the atmosphere. H2O stability was examined as a function of buoyant diffusion and turbulent mixing processes which could remove saturated near-surface gases. The CO2 frost is found to be sufficiently unstable at the time the condensate was observed on the ground, so all CO2 ice deposited at night would boil away in a few hours of sunlight. CO2 ice would not form during a dust storm. Water frost would be stable during the condensate observations, since sublimation would occur at a rate below 1 micron/day. A stable winter thickness of 10 microns is projected for the water ice.

Martian dust storms witnessed by Viking Lander 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.; Guinness, R. E. A.

1984-01-01

Viking Lander 1 observations on Mars were punctuated by a strong local dust storm after two martian years of mild wind conditions. Tens of micrometers of dust settled to the surface during global dust storms of the first two falls and winters; some of this dust was locally removed during the second year. A late winter local dust storm of the first year caused little or no erosion of the surface materials despite wind speeds of 25 to 30 m/s. The strong local dust storm occurred during late winter of the third martian year. Winds of this storm altered and demolished small conical piles of surface materials constructed at the onset the first winter, removed 4 to 5 mm size fragments, displaced centimeter size fragments, destroyed clouds in areas disrupted by the sampler and footpad, eroded impact pits, and darkened the sky. Movement of erosional products and tiny wind tails indicate easterly to northeasterly winds. If the 4 to 5 mm size fragments were entrained and removd by the wind, threshold friction speeds near 3 to 5 m/s would have been required for the atmospheric temperatures and pressures that prevailed during the late winter of the third year.

Composition and stability of the condensate observed at the Viking Lander 2 site on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, H. M.; Jakosky, B. M.

1986-01-01

Surface energy balance and near-surface temperature data from the Viking Lander 2 site taken during the first winter that condensated were observed and analyzed to determine the relative stability of CO2 and H2O frosts. The CO2 frost stability is calculated with an equilibrium surface energy balance model, i.e., the total energy incident on a frost surface is compared with the blackbody energy emitted by the surface. The energy sources considered were IR emission from the atmosphere, sunlight, and the sensible heat flux from the atmosphere. H2O stability was examined as a function of buoyant diffusion and turbulent mixing processes which could remove saturated near-surface gases. The CO2 frost is found to be sufficiently unstable at the time the condensate was observed on the ground, so all CO2 ice deposited at night would boil away in a few hours of sunlight. CO2 ice would not form during a dust storm. Water frost would be stable during the condensate observations, since sublimation would occur at a rate below 1 micron/day. A stable winter thickness of 10 microns is projected for the water ice.

Martian surface materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.

1991-01-01

A semiquantitative appreciation for the physical properties of the Mars surface materials and their global variations can be gained from the Viking Lander and remote sensing observations. Analyses of Lander data yields estimates of the mechanical properties of the soil-like surface materials and best guess estimates can be made for the remote sensing signatures of the soil-like materials at the landing sites. Results show that significant thickness of powderlike surface materials with physical properties similar to drift material are present on Mars and probably pervasive in the Tharsis region. It also appears likely that soil-like materials similar to crusty to cloddy material are typical for Mars, and that soil-like material similar to blocky material are common on Mars.

Balloon exploration of the northern plains of Mars near and north of the Viking 2 landing site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Frederick R.

1993-01-01

The next stage of exploratory surveying of the northern plains of Mars after the Mars Observer mission may best be done by Mars Balloon Exploration Vehicles (MBEV's) deployed in the atmosphere above the northern plains near and north of the Viking 2 lander (VL-2) landing site. This region of Mars is favorable for exploration by MBEV's for the following reasons: (1) the low surface elevation (approximately 2km, lower than the standard (zero) elevation of the Martian surface) provides atmospheric pressure sufficient to allow a MBEV to successfully operate and explore this region at the present stage of MBEV design and development; and (2) the relatively smooth nature of the northern plains terrain (few mountains, ridges, valleys, and craters) indicated so far by Mariner 9 and Viking Orbiter data seems adequate for operation of a MBEV when its SNAKE extension is in contact with the surface of one of these plains. The science objectives are presented.

Dry Acid Deposition and Accumulation on the Surface of Mars and in the Atacama Desert, Chile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, R. C.; Zent, A. P.; Ehrenfruend, P.; Taylor, C. L.; McKay, C. P.; Garry, J. R. C.

2005-01-01

It has been discovered recently that soils from certain regions of the Chilean Atacama Desert have some characteristics that are similar to the surface materials tested by the Viking Landers. Navarro-Gonzalez et al. demonstrated that the quantity and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria increase as a function of local water availability in the Atacama, and that for some soil samples collected in the driest regions, no culturable bacteria could be isolated. Additionally, Navarro-Gonzalez et al. reported that pyrolysis-GCMS analysis of soils collected from these regions revealed extremely low levels of organic matter. Although the mechanism resulting in the low level of organics in these regions was not established by Navarro-Gonzalez, the condition of organic-depleted, near-sterile soil offers an interesting Earth analog of the martian surface material, as the Viking Gas Exchange (GEx) experiment and Labeled Release (LR) experiment were unable to demonstrate the presence of culturable bacteria, and the Viking pyrolysis- GCMS was unable to detect organic compounds.

Power subsystem performance prediction /PSPP/ computer program.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiner, H.; Weinstein, S.

1972-01-01

A computer program which simulates the operation of the Viking Orbiter Power Subsystem has been developed. The program simulates the characteristics and interactions of a solar array, battery, battery charge controls, zener diodes, power conditioning equipment, and the battery spacecraft and zener diode-spacecraft thermal interfaces. This program has been used to examine the operation of the Orbiter power subsystem during critical phases of the Viking mission - from launch, through midcourse maneuvers, Mars orbital insertion, orbital trims, Lander separation, solar occultations and unattended operation - until the end of the mission. A typical computer run for the first 24 hours after launch is presented which shows the variations in solar array, zener diode, battery charger, batteries and user load characteristics during this period.

Mars atmospheric opacity effects observed in the Northern Hemisphere by Viking orbiter imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thorpe, T. E.

1981-01-01

Viking orbiter television camera observations of Mars contrasts show variations of atmospheric opacity in the Southern Hemisphere. The study is extended into the Northern Hemisphere, over a longer time period, and results in a detailed description of photometric changes at the lander sites, as seen from orbit. During the period of January 1977 to April 1978, a series of four storms at 202 deg, 264 deg, 40 deg and 86 deg latitudes have provided photometric changes and planetwide aerosol distributions for 18 months. It is found that the large, forward-scattering particles did not enter the atmosphere at the storm's onsets. A reduction of atmospheric transmission by over 20% at visual wavelengths remained for nearly one Martian year.

Argon content of the Martian atmosphere at the Viking 1 landing site - Analysis by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, B. C.; Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H. J., Jr.; Baird, A. K.; Keil, K.

1976-01-01

Spectra provided by the Viking 1 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer operating in the calibration mode (without a soil sample in the analysis chamber) were analyzed to determine the argon content of the Martian atmosphere at the landing site. This was found to be less than or equal to 0.15 millibar, or not more than 2% by volume, consistent with data obtained by the entry mass spectrometer and by the mass spectrometer on the lander. It is anticipated that analysis of the K content of surface samples using X-ray fluorescence data will provide information on the evolution of the atmosphere, since most atmospheric argon is apparently produced by decay of K-40.

The atmosphere of Mars: detection of krypton and xenon.

PubMed

Owen, T; Biemann, K; Rushneck, D R; Biller, J E; Howarth, D W; Lafleur, A L

1976-12-11

Krypton and xenon have been discovered in the martian atmosphere with the mass spectrometer on the second Viking lander. Krypton is more abundant than xenon. The relative abundances of the krypton isotopes appear normal, but the ratio of xenon-129 to xenon-132 is enhanced on Mars relative to the terrestrial value for this ratio. Some possible implications of these findings are discussed.

Software requirements: Guidance and control software development specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withers, B. Edward; Rich, Don C.; Lowman, Douglas S.; Buckland, R. C.

1990-01-01

The software requirements for an implementation of Guidance and Control Software (GCS) are specified. The purpose of the GCS is to provide guidance and engine control to a planetary landing vehicle during its terminal descent onto a planetary surface and to communicate sensory information about that vehicle and its descent to some receiving device. The specification was developed using the structured analysis for real time system specification methodology by Hatley and Pirbhai and was based on a simulation program used to study the probability of success of the 1976 Viking Lander missions to Mars. Three versions of GCS are being generated for use in software error studies.

Design and evaluation of a filter spectrometer concept for facsimile cameras

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, W. L., IV; Jobson, D. J.; Rowland, C. W.

1974-01-01

The facsimile camera is an optical-mechanical scanning device which was selected as the imaging system for the Viking '75 lander missions to Mars. A concept which uses an interference filter-photosensor array to integrate a spectrometric capability with the basic imagery function of this camera was proposed for possible application to future missions. This paper is concerned with the design and evaluation of critical electronic circuits and components that are required to implement this concept. The feasibility of obtaining spectroradiometric data is demonstrated, and the performance of a laboratory model is described in terms of spectral range, angular and spectral resolution, and noise-equivalent radiance.

Aqueous history of Mars as inferred from landed mission measurements of rocks, soils, and water ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvidson, Raymond E.

2016-09-01

The missions that have operated on the surface of Mars acquired data that complement observations acquired from orbit and provide information that would not have been acquired without surface measurements. Data from the Viking Landers demonstrated that soils have basaltic compositions, containing minor amounts of salts and one or more strong oxidants. Pathfinder with its rover confirmed that the distal portion of Ares Vallis is the site of flood-deposited boulders. Spirit found evidence for hydrothermal deposits surrounding the Home Plate volcanoclastic feature. Opportunity discovered that the hematite signature on Meridiani Planum as seen from orbit is due to hematitic concretions concentrated on the surface as winds eroded sulfate-rich sandstones that dominate the Burns formation. The sandstones originated as playa muds that were subsequently reworked by wind and rising groundwater. Opportunity also found evidence on the rim of the Noachian Endurance Crater for smectites, with extensive leaching along fractures. Curiosity acquired data at the base of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater that allows reconstruction of a sustained fluvial-deltaic-lacustrine system prograding into the crater. Smectites and low concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons have been identified in the lacustrine deposits. Phoenix, landing above the Arctic Circle, found icy soils, along with low concentrations of perchlorate salt. Perchlorate is considered to be a strong candidate for the oxidant found by the Viking Landers. It is also a freezing point depressant and may play a role in allowing brines to exist at and beneath the surface in more modern periods of time on Mars.

Development and Testing of a New Family of Supersonic Decelerators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Ian G.; Adler, Mark; Rivellini, Tommaso P.

2013-01-01

The state of the art in Entry, Descent, and Landing systems for Mars applications is largely based on technologies developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's for the Viking Lander program. Although the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory has made advances in EDL technology, these are predominantly in the areas of entry (new thermal protection systems and guided hypersonic flight) and landing (the sky crane architecture). Increases in entry mass, landed mass, and landed altitude beyond MSL capabilities will require advances predominantly in the field of supersonic decelerators. With this in mind, a multi-year program has been initiated to advance three new types of supersonic decelerators that would enable future large-robotic and human-precursor class missions to Mars.

The geology of the terrestrial planets.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, M.H.

1983-01-01

During the last four years our knowledge of the geology of the terrestrial planets has advanced rapidly. The advances are particularly noticeable for Venus and Mars. Improved understanding of Venus has come largely from the Pioneer Venus mission. The period was also one of almost continuous data gathering for Mars as the Viking orbiters and landers, emplaced at the planet in 1976, continued to function. The last orbiter ran out of attitude- control gas in August of 1980 by which time about 55 000 pictures and vast amounts of infrared data had been collected. One lander continues to function and is expected to do so for several years. Only modest advances were made in the cases of Moon and Mercury, however, for little new data was acquired. -from Author

Analysis of continuous multi-seasonal in-situ subsurface temperature measurements on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paton, M. D.; Harri, A.-M.; Mäkinen, T.; Savijärvi, H.; Kemppinen, O.; Hagermann, A.

2015-10-01

Our investigations reveal the local thermal properties on the Martian surface at the Viking Lander 1 (VL-1) site. We achieved this by using the VL-1 footpad temperature sensor which was buried, and due to its location, was under shadow for extensive periods of time during each sol. Reconstruction of the surface and subsurface temperature history of the regolith in the vicinity of the temperature sensor was made using a 1-D atmospheric column model (UH-FMI) together with a thermal model of the lander. The results have implications for the interpretation of subsurface thermal measurements made close to a spacecraft or rock, interpretation of remote sensing measurements of thermal inertia and understanding the micro-scale behavior of the Martian atmosphere.

Possibilities for the detection of hydrogen peroxide-water-based life on Mars by the Phoenix Lander

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houtkooper, Joop M.; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk

2009-04-01

The Phoenix Lander landed on Mars on 25 May 2008. It has instruments on board to explore the geology and climate of subpolar Mars and to explore if life ever arose on Mars. Although the Phoenix mission is not a life detection mission per se, it will look for the presence of organic compounds and other evidence to support or discredit the notion of past or present life. The possibility of extant life on Mars has been raised by a reinterpretation of the Viking biology experiments [Houtkooper, J. M., Schulze-Makuch, D., 2007. A possible biogenic origin for hydrogen peroxide on Mars: the Viking results reinterpreted. International Journal of Astrobiology 6, 147-152]. The results of these experiments are in accordance with life based on a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide instead of water. The near-surface conditions on Mars would give an evolutionary advantage to organisms employing a mixture of H 2O 2 and H 2O in their intracellular fluid: the mixture has a low freezing point, is hygroscopic and provides a source of oxygen. The H 2O 2-H 2O hypothesis also explains the Viking results in a logically consistent way. With regard to its compatibility with cellular contents, H 2O 2 is used for a variety of purposes in terran biochemistry. The ability of the anticipated organisms to withstand low temperatures and the relatively high water vapor content of the atmosphere in the Martian arctic, means that Phoenix will land in an area not inimical to H 2O 2-H 2O-based life. Phoenix has a suite of instruments which may be able to detect the signatures of such putative organisms.

Solar radiation on a catenary collector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crutchik, M.; Appelbaum, J.

1992-01-01

A tent-shaped structure with a flexible photovoltaic blanket acting as a catenary collector is presented. The shadow cast by one side of the collector produces a shadow on the other side of the collector. This self-shading effect is analyzed. The direct beam, the diffuse, and the albedo radiation on the collector are determined. An example is given for the insolation on the collector operating on Viking Lander 1 (VL1).

Anemometers for Mars. [Viking '75 wind measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, R. M.; Greene, G. C.

1974-01-01

An investigation is conducted concerning the problems involved in the conduction of wind measurements on the planet Mars, taking into account the currently known characteristics of the Martian atmosphere. Problems introduced by the presence of the lander are examined. The suitability of several different types of anemometers for making the measurements is discussed, giving attention to rotating anemometers, sonic anemometers, ion tracers, drag force anemometers, pitot tubes, and thermal anemometers.

Cytochemical studies of planetary microorganisms - Explorations in exobiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lederberg, J.

1972-01-01

Analytical methodology using gas chromatography and mass spectrography for improved physiological monitoring of astronauts is developed. Reported research covers the following topics: (1) Chlorination of DNA bases; (2) mass fragmentography; (3) mass spectrometry; (4) urine analysis for metabolic constituents; (5) analysis of natural products by mass spectrometry; (6) computer identification of unknown molecular compounds; (7) fluorescent sorter for cell separation; (8) Mariner Mars 1971 orbital photography; and (9) Viking Lander imagery.

Measurements of Oxychlorine species on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutter, B.; Quinn, R. C.; Archer, P. D.; Glavin, D. P.; Glotch, T. D.; Kounaves, S. P.; Osterloo, M. M.; Rampe, E. B.; Ming, D. W.

2017-07-01

Mars landed and orbiter missions have instrumentation capable of detecting oxychlorine phases (e.g. perchlorate, chlorate) on the surface. Perchlorate (~0.6 wt%) was first detected by the Wet Chemistry Laboratory in the surface material at the Phoenix Mars Landing site. Subsequent analyses by the Thermal Evolved Gas Analyser aboard the same lander detected an oxygen release (~465°C) consistent with the thermal decomposition of perchlorate. Recent thermal analysis by the Mars Science Laboratory's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument has also indicated the presence of oxychlorine phases (up to 1.2 wt%) in Gale Crater materials. Despite being at detectable concentrations, the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffractometer has not detected oxychlorine phases. This suggests that Gale Crater oxychlorine may exist as poorly crystalline phases or that perchlorate/chlorate mixtures exist, so that individual oxychlorine concentrations are below CheMin detection limits (~1 wt%). Although not initially designed to detect oxychlorine phases, reinterpretation of Viking Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer data also suggest that oxychlorine phases are present in the Viking surface materials. Remote near-infrared spectral analyses by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument indicate that at least some martian recurring slope lineae (RSL) have spectral signatures consistent with the presence of hydrated perchlorates or chlorates during the seasons when RSL are most extensive. Despite the thermal emission spectrometer, Thermal Emission Imaging System, Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité and CRISM detection of hundreds of anhydrous chloride (~10-25 vol%) deposits, expected associated oxychlorine phases (>5-10 vol%) have not been detected. Total Cl and oxychlorine data sets from the Phoenix Lander and the Mars Science Laboratory missions could be used to develop oxychlorine versus total Cl correlations, which may constrain oxychlorine concentrations at other locations on Mars by using total Cl determined by other missions (e.g. Viking, Pathfinder, MER and Odyssey). Development of microfluidic or `lab-on-a-chip' instrumentation has the potential to be the next generation analytical capability used to identify and quantify individual oxychlorine species on future landed robotic missions to Mars.

Mineralogic and petrologic implications of Viking geochemical results from Mars - Interim report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baird, A. K.; Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H. J., Jr.; Christian, R. P.; Clark, B. C.; Keil, K.; Gooding, J. L.

1976-01-01

Chemical results from four samples of Martian fines delivered to Viking landers 1 and 2 are remarkably similar in that they all have high iron; moderate magnesium, calcium, and sulfur; low aluminum; and apparently very low alkalies and trace elements. This composition is best interpreted as representing the weathering products of mafic igneous rocks. A mineralogic model, derived from computer mixing studies and laboratory analog preparations, suggests that Mars fines could be an intimate mixture of about 80% iron-rich clay, about 10% magnesium sulfate (kieserite), about 5% carbonate (calcite), and about 5% iron oxides (hematite, magnetite, maghemite, goethite). The mafic nature of the present fines (distributed globally) and their probable source rocks seems to preclude large-scale planetary differentiation of a terrestrial nature.

Mineralogic and petrologic implications of viking geochemical results from Mars: interim report.

PubMed

Baird, A K; Toulmin, P; Clark, B C; Rose, H J; Keil, K; Christian, R P; Gooding, J L

1976-12-11

Chemical results from four samples of martian fines delivered to Viking landers 1 and 2 are remarkably similar in that they all have high iron; moderate magnesium, calcium, and sulfur; low aluminum; and apparently very low alkalies and trace elements. This composition is best interpreted as representing the weathering products of mafic igneous rocks. A mineralogic model, derived from computer mixing studies and laboratory analog preparations, suggests that Mars fines could be an intimate mixture of about 80 percent iron-rich clay, about 10 percent magnesium sulfate (kieserite?), about 5 percent carbonate (calcite), and about 5 percent iron oxides (hematite, magnetite, maghemite, goethite?). The mafic nature of the present fines (distributed globally) and their probable source rocks seems to preclude large-scale planetary differentiation of a terrestrial nature.

Lander rocket exhaust effects on Europa regolith nitrogen assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph D.

2016-08-01

Soft-landings on large worlds such as Europa or our Moon require near-surface retropropulsion, which leads to impingement of the rocket plume on the surface. Surface modification by such plumes was documented on Apollo and Surveyor, and on Mars by Viking, Curiosity and especially Phoenix. The low temperatures of the Europan regolith may lead to efficient trapping of ammonia, a principal component of the exhaust from monopropellant hydrazine thrusters. Deposited ammonia may react with any trace organics, and may overwhelm the chemical and isotopic signatures of any endogenous nitrogen compounds, which are likely rare on Europa. An empirical correlation of the photometrically-altered regions ('blast zones') around prior lunar and Mars landings is made, indicating A=0.02T1.5, where A is the area in m2 and W is the lander weight (thus, ~thrust) at landing in N: this suggests surface alteration will occur out to a distance of ~9 m from a 200 kg lander on Europa.

Solar radiation on Mars: Update 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Flood, Dennis J.

1990-01-01

Detailed information on solar radiation characteristics on Mars are necessary for effective design of future planned solar energy systems operating on the surface of Mars. The authors present a procedure and solar radiation related data from which the diurnally and daily variation of the global, direct beam and diffuse insolation on Mars are calculated. The radiation data are based on measured optical depth of the Martian atmosphere derived from images taken of the Sun with a special diode on the Viking Lander cameras and computation based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation. This work is an update to NASA-TM-102299 and includes a refinement of the solar radiation model.

On Mars too expect macroweather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovejoy, Shaun; Muller, J.-P.; Boisvert, J. P.

2014-11-01

Terrestrial atmospheric and oceanic spectra show drastic transitions at τw ≈ 10 days and τow ≈ 1 year, respectively; this has been theorized as the lifetime of planetary-scale structures. For wind and temperature, the forms of the low- and high-frequency parts of the spectra (macroweather and weather) as well as the τw can be theoretically estimated, the latter depending notably on the solar-induced turbulent energy flux. We extend the theory to other planets and test it using Viking lander and reanalysis data from Mars. When the Martian spectra are scaled by the theoretical amount, they agree very well with their terrestrial atmospheric counterparts. We discuss the implications for understanding planetary fluid dynamical systems.

The Case for Extant Life on Mars and Its Possible Detection by the Viking Labeled Release Experiment.

PubMed

Levin, Gilbert V; Straat, Patricia Ann

2016-10-01

The 1976 Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment was positive for extant microbial life on the surface of Mars. Experiments on both Viking landers, 4000 miles apart, yielded similar, repeatable, positive responses. While the authors eventually concluded that the experiment detected martian life, this was and remains a highly controversial conclusion. Many believe that the martian environment is inimical to life and the LR responses were nonbiological, attributed to an as-yet-unidentified oxidant (or oxidants) in the martian soil. Unfortunately, no further metabolic experiments have been conducted on Mars. Instead, follow-on missions have sought to define the martian environment, mostly searching for signs of water. These missions have collected considerable data regarding Mars as a habitat, both past and present. The purpose of this article is to consider recent findings about martian water, methane, and organics that impact the case for extant life on Mars. Further, the biological explanation of the LR and recent nonbiological hypotheses are evaluated. It is concluded that extant life is a strong possibility, that abiotic interpretations of the LR data are not conclusive, and that, even setting our conclusion aside, biology should still be considered as an explanation for the LR experiment. Because of possible contamination of Mars by terrestrial microbes after Viking, we note that the LR data are the only data we will ever have on biologically pristine martian samples. Key Words: Extant life on Mars-Viking Labeled Release experiment-Astrobiology-Extraterrestrial life-Mars. Astrobiology 16, 798-810.

The limitations on organic detection in Mars-like soils by thermal volatilization-gas chromatography-MS and their implications for the Viking results.

PubMed

Navarro-González, Rafael; Navarro, Karina F; de la Rosa, José; Iñiguez, Enrique; Molina, Paola; Miranda, Luis D; Morales, Pedro; Cienfuegos, Edith; Coll, Patrice; Raulin, François; Amils, Ricardo; McKay, Christopher P

2006-10-31

The failure of Viking Lander thermal volatilization (TV) (without or with thermal degradation)-gas chromatography (GC)-MS experiments to detect organics suggests chemical rather than biological interpretations for the reactivity of the martian soil. Here, we report that TV-GC-MS may be blind to low levels of organics on Mars. A comparison between TV-GC-MS and total organics has been conducted for a variety of Mars analog soils. In the Antarctic Dry Valleys and the Atacama and Libyan Deserts we find 10-90 mug of refractory or graphitic carbon per gram of soil, which would have been undetectable by the Viking TV-GC-MS. In iron-containing soils (jarosites from Rio Tinto and Panoche Valley) and the Mars simulant (palogonite), oxidation of the organic material to carbon dioxide (CO(2)) by iron oxides and/or their salts drastically attenuates the detection of organics. The release of 50-700 ppm of CO(2) by TV-GC-MS in the Viking analysis may indicate that an oxidation of organic material took place. Therefore, the martian surface could have several orders of magnitude more organics than the stated Viking detection limit. Because of the simplicity of sample handling, TV-GC-MS is still considered the standard method for organic detection on future Mars missions. We suggest that the design of future organic instruments for Mars should include other methods to be able to detect extinct and/or extant life.

Solar radiation on a catenary collector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crutchik, M.; Appelbaum, J.

1992-01-01

A tent-shaped structure with a flexible photovoltaic blanket acting as a catenary collector is presented. The shadow cast by one side of the collector on the other side producing a self shading effect is analyzed. The direct beam, the diffuse and the albedo radiation on the collector are determined. An example is given for the insolation on the collector operating on the martian surface for the location of Viking Lander 1 (VL1).

Interannual variability of planet-encircling dust storms on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zurek, Richard W.; Martin, Leonard J.

1993-01-01

A recent review of earth-based telescopic observations of Mars together with Viking orbiter and lander data are employed to estimate the frequency of occurrence of planet-encircling dust storms over the past century and to test whether the period spanned by the Mariner 9 and Viking missions to Mars is representative of the decades prior to 1950. Both spacecraft and earth-based observations suggest that planet-encircling dust storms on Mars occur during a 'dust storm season' in southern spring and summer. Viking data show that planet-encircling dust storms could have occurred in the past on Mars without being detected from earth during years in which Mars was far from earth during the dust storm season. Planet-encircling storms were absent during the dust storm seasons monitored during several favorable oppositions prior to 1956 and after 1986. The change of a planet-encircling dust storm occurring in any arbitrary Mars year is estimated to be approximately one in three, if this occurrence is random from year to year and yet restricted seasonally to southern spring and summer.

The Viking X ray fluorescence experiment - Analytical methods and early results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, B. C., III; Castro, A. J.; Rowe, C. D.; Baird, A. K.; Rose, H. J., Jr.; Toulmin, P., III; Christian, R. P.; Kelliher, W. C.; Keil, K.; Huss, G. R.

1977-01-01

Ten samples of the Martian regolith have been analyzed by the Viking lander X ray fluorescence spectrometers. Because of high-stability electronics, inclusion of calibration targets, and special data encoding within the instruments the quality of the analyses performed on Mars is closely equivalent to that attainable with the same instruments operated in the laboratory. Determination of absolute elemental concentrations requires gain drift adjustments, subtraction of background components, and use of a mathematical response model with adjustable parameters set by prelaunch measurements on selected rock standards. Bulk fines at both Viking landing sites are quite similar in composition, implying that a chemically and mineralogically homogeneous regolith covers much of the surface of the planet. Important differences between samples include a higher sulfur content in what appear to be duricrust fragments than in fines and a lower iron content in fines taken from beneath large rocks than those taken from unprotected surface material. Further extensive reduction of these data will allow more precise and more accurate analytical numbers to be determined and thus a more comprehensive understanding of elemental trends between samples.

Prediction of Viking lander camera image quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huck, F. O.; Burcher, E. E.; Jobson, D. J.; Wall, S. D.

1976-01-01

Formulations are presented that permit prediction of image quality as a function of camera performance, surface radiance properties, and lighting and viewing geometry. Predictions made for a wide range of surface radiance properties reveal that image quality depends strongly on proper camera dynamic range command and on favorable lighting and viewing geometry. Proper camera dynamic range commands depend mostly on the surface albedo that will be encountered. Favorable lighting and viewing geometries depend mostly on lander orientation with respect to the diurnal sun path over the landing site, and tend to be independent of surface albedo and illumination scattering function. Side lighting with low sun elevation angles (10 to 30 deg) is generally favorable for imaging spatial details and slopes, whereas high sun elevation angles are favorable for measuring spectral reflectances.

Constraints on Martian Soil Composition as Inferred from Viking XRFS and Pathfinder APXS and IMP Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, N. T.; Crisp, J. A.

2000-01-01

With the successful operation of the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) during 1997's Mars Pathfinder (MPF) mission, geochemistry data are now available from three sites on Mars. APXS raw spectra for six soils and five rocks have been converted to compositional abundances. The Viking Lander X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRFS) successfully measured elemental abundances of nine soils at Viking 1 and eight soils at Viking 2. Although the three landing sites are located in different parts of Mars, the soils exhibit broad similarities, with an iron-rich chemistry similar to that of palagonite. However, the Pathfinder sods show some significant differences from Viking soils, notably an enrichment in silica and depletion in sulfur. The XRFS samples consisted of near-surface and deep (up to 22 cm) soils acquired by a collector head at the cod of a retractable boom. It was possible to collect and analyze pebbles as large a 2 cm, but only sod, some in the form of consolidated clods, was sampled. In contrast, the APXS measured materials in situ. This resulted in MPF "rock" analyses that probably had a significant dust component and, as explored here, "soil" analyses that may have contained a rocky component We examine several possibilities to explain these differences and other attributes of the APXS and XRFS data sets: 1) The APXS soil measurements actually sampled a mixture of Viking-like soil and small bits of high-silica, low-sulfur rock, 2) The soils were derived from high-silica rocks mixed with a minor component of globally-homogenized dust; these soils are chemically distinct and have a separate geologic history from the Viking soils. 3) The weathering environment was different at the Pathfinder landing site compared to the Viking sites, and 4) Uncertainties in the XRFS and APXS measurements result in reported elemental abundances different than those that are actually present We show that none of the possibilities can be discounted, but that an MPF soil distinct in composition from Viking sods is best supported by the available data.

Development, Integration and Utilization of Surface Nuclear Energy Sources for Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houts, Michael G.; Schmidt, George R.; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Hickman, Robert; Hissam, Andy; Houston, Vance; Martin, Jim; Mireles, Omar; Reid, Bob; Schneider, Todd

2005-01-01

Throughout the past five decades numerous studies have identified nuclear energy as an enhancing or enabling technology for human surface exploration missions. Nuclear energy sources were used to provide electricity on Apollo missions 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17, and on the Mars Viking landers. Nuclear energy sources were used to provide heat on the Pathfinder; Spirit, and Discovery rovers. Scenarios have been proposed that utilize -1 kWe radioisotope systems for early missions, followed by fission systems in the 10 - 30 kWe range when energy requirements increase. A fission energy source unit size of approximately 150 kWt has been proposed based on previous lunar and Mars base architecture studies. Such a unit could support both early and advanced bases through a building block approach.

Reanalysis of the Viking results suggests perchlorate and organics at mid-latitudes on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarro-Gonzalez, R.; Vargas, E.; de La Rosa, J.; Raga, A. C.; McKay, C.

2010-12-01

The most comprehensive search for organics in the Martian soil was performed by the Viking Landers. Martian soil was subjected to a thermal volatilization process in order to vaporize and break organic molecules, and the resultant gases and volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Only water at 0.1-1.0 wt% was detected with traces of chloromethane at 15 ppb in the Viking Landing site 1, and water at 0.05-1.0 wt% and carbon dioxide at 50-700 ppm with traces of dichloromethane at 0.04-40 ppb in the Viking Landing site 2. The abundance ratio of the 35Cl and 37Cl isotopes in these chlorohydrocarbons was 3:1, corresponding to the terrestrial isotopic abundance. Therefore, these chlorohydrocarbons were considered to be terrestrial contaminants although they had not been detected at those levels in the blank runs. Recently, perchlorate was discovered in the Martian Arctic soil by the Phoenix Lander. Here we show that when Mars-like soils from the Atacama Desert with 32±6 ppm of organic carbon are mixed with 1 wt% magnesium perchlorate and heated nearly all the organics present are decomposed to water and carbon dioxide, but a small amount are chlorinated forming 1.6 ppm of chloromethane and 0.02 ppm of dichloromethane at 500○C. A chemical kinetics model was developed to predict the degree of oxidation and chlorination of organics in the Viking oven. The isotopic distribution of 35Cl and 37Cl for Mars is not known. Studies on Earth indicate that there is no isotopic fractionation of chlorine in the mantle or crust, despite the fact that it is significantly depleted on the planet as compare to solar abundances. The 37Cl/35Cl isotopic ratio in carbonaceous chondrites is similar to the Earth’s value, which suggests that the terrestrial planets, including Mars, were all formed from a similar reservoir of chlorine species in the presolar nebulae and that there was no further isotopic fractionation during the Earth’s differentiation or late accretion of volatiles. Consequently, 37Cl/35Cl ratio should be the same on Mars as well as on the Earth. Re-interpretation of the Viking results therefore suggests ≤0.1% perchlorate and 1.5-6.5 ppm organic carbon at the landing site 1, and ≤0.1% perchlorate and 0.7-2.6 ppm organic carbon at the landing site 2. The detection of organics on Mars is important to assess locations for future experiments to detect life itself. We suggest that future missions to Mars should include life detection experiments.

Comparison of model predictions for the composition of the ionosphere of Mars to MAVEN NGIMS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Withers, Paul; Vogt, Marissa; Mayyasi, Majd; Mahaffy, Paul; Benna, Mehdi; Elrod, Meredith; Bougher, Stephen; Dong, Chuanfei; Chaufray, Jean-Yves; Ma, Yingjuan; Jakosky, Bruce

2015-11-01

Prior to the arrival of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft at Mars, the only available measurements of the composition of the planet's ionosphere were those acquired by the two Viking Landers during their atmospheric entries. Many numerical models of the composition of the ionosphere of Mars have been developed, but these have only been validated for species, altitudes, and conditions for which Viking data exist. Here we compare the ionospheric composition and structure predicted by 10 ionospheric models at solar zenith angles of 45-60° against ion density measurements acquired by the MAVEN Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS). The most successful models included three-dimensional plasma transport driven by interactions with the surrounding space environment but had relatively simple ionospheric chemistry.

Mars climatology from viking 1 after 20 sols.

PubMed

Hess, S L; Henry, R M; Leovy, C B; Ryan, J A; Tillman, J E; Chamberlain, T E; Cole, H L; Dutton, R G; Greene, G C; Simon, W E; Mitchell, J L

1976-10-01

The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 20 sols of operation. The daily patterns of temperature, wind, and pressure have been highly consistent during the period. Hence, these have been assembled into 20-sol composites and analyzed harmonically. Maximum temperature was 241.8 degrees K and minimum 187.2 degrees K. The composite wind vector has a mean diurnal magnitude of 2.4 meters per second with prevailing wind from the south and counterclockwise diurnal rotation. Pressure exhibits diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations. The diurnal is ascribed to a combination of effects, and the semidiurnal appears to be the solar semidiurnal tide. Similarities to Earth are discussed. A major finding is a continual secular decrease in diurnal mean pressure. This is ascribed to carbon dioxide deposition at the south polar cap.

Quasi-microscope concept for planetary missions.

PubMed

Huck, F O; Arvidson, R E; Burcher, E E; Giat, O; Wall, S D

1977-09-01

Viking lander cameras have returned stereo and multispectral views of the Martian surface with a resolution that approaches 2 mm/lp in the near field. A two-orders-of-magnitude increase in resolution could be obtained for collected surface samples by augmenting these cameras with auxiliary optics that would neither impose special camera design requirements nor limit the cameras field of view of the terrain. Quasi-microscope images would provide valuable data on the physical and chemical characteristics of planetary regoliths.

Example of Weathering And Sun Angle

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-12

The letter 'B' or perhaps the figure '8' appears to have been etched into the Mars rock at the left edge of this picture taken yesterday by NASA's Viking 1 Lander. It is believed to be an illusion caused by weathering processes and the angle of the sun as it illuminated the scene for the spacecraft camera. The object at lower left is the housing containing the surface sampler scoop. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00386

Deep Internal Structure of Mars and the Geophysical Package of Netlander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lognonne, P.; Giardini, D.; Banerdt, B.; Dehant, V.; Barriot, J. P.; Musmann, G.; Menvielle, M.

2000-01-01

Our present understanding of the interior structure of Mars is mostly based on the interpretation of gravity and rotation data, the chemistry of the SNC (shergottites, nakhlites, chassignites) meteoroids, and a comparison with the much better-known interior structure of the Earth. However geophysical information from previous missions have been insufficient to determine the deep internal structure of the planet. Therefore the state and size of the core and the depth and type of mantle discontinuities are unknown. Most previous seismic experiments have indeed failed, either due to a launch failure (as for the Optimism seismometer onboard the small surface stations of Mars 96) or after failure on Mars (as for the Viking 1 seismometer). The remaining Viking 2 seismometer did not produce a convincing marsquake detection, basically due to too strong wind sensitivity and too low resolution in the teleseismic frequency band. After almost a decade of continuous activity and proposals, the first network mission to Mars, NetLander (NL), is expected to be launched between 2005 and 2007. One of the main scientific objectives of this four-lander network mission will be the determination of the internal structure of the planet using a geophysical package. This package will have a seismometer, a magnetometer, and a geodetic experiment, allowing a complementary approach that will yield many new constraints on the mineralogy and temperature of the mantle and core of the planet.

Possible Detection of Perchlorates by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument: Comparison with Previous Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navarro-Gonzalex, Rafael; Sutter, Brad; Archer, Doug; Ming, Doug; Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Franz, Heather; Glavin, Daniel; McAdam, Amy; Stern, Jennifer; McKay, Christopher;

Design considerations for Mars photovoltaic power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Appelbaum, Joseph

1990-01-01

Considerations for operation of a photovoltaic power system on Mars are discussed with reference to Viking Lander data. The average solar insolation at Mars is 590 W/sq m, which is reduced yet further by atmospheric dust. Of major concern are dust storms, which have been observed to occur on local as well as on global scales, and their effect on solar array output. While atmospheric opacity may rise to values ranging from 3 to 9, depending on storm severity, there is still an appreciable large diffuse illumination, even at high opacities, so that photovoltaic operation is still possible. If the power system is to continue to generate power even on high-optical-opacity (i.e., dusty atmosphere) days, it is important that the photovoltaic system be designed to collect diffuse irradiance as well as direct. Energy storage will be required for operation during the night. Temperature and wind provide additional considerations for array design.

The Case for Extant Life on Mars and Its Possible Detection by the Viking Labeled Release Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levin, Gilbert V.; Straat, Patricia Ann

2016-10-01

The 1976 Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment was positive for extant microbial life on the surface of Mars. Experiments on both Viking landers, 4000 miles apart, yielded similar, repeatable, positive responses. While the authors eventually concluded that the experiment detected martian life, this was and remains a highly controversial conclusion. Many believe that the martian environment is inimical to life and the LR responses were nonbiological, attributed to an as-yet-unidentified oxidant (or oxidants) in the martian soil. Unfortunately, no further metabolic experiments have been conducted on Mars. Instead, follow-on missions have sought to define the martian environment, mostly searching for signs of water. These missions have collected considerable data regarding Mars as a habitat, both past and present. The purpose of this article is to consider recent findings about martian water, methane, and organics that impact the case for extant life on Mars. Further, the biological explanation of the LR and recent nonbiological hypotheses are evaluated. It is concluded that extant life is a strong possibility, that abiotic interpretations of the LR data are not conclusive, and that, even setting our conclusion aside, biology should still be considered as an explanation for the LR experiment. Because of possible contamination of Mars by terrestrial microbes after Viking, we note that the LR data are the only data we will ever have on biologically pristine martian samples.

The limitations on organic detection in Mars-like soils by thermal volatilization–gas chromatography–MS and their implications for the Viking results

PubMed Central

Navarro-González, Rafael; Navarro, Karina F.; de la Rosa, José; Iñiguez, Enrique; Molina, Paola; Miranda, Luis D.; Morales, Pedro; Cienfuegos, Edith; Coll, Patrice; Raulin, François; Amils, Ricardo; McKay, Christopher P.

2006-01-01

The failure of Viking Lander thermal volatilization (TV) (without or with thermal degradation)–gas chromatography (GC)–MS experiments to detect organics suggests chemical rather than biological interpretations for the reactivity of the martian soil. Here, we report that TV–GC–MS may be blind to low levels of organics on Mars. A comparison between TV–GC–MS and total organics has been conducted for a variety of Mars analog soils. In the Antarctic Dry Valleys and the Atacama and Libyan Deserts we find 10–90 μg of refractory or graphitic carbon per gram of soil, which would have been undetectable by the Viking TV–GC–MS. In iron-containing soils (jarosites from Rio Tinto and Panoche Valley) and the Mars simulant (palogonite), oxidation of the organic material to carbon dioxide (CO2) by iron oxides and/or their salts drastically attenuates the detection of organics. The release of 50–700 ppm of CO2 by TV–GC–MS in the Viking analysis may indicate that an oxidation of organic material took place. Therefore, the martian surface could have several orders of magnitude more organics than the stated Viking detection limit. Because of the simplicity of sample handling, TV–GC–MS is still considered the standard method for organic detection on future Mars missions. We suggest that the design of future organic instruments for Mars should include other methods to be able to detect extinct and/or extant life. PMID:17060639

An Autonomous Instrument Package for Providing 'Pathfinder' Network Measurements on the Surface of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banerdt, W. B.; Lognonne, Ph.

2003-01-01

The investigations of the interior and atmosphere of Mars have been identified as high scientific priorities in most planetary exploration strategy document since the time of Viking. Most recently, the National Academy of Sciences has recommended a long-lived Mars network mission as its second highest scientific priority for Mars (after sample return) for the purpose of performing seismological investigations of the interior and studying the activity and composition of the atmosphere. Despite consistent recommendations by advisory groups, Mars network missions (MESUR, Marsnet, InterMarsnet, NetLander/MSR 05, NetLander/Premier 07, NetLander/?? 09) have undergone a strikingly consistent 'Phoenix' cycle of death and rebirth over the past 15 years, and there are still no confirmed plans to address the interior and atmosphere of Mars. The latest attempt is the NetLander mission. The objective of NetLander is to place a network of four landers on Mars to perform detailed measurements of the seismicity and atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind, humidity, and opacity (as well as provide images, subsurface radar sounding profiles, and electric/magnetic field measurements). However, this mission has recently encountered major programmatic difficulties within CNES and NASA. NASA has already cancelled its participation and the mission itself is facing imminent cancellation if CNES cannot solve programmatic issues associated with launching the mission in 2009. In this presentation we will describe an approach that could move us closer to realizing the goals of a Mars network mission and will secure at least one geophysical and meteorological observatory in 2009.

Statistical Trajectory Estimation Program (STEP) implementation for BLDT post flight trajectory simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shields, W. E.

1973-01-01

Tests were conducted to provide flight conditions for qualifying the Viking Decelerator System in a simulated Mars environment. A balloon launched decelerator test (BLDT) vehicle which has an external shape similar to the actual Mars Viking Lander Capsule was used so that the decelerator would be deployed in the wake of a blunt body. An effort was made to simulate the BLDT vehicle flights from the time they were dropped from the balloon, through decelerator deployment, until stable decelerator conditions were reached. The procedure used to simulate these flights using the Statistical Trajectory Estimation Program (STEP) is discussed. Using primarily ground-based position radar and vehicle onboard rate gyro and accelerometer data, the STEP produces a minimum variance solution of the vehicle trajectory and calculates vehicle attitude histories. Using film from cameras in the vehicle along with a computer program, attitude histories for portions of the flight before and after decelerator deployment were calculated independent of the STEP simulation. With the assumption that the vehicle motions derived from camera data are accurate, a comparison reveals that STEP was able to simulate vehicle motions for all flights both before and after decelerator deployment.

Boulder 'Big Joe' And Surface Changes On Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

This pair of pictures from Viking Lander 1 at Mars' Chryse Planitia shows the only unequivocal change in the Martian surface seen by either lander. Both images show the one-meter (3-foot) high boulder nicknamed 'Big Joe.' Just to the lower right of the rock (right photo) is a small-scale slump feature. The picture at left shows a smooth, dust-covered slope; in the picture at right the top surface layer can be seen to have slipped downslope. The event occurred sometime between Oct. 4, 1976, and Jan 24, 1977. (Pictures taken before Oct. 4 do not show the slump; the first picture in which it appears was taken Jan. 24.) The surface layer, between one-half and one centimeter (one-fifth to one-third inch) thick, is apparently less cohesive than the underlying material. The layer that slipped formed a 30-centimeter-long (11.8-inch) 'tongue' of soil and a patch of exposed underlying material. The triggering mechanism for the event is unknown, but could have been temperature variations, wind gusts, a seismic event, or perhaps the lander's touchdown on July 20, 1976.

Detection of Northern Hemisphere transient eddies at Gale Crater Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberle, Robert M.; Juárez, Manuel de la Torre; Kahre, Melinda A.; Kass, David M.; Barnes, Jeffrey R.; Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.; Harri, Ari-Matti; Kahanpää, Henrik

2018-06-01

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on the Curiosity Rover is operating in the Southern Hemisphere of Mars and is detecting synoptic period oscillations in the pressure data that we attribute to Northern Hemisphere transient eddies. We base this interpretation on the similarity in the periods of the eddies and their seasonal variations with those observed in northern midlatitudes by Viking Lander 2 (VL-2) 18 Mars years earlier. Further support for this interpretation comes from global circulation modeling which shows similar behavior in the transient eddies at the grid points closest to Curiosity and VL-2. These observations provide the first in situ evidence that the frontal systems often associated with "Flushing Dust Storms" do cross the equator and extend into the Southern Hemisphere.

Cytochemical studies of planetary microorganisms explorations in exobiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinthal, E. C.

1980-01-01

Experiments to identify free living organisms in soils that may be substantially simpler in genetic content, and mirroring a more primitive stage of evolution than the species with which we are familiar to date, were designed. Organic chemical studies on the composition and disposition of elementary carbon leave nothing wanting as an aboriginal substrate for the original of life and early chemical evolution. Such studies were missed when it came to the interpretation of the Viking lander data, and needed for conceptual planning of future planetary missions.

Toward remotely controlled planetary rovers.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. W.

1972-01-01

Studies of unmanned planetary rovers have emphasized a Mars mission. Relatively simple rovers, weighing about 50 kg and tethered to the lander, may precede semiautonomous roving vehicles. It is conceivable that the USSR will deploy a rover on Mars before Viking lands. The feasibility of the roving vehicle as an explorational tool hinges on its ability to operate for extended periods of time relatively independent of earth, to withstand the harshness of the Martian environment, and to travel hundreds of kilometers independent of the spacecraft that delivers it.

Ecology and thermal inactivation of microbes in and on interplanetary space vehicle components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, J. E.

1973-01-01

The thermal inactivation curve for Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores on the Viking lander is examined. Tests were conducted at 113 C and 25% RH, and over a wide range of temperatures using .001% RH and additions of P2O5 to dry the environment. Results show the 25% RH environment did not significantly reduce the survival curve, while the survival curves for spores treated under the drier .001% RH environment was reduced by a factor of 3.

The carbon-assimilation experiment - The Viking Mars Lander.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horowitz, N. H.; Hubbard, J. S.; Hobby, G. L.

1972-01-01

The carbon-assimilation experiment detects life in soils by measuring the incorporation of carbon from carbon-14 monoxide and carbon-14 dioxide into organic matter. It is based on the premise that Martian life, if it exists, is carbonaceous and exchanges carbon with the atmosphere, as do all terrestrial organisms. It is especially sensitive for photosynthesizing cells, but it detects heterotrophs also. The experiment has the particular advantage that it can be carried out under essentially Martian conditions of temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition, and water abundance.

The Viking gas exchange experiment results from Chryse and Utopia surface samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oyama, V. I.; Berdahl, B. J.

1977-01-01

Immediate gas changes occurred when untreated Martian surface samples were humidified and/or wet by an aqueous nutrient medium in the Viking lander gas exchange experiment. The evolutions of N2, CO2, and Ar are mainly associated with soil surface desorption caused by water vapor, while O2 evolution is primarily associated with decomposition of superoxides inferred to be present on Mars. On recharges with fresh nutrient and test gas, only CO2 was given off, and its rate of evolution decreased with each recharge. This CO2 evolution is thought to come from the oxidation of organics present in the nutrient by gamma Fe2O3 in the surface samples. Atmospheric analyses were also performed at both sites. The mean atmospheric composition from four analyses is N2, 2.3%; O2, not greater than 0.15%; Ar, 1.5% and CO2, 96.2%.

Atmospheric effects on the mapping of Martian thermal inertia and thermally derived albedo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, Joan N.; Jakosky, Bruce M.; Haberle, Robert M.

1995-01-01

We examine the effects of a dusty C02 atmosphere on the thermal inertia and thermally derived albedo of Mars and we present a new map of thermal inertias. This new map was produced using a coupled surface atmosphere (CSA) model, dust opacities from Viking infrared thermal mapper (IRTM) data, and C02 columns based on topography. The CSA model thermal inertias are smaller than the 2% model thermal inertias, with the difference largest at large thermal inertia. Although the difference between the thermal inertias obtained with the two models is moderate for much of the region studied, it is largest in regions of either high dust opacity or of topographic lows, including the Viking Lander 1 site and some geologically interesting regions. The CSA model thermally derived albedos do not accurately predict the IRTM measured albedos and are very similar to the thermally derived albedos obtained with models making the 2% assumption.

Atmospheric effects on the mapping of Martian thermal inertia and thermally derived albedo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, Joan N.; Jakosky, Bruce M.; Haberle, Robert M.

1995-01-01

We examine the effects of a dusty CO2 atmosphere on the thermal inertia and thermally derived albedo of Mars and we present a new map of thermal inertias. This new map was produced using a coupled surface atmosphere (CSA) model, dust opacities from Viking infrared thermal mapper (IRTM) data, and CO2 columns based on topography. The CSA model thermal inertias are smaller than the 2% model thermal inertias, with the difference largest at large thermal inertia. Although the difference between the thermal inertias obtained with the two models is moderate for much of the region studied, it is largest in regions of either high dust opacity or of topographic lows, including the Viking Lander 1 site and some geologically interesting regions. The CSA model thermally derived albedos do not acurately predict the IRTM measured albedos and are very similar to the thermally derived albedos obtained with models making the 2% assumption.

Simulation of Viking biology experiments suggests smectites not palagonites, as martian soil analogues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banin, A.; Margulies, L.

1983-01-01

An experimental comparison of palagonites and a smectite (montmorillonite) was performed in a simulation of the Viking Biology Labelled Release (LR) experiment in order to judge which mineral is a better Mars soil analog material (MarSAM). Samples of palagonite were obtained from cold weathering environments and volcanic soil, and the smectite was extracted from Wyoming Bentonite and converted to H or Fe types. Decomposition reaction kinetics were examined in the LR simulation, which on the Lander involved interaction of the martian soil with organic compounds. Reflectance spectroscopy indicated that smectites bearing Fe(III) in well-crystallized sites are not good MarSAMS. The palagonites did not cause the formate decomposition and C-14 emission detected in the LR, indicating that palagonites are also not good MarSAMS. Smectites, however, may be responsible for ion exchange, molecular adsorption, and catalysis in martian soil.

Long range transport of fine grained sediments on Mars: Atmospheric dust loading, as inferred from Viking Lander imaging data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, J. B.; Colburn, D. S.

1984-01-01

During the first Viking year, two global dust storms occurred and they contributed about 90% of the dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere on a global average, over the course of this year. The remainder was due to the cumulative effect of local dust storms. When globally distributed, the amount of suspended dust introduced into the atmosphere this Martian year was about 5x10(-3) g/sq cm. This mass loading was derived from the incremental optical depths measured over this year and estimates of the mean size of the dust particles (2.5 microns). During the second Martian year, global dust storms were far more muted than during the first year. No near perihelion dust storm occurred, and a somewhat weaker dust storm may have occurred near the start of the spring season in the Southern Hemisphere, at about the same time that the first global dust storm of the first year occurred. Thus, the dust loading derived for the first Martian year may be somewhat higher than the average over many Martian years, a conclusion that appears to be supported by preliminary studies of Martian years beyond the second Viking year on Mars.

Microbiological profiles of the Viking spacecraft.

PubMed Central

Puleo, J R; Fields, N D; Bergstrom, S L; Oxborrow, G S; Stabekis, P D; Koukol, R

1977-01-01

Planetary quarantine requirements associated with the launch of two Viking spacecraft necessitated microbiological assessment during assembly and testing at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Samples were collected from selected surface of the Viking Lander Capsules (VLC), Orbiters, (VO), and Shrouds at predetermined intervals during assembly and testing. Approximately 7,000 samples were assayed. Levels of bacterial spores per square meter on the VLC-1 and VLC-2 were 1.6 x 10(2) and 9.7 x 10(1), respectively, prior to dry-heat sterilization. The ranges of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms detected on the VO-1 and VO-2 at various sampling events were 4.2 x 10(2) to 4.3 x 10(3) and 2.3 x 10(2) to 8.9 x 10(3)/m2, respectively. Approximately 1,300 colonies were picked from culture plates, identified, lypholipized, and stored for future reference. About 75% of all isolates were microorganisms considered indigenous to humans; the remaining isolates were associated with soil and dust in the environment. The percentage of microorganisms of human origin was consistent with results obtained with previous automated spacecraft but slightly lower than those observed for manned (Apollo) spacecraft. PMID:848957

Microbiological profiles of the Viking spacecraft.

PubMed

Puleo, J R; Fields, N D; Bergstrom, S L; Oxborrow, G S; Stabekis, P D; Koukol, R

1977-02-01

Planetary quarantine requirements associated with the launch of two Viking spacecraft necessitated microbiological assessment during assembly and testing at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Samples were collected from selected surface of the Viking Lander Capsules (VLC), Orbiters, (VO), and Shrouds at predetermined intervals during assembly and testing. Approximately 7,000 samples were assayed. Levels of bacterial spores per square meter on the VLC-1 and VLC-2 were 1.6 x 10(2) and 9.7 x 10(1), respectively, prior to dry-heat sterilization. The ranges of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms detected on the VO-1 and VO-2 at various sampling events were 4.2 x 10(2) to 4.3 x 10(3) and 2.3 x 10(2) to 8.9 x 10(3)/m2, respectively. Approximately 1,300 colonies were picked from culture plates, identified, lypholipized, and stored for future reference. About 75% of all isolates were microorganisms considered indigenous to humans; the remaining isolates were associated with soil and dust in the environment. The percentage of microorganisms of human origin was consistent with results obtained with previous automated spacecraft but slightly lower than those observed for manned (Apollo) spacecraft.

First Panoramic View From The Surface Of Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-30

First panoramic view by NASA's Viking 1 from the surface of Mars. The out of focus spacecraft component toward left center is the housing for the Viking sample arm, which is not yet deployed. Parallel lines in the sky are an artifact and are not real features. However, the change of brightness from horizon towards zenith and towards the right (west) is accurately reflected in this picture, taken in late Martian afternoon. At the horizon to the left is a plateau-like prominence much brighter than the foreground material between the rocks. The horizon features are approximately three kilometers (1.8 miles) away. At left is a collection of fine-grained material reminiscent of sand dunes. The dark sinuous markings in left foreground are of unknown origin. Some unidentified shapes can be perceived on the hilly eminence at the horizon towards the right. A horizontal cloud stratum can be made out halfway from the horizon to the top of the picture. At left is seen the low gain antenna for receipt of commands from the Earth. The projections on or near the horizon may represent the rims distant impact craters. In right foreground are color charts for Lander camera calibration, a mirror for the Viking magnetic properties experiment and part of a grid on the top of the Lander body. At upper right is the high gain dish antenna for direct communication between landed spacecraft and Earth. Toward the right edge is an array of smooth fine-grained material which shows some hint of ripple structure and may be the beginning of a large dune field off to the right of the picture, which joins with dunes seen at the top left in this 300 degree panoramic view. Some of the rocks appear to be undercut on one side and partially buried by drifting sand on the other. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00383

The Martian atmospheric planetary boundary layer stability, fluxes, spectra, and similarity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tillman, James E.

1994-01-01

This is the first analysis of the high frequency data from the Viking lander and spectra of wind, in the Martian atmospheric surface layer, along with the diurnal variation of the height of the mixed surface layer, are calculated for the first time for Mars. Heat and momentum fluxes, stability, and z(sub O) are estimated for early spring, from a surface temperature model and from Viking Lander 2 temperatures and winds at 44 deg N, using Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The afternoon maximum height of the mixed layer for these seasons and conditions is estimated to lie between 3.6 and 9.2 km. Estimations of this height is of primary importance to all models of the boundary layer and Martian General Circulation Models (GCM's). Model spectra for two measuring heights and three surface roughnesses are calculated using the depth of the mixed layer, and the surface layer parameters and flow distortion by the lander is also taken into account. These experiments indicate that z(sub O), probably lies between 1.0 and 3.0 cm, and most likely is closer to 1.0 cm. The spectra are adjusted to simulate aliasing and high frequency rolloff, the latter caused both by the sensor response and the large Kolmogorov length on Mars. Since the spectral models depend on the surface parameters, including the estimated surface temperature, their agreement with the calculated spectra indicates that the surface layer estimates are self consistent. This agreement is especially noteworthy in that the inertial subrange is virtually absent in the Martian atmosphere at this height, due to the large Kolmogorov length scale. These analyses extend the range of applicability of terrestrial results and demonstrate that it is possible to estimate the effects of severe aliasing of wind measurements, to produce a models which agree well with the measured spectra. The results show that similarity theory developed for Earth applies to Mars, and that the spectral models are universal.

Topography and geologic characteristics of aeolian grooves in the south polar layered deposits of Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bridges, N.T.; Herkenhoff, K. E.

2002-01-01

The topographic and geologic characteristics of grooves and groove-like features in the south polar layered deposits near the Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 landing sites are evaluated using Mariner 9 images and their derived photoclinometry, normalized using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data. Although both Mariner 9 and Viking images of the south polar layered deposits were available at the time of this study, Mariner 9 images of the grooves were selected because they were generally of higher resolution than Viking images. The dimensions and slopes of the grooves, together with orientations that nearly match the strongest winds predicted in the Martian Global Circulation Model and directions inferred from other wind indicators, suggest that they formed by aeolian scour of an easily erodible surface. Most grooves are symmetric and V-shaped in transverse profile, inconsistent with an origin involving extensional brittle deformation. Although the grooves strike along slopes and terraces of the south polar layered deposits, the variable depths and lack of terracing within the grooves themselves indicate that any stratigraphy in the uppermost 100 m of the polar layered deposits is composed of layers of similar, and relatively low, resistance. The grooves do not represent landing hazards at the scale of the Mariner 9 images (72-86 m/pixel) and therefore probably would not have affected Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2, had they successfully reached the surface. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

MetNet Precursor - Network Mission to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harri, Arri-Matti

2010-05-01

We are developing a new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars - MetNet in situ observation network based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called the Met-Net Lander (MNL). The first MetNet vehicle, MetNet Precursor, slated for launch in 2011. The MetNet development work started already in 2001. The actual practical Precursor Mission development work started in January 2009 with participation from various space research institutes and agencies. The scientific rationale and goals as well as key mission solutions will be discussed. The eventual scope of the MetNet Mission is to deploy some 20 MNLs on the Martian surface using inflatable descent system structures, which will be supported by observations from the orbit around Mars. Currently we are working on the MetNet Mars Precursor Mission (MMPM) to deploy one MetNet Lander to Mars in the 2011 launch window as a technology and science demonstration mission. The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. Time-resolved in situ Martian meteorological measurements acquired by the Viking, Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix landers and remote sensing observations by the Mariner 9, Viking, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey and the Mars Express orbiters have provided the basis for our current understanding of the behavior of weather and climate on Mars. However, the available amount of data is still scarce and a wealth of additional in situ observations are needed on varying types of Martian orography, terrain and altitude spanning all latitudes and longitudes to address microscale and mesoscale atmospheric phenomena. Detailed characterization of the Martian atmospheric circulation patterns and climatological cycles requires simultaneous in situ atmospheric observations. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. The MetNet mission concept and key probe technologies have been developed and the critical subsystems have been qualified to meet the Martian environmental and functional conditions. The flight unit of the landing vehicle has been manufactured and tested. This development effort has been fulfilled in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the Russian Lavoschkin Association (LA) and the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) since August 2001. INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial) from Spain joined the MetNet Mission team in 2008, and is participating significantly in the MetNet payload development.

Rock Abrasion on Mars: Clues from the Pathfinder and Viking Landing Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, N. T.; Parker, T. J.; Kramer, G. M.

2000-01-01

A significant discovery of the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) mission was that many rocks exhibit characteristics of ventifacts, rocks that have been sculpted by saltating particles. Diagnostic features identifying the rocks as ventifacts am elongated pits, flutes, and grooves (collectively referred to as "flutes" unless noted otherwise). Faceted rocks or rock portions, circular pits, rills, and possibly polished rock surfaces are also seen and could be due, to aeolian abrasion. Many of these features were initially identified in rover images, where spatial resolution generally exceeded that of the IMP (Imager for Mars Pathfinder) camera. These images had two major limitations: 1) Only a limited number of rocks were viewed by the rover, biasing flute statistics; and 2) The higher resolution obtained by the rover images and the lack of such pictures at the Viking landing sites hampered comparisons of rock morphologies between the Pathfinder and Viking sites. To avoid this problem, rock morphology and ventifact statistics have been examined using new "super-resolution" IMP and Viking Lander images. Analyses of these images show that: 1) Flutes are seen on about 50% or more of the rocks in the near field at the MPF site; 2) The orientation of these flutes is similar to that for flutes identified in rover images; and 3) Ventifacts are significantly more abundant at the Pathfinder landing site than at the two Viking Landing sites, where rocks have undergone only a limited amount of aeolian abrasion. This is most likely due to the ruggedness of the Pathfinder site and a greater supply of abrading particles available shortly after the Arcs and Tiu Valles outflow channel floods.

Chemical composition of Martian fines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, B. C.; Baird, A. K.; Weldon, R. J.; Tsusaki, D. M.; Schnabel, L.; Candelaria, M. P.

1982-01-01

Of the 21 samples acquired for the Viking X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, 17 were analyzed to high precision. Compared to typical terrestrial continental soils and lunar mare fines, the Martian fines are lower in Al, higher in Fe, and much higher in S and Cl concentrations. Protected fines at the two lander sites are almost indistinguishable, but concentration of the element S is somewhat higher at Utopia. Duricrust fragments, successfully acquired only at the Chryse site, invariably contained about 50% higher S than fines. No elements correlate positively with S, except Cl and possibly Mg. A sympathetic variation is found among the triad Si, Al, Ca; positive correlation occurs between Ti and Fe. Sample variabilities are as great within a few meters as between lander locations (4500 km apart), implying the existence of a universal Martian regolith component of constant average composition. The nature of the source materials for the regolith fines must be mafic to ultramafic.

H2O frost point detection on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, J. A.; Sharman, R. D.

1981-01-01

The Viking Mars landers contain meteorological instrumentation to measure wind, temperature, and pressure but not atmospheric water content. The landings occurred during local summer, and it was observed that the nocturnal temperature decrease at sensor height (1.6 m) did not exhibit a uniform behavior at either site. It was expected that the rate of decrease would gradually slow, leveling off near sunrise. Instead, a leveling occurred several hours earlier. Temperature subsequently began a more rapid decrease which slowed by sunrise. This suggested that the temperature sensors may be detecting the frost point of water vapor. Analysis of alternative hypotheses demonstrates that none of these are viable candidates. The frost point interpretation is consistent with other lander and orbiter observations, with terrestrial experience, and with modeling of Mars' atmospheric behavior. It thus appears that the meteorology experiment can help provide a basis toward understanding the distribution and dynamics of Martian water vapor.

Rocket Exhaust Cratering: Lessons Learned from Viking and Apollo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Metzger, Philip T.; Vu, Bruce T.

2004-01-01

During the Apollo and Viking programs NASA expended considerable effort to study the cratering of the regolith when a rocket launches or lands on it. That research ensured the success of those programs but also demonstrated that cratering will be a serious challenge for other mission scenarios. Unfortunately, because three decades have elapsed since NASA last performed a successful retro-rocket landing on a large planetary body - and ironically because Apollo and Viking were successful at minimizing the cratering effects - the space agency has a minimized sense of the seriousness of the issue. The most violent phase of a cratering event is when the static overpressure of the rocket exhaust exceeds the bearing capacity of the soil. This bearing capacity failure (BCF) punches a small and highly concave cup into the surface. The shape of the cup then redirects the supersonic jet - along with a large flux of high-velocity debris - directly toward the spacecraft. This has been observed in terrestrial experiments but never quantified analytically. The blast from such an event will be more than just quantitatively greater than the cratering that occurred in the Apollo and Viking programs. It will be qualitatively different, because BCF had been successfully avoided in all those missions. In fact, the Viking program undertook a significant research and development effort and redesigned the spacecraft specifically for the purpose of avoiding BCF [1]. (See Figure 1.) Because the Apollo and Viking spacecraft were successful at avoiding those cratering effects, it was unnecessary to understand them. As a result, the physics of a BCF-driven cratering event have never been well understood. This is a critical gap in our knowledge because BCF is unavoidable in the Martian environment with the large landers necessary for human exploration, and in Lunar landings it must also be addressed because it may occur depending upon the design specifics of the spacecraft and the weakening of the regolity by gas diffusion.

Investigating the Origin of Chlorohydrocarbons Detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument at Rocknest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glavin, D.; Archer, D.; Brunner, A.; Buch, A.; Cabane, M.; Coll, P.; Conrad, P.; Coscia, D.; Dworkin J.; Eigenbrode, J.;

Recent studies of the optical properties of dust and cloud particles in the Mars atmosphere and the interannual frequency of global dust storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancy, R. T.; Lee, S. W.; Muhleman, D. O.

1991-01-01

The results of research with two distinctly separate sets of observations yield new information on the optical properties of particulate scatterers in the Mars atmosphere, and on the interannual variability of the abundance of such scatterers in the Mars atmosphere. The first set of observations were taken by the IRTM (Infrared Thermal Mapper) instrument onboard the Viking Orbiters, during the period 1976 to 1980. Several hundred emission phase function (EPF) sequences were obtained over the Viking mission, in which the IRTM visual brightness channel observed the same area of surface/atmosphere as the spacecraft passed overhead. The 1 to 2 percent accuracy of calibration and the phase-angle coverage that characterizes these data make them ideally suited to determining both the optical depths and optical properties of dust and cloud scatterers in the Mars atmosphere versus latitude, longitude, seasons (L sub s), and surface elevation over the extended period of Viking observations. The EPF data were analyzed with a multiple scattering radiative transfer code to determine dust single scattering albedos which are distinctly higher than indicated by the Viking Lander observations. The second set of observations regard ground-based observations of the 1.3 to 2.6 mm rotational transitions of CO in the Martian atmosphere. The low-to-mid latitude average of the atmospheric temperature profile (0 to 70 km altitude) were derived from a number of such observations over the 1980 to 1990 period.

Outer planet atmospheric entry probes - An overview of technology readiness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vojvodich, N. S.; Reynolds, R. T.; Grant, T. L.; Nachtsheim, P. R.

1975-01-01

Entry probe systems for characterizing, by in situ measurements, the atmospheric properties, chemical composition, and cloud structure of the planets Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter are examined from the standpoint of unique mission requirements, associated subsystem performance, and degree of commonality of design. Past earth entry vehicles (PAET) and current planetary spacecraft (Pioneer Venus probes and Viking lander) are assessed to identify the extent of potential subsystem inheritance, as well as to establish the significant differences, in both form and function, relative to outer planet requirements. Recent research results are presented and reviewed for the most critical probe technology areas, including: science accommodation, telecommunication, and entry heating and thermal protection. Finally presented is a brief discussion of the use of decision analysis techniques for quantifying various probe heat-shield test alternatives and performance risk.

Digital image transformation and rectification of spacecraft and radar images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, S.S.C.

1985-01-01

Digital image transformation and rectification can be described in three categories: (1) digital rectification of spacecraft pictures on workable stereoplotters; (2) digital correction of radar image geometry; and (3) digital reconstruction of shaded relief maps and perspective views including stereograms. Digital rectification can make high-oblique pictures workable on stereoplotters that would otherwise not accommodate such extreme tilt angles. It also enables panoramic line-scan geometry to be used to compile contour maps with photogrammetric plotters. Rectifications were digitally processed on both Viking Orbiter and Lander pictures of Mars as well as radar images taken by various radar systems. By merging digital terrain data with image data, perspective and three-dimensional views of Olympus Mons and Tithonium Chasma, also of Mars, are reconstructed through digital image processing. ?? 1985.

Detailed View of Cliff-face in the North Polar Layered Deposits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

On Earth, geologists use layers of rock to 'read' the history of our planet. Where rocks were initially formed as layers of sediment, the historic record of Earth is deciphered by knowing that older layers are found beneath the younger layers. Scientists investigating changes in Earth's climate over the past few million years also use this principle to examine cores of ice from Greenland and Antarctica. Layered rock and layered polar deposits on Mars may also preserve a comparable record of that planet's geologic and environmental history.

The martian north and south polar regions are covered by large areas of layered deposits. Since their discovery in the early 1970's, these polar layered deposits have been cited as the best evidence that the martian climate experiences cyclic changes over time. It was proposed that detailed investigation of the polar layers (e.g., by landers and/or human beings) would reveal a climate record of Mars in much the same way that ice cores from Antarctica are used to study past climates on Earth. On January 3, 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 Penetrators will launch on a journey to study the upper layers of these deposits in the martian southern hemisphere.

Meanwhile, investigation of the north polar layered deposits has advanced significantly this year with the acquisition of MGS data. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter acquired new topographic profiles over the north polar deposits in June and early July, 1998, and dozens of new high resolution images were taken by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) from mid-July to mid-September, 1998. When it was proposed to NASA in 1985, one of the original objectives of MOC was to determine whether the polar layered deposits--then thought to consist of 10 to 100 layers each between 10 and 100 meters (33 to 330 feet) thick--have more and thinner layers in them. The layers were proposed to have formed by slow accumulation of dust and ice--perhaps only 100 micrometers (0.004 inches) per year. A layer 10 meters (33 feet) thick would take 100,000 years to accumulate, roughly equal to the timescale of climate changes predicted by computer models.

The image shown here (right image) was taken at 11:52 p.m. PDT on July 30, 1998, near the start of the 461st orbit of Mars Global Surveyor. The picture shows a slope along the edge of the permanent north polar cap of Mars that has dozens of layers exposed in it. The image shows many more layers than were visible to the Viking Orbiters in the 1970s (left images). The layers appear to have different thicknesses (some thinner than 10 meters (33 feet)) and different physical expressions. Some of the layers form steeper slopes than others, suggesting that they are more resistant to erosion. The more resistant layers might indicate that a cement (possibly ice) is present, making those layers stronger. All of the layers appear to have a rough texture that might be the result of erosion and/or redistribution of sediment and polar ice on the slope surface.

The presence of many more layers than were seen by Viking is an important and encouraging clue that suggests that future investigation of polar layered deposits by landers and, perhaps some day, by human explorers, will eventually lead to a better understanding of the of the polar regions and the climate history recorded there. Our view of these deposits will be much improved--starting in late March 1999--when the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission begins, and MOC will be able to obtain images with resolutions of 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel.

[The Viking Images (left)]: Regional and local context of MOC image 46103. The small figure in the upper right corner is a map of the north polar region, centered on the pole with 0o longitude located in the lower middle of the frame. A small black box within the polar map indicates the location of the Viking Orbiter 2 image used here for local context. The Viking image, 560b60, was taken in March 1978, toward the end of Northern Spring. The thin strip superposed on the Viking image is MOC image 46103, reduced in size to mark its placement relative to the Viking context image. The black box on the MOC image shows the location of the subframe highlighted here (right image). Illumination is from the left in the Viking image. The 10 kilometer scale bar also represents approximately 6.2 miles.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Integration and Utilization of Nuclear Systems on the Moon and Mars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Houts, Michael G.; Schmidt, George R.; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon

2006-01-20

Over the past five decades numerous studies have identified nuclear energy as an enhancing or enabling technology for planetary surface exploration missions. This includes both radioisotope and fission sources for providing both heat and electricity. Nuclear energy sources were used to provide electricity on Apollo missions 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17, and on the Mars Viking landers. Very small nuclear energy sources were used to provide heat on the Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity rovers. Research has been performed at NASA MSFC to help assess potential issues associated with surface nuclear energy sources, and to generate data that couldmore » be useful to a future program. Research areas include System Integration, use of Regolith as Radiation Shielding, Waste Heat Rejection, Surface Environmental Effects on the Integrated System, Thermal Simulators, Surface System Integration / Interface / Interaction Testing, End-to-End Breadboard Development, Advanced Materials Development, Surface Energy Source Coolants, and Planetary Surface System Thermal Management and Control. This paper provides a status update on several of these research areas.« less

Digital image transformation and rectification of spacecraft and radar images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. S. C.

1985-01-01

The application of digital processing techniques to spacecraft television pictures and radar images is discussed. The use of digital rectification to produce contour maps from spacecraft pictures is described; images with azimuth and elevation angles are converted into point-perspective frame pictures. The digital correction of the slant angle of radar images to ground scale is examined. The development of orthophoto and stereoscopic shaded relief maps from digital terrain and digital image data is analyzed. Digital image transformations and rectifications are utilized on Viking Orbiter and Lander pictures of Mars.

Magnetic and electrical properties of Martian particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olhoeft, G. R.

1991-01-01

The only determinations of the magnetic properties of Martian materials come from experiments on the two Viking Landers. The results suggest Martian soil containing 1 to 10 percent of a highly magnetic phase. Though the magnetic phase mineral was not conclusively identified, the predominate interpretation is that the magnetic phase is probably maghemite. The electrical properties of the surface of Mars were only measured remotely by observations with Earth based radar, microwave radiometry, and inference from radio-occultation of Mars orbiting spacecraft. No direct measurements of electrical properties on Martian materials have been performed.

Proceedings of the MEVTV Workshop on The Evolution of Magma Bodies on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mouginis-Mark, P. (Editor); Holloway, J. (Editor)

1990-01-01

The workshop focused on many of the diverse approaches related to the evolution of magma bodies on Mars that have been pursued during the course of the Mars Evolution of Volcanism, Tectonism, and Volatiles (MEVTV) Program. Approximately 35 scientists from the Mars volcanology, petrology, geochemistry, and modeling communities attended. Segments of the meeting concentrated of laboratory analyses and investigations of SNC meteorites, the interpretation of Viking Orbiter and Lander datasets, and the interpretation of computer codes that model volcanic and tectonic processes on Mars. Abstracts of these reports are presented.

The hemispherical asymmetry of the residual polar caps on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindner, Bernhard Lee

1991-01-01

A model of the polar caps of Mars was created which allows: (1) for light penetration into the cap; (2) ice albedo to vary with age, latitude, hemisphere, dust content, and solar zenith angle; and (3) for diurnal variability. The model includes the radiative effects of clouds and dust, and heat transport as represented by a thermal wind. The model reproduces polar cap regression data very well, including the survival of CO2 frost at the south pole and reproduces the general trend in the Viking Lander pressure data.

Clays on Mars: Review of chemical and mineralogical evidence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banin, Amos; Gooding, James L.

1991-01-01

Mafic igneous bedrock is inferred for Mars, based on spectrophotometric evidence for pyroxene (principally in optically dark areas of the globe) and the pyroxenite-peridotite petrology of shergottite nakhlite chassignite (SNC) meteorites. Visible and infrared spectra of reddish-brown surface fines (which dominate Martian bright areas) indicate ferric iron and compare favorably (though not uniquely) with spectra of palagonitic soils. Laboratory studies of SNC's and Viking Lander results support a model for Martian soil based on chemical weathering of mafic rocks to produce layer structured silicates (clay minerals), salts, and iron oxides.

Detecting Organic Compounds in Martian Soil Analogues Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glavin, D. P.; Buch, A.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2004-01-01

One of the primary objectives of the 1976 Viking missions was to determine whether organic compounds, possibly of biological origin, were present in the Martian surface soils. The Viking gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) instruments found no evidence for any organic compounds of Martian origin above a few parts per billion in the upper 10 cm of surface soil [l], suggesting the absence of a widely distributed Martian biota. However, Benner et d. have suggested that significant amounts of non-volatile organic compounds, possibly including oxidation products of bioorganic molecules (e.g. carboxylic acids) would not have been detected by the Viking GCMS [2]. Moreover, other key organic compounds important to biology, such as amino acids and nucleobases, would also likely have been missed by the Viking GCMS as these compounds require chemical derivatization to be stable in a GC column [3]. Recent pyrolysis experiments with a Mars soil analogue that had been innoculated with Escherichia coli bacteria have shown that amino acid decomposition products (amines) and nucleobases are among the most abundant products generated after pyrolysis of the bacterial cells [4,5]. At the part per billion level (Viking GCMS detection limit), these pyrolysis products generated from several million bacterial cells per gram of Martian soil would not have been detected by the Viking GCMS instruments [4]. Analytical protocols are under development for upcoming in situ lander opportunities to target several important biological compounds including amino acids and nucleobases. For example, extraction and chemical derivatization techniques [3] are being adapted for space flight use to transform reactive or fragile molecules that would not have been detected by the Viking GCMS instruments, into species that are sufficiently volatile to be detected by GCMS. Recent experiments carried out at NASA Goddard have shown that using this derivatization technique all of the targeted compounds mentioned above can be separated on a GC column and detected by MS at sub-picomole (< 10(exp -l2 mole) levels. With these methods, the detection limit for amino acids, carboxylic acids and nucleobases is several orders of magnitude more sensitive than the Viking GCMS instruments for these compounds. Preliminary results using this analytical technique on a variety of Martian soil analogues will be presented.

Mars 2001 Mission: Addressing Scientific Questions Regarding the Characteristics and Origin of Local Bedrock and Soil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, R. S.; Arvidson, R. E.; Weitz, C. M.; Marshall, J.; Squyres, S. W.; Christensen, P. R.; Meloy, T.; Smith, P.

1999-01-01

The Mars Surveyor Program 2001 Mission will carry instruments on the orbiter, lander and rover that will support synergistic observations and experiments to address important scientific questions regarding the local bedrock and soils. The martian surface is covered in varying degrees by fine materials less than a few mms in size. Viking and Pathfinder images of the surface indicate that soils at those sites are composed of fine particles. Wheel tracks from the Sojourner rover suggest that soil deposits are composed of particles <40 mm. Viking images show that dunes are common in many areas on Mars and new MOC images indicate that dunes occur nearly everywhere. Dunes on Mars are thought to be composed of 250-500 microns particles based upon Viking IRTM data and Mars wind tunnel experiments. If martian dunes are composed of sand particles > 100 microns and soils are dominated by <10 micron particles, then where are the intermediate grain sizes? Have they been wom away through prolonged transport over the eons? Were they never generated to begin with? Or are they simply less easy to identify because do they not form distinctive geomorphic features such as dunes or uniform mantles that tend to assume superposition in the soil structure?

'Mister Badger' Pushing Mars Rock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Viking's soil sampler collector arm successfully pushed a rock on the surface of Mars during the afternoon of Friday, October 8. The irregular-shaped rock was pushed several inches by the Lander's collector arm, which displaced the rock to the left of its original position, leaving it cocked slightly upward. Photographs and other information verified the successful rock push. Photo at left shows the soil sampler's collector head pushing against the rock, named 'Mister Badger' by flight controllers. Photo at right shows the displaced rock and the depression whence it came. Part of the soil displacement was caused by the collector s backhoe. A soil sample will be taken from the site Monday night, October 11. It will then be delivered to Viking s organic chemistry instrument for a series of analyses during the next few weeks. The sample is being sought from beneath a rock because scientists believe that, if there are life forms on Mars, they may seek rocks as shelter from the Sun s intense ultraviolet radiation.

The 1982 control network of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, M. E.; Katayama, F. Y.

1983-01-01

Attention is given to a planet-wide control network of Mars that was computed in September 1982 using a large single-block analytical triangulation with 47,524 measurements of 6853 control points on 1054 Mariner 9 and 757 Viking pictures. In all, 19,139 normal equations were solved, with a resulting standard error of measurement of 18.06 microns. The control points identified by name and letter designation are given, as are the aerographic coordinates of the control points. In addition, the coordinates of the Viking I lander site are given: latitude, 22.480 deg; longitude, 47.962 deg (radius, 3389.32 km). This study expands and updates the previously published network (1978). It is noted that the computation differs in many respects from standard aerial mapping photogrammetric practice. In comparison with aerial mapping photography, the television formats are small and the focal lengths are long; stereo coverage is rare, the scale of the pictures varies greatly, and the residual camera distortions are large.

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-Situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinez, G. M.; Newman, C. N.; De Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Fischer, E.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Fairén, A. G.; Genzer, M.; Guzewich, S. D.; Haberle, R. M.;

Mars Orbiter Camera Acquires High Resolution Stereoscopic Images of the Viking One Landing Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Two MOC images of the vicinity of the Viking Lander 1 (MOC 23503 and 25403), acquired separately on 12 April 1998 at 08:32 PDT and 21 April 1998 at 13:54 PDT (respectively), are combined here in a stereoscopic anaglyph. The more recent, slightly better quality image is in the red channel, while the earlier image is shown in the blue and green channels. Only the overlap portion of the images is included in the composite.

Image 23503 was taken at a viewing angle of 31.6o from vertical; 25403 was taken at an angle of 22.4o, for a difference of 9.4o. Although this is not as large a difference as is typically used in stereo mapping, it is sufficient to provide some indication of relief, at least in locations of high relief.

The image shows the raised rims and deep interiors of the larger impact craters in the area (the largest crater is about 650 m/2100 feet across). It shows that the relief on the ridges is very subtle, and that, in general, the Viking landing site is very flat. This result is, of course, expected: the VL-1 site was chosen specifically because it was likely to have low to very low slopes that represented potential hazards to the spacecraft.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Abrasion by aeolian particles: Earth and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, R.; Marshall, J. R.; White, B. R.; Pollack, J. B.; Marshall, J.; Krinsley, D.

1984-01-01

Estimation of the rate of aeolian abrasion of rocks on Mars requires knowledge of: (1) particle flux, (2) susceptibilities to abrasion of various rocks, and (3) wind frequencies on Mars. Fluxes and susceptibilities for a wide range of conditions were obtained in the laboratory and combined with wind data from the Viking meteorology experiment. Assuming an abundant supply of sand-sized particles, estimated rates range up to 2.1 x 10 to the minus 2 power cm of abrasion per year in the vicinity of Viking Lander 1. This rate is orders of magnitude too great to be in agreement with the inferred age of the surface based on models of impact crater flux. The discrepancy in the estimated rate of abrasion and the presumed old age of the surface cannot be explained easily by changes in climate or exhumation of ancient surfaces. The primary reason is thought to be related to the agents of abrasion. At least some sand-sized (approx. 100 micrometers) grains appear to be present, as inferred from both lander and orbiter observations. High rates of abrasion occur for all experimental cases involving sands of quartz, basalt, or ash. However, previous studies have shown that sand is quickly comminuted to silt- and clay-sized grains in the martian aeolian regime. Experiments also show that these fine grains are electrostatically charged and bond together as sand-sized aggregates. Laboratory simulations of wind abrasion involving aggregates show that at impact velocities capable of destroying sand, aggregates from a protective veneer on the target surface and can give rise to extremely low abrasion rates.

Viking Lander image analysis of Martian atmospheric dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, James B.; Ockert-Bell, Maureen E.; Shepard, Michael K.

1995-01-01

We have reanalyzed three sets of Viking Lander 1 and 2 (VL1 and VL2) images of the Martian atmosphere to better evaluate the radiative properties of the atmospheric dust particles. The properties of interest are the first two moments of the size distribution, the single-scattering albedo, the dust single-scattering phase function, and the imaginary index of refraction. These properties provide a good definition of the influence that the atmospheric dust has on heating of the atmosphere. Our analysis represents a significant improvement over past analyses (Pollack et al. 1977, 1979) by deriving more accurate brightness closer to the sun, by carrying out more precise analyses of the data to acquire the quantities of interest, and by using a better representation of scattering by nonspherical particles. The improvements allow us to better define the diffraction peak and hence the size distribution of the particles. For a lognormal particle size distribution, the first two moments of the size distribution, weighted by the geometric cross section, are found. The geometric cross-section weighted mean radius r(sub eff) is found to be 1.85 +/- 0.3 micrometers at VL2 during northern summer when dust loading was low and 1.52 +/- 0.3 micrometers at VL1 during the first dust storm. In both cases the best cross-section weighted mean variance nu(sub eff) of the size distribution is equal to 0.5 +/- 0.2 micrometers. The changes in size distribution, and thus radiative properties, do not represent a substantial change in solar energy deposition in the atmosphere over the Pollak et al. (1977, 1979) estimates.

Viking Lander image analysis of Martian atmospheric dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, James B.; Ockert-Bell, Maureen E.; Shepard, Michael K.

1995-01-01

We have reanalyzed three sets of Viking Lander 1 and 2 (VL1 and VL2) images of the Martian atmosphere to better evaluate the radiative properties of the atmospheric dust particles. The properties of interest are the first two moments of the size distribution, the single-scattering albedo, the dust single-scattering phase function, and the imaginary index of refraction. These properties provide a good definition of the influence that the atmospheric dust has on heating of the atmosphere. Our analysis represents a significant improvement over past analyses (Pollack et al. 1977,1979) by deriving more accurate brightnesses closer to the sun, by carrying out more precise analyses of the data to acquire the quantities of interest, and by using a better representation of scattering by nonspherical particles. The improvements allow us to better define the diffraction peak and hence the size distribution of the particles. For a lognormal particle size distribution, the first two moments of the size distribution, weighted by the geometric cross section, are found. The geometric cross-section weighted mean radius (r(sub eff)) is found to be 1.85 +/- 0.3 microns at VL2 during northern summer when dust loading was low and 1.52 +/- 0.3 microns at VL1 during the first dust storm. In both cases the best cross-section weighted mean variance (nu(eff)) of the size distribution is equal to 0.5 +/- 0.2 microns. The changes in size distribution, and thus radiative properties, do not represent a substantial change in solar energy deposition in the atmosphere over the Pollack et al. (1977,1979) estimates.

Overview of current capabilities and research and technology developments for planetary protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frick, Andreas; Mogul, Rakesh; Stabekis, Pericles; Conley, Catharine A.; Ehrenfreund, Pascale

2014-07-01

The pace of scientific exploration of our solar system provides ever-increasing insights into potentially habitable environments, and associated concerns for their contamination by Earth organisms. Biological and organic-chemical contamination has been extensively considered by the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) and has resulted in the internationally recognized regulations to which spacefaring nations adhere, and which have been in place for 40 years. The only successful Mars lander missions with system-level “sterilization” were the Viking landers in the 1970s. Since then different cleanliness requirements have been applied to spacecraft based on their destination, mission type, and scientific objectives. The Planetary Protection Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council has noted that a strategic Research & Technology Development (R&TD) roadmap would be very beneficial to encourage the timely availability of effective tools and methodologies to implement planetary protection requirements. New research avenues in planetary protection for ambitious future exploration missions can best be served by developing an over-arching program that integrates capability-driven developments with mission-driven implementation efforts. This paper analyzes the current status concerning microbial reduction and cleaning methods, recontamination control and bio-barriers, operational analysis methods, and addresses concepts for human exploration. Crosscutting research and support activities are discussed and a rationale for a Strategic Planetary Protection R&TD Roadmap is outlined. Such a roadmap for planetary protection provides a forum for strategic planning and will help to enable the next phases of solar system exploration.

Organics on Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ten Kate, Inge L.

2010-08-01

Organics are expected to exist on Mars based on meteorite infall, in situ production, and any possible biological sources. Yet they have not been detected on the martian surface; are they there, or are we not capable enough to detect them? The Viking gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer did not detect organics in the headspace of heated soil samples with a detection limit of parts per billion. This null result strongly influenced the interpretation of the reactivity seen in the Viking biology experiments and led to the conclusion that life was not present and, instead, that there was some chemical reactivity in the soil. The detection of perchlorates in the martian soil by instruments on the Phoenix lander and the reports of methane in the martian atmosphere suggest that it may be time to reconsider the question of organics. The high-temperature oxidizing properties of perchlorate will promote combustion of organics in pyrolytic experiments and may have affected the ability of both Phoenix's organic analysis experiment and the Viking mass spectrometer experiments to detect organics. So the question of organics on Mars remains open. A primary focus of the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory will be the detection and identification of organic molecules by means of thermal volatilization, followed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry - as was done on Viking. However, to enhance organic detectability, some of the samples will be processed with liquid derivatization agents that will dissolve organics from the soil before pyrolysis, which may separate them from the soil perchlorates. Nonetheless, the problem of organics on Mars is not solved, and for future missions other organic detection techniques should therefore be considered as well.

Organics on Mars?

PubMed

ten Kate, Inge L

2010-01-01

Organics are expected to exist on Mars based on meteorite infall, in situ production, and any possible biological sources. Yet they have not been detected on the martian surface; are they there, or are we not capable enough to detect them? The Viking gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer did not detect organics in the headspace of heated soil samples with a detection limit of parts per billion. This null result strongly influenced the interpretation of the reactivity seen in the Viking biology experiments and led to the conclusion that life was not present and, instead, that there was some chemical reactivity in the soil. The detection of perchlorates in the martian soil by instruments on the Phoenix lander and the reports of methane in the martian atmosphere suggest that it may be time to reconsider the question of organics. The high-temperature oxidizing properties of perchlorate will promote combustion of organics in pyrolytic experiments and may have affected the ability of both Phoenix's organic analysis experiment and the Viking mass spectrometer experiments to detect organics. So the question of organics on Mars remains open. A primary focus of the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory will be the detection and identification of organic molecules by means of thermal volatilization, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry--as was done on Viking. However, to enhance organic detectability, some of the samples will be processed with liquid derivatization agents that will dissolve organics from the soil before pyrolysis, which may separate them from the soil perchlorates. Nonetheless, the problem of organics on Mars is not solved, and for future missions other organic detection techniques should therefore be considered as well.

Solar radiation on Mars: Update 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Landis, Geoffrey A.

1991-01-01

Detailed information on solar radiation characteristics on Mars are necessary for effective design of future planned solar energy systems operating on the surface of Mars. A procedure and solar radiation related data are presented from which the daily variation of the global, direct beam and diffuse insolation on Mars are calculated. Given the optical depth of the Mars atmosphere, the global radiation is calculated from the normalized net flux function based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation. The direct beam was derived from the optical depth using Beer's law, and the diffuse component was obtained from the difference of the global and the direct beam radiation. The optical depths of the Mars atmosphere were derived from images taken of the Sun with a special diode on the cameras used on the two Viking Landers.

DE 102 - A numerically integrated ephemeris of the moon and planets spanning forty-four centuries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newhall, X. X.; Standish, E. M.; Willams, J. G.

1983-01-01

It is pointed out that the 1960's were the turning point for the generation of lunar and planetary ephemerides. All previous measurements of the positions of solar system bodies were optical angular measurements. New technological improvements leading to immense changes in observational accuracy are related to developments concerning radar, Viking landers on Mars, and laser ranges to lunar corner cube retroreflectors. Suitable numerical integration techniques and more comprehensive physical models were developed to match the accuracy of the modern data types. The present investigation is concerned with the first integrated ephemeris, DE 102, which covers the entire span of the historical astronomical observations of usable accuracy which are known. The fit is made to modern data. The integration spans the time period from 1411 BC to 3002 AD.

First Panoramic View From The Surface Of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

First panoramic view by Viking 1 from the surface of Mars. (Top): The out-of-focus spacecraft component toward left center is the housing for the Viking sample arm, which is not yet deployed. Parallel lines in the sky are an artifact and are not real features. However, the change of brightness from horizon towards zenith and towards the right (west) is accurately reflected in this picture, taken in late Martian afternoon. At the horizon to the left is a plateau-like prominence much brighter than the foreground material between the rocks. The horizon features are approximately three kilometers (1.8 miles) away. At left is a collection of fine-grained material reminiscent of sand dunes. The dark sinuous markings in left foreground are of unknown origin. Some unidentified shapes can be perceived on the hilly eminence at the horizon towards the right. Patches of bright sand can be discerned among the rocks and boulders in middle distance. In right fore-ground are two peculiarly shaped rocks which may possibly be ventifacts produced by wind abrasion on Mars. A horizontal cloud stratum can be made out halfway from the horizon to the top of the picture. (Bottom): At left is seen the low gain antenna for receipt of commands from the Earth. The projections on or near the horizon may represent the rims distant impact craters. In right foreground are color charts for Lander camera calibration, a mirror for the Viking magnetic properties experiment and part of a grid on the top of the Lander body. At upper right is the high-gain dish antenna for direct communication between landed space-craft and Earth. Toward the right edge is an array of smooth fine-grained material which shows some hint of ripple structure and may be the beginning of a large dune field off to the right of the picture, which joins with dunes seen at the top left in this 300 panoramic view. Some of the rocks appear to be undercut on one side and partially buried by drifting sand on the other.

First Panoramic View From The Surface Of Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-30

First panoramic view by Viking 1 from the surface of Mars. (Top): The out-of-focus spacecraft component toward left center is the housing for the Viking sample arm, which is not yet deployed. Parallel lines in the sky are an artifact and are not real features. However, the change of brightness from horizon towards zenith and towards the right (west) is accurately reflected in this picture, taken in late Martian afternoon. At the horizon to the left is a plateau-like prominence much brighter than the foreground material between the rocks. The horizon features are approximately three kilometers (1.8 miles) away. At left is a collection of fine-grained material reminiscent of sand dunes. The dark sinuous markings in left foreground are of unknown origin. Some unidentified shapes can be perceived on the hilly eminence at the horizon towards the right. Patches of bright sand can be discerned among the rocks and boulders in middle distance. In right fore-ground are two peculiarly shaped rocks which may possibly be ventifacts produced by wind abrasion on Mars. A horizontal cloud stratum can be made out halfway from the horizon to the top of the picture. (Bottom): At left is seen the low gain antenna for receipt of commands from the Earth. The projections on or near the horizon may represent the rims distant impact craters. In right foreground are color charts for Lander camera calibration, a mirror for the Viking magnetic properties experiment and part of a grid on the top of the Lander body. At upper right is the high-gain dish antenna for direct communication between landed space-craft and Earth. Toward the right edge is an array of smooth fine-grained material which shows some hint of ripple structure and may be the beginning of a large dune field off to the right of the picture, which joins with dunes seen at the top left in this 300 panoramic view. Some of the rocks appear to be undercut on one side and partially buried by drifting sand on the other. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00382

Microscopic Image of Martian Surface Material on a Silicone Substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on image for larger version of Figure 1

This image taken by the Optical Microscope on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows soil sprinkled from the lander's Robot Arm scoop onto a silicone substrate. The substrate was then rotated in front of the microscope. This is the first sample collected and delivered for instrumental analysis onboard a planetary lander since NASA's Viking Mars missions of the 1970s. It is also the highest resolution image yet seen of Martian soil.

The image is dominated by fine particles close to the resolution of the microscope. These particles have formed clumps, which may be a smaller scale version of what has been observed by Phoenix during digging of the surface material.

The microscope took this image during Phoenix's Sol 17 (June 11), or the 17th Martian day after landing. The scale bar is 1 millimeter (0.04 inch).

Zooming in on the Martian Soil

In figure 1, three zoomed-in portions are shown with an image of Martian soil particles taken by the Optical Microscope on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

The left zoom box shows a composite particle. The top of the particle has a green tinge, possibly indicating olivine. The bottom of the particle has been reimaged at a different focus position in black and white (middle zoom box), showing that this is a clump of finer particles.

The right zoom box shows a rounded, glassy particle, similar to those which have also been seen in an earlier sample of airfall dust collected on a surface exposed during landing.

The shadows at the bottom of image are of the beams of the Atomic Force Microscope.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

The Martian twilight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, R.; Goody, R.; Pollack, J.

1981-01-01

The changing sky brightness during the Martian twilight as measured by the Viking lander cameras is shown to be consistent with data obtained from sky brightness measurements. An exponential distribution of dust with a scale height of 10 km, equal to the atmospheric scale height, is consistent with the shape of the light curve. Multiple scattering resulting from the forward scattering peak of large particles makes a major contribution to the intensity of the twilight. The spectral distribution of light in the twilight sky may require slightly different optical properties for the scattering particles at high levels from those of the aerosol at lower levels.

Evidence that the reactivity of the martian soil is due to superoxide ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, A. S.; Kim, S. S.; Hecht, M. H.; Frant, M. S.; Murray, B.

2000-01-01

The Viking Landers were unable to detect evidence of life on Mars but, instead, found a chemically reactive soil capable of decomposing organic molecules. This reactivity was attributed to the presence of one or more as-yet-unidentified inorganic superoxides or peroxides in the martian soil. Using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we show that superoxide radical ions (O2-) form directly on Mars-analog mineral surfaces exposed to ultraviolet radiation under a simulated martian atmosphere. These oxygen radicals can explain the reactive nature of the soil and the apparent absence of organic material at the martian surface.

Thermal and microstructural properties of fine-grained material at the Viking Lander 1 site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paton, M. D.; Harri, A.-M.; Savijärvi, H.; Mäkinen, T.; Hagermann, A.; Kemppinen, O.; Johnston, A.

2016-06-01

As Viking Lander 1 touched down on Mars one of its footpads fully penetrated a patch of loose fine-grained drift material. The surrounding landing site, as observed by VL-1, was found to exhibit a complex terrain consisting of a crusted surface with an assortment of rocks, large dune-like drifts and smaller patches of drift material. We use a temperature sensor attached to the buried footpad and covered in fine-grained material to determine the thermal properties of drift material at the VL-1 site. The thermal properties are used to investigate the microstructure of the drift material and understand its relevance to surface-atmosphere interactions. We obtained a thermal inertia value of 103 ± 22 tiu. This value is in the upper range of previous thermal inertia estimates of martian dust as measured from orbit and is significantly lower than the regional thermal inertia of the VL-1 site, of around 283 tiu, obtained from orbit. We estimate a thermal inertia of around 263 ± 29 tiu for the duricrust at the VL-1 site. It was noted the patch of fine-grained regolith around the footpad was about 20-30 K warmer compared to similar material beyond the thermal influence of the lander. An effective diameter of 8 ± 5 μm was calculated for the particles in the drift material. This is larger than atmospheric dust and large compared to previous estimates of the drift material particle diameter. We interpret our results as the presence of a range of particle sizes, <8 μm, in the drift material with the thermal properties being controlled by a small amount of large particles (∼8 μm) and its cohesion being controlled by a large amount of smaller particles. The bulk of the particles in the drift material are therefore likely comparable in size to that of atmospheric dust. The possibility of larger particles being locked into a fine-grained material has implications for understanding the mobilisation of wind blown materials on Mars.

Development of Prototype Micro-Lidar using Narrow Linewidth Semiconductor Lasers for Mars Boundary Layer Wind and Dust Opacity Profiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menzies, Robert T.; Cardell, Greg; Chiao, Meng; Esproles, Carlos; Forouhar, Siamak; Hemmati, Hamid; Tratt, David

1999-01-01

We have developed a compact Doppler lidar concept which utilizes recent developments in semiconductor diode laser technology in order to be considered suitable for wind and dust opacity profiling in the Mars lower atmosphere from a surface location. The current understanding of the Mars global climate and meteorology is very limited, with only sparse, near-surface data available from the Viking and Mars Pathfinder landers, supplemented by long-range remote sensing of the Martian atmosphere. The in situ measurements from a lander-based Doppler lidar would provide a unique dataset particularly for the boundary layer. The coupling of the radiative properties of the lower atmosphere with the dynamics involves the radiative absorption and scattering effects of the wind-driven dust. Variability in solar irradiance, on diurnal and seasonal time scales, drives vertical mixing and PBL (planetary boundary layer) thickness. The lidar data will also contribute to an understanding of the impact of wind-driven dust on lander and rover operations and lifetime through an improvement in our understanding of Mars climatology. In this paper we discuss the Mars lidar concept, and the development of a laboratory prototype for performance studies, using, local boundary layer and topographic target measurements.

Using Engineering Cameras on Mars Landers and Rovers to Retrieve Atmospheric Dust Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, C. A.; Lemmon, M. T.

2014-12-01

Dust in the Martian atmosphere influences energy deposition, dynamics, and the viability of solar powered exploration vehicles. The Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix, and Curiosity landers and rovers each included the ability to image the Sun with a science camera that included a neutral density filter. Direct images of the Sun provide the ability to measure extinction by dust and ice in the atmosphere. These observations have been used to characterize dust storms, to provide ground truth sites for orbiter-based global measurements of dust loading, and to help monitor solar panel performance. In the cost-constrained environment of Mars exploration, future missions may omit such cameras, as the solar-powered InSight mission has. We seek to provide a robust capability of determining atmospheric opacity from sky images taken with cameras that have not been designed for solar imaging, such as lander and rover engineering cameras. Operational use requires the ability to retrieve optical depth on a timescale useful to mission planning, and with an accuracy and precision sufficient to support both mission planning and validating orbital measurements. We will present a simulation-based assessment of imaging strategies and their error budgets, as well as a validation based on archival engineering camera data.

Observed Changes at Viking Lander 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.

1985-01-01

A local dust storm raged in Chryse Planitia, Mars, in June 1981. The changes wrought in the vicinity of the lander (Mutch Memorial Station) by this storm sometime near Sol 1742 were partly described previously. Here, changes related to the storm are itemized, evidence for wind directions during the peak of the storm are cited, and two observations unrelated to the storm are noted. The observations suggest that the eroding winds of the Sol 1742 storm were more easterly (N. 35 deg to 90 deg E.) than those (N. 5 deg to 11 deg E.) that formed the large wind tails; and fragments in erosional residues are 0.7 cm and larger, but smaller ones may be present. Some fragments 0.4 to 0.5 cm and smaller were somehow removed, at least locally; wind speeds of the 1742 local storm were probably greater than those of a previous local dust storm (25 to 30 m/s) that occurred during the same season on Sol 423 because the earlier storm did not alter the surface; the major, if not entire, amount of erosion by the storm occurred between Sols 1728 and 1757; and erosion chiefly occurred where the surface configuration and material properties were altered by the lander and its sampler.

Oxidants at the Surface of Mars: A Review in Light of Recent Exploration Results.

PubMed

Lasne, J; Noblet, A; Szopa, C; Navarro-González, R; Cabane, M; Poch, O; Stalport, F; François, P; Atreya, S K; Coll, P

2016-12-01

In 1976, the Viking landers carried out the most comprehensive search for organics and microbial life in the martian regolith. Their results indicate that Mars' surface is lifeless and, surprisingly, depleted in organics at part-per-billion levels. Several biology experiments on the Viking landers gave controversial results that have since been explained by the presence of oxidizing agents on the surface of Mars. These oxidants may degrade abiotic or biological organics, resulting in their nondetection in the regolith. As several exploration missions currently focus on the detection of organics on Mars (or will do so in the near future), knowledge of the oxidative state of the surface is fundamental. It will allow for determination of the capability of organics to survive on a geological timescale, the most favorable places to seek them, and the best methods to process the samples collected at the surface. With this aim, we review the main oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, their possible formation pathways, and those laboratory studies in which their reactivity with organics under Mars-like conditions has been evaluated. Among the oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, only four have been detected so far: perchlorate ions (ClO 4 - ) in salts, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in the atmosphere, and clays and metal oxides composing surface minerals. Clays have been suggested as catalysts for the oxidation of organics but are treated as oxidants in the following to keep the structure of this article straightforward. This work provides an insight into the oxidizing potential of the surface of Mars and an estimate of the stability of organic matter in an oxidizing environment. Key Words: Mars surface-Astrobiology-Oxidant-Chemical reactions. Astrobiology 16, 977-996.

Martian Cratering 7: The Role of Impact Gardening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, William K.; Anguita, Jorge; de la Casa, Miguel A.; Berman, Daniel C.; Ryan, Eileen V.

2001-01-01

Viking-era researchers concluded that impact craters of diameter D<50 m were absent on Mars, and thus impact gardening was considered negligible in establishing decameter-scale surface properties. This paper documents martian crater populations down to diameter D˜11 m and probably less on Mars, requiring a certain degree of impact gardening. Applying lunar data, we calculate cumulative gardening depth as a function of total cratering. Stratigraphic units exposed since Noachian times would have experienced tens to hundreds of meters of gardening. Early Amazonian/late Hesperian sites, such as the first three landing sites, experienced cumulative gardening on the order of 3-14 m, a conclusion that may conflict with some landing site interpretations. Martian surfaces with less than a percent or so of lunar mare crater densities have negligible impact gardening because of a probable cutoff of hypervelocity impact cratering below D˜1 m, due to Mars' atmosphere. Unlike lunar regolith, martian regolith has been affected, and fines removed, by many processes. Deflation may have been a factor in leaving widespread boulder fields and associated dune fields, observed by the first three landers. Ancient regolith provided a porous medium for water storage, subsurface transport, and massive permafrost formation. Older regolith was probably cemented by evaporites and permafrost, may contain interbedded sediments and lavas, and may have been brecciated by later impacts. Growing evidence suggests recent water mobility, and the existence of duricrust at Viking and Pathfinder sites demonstrates the cementing process. These results affect lander/rover searches for intact ancient deposits. The upper tens of meters of exposed Noachian units cannot survive today in a pristine state. Intact Noachian deposits might best be found in cliffside strata, or in recently exhumed regions. The hematite-rich areas found in Terra Meridiani by the Mars Global Surveyor are probably examples of the latter.

Oxidants at the Surface of Mars: A Review in Light of Recent Exploration Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lasne, J.; Noblet, A.; Szopa, C.; Navarro-González, R.; Cabane, M.; Poch, O.; Stalport, F.; François, P.; Atreya, S. K.; Coll, P.

2016-12-01

In 1976, the Viking landers carried out the most comprehensive search for organics and microbial life in the martian regolith. Their results indicate that Mars' surface is lifeless and, surprisingly, depleted in organics at part-per-billion levels. Several biology experiments on the Viking landers gave controversial results that have since been explained by the presence of oxidizing agents on the surface of Mars. These oxidants may degrade abiotic or biological organics, resulting in their nondetection in the regolith. As several exploration missions currently focus on the detection of organics on Mars (or will do so in the near future), knowledge of the oxidative state of the surface is fundamental. It will allow for determination of the capability of organics to survive on a geological timescale, the most favorable places to seek them, and the best methods to process the samples collected at the surface. With this aim, we review the main oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, their possible formation pathways, and those laboratory studies in which their reactivity with organics under Mars-like conditions has been evaluated. Among the oxidants assumed to be present on Mars, only four have been detected so far: perchlorate ions (ClO4-) in salts, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the atmosphere, and clays and metal oxides composing surface minerals. Clays have been suggested as catalysts for the oxidation of organics but are treated as oxidants in the following to keep the structure of this article straightforward. This work provides an insight into the oxidizing potential of the surface of Mars and an estimate of the stability of organic matter in an oxidizing environment.

Testing for a cosmological influence on local physics using atomic and gravitational clocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, P. J.; Hellings, R. W.; Canuto, V. M.; Goldman, I.

1983-01-01

The existence of a possible influence of the large-scale structure of the universe on local physics is discussed. A particular realization of such an influence is discussed in terms of the behavior in time of atomic and gravitational clocks. Two natural categories of metric theories embodying a cosmic infuence exist. The first category has geodesic equations of motion in atomic units, while the second category has geodesic equations of motion in gravitational units. Equations of motion for test bodies are derived for both categories of theories in the appropriate parametrized post-Newtonian limit and are applied to the Solar System. Ranging data to the Viking lander on Mars are of sufficient precision to reveal (1) if such a cosmological influence exists at the level of Hubble's constant, and (2) which category of theories is appropriate for a descripton of the phenomenon.

A Historical Perspective on Dynamics Testing at the Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horta, Lucas G.; Kvaternik, Raymond G.

2000-01-01

The history of structural dynamics testing research over the past four decades at the Langley Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is reviewed. Beginning in the early sixties, Langley investigated several scale model and full-scale spacecraft including the NIMBUS and various concepts for Apollo and Viking landers. Langley engineers pioneered the use of scaled models to study the dynamics of launch vehicles including Saturn I, Saturn V, and Titan III. In the seventies, work emphasized the Space Shuttle and advanced test and data analysis methods. In the eighties, the possibility of delivering large structures to orbit by the Space Shuttle shifted focus towards understanding the interaction of flexible space structures with attitude control systems. Although Langley has maintained a tradition of laboratory-based research, some flight experiments were supported. This review emphasizes work that, in some way, advanced the state of knowledge at the time.

Appropriate Simulants are a Requirement for Mars Surface Systems Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmunson, Jennifer E.; McLemore, Carole A.; Rickman, Douglas L.

2012-01-01

To date, there are two simulants for martian regolith: JSC Mars-1A, produced from palagonitic (weathered) basaltic tephra mined from the Pu'u Nene cinder cone in Hawaii [1] by commercial company Orbitec, and Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS), produced from Saddleback Basalt in the western Mojave desert by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [2]. Until numerous recent orbiters, rovers, and landers were sent to Mars, weathered basalt was surmised to cover every inch of the martian landscape. All missions since Viking have disproven that the entire martian surface is weathered basalt. In fact, the outcrops, features, and surfaces that are significantly different from weathered basalt are too numerous to realistically count. There are gullies, evaporites, sand dunes, lake deposits, hydrothermal deposits, alluvium, etc. that indicate sedimentary and chemical processes. There is no one size fits all simulant. Each unique area requires its own simulant in order to test technologies and hardware, thereby reducing risk.

On thermal stress failure of the SNAP-19A RTG heat shield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitts, W. C.; Anderson, L. A.

1974-01-01

Results of a study on thermal stress problems in an amorphous graphite heat shield that is part of the launch-abort protect system for the SNAP-19A radio-isotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) that will be used on the Viking Mars Lander are presended. The first result is from a thermal stress analysis of a full-scale RTG heat source that failed to survive a suborbital entry flight test, possibly due to thermal stress failure. It was calculated that the maximum stress in the heat shield was only 50 percent of the ultimate strength of the material. To provide information on the stress failure criterion used for this calculation, some heat shield specimens were fractured under abort entry conditions in a plasma arc facility. It was found that in regions free of stress concentrations the POCO graphite heat shield material did fracture when the local stress reached the ultimate uniaxial stress of the material.

Planetary Data Systems (PDS) Imaging Node Atlas II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanboli, Alice; McAuley, James M.

2013-01-01

The Planetary Image Atlas (PIA) is a Rich Internet Application (RIA) that serves planetary imaging data to the science community and the general public. PIA also utilizes the USGS Unified Planetary Coordinate system (UPC) and the on-Mars map server. The Atlas was designed to provide the ability to search and filter through greater than 8 million planetary image files. This software is a three-tier Web application that contains a search engine backend (MySQL, JAVA), Web service interface (SOAP) between server and client, and a GWT Google Maps API client front end. This application allows for the search, retrieval, and download of planetary images and associated meta-data from the following missions: 2001 Mars Odyssey, Cassini, Galileo, LCROSS, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Exploration Rover, Mars Express, Magellan, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MESSENGER, Phoe nix, Viking Lander, Viking Orbiter, and Voyager. The Atlas utilizes the UPC to translate mission-specific coordinate systems into a unified coordinate system, allowing the end user to query across missions of similar targets. If desired, the end user can also use a mission-specific view of the Atlas. The mission-specific views rely on the same code base. This application is a major improvement over the initial version of the Planetary Image Atlas. It is a multi-mission search engine. This tool includes both basic and advanced search capabilities, providing a product search tool to interrogate the collection of planetary images. This tool lets the end user query information about each image, and ignores the data that the user has no interest in. Users can reduce the number of images to look at by defining an area of interest with latitude and longitude ranges.

Development of an Audio Microphone for the Mars Surveyor 98 Lander

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delory, G. T.; Luhmann, J. G.; Curtis, D. W.; Friedman, L. D.; Primbsch, J. H.; Mozer, F. S.

1998-01-01

In December 1999, the next Mars Surveyor Lander will bring the first microphone to the surface of Mars. The Mars Microphone represents a joint effort between the Planetary Society and the University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory and is riding on the lander as part of the LIDAR instrument package provided by the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The inclusion of a microphone on the Mars Surveyor Lander represents a unique opportunity to sample for the first time the acoustic environment on the surface, including both natural and lander-generated sounds. Sounds produced by martian meteorology are among the signals to be recorded, including wind and impacts of sand particles on the instrument. Photographs from the Viking orbiters as well as Pathfinder images show evidence of small tornado-like vortices that may be acoustically detected, along with noise generated by static discharges possible during sandstorms. Lander-generated sounds that will be measured include the motion and digging of the lander arm as it gathers soil samples for analysis. Along with these scientific objectives, the Mars Microphone represents a powerful tool for public outreach by providing sound samples on the Internet recorded during the mission. The addition of audio capability to the lander brings us one step closer to a true virtual presence on the Mars surface by complementing the visual capabilities of the Mars Surveyor cameras. The Mars Microphone is contained in a 5 x 5 x 1 cm box, weighs less than 50 g, and uses 0.1 W of power during its most active times. The microphone used is a standard hearing-aid electret. The sound sampling and processing system relies on an RSC-164 speech processor chip, which performs 8-bit A/ D sampling and sound compression. An onboard flight program enables several modes for the instrument, including varying sample ranges of 5 kHz and 20 kHz, and a selectable gain setting with 64x dynamic range. The device automatically triggers on the loudest sound during a collection period for storage in an internal flash memory. Data returned by the lander consist of a compressed time-series acoustic waveform, between 2 and 10 s long, depending on the sample rate. In addition to the discrete waveform. capture, the instrument continuously records the mean power in each of six frequency bands in order to provide an average characterization of the martian acoustic environment. Once the data are retrieved from the telemetry, the compressed time series is expanded into a standard PC-compatible WAV file for analysis, which will include representation in spectral format using FFTs for quantitative characterization of the sound data. The WAV files will be used to share the data with the public via the Internet. The Mars Microphone will thus fulfill a dual role on the Mars Surveyor mission, one as a possible precursor to a more sophisticated acoustic instrument on future landers. and one as a mechanism to increase public awareness of efforts to explore and understand the martian climate and planetary history.

Abundance and isotopic composition of gases in the martian atmosphere from the Curiosity rover.

PubMed

Mahaffy, Paul R; Webster, Christopher R; Atreya, Sushil K; Franz, Heather; Wong, Michael; Conrad, Pamela G; Harpold, Dan; Jones, John J; Leshin, Laurie A; Manning, Heidi; Owen, Tobias; Pepin, Robert O; Squyres, Steven; Trainer, Melissa

2013-07-19

Volume mixing and isotope ratios secured with repeated atmospheric measurements taken with the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite on the Curiosity rover are: carbon dioxide (CO2), 0.960(±0.007); argon-40 ((40)Ar), 0.0193(±0.0001); nitrogen (N2), 0.0189(±0.0003); oxygen, 1.45(±0.09) × 10(-3); carbon monoxide, < 1.0 × 10(-3); and (40)Ar/(36)Ar, 1.9(±0.3) × 10(3). The (40)Ar/N2 ratio is 1.7 times greater and the (40)Ar/(36)Ar ratio 1.6 times lower than values reported by the Viking Lander mass spectrometer in 1976, whereas other values are generally consistent with Viking and remote sensing observations. The (40)Ar/(36)Ar ratio is consistent with martian meteoritic values, which provides additional strong support for a martian origin of these rocks. The isotopic signature δ(13)C from CO2 of ~45 per mil is independently measured with two instruments. This heavy isotope enrichment in carbon supports the hypothesis of substantial atmospheric loss.

Absorption and scattering properties of the Martian dust in the solar wavelengths.

PubMed

Ockert-Bell, M E; Bell JF 3rd; Pollack, J B; McKay, C P; Forget, F

1997-04-25

A new wavelength-dependent model of the single-scattering properties of the Martian dust is presented. The model encompasses the solar wavelengths (0.3 to 4.3 micrometers at 0.02 micrometer resolution) and does not assume a particular mineralogical composition of the particles. We use the particle size distribution, shape, and single-scattering properties at Viking Lander wavelengths presented by Pollack et al. [1995]. We expand the wavelength range of the aerosol model by assuming that the atmospheric dust complex index of refraction is the same as that of dust particles in the bright surface geologic units. The new wavelength-dependent model is compared to observations taken by the Viking Orbiter Infrared Thermal Mapper solar channel instrument during two dust storms. The model accurately matches afternoon observations and some morning observations. Some of the early morning observations are much brighter than the model results. The increased reflectance can be ascribed to the formation of a water ice shell around the dust particles, thus creating the water ice clouds which Colburn et al. [1989], among others, have predicted.

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, G. M.; Newman, C. N.; De Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Fischer, E.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Fairén, A. G.; Genzer, M.; Guzewich, S. D.; Haberle, R. M.; Harri, A.-M.; Kemppinen, O.; Lemmon, M. T.; Smith, M. D.; de la Torre-Juárez, M.; Vasavada, A. R.

2017-10-01

We analyze the complete set of in-situ meteorological data obtained from the Viking landers in the 1970s to today's Curiosity rover to review our understanding of the modern near-surface climate of Mars, with focus on the dust, CO2 and H2O cycles and their impact on the radiative and thermodynamic conditions near the surface. In particular, we provide values of the highest confidence possible for atmospheric opacity, atmospheric pressure, near-surface air temperature, ground temperature, near-surface wind speed and direction, and near-surface air relative humidity and water vapor content. Then, we study the diurnal, seasonal and interannual variability of these quantities over a span of more than twenty Martian years. Finally, we propose measurements to improve our understanding of the Martian dust and H2O cycles, and discuss the potential for liquid water formation under Mars' present day conditions and its implications for future Mars missions. Understanding the modern Martian climate is important to determine if Mars could have the conditions to support life and to prepare for future human exploration.

Mars brine formation experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.; Bullock, Mark A.; Stoker, Carol R.

1993-01-01

The presence of water-soluble cations and anions in the Martian regolith has been the subject of speculation for some time. Viking lander data provided evidence for salt-cemented crusts on the Martian surface. If the crusts observed at the two Viking landing sites are, in fact, cemented by salts, and these crusts are globally widespread, as IRTM-derived thermal inertia studies of the Martian surface seem to suggest, then evaporite deposits, probably at least in part derived from brines, are a major component of the Martian regolith. The composition of liquid brines in the subsurface, which not only may be major agents of physical weathering but may also presently constitute a major deep subsurface liquid reservoir, is currently unconstrained by experimental work. A knowledge of the chemical identity and rate of production of Martian brines is a critical first-order step toward understanding the nature of both these fluids and their precipitated evaporites. Laboratory experiments are being conducted to determine the identity and production rate of water-soluble ions that form in initially pure liquid water in contact with Mars-mixture gases and unaltered Mars-analog minerals.

Red Dragon drill missions to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heldmann, Jennifer L.; Stoker, Carol R.; Gonzales, Andrew; McKay, Christopher P.; Davila, Alfonso; Glass, Brian J.; Lemke, Larry L.; Paulsen, Gale; Willson, David; Zacny, Kris

2017-12-01

We present the concept of using a variant of a Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) Dragon space capsule as a low-cost, large-capacity, near-term, Mars lander (dubbed ;Red Dragon;) for scientific and human precursor missions. SpaceX initially designed the Dragon capsule for flight near Earth, and Dragon has successfully flown many times to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and successfully returned the Dragon spacecraft to Earth. Here we present capsule hardware modifications that are required to enable flight to Mars and operations on the martian surface. We discuss the use of the Dragon system to support NASA Discovery class missions to Mars and focus in particular on Dragon's applications for drilling missions. We find that a Red Dragon platform is well suited for missions capable of drilling deeper on Mars (at least 2 m) than has been accomplished to date due to its ability to land in a powered controlled mode, accommodate a long drill string, and provide payload space for sample processing and analysis. We show that a Red Dragon drill lander could conduct surface missions at three possible targets including the ice-cemented ground at the Phoenix landing site (68 °N), the subsurface ice discovered near the Viking 2 (49 °N) site by fresh impact craters, and the dark sedimentary subsurface material at the Curiosity site (4.5 °S).

Laboratory observations and simulations of phase reddening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröder, S. E.; Grynko, Ye.; Pommerol, A.; Keller, H. U.; Thomas, N.; Roush, T. L.

2014-09-01

The visible reflectance spectrum of many Solar System bodies changes with changing viewing geometry for reasons not fully understood. It is often observed to redden (increasing spectral slope) with increasing solar phase angle, an effect known as phase reddening. Only once, in an observation of the martian surface by the Viking 1 lander, was reddening observed up to a certain phase angle with bluing beyond, making the reflectance ratio as a function of phase angle shaped like an arch. However, in laboratory experiments this arch-shape is frequently encountered. To investigate this, we measured the bidirectional reflectance of particulate samples of several common rock types in the 400-1000 nm wavelength range and performed ray-tracing simulations. We confirm the occurrence of the arch for surfaces that are forward scattering, i.e. are composed of semi-transparent particles and are smooth on the scale of the particles, and for which the reflectance increases from the lower to the higher wavelength in the reflectance ratio. The arch shape is reproduced by the simulations, which assume a smooth surface. However, surface roughness on the scale of the particles, such as the Hapke and van Horn (Hapke, B., van Horn, H. [1963]. J. Geophys. Res. 68, 4545-4570) fairy castles that can spontaneously form when sprinkling a fine powder, leads to monotonic reddening. A further consequence of this form of microscopic roughness (being indistinct without the use of a microscope) is a flattening of the disk function at visible wavelengths, i.e. Lommel-Seeliger-type scattering. The experiments further reveal monotonic reddening for reflectance ratios at near-IR wavelengths. The simulations fail to reproduce this particular reddening, and we suspect that it results from roughness on the surface of the particles. Given that the regolith of atmosphereless Solar System bodies is composed of small particles, our results indicate that the prevalence of monotonic reddening and Lommel-Seeliger-type scattering for these bodies results from microscopic roughness, both in the form of structures built by the particles and roughness on the surface of the particles themselves. It follows from the singular Viking 1 observation that the surface in front of the lander was composed of semi-transparent particles, and was smooth on the scale of the particle size.

Formation and deposition of volcanic sulfate aerosols on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Settle, M.

1979-01-01

The paper considers the formation and deposition of volcanic sulfate aerosols on Mars. The rate limiting step in sulfate aerosol formation on Mars is the gas phase oxidation of SO2 by chemical reactions with O, OH, and HO2; submicron aerosol particles would circuit Mars and then be removed from the atmosphere by gravitational forces, globally dispersed, and deposited over a range of equatorial and mid-latitudes. Volcanic sulfate aerosols on Mars consist of liquid droplets and slurries containing sulfuric acid; aerosol deposition on a global or hemispheric scale could account for the similar concentrations of sulfur within surficial soils at the two Viking lander sites.

Getting water from the water of hydration on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwynne, O.; Cozzatti, J. P.; Zent, A. P.; Mckay, C. P.

1991-01-01

Both Viking landers found evidence of water in small concentration in the soils of Mars. Using the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer the soil samples on Mars were heated to 500 C to release the water. This result lead researchers to believe that the water in the soil of Mars was tightly bound in a hydration state. In the laboratory several Mars analog soils and a few bench mark soils were run through a microwave to determine the amount of water released using this method. The results suggest that sufficient water can be obtained using this method to augment the activities of a human base on Mars.

Brave new worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boss, Alan

2009-03-01

Are we alone? There is perhaps no more important single scientific question. People have pondered this issue from the very dawn of sentience, wondering if other, similar, beings inhabited a distant mountain range or the other side of an ocean. The history of humanity is largely one of exploration and expansion, and while at first this was limited to the Earth's surface, in the last few decades only the power of our interplanetary rockets has kept us from exploring our wider environment. As the science-fiction author Ray Bradbury proclaimed when the Viking landers arrived on Mars in July 1976, "There is life on Mars, and it is us."

Soil mineralogy and chemistry on Mars - Possible clues from salts and clays in SNC meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gooding, James L.

1992-01-01

If the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassignite (SNC) meteorites' parent planet is Mars, then the aqueous precipitates found in them imply that oxidizing, water-based solutions may have been chemically active on that planet over the past 200-1300 million yrs. It is suggested that the mixture of aqueous precipitates found in the SNCs furnish a self-consistent model for the bulk elemental composition of surface sediments at the Viking Lander sites. Further mineralogical and stable-isotope studies of the secondary minerals may establish the limits for biological activity over the last 1300 million years of Mars' water-based chemistry.

Development and installation of an advanced beam guidance system on Viking`s 2.4 megawatt EB furnace

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Motchenbacher, C.A.; Grosse, I.A.

1994-12-31

Viking Metallurgical is a manufacturer of titanium alloy and superalloy seamless ring forgings for the aerospace industry. For more than 20 years Viking has used electron beam cold hearth melting to recover titanium alloy scrap and to produce commercially pure titanium ingot for direct forging. In the 1970`s Viking pioneered electron beam cold hearth melting and in 1983 added a two-gun, 2.4 MW furnace. As part of Vikings efforts to improve process control we have commissioned and installed a new electron beam guidance system. The system is capable of generating virtually unlimited EB patterns resulting in improved melt control.

Chloromethane release from carbonaceous meteorite affords new insight into Mars lander findings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keppler, Frank; Harper, David B.; Greule, Markus; Ott, Ulrich; Sattler, Tobias; Schöler, Heinz F.; Hamilton, John T. G.

2014-11-01

Controversy continues as to whether chloromethane (CH3Cl) detected during pyrolysis of Martian soils by the Viking and Curiosity Mars landers is indicative of organic matter indigenous to Mars. Here we demonstrate CH3Cl release (up to 8 μg/g) during low temperature (150-400°C) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous chondrite Murchison with chloride or perchlorate as chlorine source and confirm unequivocally by stable isotope analysis the extraterrestrial origin of the methyl group (δ2H +800 to +1100‰, δ13C -19.2 to +10‰,). In the terrestrial environment CH3Cl released during pyrolysis of organic matter derives from the methoxyl pool. The methoxyl pool in Murchison is consistent both in magnitude (0.044%) and isotope signature (δ2H +1054 +/- 626‰, δ13C +43.2 +/- 38.8‰,) with that of the CH3Cl released on pyrolysis. Thus CH3Cl emissions recorded by Mars lander experiments may be attributed to methoxyl groups in undegraded organic matter in meteoritic debris reaching the Martian surface being converted to CH3Cl with perchlorate or chloride in Martian soil. However we cannot discount emissions arising additionally from organic matter of indigenous origin. The stable isotope signatures of CH3Cl detected on Mars could potentially be utilized to determine its origin by distinguishing between terrestrial contamination, meteoritic infall and indigenous Martian sources.

Chloromethane release from carbonaceous meteorite affords new insight into Mars lander findings.

PubMed

Keppler, Frank; Harper, David B; Greule, Markus; Ott, Ulrich; Sattler, Tobias; Schöler, Heinz F; Hamilton, John T G

2014-11-13

Controversy continues as to whether chloromethane (CH3Cl) detected during pyrolysis of Martian soils by the Viking and Curiosity Mars landers is indicative of organic matter indigenous to Mars. Here we demonstrate CH3Cl release (up to 8 μg/g) during low temperature (150-400°C) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous chondrite Murchison with chloride or perchlorate as chlorine source and confirm unequivocally by stable isotope analysis the extraterrestrial origin of the methyl group (δ(2)H +800 to +1100‰, δ(13)C -19.2 to +10‰,). In the terrestrial environment CH3Cl released during pyrolysis of organic matter derives from the methoxyl pool. The methoxyl pool in Murchison is consistent both in magnitude (0.044%) and isotope signature (δ(2)H +1054 ± 626‰, δ(13)C +43.2 ± 38.8‰,) with that of the CH3Cl released on pyrolysis. Thus CH3Cl emissions recorded by Mars lander experiments may be attributed to methoxyl groups in undegraded organic matter in meteoritic debris reaching the Martian surface being converted to CH3Cl with perchlorate or chloride in Martian soil. However we cannot discount emissions arising additionally from organic matter of indigenous origin. The stable isotope signatures of CH3Cl detected on Mars could potentially be utilized to determine its origin by distinguishing between terrestrial contamination, meteoritic infall and indigenous Martian sources.

The chemical reactivity of the Martian soil and implications for future missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zent, Aaron P.; Mckay, Christopher P.

1994-01-01

Possible interpretations of the results of the Viking Biology Experiments suggest that greater than 1 ppm of a thermally labile oxidant, perhaps H2O2, and about 10 ppm of a thermally stable oxidant are present in the martian soil. We reexamine these results and discuss implications for future missions, the search for organics on Mars, and the possible health and engineering effects for human exploration. We conclude that further characterization of the reactivity of the martian regolith materials is warrented-although if our present understanding is correct the oxidant does not pose a hazard to humans. There are difficulties in explaining the reactivity of the Martian soil by oxidants. Most bulk phase compounds that are capable of oxidizing H2O to O2 per the Gas Exchange Experiment (GEx) are thermally labile or unstable against reduction by atmospheric CO2. Models invoking trapped O2 or peroxynitrates (NOO2(-)) require an unlikely geologic history for the Viking Lander 2 site. Most suggested oxidants, including H2O2, are expected to decompose rapidly under martian UV. Nonetheless, we conclude that the best model for the martian soil contains oxidants produced by heterogeneous chemical reactions with a photochemically produced atmospheric oxidant. The GEx results may be due to catalytic decomposition of an unstable oxidizing material by H2O. We show that interfacial reaction sites covering less than 1% of the available soil surfaces could explain the Viking Biology Experiments results.

The analysis of water in the Martian regolith.

PubMed

Anderson, D M; Tice, A R

1979-12-01

One of the scientific objectives of the Viking Mission to Mars was to accomplish an analysis of water in the Martian regolith. The analytical scheme originally envisioned was severely compromised in the latter stages of the Lander instrument package design. Nevertheless, a crude soil water analysis was accomplished. Samples from each of the two widely separated sites yielded roughly 1 to 3% water by weight when heated successively to several temperatures up to 500 degrees C. A significant portion of this water was released in the 200 degrees to 350 degrees C interval indicating the presence of mineral hydrates of relatively low thermal stability, a finding in keeping with the low temperatures generally prevailing on Mars. The presence of a duricrust at one of the Lander sites is taken as possible evidence for the presence of hygroscopic minerals on Mars. The demonstrated presence of atmospheric water vapor and thermodynamic calculations lead to the belief that adsorbed water could provide a relatively favorable environment for endolithic organisms on Mars similar to types recently discovered in the dry antarctic deserts.

Soil crusts on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.

1991-01-01

Three distinct soillike materials sampled by the Viking landers (VL) on Mars are (in order of increasing strength): (1) drift; (2) crusty to cloddy; and (3) blocky. Relative strengths of these materials are manifested by footpad penetrations during landing (VL 1), depths of deep holes, motor currents during sampling, sampler backhoe penetrations, comminutor motor currents, impact pits, trench tailings, and successful acquisitions of the coarse fraction (only blocky material). Cementation by S Cl compounds probably contributes to the relative strengths. This is shown where the weight pct. of SO3 + Cl of each material is plotted against their relative strengths. A similar result is obtained using SO3 alone, but not with Cl which is deficient in VL 2 samples.

Preliminary results of investigations into the use of artificial neural networks for discriminating gas chromatograph mass spectra of remote samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Harold A.; Norris, Eugene; Warnock, Archibald, III

1991-01-01

Neural networks trained using mass spectra data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are studied. The investigations also included sample data from the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) instrument aboard the Viking Lander, obtained from the National Space Science Data Center. The work performed to data and the preliminary results from the training and testing of neural networks are described. These preliminary results are presented for the purpose of determining the viability of applying artificial neural networks in discriminating mass spectra samples from remote instrumentation such as the Mars Rover Sample Return Mission and the Cassini Probe.

The Antarctic cryptoendolithic ecosystem: relevance to exobiology.

PubMed

Friedmann, E I; Ocampo-Friedmann, R

1984-01-01

Cryptoendolithic microorganisms in the Antarctic desert live inside porous sandstone rocks, protected by a thin rock crust. While the rock surface is abiotic, the microclimate inside the rock is comparatively mild. These organisms may have descended from early, pre-glaciation Antarctic life forms and thus may represent the last outpost of life in a gradually deteriorating environment. Assuming that life once arose on Mars, it is conceivable that, following the loss of water, the last of surviving organisms withdrew to similar insulated microenvironments. Because such microscopic pockets have little connection with the outside environment, their detection may be difficult. The chances that the Viking lander could sample cryptoendolithic microorganisms in the Antarctic desert would be infinitesimal.

Nonmetallic materials handbook. Volume 2: Epoxy and silicone materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podlaseck, S. E.

1982-01-01

Chemical and physical property test data obtained during qualification and receiving inspection testing of nonmetallic materials for the Viking Mars Lander program is presented. Thermochemical data showing degradation as a function of temperature from room temperature through 773 K is included. These data include activation energies for thermal degradation, rate constants, and exo- and/or endotherms. Thermal degradations carried out under vacuum include mass spectral data taken simultaneously during the decomposition. Many materials have supporting data such as condensation rates of degassed products and isothermal weight loss. Changes in mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties after exposure to 408 K in nitrogen for times ranging from 380 to 570 hours are included for many materials.

Stability of Magnesium Sulfate Minerals in Martian Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marion, G. M.; Kargel, J. S.

2005-01-01

Viking Lander, Pathfinder, and Mars Exploration Rover missions to Mars have found abundant sulfur in surface soils and rocks, and the best indications are that magnesium sulfates are among the key hosts. At Meridiani Planum, MgSO4 salts constitute 15 to 40 wt.% of sedimentary rocks. Additional S is hosted by gypsum and jarosite. Reflectance and thermal emission spectroscopy is consistent with the presence of kieserite (MgSO4 H2O) and epsomite (MgSO4*7H2O). Theoretically, the dodecahydrate (MgSO4*12H2O) should also have precipitated. We first examine theoretically which MgSO4 minerals should have precipitated on Mars, and then how dehydration might have altered these minerals.

The Antarctic cryptoendolithic ecosystem - Relevance to exobiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedmann, E. I.; Ocampo-Friedmann, R.

1984-01-01

Cryptoendolithic microorganisms in the Antarctic desert live inside porous sandstone rocks, protected by a thin rock crust. While the rock surface is abiotic, the microclimate inside the rock is comparatively mild. These organisms may have descended from early, pre-glaciation Antarctic life forms and thus may represent the last outpost of life in a gradually deteriorating environment. Assuming that life once arose on Mars, it is conceivable that, following the loss of water, the last of surviving organisms withdrew to similar insulated microenvironments. Because such microscopic pockets have little connection with the outside environment, their detection may be difficult. The chances that the Viking lander could sample cryptoendolithic microorganisms in the Antarctic desert would be infinitesimal.

Surface chemistry and mineralogy. [of planet Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banin, A.; Clark, B. C.; Waenke, H.

1992-01-01

The accumulated knowledge on the chemistry and mineralogy of Martian surface materials is reviewed. Pertinent information obtained by direct analyses of the soil on Mars by the Viking Landers, by remote sensing of Mars from flyby and orbiting spacecraft, by telescopic observations from earth, and through detailed analyses of the SNC meteorites presumed to be Martian rocks are summarized and analyzed. A compositional model for Mars soil, giving selected average elemental concentrations of major and trace elements, is suggested. It is proposed that the fine surface materials on Mars are a multicomponent mixture of weathered and nonweathered minerals. Smectite clays, silicate mineraloids similar to palagonite, and scapolite are suggested as possible major candidate components among the weathered minerals.

The Origin of Regional Dust Deposits on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christensen, P. R.

1985-01-01

Recently, additional evidence was derived from the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper observations that allows a more complete model for the formation of Low Thermal inertia-high Albedo regions to be proposed. The first observation is that dust appears to be currently accumulating in the low thermal inertia regions. Following each global dust storm a thin layer of dust is deposited globally, as evidenced by an increase in surface albedo seen from orbit and from the Viking Lander sites. During the period following the storm, the bright dust fallout is subsequently removed from low albedo regions, as indicated by the post-storm darkening of these surfaces and by an increase in the atmospheric dust content over dark regions relative to the bright, low thermal inertia regions. Thus, the fine dust storm material is removed from dark regions but not from the bright regions, resulting in a net accumulation within the bright, low thermal inertia regions. Once deposition has begun, the covering of exposed rocks and sand and the accumulation of fine material on the surface make removal of material increasingly difficult, thereby enhancing the likelihood that material will accumulate within the low thermal inertia regions.

Optical properties of dust and the opacity of the Martian atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korablev, O.; Moroz, V. I.; Petrova, E. V.; Rodin, A. V.

Particulate component of the Mars atmosphere composed by micron-sized products of soil weathering and water ice clouds strongly affects the current climate of the planet. In the absence of a dust storm so-called permanent dust haze with τ ≈ 0.2 in the atmosphere of Mars determines its thermal structure. Dust loading varies substantially with the season and geographic location, and only the data of mapping instruments are adequate to characterize it, such as TES/MGS and IRTM/Viking. In spite of vast domain of collected data, no model is now capable to explain all observed spectral features of dust aerosol. Several mineralogical and microphysical models of the atmospheric dust have been proposed but they cannot explain the pronounced systematic differences between the IR data (τ = 0.05-0.2) and measurements from the surface (Viking landers, Pathfinder) which give the typical “clear” optical depth of τ ≈ 0.5 from one side, and ground-based observations in the UV-visible range showing much more transparent atmosphere, on the other side. Also the relationship between τ9 and the visible optical depth is not well constrained experimentally so far. Future focused measurements are therefore necessary to study Martian aerosol.

Open questions on optical properties of dust and the opacity of the Martian atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korablev, O.; Moroz, V.; Petrova, E.; Rodin, A.

Particulate component of the atmosphere composed by micron-sized products of soil weathering and water ice clouds that strongly affect the current climate of the planet. In the absence of a dust storm so-called permanent dust haze with0.2 in the atmosphere of Mars determines its thermal structure. Dust loading varies substantially with the season and geographic location, and only the data of mapping instruments are adequate to characterize it, such as TES/MGS and IRTM/Viking. In spite of vast domain of collected data, no model is now capable to explain all observed spectral features of dust aerosol. Several mineralogical and microphysical models of the atmospheric dust have been proposed but they cannot explain the pronounced systematic differences between the IR data and measurem ents from the surface (Viking landers, Pathfinder) which give in the quiet seasons the typical optical depth of? 0.5 from one side, and ground-based observations in the UV-visible range that frequently infer <0.2, on the other side. Also the relationship between9 and the visible optical depth is not well established experimentally so far. Future focused measurements are therefore necessary to study Martian aerosol.

The viking biological investigation: preliminary results.

PubMed

Klein, H P; Horowitz, N H; Levin, G V; Oyama, V I; Lederberg, J; Rich, A; Hubbard, J S; Hobby, G L; Straat, P A; Berdahl, B J; Carle, G C; Brown, F S; Johnson, R D

1976-10-01

Three different types of biological experiments on samples of martian surface material ("soil") were conducted inside the Viking lander. In the carbon assimilation or pyrolytic release experiment, (14)CO(2) and (14)CO were exposed to soil in the presence of light. A small amount of gas was found to be converted into organic material. Heat treatment of a duplicate sample prevented such conversion. In the gas exchange experiment, soil was first humidified (exposed to water vapor) for 6 sols and then wet with a complex aqueous solution of metabolites. The gas above the soil was monitored by gas chromatography. A substantial amount of O(2) was detected in the first chromatogram taken 2.8 hours after humidification. Subsequent analyses revealed that significant increases in CO(2) and only small changes in N(2) had also occurred. In the labeled release experiment, soil was moistened with a solution containing several (14)C-labeled organic compounds. A substantial evolution of radioactive gas was registered but did not occur with a duplicate heat-treated sample. Alternative chemical and biological interpretations are possible for these preliminary data. The experiments are still in process, and these results so far do not allow a decision regarding the existence of life on the plonet Mars.

The composition of phobos: evidence for carbonaceous chondrite surface from spectral analysis.

PubMed

Pang, K D; Pollack, J B; Veverka, J; Lane, A L; Ajello, J M

1978-01-06

A reflectance spectrum of Phobos (from 200 to 1100 nanometers) has been compiled from the Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer, Viking lander imaging, and ground-based photometric data. The reflectance of the martian satellite is approximately constant at 5 percent from 1100 to 400 nanometers but drops sharply below 400 nanometers, reaching a value of 1 percent at 200 nanometers. The spectral albedo of Phobos bears a striking resemblance to that of asteroids (1) Ceres and (2) Pallas. Comparison of the reflectance spectra of asteroids with those of meteorites has shown that the spectral signature of Ceres is indicative of a carbonaceous chondritic composition. A physical explanation of how the compositional information is imposed on the reflectance spectrum is given. On the basis of a good match between the reflectance spectra of Phobos and Ceres and the extensive research that has been done to infer the composition of Ceres, it seems reasonable to believe that the surface composition of Phobos is similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. This suggestion is consistent with the recently determined low density of Mars's inner satellite. Our result and recent Viking noble gas measurements suggest different modes of origin for Mars and Phobos.

Laboratory Measurements of Oxygen Gas Release from Basaltic Minerals Exposed to UV- Radiation: Implications for the Viking Gas Exchange Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurowitz, J. A.; Yen, A. S.

2007-12-01

The biology experiments onboard the Viking Landers determined that the Martian soils at Chryse and Utopia Planitia contain an unknown chemical compound of a highly oxidizing nature. The Gas Exchange Experiments (GEx) demonstrated that the humidification of a 1-cc Martian soil sample resulted in the production of as much as 790 nanomoles of oxygen gas. Yen et al. (2000) have provided experimental evidence that superoxide radicals can be generated on plagioclase feldspar (labradorite) grain surfaces by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light in the presence of oxygen gas. Adsorbed superoxide radicals are thought to react readily with water vapor, and produce oxygen gas in quantities sufficient to explain the Viking GEx results. Direct evidence for the formation of oxygen gas, however, was not provided in the experiments of Yen et al (2000). Accordingly, the motivation of this study is to determine whether superoxide radicals adsorbed on labradorite surfaces are capable of producing oxygen gas upon exposure to water vapor. We have constructed an experimental apparatus that is capable of monitoring oxygen gas release from basaltic mineral powders that have been exposed to UV-radiation under Martian atmospheric pressure conditions. The apparatus consists of a stainless-steel vacuum chamber with a UV- transparent window where sample radiation exposures are performed. The vacuum chamber has multiple valved ports for injection of gases and water vapor. The vacuum chamber is connected via a precision leak valve to a quadrupole mass spectrometer, which measures changes in the composition of the headspace gases over our mineral samples. We will report on the results of our experiments, which are aimed at detecting and quantifying oxygen gas release from UV-exposed basaltic mineral samples using this new experimental facility. These results will further constrain whether superoxide ions adsorbed on mineral surfaces provide a viable explanation for the Viking GEx results, which have been of considerable controversy in the roughly three decades since the measurements were first made.

1.5 Meter Per Pixel View of Boulders in Ganges Chasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)spacecraft was designed to be able to take pictures that 'bridge the gap' between what could be seen by the Mariner 9 and Viking Orbiters from space and what could be seen by landers from the ground. In other words, MOC was designed to be able to see boulders of sizes similar to and larger than those named 'Yogi' at the Mars Pathfinder site and 'Big Joe' at the Viking 1 landing site. To see such boulders, a resolution of at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel was required.

With the start of the MGS Mapping Phase of the mission during the second week of March 1999, the MOC team is pleased to report that 'the gap is bridged.' This image shows a field of boulders on the surface of a landslide deposit in Ganges Chasma. Ganges Chasma is one of the valleys in the Valles Marineris canyon system. The image resolution is 1.5 meters per pixel. The boulders shown here range in size from about 2 meters (7 feet) to about 20 meters (66 feet) in size. The image covers an area 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) across, and illumination is from the upper left.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Qualification flight tests of the Viking decelerator system.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moog, R. D.; Bendura, R. J.; Timmons, J. D.; Lau, R. A.

1973-01-01

The Balloon Launched Decelerator Test (BLDT) series conducted at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) during July and August of 1972 flight qualified the NASA Viking '75 decelerator system at conditions bracketing those expected for Mars. This paper discusses the decelerator system design requiremnts, compares the test results with prior work, and discusses significant considerations leading to successful qualification in earth's atmosphere. The Viking decelerator system consists of a single-stage mortar-deployed 53-foot nominal diameter disk-gap-band parachute. Full-scale parachutes were deployed behind a full-scale simulated Viking vehicle at Mach numbers from 0.47 to 2.18 and dynamic pressures from 6.9 to 14.6 psf. Analyses show that the system is qualified with sufficient margin to perform successfully for the Viking mission.

Chloromethane release from carbonaceous meteorite affords new insight into Mars lander findings

PubMed Central

Keppler, Frank; Harper, David B.; Greule, Markus; Ott, Ulrich; Sattler, Tobias; Schöler, Heinz F.; Hamilton, John T. G.

2014-01-01

Controversy continues as to whether chloromethane (CH3Cl) detected during pyrolysis of Martian soils by the Viking and Curiosity Mars landers is indicative of organic matter indigenous to Mars. Here we demonstrate CH3Cl release (up to 8 μg/g) during low temperature (150–400°C) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous chondrite Murchison with chloride or perchlorate as chlorine source and confirm unequivocally by stable isotope analysis the extraterrestrial origin of the methyl group (δ2H +800 to +1100‰, δ13C −19.2 to +10‰,). In the terrestrial environment CH3Cl released during pyrolysis of organic matter derives from the methoxyl pool. The methoxyl pool in Murchison is consistent both in magnitude (0.044%) and isotope signature (δ2H +1054 ± 626‰, δ13C +43.2 ± 38.8‰,) with that of the CH3Cl released on pyrolysis. Thus CH3Cl emissions recorded by Mars lander experiments may be attributed to methoxyl groups in undegraded organic matter in meteoritic debris reaching the Martian surface being converted to CH3Cl with perchlorate or chloride in Martian soil. However we cannot discount emissions arising additionally from organic matter of indigenous origin. The stable isotope signatures of CH3Cl detected on Mars could potentially be utilized to determine its origin by distinguishing between terrestrial contamination, meteoritic infall and indigenous Martian sources. PMID:25394222

In Situ measurement of Kr and Xe in the atmosphere of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrad, P. G.; Malespin, C.; Franz, H. B.; Trainer, M. G.; Pepin, R. O.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Manning, H. L.; Atreya, S. K.; Wong, M. H.; Jones, J. H.; Owen, T. C.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2015-12-01

Abstract: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation [1] on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission has measured the six stable isotopes of krypton and the nine stable isotopes of xenon from the surface of Mars. Using semi-static mass spectrometry (MS) to measure the Kr, and static MS experiments (first ever on another planet) to measure the xenon, we have obtained isotopic ratios of these heavy noble gas elements with greatly improved precision over the Viking Measurements. The Viking landers detected both Kr and Xe [2] with a reported precision of ±20%, insufficient for in situ isotope measurement. Using the Viking observation of high 129Xe relative to Earth or to solar wind, Bogard & Johnson [3] and Swindle et al. [4] recognized that Shergottite meteorites may hold trapped Martian atmosphere, from which Swindle's team later reported precise noble gas isotope ratios, solidifying the theory that these meteorites were of martian origin. Our data are in very good agreement with the Swindle et al. [4] analysis, and the isotopic distributions of Kr and Xe in present day Martian atmosphere support the Pepin [5] model of massive hydrodynamic escape of the martian atmosphere early after formation. References: [1] Mahaffy, Paul R., et al. Space Science Revs 170.1-4 (2012): 401-478. [2] Owen, T., et al. Science 194.4271 (1976): 1293-1295. [3] Bogard, D. D. & Johnson, P. (1983) Science, 221: 651-654. [4] Swindle, T. D., M. W. Caffee, and C. M. Hohenberg. Geochim et Cosmochim Acta 50.6 (1986): 1001-1015. [5] Pepin, Robert O. Icarus 111.2 (1994): 289-304.

75 FR 70106 - Airworthiness Directives; Viking Air Limited (Type Certificate Previously Held by Bombardier, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

... states: Viking Air Limited has completed a system safety review of the aircraft fuel system against fuel... safety review of the aircraft fuel system against fuel tank safety standards introduced in Chapter 525 of... describes the unsafe condition as: Viking Air Limited has completed a system safety review of the aircraft...

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Heat Shield Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft undergoes spin testing. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA's Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

This closeup shows the spin test of the Phoenix Mars Lander in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Heat Shield Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians install the heat shield on the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA's Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Gas Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The M200 originated in the 1970's under an Ames Research Center/Stanford University contract to develop a small, lightweight gas analyzer for Viking Landers. Although the unit was not used on the spacecraft, it was further developed by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Three researchers from the project later formed Microsensor Technology, Inc. (MTI) to commercialize the analyzer. The original version (Micromonitor 500) was introduced in 1982, and the M200 in 1988. The M200, a more advanced version, features dual gas chromatograph which separate a gaseous mixture into components and measure concentrations of each gas. It is useful for monitoring gas leaks, chemical spills, etc. Many analyses are completed in less than 30 seconds, and a wide range of mixtures can be analyzed.

Chryse 'Alien Head'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

26 January 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an impact crater in Chryse Planitia, not too far from the Viking 1 lander site, that to seems to resemble a bug-eyed head. The two odd depressions at the north end of the crater (the 'eyes') may have formed by wind or water erosion. This region has been modified by both processes, with water action occurring in the distant past via floods that poured across western Chryse Planitia from Maja Valles, and wind action common occurrence in more recent history. This crater is located near 22.5oN, 47.9oW. The 150 meter scale bar is about 164 yards long. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/lower left.

Global duricrust on Mars - Analysis of remote-sensing data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakosky, B. M.; Christensen, P. R.

1986-01-01

A study is conducted of the infrared thermal emission, radio thermal emission, and radar reflection data sets with the objective to obtain a simple and self-consistent model for the Mars surface. The results are compared with in situ observations at the Viking Lander sites. Attention is given to thermal inertia values, the abundance of surface rocks, radar/thermal correlations, diurnal temperature deviations, and radio emission data. It is suggested that all of the global remote-sensing data sets considered can be reconciled on the basis of variations in the degree of formation of a case-hardened crust or duricrust. On the other hand, no other model which has been proposed in conjunction with any individual data set can satisfy all of the constraints discussed.

SNC meteorites and their implications for reservoirs of Martian volatiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, J. H.

1993-01-01

The SNC meteorites and the measurements of the Viking landers provide our only direct information about the abundance and isotopic composition of Martian volatiles. Indirect measurements include spectroscopic determinations of the D/H ratio of the Martian atmosphere. A personal view of volatile element reservoirs on Mars is presented, largely as inferred from the meteoritic evidence. This view is that the Martian mantle has had several opportunities for dehydration and is most likely dry, although not completely degassed. Consequently, the water contained in SNC meteorites was most likely incorporated during ascent through the crust. Thus, it is possible that water can be decoupled from other volatile/incompatible elements, making the SNC meteorites suspect as indicators of water inventories on Mars.

Highest-Resolution View of 'Face on Mars'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

A key aspect of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Extended Mission is the opportunity to turn the spacecraft and point the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) at specific features of interest. A chance to point the spacecraft comes about ten times a week. Throughout the Primary Mission (March 1999 - January 2001), nearly all MGS operations were conducted with the spacecraft pointing 'nadir'--that is, straight down. In this orientation, opportunities to hit a specific small feature of interest were in some cases rare, and in other cases non-existent. In April 1998, nearly a year before MGS reached its Primary Mission mapping orbit, several tests of the spacecraft's ability to be pointed at specific features was conducted with great success (e.g., Mars Pathfinder landing site, Viking 1 site, and Cydonia landforms). When the Mars Polar Lander was lost in December 1999, this capability was again employed to search for the missing lander. Following the lander search activities, a plan to conduct similar off-nadir observations during the MGS Extended Mission was put into place. The Extended Mission began February 1, 2001. On April 8, 2001, the first opportunity since April 1998 arose to turn the spacecraft and point the MOC at the popular 'Face on Mars' feature.

Viking orbiter images acquired in 1976 showed that one of thousands of buttes, mesas, ridges, and knobs in the transition zone between the cratered uplands of western Arabia Terra and the low, northern plains of Mars looked somewhat like a human face. The feature was subsequently popularized as a potential 'alien artifact' in books, tabloids, radio talk shows, television, and even a major motion picture. Given the popularity of this landform, a new high-resolution view was targeted by pointing the spacecraft off-nadir on April 8, 2001. On that date at 20:54 UTC (8:54 p.m., Greenwich time zone), the MGS was rolled 24.8o to the left so that it was looking at the 'face' 165 km to the side from a distance of about 450 km. The resulting image has a resolution of about 2 meters (6.6 feet) per pixel. If present on Mars, objects the size of typical passenger jet airplanes would be distinguishable in an image of this scale. The large 'face' picture covers an area about 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) on a side. Sunlight illuminates the images from the left/lower left.

SNC Meteorites, Organic Matter and a New Look at Viking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warmflash, David M.; Clemett, Simon J.; McKay, David S.

2001-01-01

Recently, evidence has begun to grow supporting the possibility that the Viking GC-MS would not have detected certain carboxylate salts that could have been present as metastable oxidation products of high molecular weight organic species. Additionally, despite the instrument's high sensitivity, the possibility had remained that very low levels of organic matter, below the instrument's detection limit, could have been present. In fact, a recent study indicates that the degradation products of several million microorganisms per gram of soil on Mars would not have been detected by the Viking GC-MS. Since the strength of the GC-MS findings was considered enough to dismiss the biology packet, particularly the LR results, any subsequent evidence suggesting that organic molecules may in fact be present on the Martian surface necessitates a re-evaluation of the Viking LR data. In addition to an advanced mass spectrometer to look for isotopic signatures of biogenic processes, future lander missions will include the ability to detect methane produced by methanogenic bacteria, as well as techniques based on biotechnology. Meanwhile, the identification of Mars samples already present on Earth in the form of the SNC meteorites has provided us with the ability to study samples of the Martian upper crust a decade or more in advance of any planned sample return missions. While contamination issues are of serious concern, the presence of indigenous organic matter in the form of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has been detected in the Martian meteorites ALH84001 and Nakhla, while there is circumstantial evidence for carbonaceous material in Chassigny. The radiochronological ages of these meteorites are 4.5 Ga, 1.3 Ga, and 165 Ma respectively representing a span of time in Earth history from the earliest single-celled organisms to the present day. Given this perspective on organic material, a biological interpretation to the Viking LR results can no longer be ruled out. In the LR experiment, a solution containing C-14 labeled organic compounds was injected into soil samples. The detection of radioactivity in the overhead space would indicate that one or more of the substrates had been chemically converted into a carbon-containing gas. To serve as a control, some samples were heated enough to destroy most known terrestrial microbes so that an indication for life would be a positive response from unheated samples and a negative response from heated samples. On Mars, the LR results had met minimum criteria for a biological interpretation but due to the GC-MS results, the LR responses were later attributed to putative soil inorganic oxidants. Since the time of Viking, studies have been carried out with the objective of determining an oxidant or combination of oxidants that might exist on Mars and have produced the observed kinetics of the LR response. To date, no such agent has been found that produces all aspects of the LR results on Mars. While the above considerations in no way imply the existence of life forms at the two Viking landing sites, inorganic and biological explanations for the Viking LR data should now be considered equally plausible until more complete studies of the Martian surface are carried out. Therefore, in light of the SNC meteorites data and their implications for the possibility of organic matter near or on the Martian surface the Viking biology experiments should thus be seen, not as failures for their inability to provide unambiguous evidence for or against Martian life, but as a foundation for the development of future life-detection instruments. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

SHARAD soundings and surface roughness at past, present, and proposed landing sites on Mars: Reflections at Phoenix may be attributable to deep ground ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putzig, Nathaniel E.; Phillips, Roger J.; Campbell, Bruce A.; Mellon, Michael T.; Holt, John W.; Brothers, T. Charles

2014-08-01

We use the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for subsurface interfaces and characterize surface roughness at the landing sites of Viking Landers 1 and 2, Mars Pathfinder, the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the Phoenix Mars lander, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, and three other sites proposed for Curiosity. Only at the Phoenix site do we find clear evidence of subsurface radar returns, mapping out an interface that may be the base of ground ice at depths of ~15-66 m across 2900 km2 in the depression where the lander resides. At the Opportunity, Spirit, and candidate Curiosity sites, images and altimetry show layered materials tens to hundreds of meters thick extending tens to hundreds of kilometers laterally. These scales are well within SHARAD's resolution limits, so the lack of detections is attributable either to low density contrasts in layers of similar composition and internal structure or to signal attenuation within the shallowest layers. At each site, we use the radar return power to estimate surface roughness at scales of 10-100 m, a measure that is important for assessing physical properties, landing safety, and site trafficability. The strongest returns are found at the Opportunity site, indicating that Meridiani Planum is exceptionally smooth. Returns of moderate strength at the Spirit site reflect roughness more typical of Mars. Gale crater, Curiosity's ultimate destination, is the smoothest of the four proposed sites we examined, with Holden crater, Eberswalde crater, and Mawrth Vallis exhibiting progressively greater roughness.

Estimation of Mars radar backscatter from measured surface rock populations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baron, J.E.; Simpson, R.A.; Tyler, G.L.; Moore, H.J.; Harmon, J.K.

1998-01-01

Reanalysis of rock population data at the Mars Viking Lander sites has yielded updated values of rock fractional surface coverage (about 0.16 at both sites, including outcrops) and new estimates of rock burial depths and axial ratios. These data are combined with a finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical scattering model to estimate diffuse backscatter due to rocks at both the Lander l (VL1) and Lander 2 (VL2) sites. We consider single scattering from both surface and subsurface objects of various shapes, ranging from an ideal sphere to an accurate digitized model of a terrestrial rock. The FDTD cross-section calculations explicitly account for the size, shape, composition, orientation, and burial state of the scattering object, the incident wave angle and polarization, and the composition of the surface. We calculate depolarized specific cross sections at 12.6 cm wavelength due to lossless rock-like scatterers of about 0.014 at VL1 and 0.023 at VL2, which are comparable to the measured ranges of 0.019-0.032 and 0.012-0.018, respectively. We also discuss the variation of the diffuse cross section as the local angle of incidence, ??i, changes. Numerical calculations for a limited set of rock shapes indicate a marked difference between the angular backscattering behavior of wavelength-scale surface and subsurface rocks: while subsurface rocks scatter approximately as a cosine power law, surface rocks display a complex variation, often with peak backscattering at high incidence angles (??i = 70??-75??). Copyright 1998 by the American Geophysical Union.

Micro weather stations for in situ measurements in the Martian planetary boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crisp, D.; Kaiser, W. J.; Kenny, T. W.; Vanzandt, T. R.; Tillman, J. E.

1992-01-01

Viking Lander meteorology measurements show that the Martian planetary boundary layer (PBL) has large diurnal and seasonal variations in pressure, wind velocity, relative humidity, and airborne dust loading. An even larger range of conditions was inferred from remote sensing observations acquired by the Mariner 9 and Viking orbiters. Numerical models indicate that these changes may be accompanied by dramatic vertical and horizontal wind shears (100 m/s/km) and rapid changes in the static stability. In-situ measurements from a relatively small number surface stations could yield global constraints on the Martian climate and atmospheric general circulation by providing ground truth for remote sensing instruments on orbiters. A more complete understanding of the meteorology of the PBL is an essential precursor to manned missions to Mars because this will be their working environment. In-situ measurements are needed for these studies because the spatial and temporal scales that characterize the important meteorological processes near the surface cannot be resolved from orbit. The Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) Program will provide the first opportunity to deploy a network of surface weather stations for a comprehensive investigation of the Martian PBL. The feasibility and utility of a network of micro-weather stations for making in-situ meteorological measurements in the Martian PBL are assessed.

Annual mean mixing ratios of N2, Ar, O2, and CO in the martian atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasnopolsky, V.

2017-09-01

The precise mixing ratios of N2, Ar, O2, and CO measured by the MSL Curiosity quadrupole mass spectrometer must be corrected for the seasonal variations of the atmospheric pressure to reproduce annual mean mixing ratios on Mars. The corrections are made using measurements the Viking Landers and the Mars Climate Database data. The mean correction factor is 0.899 ± 0.006 resulting in annual mean mixing ratios of (1.83 ± 0.03)% for N2, (1.86 ± 0.02)% for Ar, (1.56 ± 0.06)×10-3 for O2, and 673 ± 2.6 ppm for CO. The O2 mixing ratio agrees with the Herschel value within its uncertainty, the ground-based observations corrected for the dust extinction, and photochemical models by Nair et al. (1994) and Krasnopolsky (2010). The CO mixing ratio is in excellent agreement with the MRO/CRISM value of 700 ppm and with 667, 693, and 684 ppm recently observed at LS = 60, 89, and 110° and corrected to the annual mean conditions. Lifetimes of N2 and Ar are very long in the martian atmosphere, and differences between the MSL and Viking data on these species cannot be attributed to their variations.

Annual mean mixing ratios of N2, Ar, O2, and CO in the martian atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A.

2017-09-01

The precise mixing ratios of N2, Ar, O2, and CO measured by the MSL Curiosity quadrupole mass spectrometer must be corrected for the seasonal variations of the atmospheric pressure to reproduce annual mean mixing ratios on Mars. The corrections are made using measurements for the first year of the Viking Landers 1 and 2 and the Mars Climate Database data. The mean correction factor is 0.899 ± 0.006 resulting in annual mean mixing ratios of (1.83 ± 0.03)% for N2, (1.86 ± 0.02)% for Ar, (1.56 ± 0.06) × 10-3 for O2, and 673 ± 2.6 ppm for CO. The O2 mixing ratio agrees with the Herschel value within its uncertainty, the ground-based observations corrected for the dust extinction, and photochemical models by Nair et al. (1994) and Krasnopolsky (2010). The CO mixing ratio is in excellent agreement with the MRO/CRISM value of 700 ppm and with 667, 693, and 684 ppm recently observed at LS = 60, 89, and 110° and corrected to the annual mean conditions. Lifetimes of N2 and Ar are very long in the martian atmosphere, and differences between the MSL and Viking data on these species cannot be attributed to their variations.

Particle sizes and composition of Mars atmospheric dust based upon Viking and Mariner 9 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancy, R. T.; Lee, S. W.; Gladstone, G. R.

1993-01-01

Mars atmospheric dust can play an important role in the thermal structure of the Mars atmosphere during periods of high dust loading. However, the radiative properties of Mars atmospheric dust remain uncertain due to uncertain definitions of the dust composition and size distribution. The analysis by Toon et al., of Mariner 9 IRIS spectra during the 1971-1972 global dust storm indicated a reasonable match between the modeled 9-micron absorption of montmorillinite and the observed 9-micron absorption. Toon et al. also determined that an effective (cross-section weighted) mean radius of 2.5 microns (R(sub mode) = 0.4 microns) provided a consistent fit of montmorillinite to the IRIS dust spectra at 9 microns. Pollack et al. analyzed Viking lander observations of atmospheric extinction and scattering at visible-near IR wavelengths (0.5-1.0 microns), and obtained consistency with the Toon et al. dust size distribution when the effects of nonspherical particle shapes were included. An additional, minor (1 percent) component of visible-ultraviolet absorbing material was required to model the derived visible (0.86) and ultraviolet (0.4-0.6) single-scattering albedos of the dust, since montmorillinite does not absorb sufficiently in this wavelength region. A combined analysis of the Viking IRTM and Mariner 9 observations was conducted to reassess the model of Mars atmospheric ultraviolet-to-infrared measurements of dust absorption and scattering. The optical constants for palagonite are incorporated in a doubling-adding radiative transfer model of the Mars atmosphere to simulate Mariner 9 IRIS spectra as well as the Viking IRTM IR band observations. Visible and ultraviolet single-scattering albedos based on the Hansen and Travis Mie scattering code were also derived. A tentative conclusion is that smaller dust particles (R(sub mode) = 0.15 microns, cross-section weighted mean R = 1.2 microns) composed of palagonite provide a much improved fit to the Mariner 9 IRIS spectra; agreement with the observed ratio of visible-to-infrared extinction opacities; and ultraviolet and visible single-scattering albedos comparable to their observed values.

Mars: Past, Present, and Future. Results from the MSATT Program, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, R. M. (Editor)

1993-01-01

This volume contains papers that were accepted for presentation at the workshop on Mars: Past, Present, and Future -- Results from the MSATT Program. Topics include, but are not limited to: Martian impact craters; thermal emission measurements of Hawaiian palagonitic soils with implications for Mars; thermal studies of the Martian surface; Martian atmospheric composition studies; temporal and spatial mapping of Mars' atmospheric dust opacity and surface albedo; studies of atmospheric dust from Viking IR thermal mapper data; the distribution of Martian ground ice at other epochs; numerical simulation of thermally induced near-surface flows over Martian terrain; the pH of Mars; the mineralogic evolution of the Martian surface through time; geologic controls of erosion and sedimentation on Mars; and dielectric properties of Mars' surface: proposed measurement on a Mars Lander.

Correlations between wave activity and electron temperature in the Martian upper ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, Chris; Andersson, Laila; Ergun, Robert; Andrews, David

2017-04-01

Prior to the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, only two electron temperature profiles of the Martian ionosphere existed, made by the Viking landers in the late 70s. Since MAVENs arrival at Mars in late 2014, electron temperature (and density) profiles have been measured every orbit, once every 4.5 hours. Recent analysis of this new dataset has shown that the Martian ionospheric electron temperature is significantly warmer than expected by factors of 2-3 above the exobase and within the upper ionosphere. We present correlations between electron temperature and electric field wave power (also measured by MAVEN), and discuss the possibility that such waves (which are likely produced by the Mars-solar wind interaction) may drive electron heating and contribute to the observed high temperatures.

Space Science Outreach in the Virtual World of Second Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crider, Anthony W.; International Spaceflight Museum

2006-12-01

The on-line "game" of Second Life allows users to construct a highly detailed and customized environment. Users often pool talents and resources to construct virtual islands that focus on their common interest. One such group has built the International Spaceflight Museum, committed to constructing and displaying accurate models of rockets, spacecraft, telescopes, and planetariums. Current exhibits include a Saturn V rocket, a Viking lander on Mars, Spaceship One, the New Horizons mission to the Kuiper Belt, and a prototype of the Orion crew exploration vehicle. This museum also hosts public lectures, shuttle launch viewings, and university astronomy class projects. In this presentation, I will focus on how space science researchers and educators may take advantage of this new resource as a means to engage the public.

Martian carbon dioxide: Clues from isotopes in SNC meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karlsson, H. R.; Clayton, R. N.; Mayeda, T. K.; Jull, A. J. T.; Gibson, E. K., Jr.

1993-01-01

Attempts to unravel the origin and evolution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere on Mars from isotopic data have been hampered by the impreciseness of the measurements made by the Viking Lander and by Earth-based telescopes. The SNC meteorites which are possibly pieces of the Martian surface offer a unique opportunity to obtain more precise estimates of the planet's volatile inventory and isotopic composition. Recently, we reported results on oxygen isotopes of water extracted by pyrolysis from samples of Shergotty, Zagami, Nakhla, Chassigny, Lafayette, and EETA-79001. Now we describe complementary results on the stable isotopic composition of carbon dioxide extracted simultaneously from those same samples. We will also report on C-14 abundances obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for some of these CO2 samples.

Surficial geology of Mars: A study in support of a penetrator mission to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spudis, P.; Greeley, R.

1976-01-01

Physiographic and surficial cover information were combined into unified surficial geology maps (30 quadrangles and 1 synoptic map). The surface of Mars is heterogeneous and is modified by wind, water, volcanism, tectonism, mass wasting and other processes. Surficial mapping identifies areas modified by these processes on a regional basis. Viking I mission results indicate that, at least in the landing site area, the surficial mapping based on Mariner data is fairly accurate. This area was mapped as a lightly cratered plain with thin or discontinuous eolian sediment. Analysis of lander images indicates that this interpretation is very close to actual surface conditions. These initial results do not imply that all surficial units are mapped correctly, but they do increase confidence in estimates based on photogeologic interpretations of orbital pictures.

Calibration of Viking imaging system pointing, image extraction, and optical navigation measure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckenridge, W. G.; Fowler, J. W.; Morgan, E. M.

1977-01-01

Pointing control and knowledge accuracy of Viking Orbiter science instruments is controlled by the scan platform. Calibration of the scan platform and the imaging system was accomplished through mathematical models. The calibration procedure and results obtained for the two Viking spacecraft are described. Included are both ground and in-flight scan platform calibrations, and the additional calibrations unique to optical navigation.

Solar Wind Interaction and Crustal Field Influences on Mars' Upper Ionosphere: MAVEN Observations Compared to Model Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhmann, J. G.; Alvarez, K.; Curry, S.; Dong, C.; Ma, Y.; Bougher, S. W.; Benna, M.; Elrod, M. K.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Withers, P.; Girazian, Z.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Brain, D.; Jakosky, B. M.

2016-12-01

Since the two Viking Landers, progress on improving our global knowledge of the Martian ionosphere's characteristics has been limited by the available instrumentation and sampling geometries. In particular, while remote sensing and the lower energy plasma spectrometer observations on missions including MGS and MEX provided insights on the effects of the crustal magnetic fields of Mars and the solar wind interaction, these measurements did not allow the broader thermal ion surveys necessary to test our current understanding of the region between the exobase at 200 km altitude and the solar wind interaction boundary. In this study we use the MAVEN NGIMS thermal ion mass spectrometer observations from the prime mission year 2015 to construct some statistical pictures of the increasingly collisionless region of the ionosphere between 200 and 500 km where crustal field and solar wind interaction effects should begin to dominate its behavior. Comparisons with models of the solar wind interaction with Mars provide important global context for these observations, including the roles of system diversity associated with changing crustal field and interplanetary field orientations.

On Mars too, expect macroweather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boisvert, Jean-Philippe; Lovejoy, Shaun; Muller, Jan-Peter

2015-04-01

Terrestrial atmospheric and oceanic spectra show drastic transitions at τw ˜ 10 days and τow ˜ 1 year respectively; this has been theorized as the lifetime of planetary scale structures. For wind and temperature, the forms of the low and high frequency parts of the spectra (macroweather, weather) as well as the τw can be theoretically estimated, the latter depending notably on the solar induced turbulent energy flux. We extend the theory to other planets and test it using Viking lander and reanalysis data from Mars. When the Martian spectra are scaled by the theoretical amount, they agree very well with their terrestrial atmospheric counterparts. Although the usual interpretation of Martian atmospheric dynamics is highly mechanistic (e.g. wave and tidal explanations are invoked), trace moment analysis of the reanalysis fields shows that the statistics well respect the predictions of multiplicative cascade theories. This shows that statistical scaling can be compatible with conventional deterministic thinking. However, since we are usually interested in statistical knowledge, it is the former not the latter that is of primary interest. We discuss the implications for understanding planetary fluid dynamical systems.

Numerical simulations of drainage flows on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parish, Thomas R.; Howard, Alan D.

1992-01-01

Data collected by Viking Landers have shown that the meteorology of the near surface Martian environment is analogous to desertlike terrestrial conditions. Geological evidence such as dunes and frost streaks indicate that the surface wind is a potentially important factor in scouring of the martian landscape. In particular, the north polar basin shows erosional features that suggest katabatic wind convergence into broad valleys near the margin of the polar cap. The pattern of katabatic wind drainage off the north polar cap is similar to that observed on Earth over Antarctica or Greenland. The sensitivity is explored of Martian drainage flows to variations in terrain slope and diurnal heating using a numerical modeling approach. The model used is a 2-D sigma coordinate primitive equation system that has been used for simulations of Antarctic drainage flows. Prognostic equations include the flux forms of the horizontal scalar momentum equations, temperature, and continuity. Parameterization of both longwave (terrestrial) and shortwave (solar) radiation is included. Turbulent transfer of heat and momentum in the Martian atmosphere remains uncertain since relevant measurements are essentially nonexistent.

Mass spectrometric analysis of organic compounds, water and volatile constituents in the atmosphere and surface of Mars - The Viking Mars Lander.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, D. M.; Biemann, K.; Orgel, L. E.; Oro, J.; Owen , T.; Shulman, G. P.; Toulmin, P., III; Urey, H. C.

1972-01-01

An experiment centering around a mass spectrometer is described, which is aimed at the identification of organic substances present in the top 10 cm of the surface of Mars and an analysis of the atmosphere for major and minor constituents as well as isotopic abundances. In addition, an indication of the abundance of water in the surface and some information concerning the mineralogy can be obtained by monitoring the gases produced upon heating the soil sample. The organic material will simply be expelled by heating to 150, 300, and 500 C into the carrier gas stream of a gas chromatograph interfaced to the mass spectrometer or by slowly heating the sample in direct communication with the spectrometer. It is planned to analyze a total of up to nine soil samples in order to study diurnal and seasonal variations. The system is designed to give useful data even for minor constituents if the total of organics should be as low as 5 ppm. The spectrometer covers the mass range of 12-200 with adequate resolution.

Characterizing of a Mid-Latitude Ice-Rich Landing Site on Mars to Enable in Situ Habitability Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heldmann, J.; Schurmeier, L. R.; Wilhelm, M.; Stoker, C.; McKay, C.; Davila, A.; Marinova, M.; Karcz, J.; Smith, H.

2012-01-01

We suggest an ice-rich landing site at 188.5E 46.16N within Amazonis Planitia as a candidate location to support a Mars lander mission equipped to study past habitability and regions capable of preserving the physical and chemical signs of life and organic matter. Studies of the ice-rich subsurface on Mars are critical for several reasons. The subsurface environment provides protection from radiation to shield organic and biologic compounds from destruction. The ice-rich substrate is also ideal for preserving organic and biologic molecules and provides a source of H2O for biologic activity. Examination of martian ground ice can test several hypotheses such as: 1) whether ground ice supports habitable conditions, 2) that ground ice can preserve and accumulate organic compounds, and 3) that ice contains biomolecules evident of past or present biological activity on Mars. This Amazonis site, located near the successful Viking Lander 2, shows indirect evidence of subsurface ice (ubiquitous defined polygonal ground, gamma ray spectrometer hydrogen signature, and numerical modeling of ice stability) and direct evidence of exposed subsurface ice. This site also provides surface conditions favorable to a safe landing including no boulders, low rock density, minimal rough topography, and few craters.

Twin Peaks (B/W)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The Twin Peaks are modest-size hills to the southwest of the Mars Pathfinder landing site. They were discovered on the first panoramas taken by the IMP camera on the 4th of July, 1997, and subsequently identified in Viking Orbiter images taken over 20 years ago. The peaks are approximately 30-35 meters (-100 feet) tall. North Twin is approximately 860 meters (2800 feet) from the lander, and South Twin is about a kilometer away (3300 feet). The scene includes bouldery ridges and swales or 'hummocks' of flood debris that range from a few tens of meters away from the lander to the distance of the South Twin Peak. The large rock at the right edge of the scene is nicknamed 'Hippo'. This rock is about a meter (3 feet) across and 25 meters (80 feet) distant.

Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.

Mars Pathfinder Landing Site: Evidence for a Change in Wind Regime from Lander and Orbiter Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, Ronald; Kraft, Michael D.; Kuzmin, Ruslan O.; Bridges, Nathan T.

2000-01-01

Surface features related to the wind are observed in the vicinity of the Mars Pathfinder (MPR landing site data from the lander and in data from orbit by the Viking Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor missions. Features seen from the surface include wind tails associated with small rocks, barchanoid duneforms, ripplelike patterns, and ventifact flutes cut into some rocks. Features seen from orbit include wind tails associated with impact craters, ridges inferred to be duneforms, and modified crater rims interpreted to have been eroded and mantled by windblown material. The orientations of these features show two prevailing directions. One is inferred to represent winds from the northeast, which is consistent with strongest winds predicted by a general circulation model to occur during the Martian northern winter under current conditions. A second wind blowing from the ESE was responsible for modifying the crater rims and cutting some of the ventifacts. The two wind regimes could reflect a change in climate related to Mars' obliquity or some other, unknown factor. Regardless of the cause, the MPF area has been subjected to a complex pattern of winds and supply of small particles, and the original surface formed by sedimentary processes from Tiu and Ares Vallis flooding events has been modified by repeated burial and exhumation.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians secure the backshell with the Phoenix Mars Lander inside onto a spin table for spin testing. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians lower a crane over the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The crane will be used to remove the heat shield from around the Phoenix. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, an overhead crane lifts the heat shield from the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers help guide the heat shield onto a platform. The heat shield was removed from the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft.. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Heat Shield Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians complete the installation of the heat shield on the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA's Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Heat Shield Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians prepare to install the heat shield on the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA's Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers watch as an overhead crane lowers the heat shield toward a platform. The heat shield was removed from the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Heat Shield Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the heat shield for the Phoenix Mars Lander is moved into position for installation on the spacecraft. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA's Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians attach a crane to the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The crane will be used to remove the heat shield from around the Phoenix. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

An overhead crane lowers the backshell with the Phoenix Mars Lander inside toward a spin table for spin testing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, an overhead crane moves the heat shield toward a platform at left. The heat shield was removed from the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft at right. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

This closeup shows the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft nestled inside the backshell. The spacecraft is ready for spin testing on the spin table to which it is attached in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

This closeup shows the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft nestled inside the backshell. The spacecraft will undergo spin testing on the spin table to which it is attached in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Too Much of a Good Thing ? Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology and `Waste' Heat in the Titan Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph

Unlike most solar system surface environments, Titan has an atmosphere that is both cold and dense. This means heat transfer to and from a vehicle is determined by convection, rather than by radiation which dominates on Earth and Mars. With surface temperatures near 94K, batteries and systems require heating to operate. Solar power is impractical, so a spacecraft intended to operate for longer than a few hours on Titan must have a radioisotope power source (RPS). Such sources convert heat from Plutonium decay into electricity, with an efficiency that varies from about 5% for thermoelectric systems to 20% for engine cycles such as Stirling. For vehicles with 100-200W electrical power, the 500-4000 W ‘waste’ heat in the Titan environment can be valuable in that it can be exploited to maintain thermal conditions inside the vehicle. The generally benign Titan environment, and the outstanding scientific and popular interest in its exploration, has attracted a number of mission concepts including a lander for Titan’s equatorial dunefields, light gas and hot air (‘Montgolfière’) balloons, airplanes, and capsules that float on its polar seas (e.g. the proposed Titan Mare Explorer.) However, the choice of conversion technology is key to the success of these different platforms. Waste heat can perturb meteorological measurements in several ways. First by creating a warm air plume (an effect observed on Viking and Curiosity.) Second, rain or seaspray falling onto hot radiator surfaces can evaporate causing a local enhancement of methane humidity. Third, sufficiently strong heating could perturb local winds. Similar effects, and the potential generation of effervescence or even fog, may result for capsules floating in liquid hydrocarbons. For landers and drifting buoys, these perturbations may significantly degrade environmental measurements, or at least demand tall meteorology masts, for the higher waste heat output of thermoelectric systems, and a Stirling system therefore has considerable appeal. For airplanes, the superior power:weight ratio of Stirling systems is virtually essential, and for light gas balloons, the lower thermal perturbation of a Stirling system is certainly preferable. On the other hand, the lifting capacity of a Montgolfière balloon is directly proportional to the heat flux, and a thermoelectric system is more practical. Similarly, if magnetic fields or seismic measurements on a lander are of higher priority than meteorology, the lack of moving parts in a thermoelectric system is preferable. I review the Titan surface environment and the thermal interactions of the Huygens probe with it, and discuss the implications of RPS waste heat for different science mission concepts.

Life Support Systems for Lunar Landers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly

2008-01-01

Engineers designing life support systems for NASA s next Lunar Landers face unique challenges. As with any vehicle that enables human spaceflight, the needs of the crew drive most of the lander requirements. The lander is also a key element of the architecture NASA will implement in the Constellation program. Many requirements, constraints, or optimization goals will be driven by interfaces with other projects, like the Crew Exploration Vehicle, the Lunar Surface Systems, and the Extravehicular Activity project. Other challenges in the life support system will be driven by the unique location of the vehicle in the environments encountered throughout the mission. This paper examines several topics that may be major design drivers for the lunar lander life support system. There are several functional requirements for the lander that may be different from previous vehicles or programs and recent experience. Some of the requirements or design drivers will change depending on the overall Lander configuration. While the configuration for a lander design is not fixed, designers can examine how these issues would impact their design and be prepared for the quick design iterations required to optimize a spacecraft.

The Mars Climate Database (MCD version 5.3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, Francois; Spiga, Aymeric; Vals, Margaux; Zakharov, Vladimir; Navarro, Thomas; Montabone, Luca; Lefevre, Franck; Montmessin, Franck; Chaufray, Jean-Yves; Lopez-Valverde, Miguel; Gonzalez-Galindo, Francisco; Lewis, Stephen; Read, Peter; Desjean, Marie-Christine; MCD/GCM Development Team

2017-04-01

Our Global Circulation Model (GCM) simulates the atmospheric environment of Mars. It is developped at LMD (Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, Paris, France) in close collaboration with several teams in Europe (LATMOS, France, University of Oxford, The Open University, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia), and with the support of ESA (European Space Agency) and CNES (French Space Agency). GCM outputs are compiled to build a Mars Climate Database, a freely available tool useful for the scientific and engineering communities. The Mars Climate Database (MCD) has over the years been distributed to more than 300 teams around the world. The latest series of reference simulations have been compiled in a new version (v5.3) of the MCD, released in the first half of 2017. To summarize, MCD v5.3 provides: - Climatologies over a series of synthetic dust scenarios: standard (climatology) year, cold (ie: low dust), warm (ie: dusty atmosphere) and dust storm, all topped by various cases of Extreme UV solar inputs (low, mean or maximum). These scenarios have been derived from home-made, instrument-derived (TES, THEMIS, MCS, MERs), dust climatology of the last 8 Martian years. The MCD also provides simulation outputs (MY24-31) representative of these actual years. - Mean values and statistics of main meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature, density, pressure and winds), as well as surface pressure and temperature, CO2 ice cover, thermal and solar radiative fluxes, dust column opacity and mixing ratio, [H20] vapor and ice columns, concentrations of many species: [CO], [O2], [O], [N2], [H2], [O3], ... - A high resolution mode which combines high resolution (32 pixel/degree) MOLA topography records and Viking Lander 1 pressure records with raw lower resolution GCM results to yield, within the restriction of the procedure, high resolution values of atmospheric variables. - The possibility to reconstruct realistic conditions by combining the provided climatology with additional large scale and small scale perturbations schemes. At EGU, we will report on the latest improvements in the Mars Climate Database, with comparisons with available measurements from orbit (e.g.: TES, MCS) and landers (Viking, Phoenix, MSL).

Design of a Thermal and Micrometeorite Protection System for an Unmanned Lunar Cargo Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hernandez, Carlos A.; Sunder, Sankar; Vestgaard, Baard

1989-01-01

The first vehicles to land on the lunar surface during the establishment phase of a lunar base will be unmanned lunar cargo landers. These landers will need to be protected against the hostile lunar environment for six to twelve months until the next manned mission arrives. The lunar environment is characterized by large temperature changes and periodic micrometeorite impacts. An automatically deployable and reconfigurable thermal and micrometeorite protection system was designed for an unmanned lunar cargo lander. The protection system is a lightweight multilayered material consisting of alternating layers of thermal and micrometeorite protection material. The protection system is packaged and stored above the lander common module. After landing, the system is deployed to cover the lander using a system of inflatable struts that are inflated using residual fuel (liquid oxygen) from the fuel tanks. Once the lander is unloaded and the protection system is no longer needed, the protection system is reconfigured as a regolith support blanket for the purpose of burying and protecting the common module, or as a lunar surface garage that can be used to sort and store lunar surface vehicles and equipment. A model showing deployment and reconfiguration of the protection system was also constructed.

Terrestrial Analogs to Wind-Related Features at the Viking and Pathfinder Landing Sites on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, Ronald; Bridges, Nathan T.; Kuzmin, Ruslan O.; Laity, Julie E.

2002-01-01

Features in the Mojave Desert and Iceland provide insight into the characteristics and origin of Martian wind-related landforms seen by the Viking and Pathfinder landers. The terrestrial sites were chosen because they exhibit diverse wind features that are generally well understood. These features have morphologies comparable to those on Mars and include origins by deposition and erosion, with erosional processes modifying both soils and rocks. Duneforms and drifts are the most common depositional features seen at the Martian landing sites and indicate supplies of sand-sized particles blown by generally unidirectional winds. Erosional features include lag deposits, moat-like depressions around some rocks, and exhumed soil horizons. They indicate that wind can deflate at least some sediments and that this process is particularly effective where the wind interacts with rocks. The formation of ripples and wind tails involves a combination of depositional and erosional processes. Rock erosional features, or ventifacts, are recognized by their overall shapes, erosional flutes, and characteristic surface textures resulting from abrasion by windblown particles. The physics of saltation requires that particles in ripples and duneforms are predominantly sand-sized (60-2000 microns). The orientations of duneforms, wind tails, moats, and ventifacts are correlated with surface winds above particle threshold. Such winds are influenced by local topography and are correlated with winds at higher altitudes predicted by atmospheric models.

Viking Afterbody Heating Computations and Comparisons to Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edquist, Karl T.; Wright, Michael J.; Allen, Gary A., Jr.

2006-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics predictions of Viking Lander 1 entry vehicle afterbody heating are compared to flight data. The analysis includes a derivation of heat flux from temperature data at two base cover locations, as well as a discussion of available reconstructed entry trajectories. Based on the raw temperature-time history data, convective heat flux is derived to be 0.63-1.10 W/cm2 for the aluminum base cover at the time of thermocouple failure. Peak heat flux at the fiberglass base cover thermocouple is estimated to be 0.54-0.76 W/cm2, occurring 16 seconds after peak stagnation point heat flux. Navier-Stokes computational solutions are obtained with two separate codes using an 8- species Mars gas model in chemical and thermal non-equilibrium. Flowfield solutions using local time-stepping did not result in converged heating at either thermocouple location. A global time-stepping approach improved the computational stability, but steady state heat flux was not reached for either base cover location. Both thermocouple locations lie within a separated flow region of the base cover that is likely unsteady. Heat flux computations averaged over the solution history are generally below the flight data and do not vary smoothly over time for both base cover locations. Possible reasons for the mismatch between flight data and flowfield solutions include underestimated conduction effects and limitations of the computational methods.

Viking Afterbody Heating Computations and Comparisons to Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edquist, Karl T.; Wright, Michael J.; Allen, Gary A., Jr.

2006-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics predictions of Viking Lander 1 entry vehicle afterbody heating are compared to flight data. The analysis includes a derivation of heat flux from temperature data at two base cover locations, as well as a discussion of available reconstructed entry trajectories. Based on the raw temperature-time history data, convective heat flux is derived to be 0.63-1.10 W/sq cm for the aluminum base cover at the time of thermocouple failure. Peak heat flux at the fiberglass base cover thermocouple is estimated to be 0.54-0.76 W/sq cm, occurring 16 seconds after peak stagnation point heat flux. Navier-Stokes computational solutions are obtained with two separate codes using an 8-species Mars gas model in chemical and thermal non-equilibrium. Flowfield solutions using local time-stepping did not result in converged heating at either thermocouple location. A global time-stepping approach improved the computational stability, but steady state heat flux was not reached for either base cover location. Both thermocouple locations lie within a separated flow region of the base cover that is likely unsteady. Heat flux computations averaged over the solution history are generally below the flight data and do not vary smoothly over time for both base cover locations. Possible reasons for the mismatch between flight data and flowfield solutions include underestimated conduction effects and limitations of the computational methods.

Life Support Systems for a New Lunar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly; Rotter, Henry; Stambaugh, Imelda; Yagoda, Evan

2012-01-01

A life support system concept has been developed for a new NASA lunar lander concept. The ground rules and assumptions driving the design of this vehicle are different from the Constellation Altair vehicle, and have led to a different design solution. For example, this concept assumes that the lander vehicle arrives in lunar orbit independently of the crew. It loiters in lunar orbit for months before rendezvousing with the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), resulting in the use of solar power for this new lander, rather than fuel cells that provided product water to the life support system in the Altair vehicle. Without the need to perform a single Lunar Orbit Insertion burn for both the lander and the MPCV, the modules do not have to be centered in the same way, so the new lander has a smaller ascent module than Altair and a large habitat rather than a small airlock. This new lander utilizes suitport technology to perform EVAs from the habitat, which leads to significantly different requirements for the pressure control system. This paper describes the major trades and resulting concept design for the life support system of a new lunar lander concept. I

Life Support Systems for a New Lunar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly; Rotter, Henry; Stambaugh, Imelda; Yagoda, Evan

2011-01-01

A life support system concept has been developed for a new NASA lunar lander concept. The ground rules and assumptions driving the design of this vehicle are different from the Constellation Altair vehicle, and have led to a different design solution. For example, this concept assumes that the lander vehicle arrives in lunar orbit independently of the crew. It loiters in lunar orbit for months before rendezvousing with the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), resulting in the use of solar power for this new lander, rather than fuel cells that provided product water to the life support system in the Altair vehicle. Without the need to perform a single Lunar Orbit Insertion burn for both the lander and the MPCV, the modules do not have to be centered in the same way, so the new lander has a smaller ascent module than Altair and a large habitat rather than a small airlock. This new lander utilizes suitport technology to perform EVAs from the habitat, which leads to significantly different requirements for the pressure control system. This paper describes the major trades and resulting concept design for the life support system of a new lunar lander concept.

Mars Exobiology: The Principles Behind The Plan For Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DesMarais, D. J.; DeVincenzi, Donald L.; Carr, M. H.; Clark, B. C.; Farmer, J. D.; Hayes, J. M.; Holland, H.; Kerridge, J. F.; Klein, H. P.; McDonald, G. D.

1995-01-01

The search for evidence of life on Mars is a highly interdisciplinary enterprise which extends beyond the traditional life sciences. Mars conceivably had a pervasive ancient biosphere which may have persisted even to the present, but only in subsurface environments. Understanding the history of Mars' global environment, including its inventory of volatile elements, is a crucial part of the search strategy. Those deposits (minerals, sediments, etc.) which could have and retained a record of earlier biological activity must be identified and examined. While the importance of. seeking another biosphere has not diminished during the years since the Viking mission, the strategy for Mars exploration certainly has been modified by later discoveries. The Viking mission itself demonstrated that the present day surface environment of Mars is hostile to life as we know it. Thus, to search effectively for life on Mars, be it extant or extinct, we now must greatly improve our understanding of Mars the planet. Such an understanding will help us broaden our search beyond the Viking lander sites, both back in time to earlier epochs and elsewhere to other sites and beneath the surface. Exobiology involves much more than simply a search for extant life beyond Earth. It addresses the prospect of long-extinct biospheres and also the chemistry, organic and otherwise, which either led to life or which occurred on rocky planets that remained lifeless. Even a Mars without a biosphere would reveal much about life. How better to understand the origin and impact of a biosphere than to compare Earth with another similar but lifeless planet? Still, several relatively recent discoveries offer encouragement that a Martian biosphere indeed might have existed. The ancient Martian surface was extensively sculptured by volcanism and the activity of liquid water. Such observations invoke impressions of an ancient martian atmosphere and environment that resembled ancient Earth more than present-day Mars. Since Viking, we have learned that our own biosphere began prior to 3.5 billion years ago, during an early period when our solar system apparently was sustaining clement conditions on at least two of its planets. Also, we have found that microorganisms can survive, even flourish, in environments more extreme in temperature and water availability than had been previously recognized. The common ancestor of life on Earth probably was adapted to elevated temperatures, raising the possibility that hydrothermal systems played a central role in sustaining our early biosphere. If a biosphere ever arose on Mars, at least some of its constituents probably dwelled in the subsurface. Even today, conditions on Mars and Earth become more similar with increasing depth beneath their surfaces. For example, under the martian permafrost, the geothermal gradient very likely maintains liquid water in environments which resemble aquifers on Earth. Indigenous bacteria have recently been recovered from deep aquifers on Earth. Liquid groundwater very likely persisted throughout Mars' history. Thus, martian biota, if they ever existed, indeed might have survived in subsurface environments.

Thermal Emission Spectroscopy of Sulfates: Possible Hydrous Iron-Sulfate in the Soil at the MER-A Gusev Crater Landing Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lane, Melissa D.

2004-01-01

Sulfates are likely to be present on Mars as indicated by the sulfur abundances measured at the Viking and Pathfinder landing sites (approx. 5-10% by weight SO3) [1-3] and because of Mars strongly oxidizing environment. Telescopic observations of Mars tentatively identified weak sulfate bands in near infrared [4] and thermal infrared [5] data. The currently orbiting midinfrared instruments (TES, THEMIS) and the Mini-TES on the Mars Exploration Rover landers may enable a positive identification [6] and determination of the chemistry of the sulfates. Critically important to the identification of these minerals is the presence of their spectra in a spectral library. There exist approximately 370 sulfate-mineral species [7]. Sulfate minerals occur in volcanic, hydrothermal, evaporitic, and chemical-weathering environments.

Industrial robots on the line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayres, R.; Miller, S.

1982-06-01

The characteristics, applications, and operational capabilities of currently available robots are examined. Designed to function at tasks of a repetitive, hazardous, or uncreative nature, robot appendages are controlled by microprocessors which permit some simple decision-making on-the-job, and have served for sample gathering on the Mars Viking lander. Critical developmental areas concern active sensors at the robot grappler-object interface, where sufficient data must be gathered for the central processor to which the robot is attached to conclude the state of completion and suitability of the workpiece. Although present robots must be programmed through every step of a particular industrial process, thus limiting each robot to specialized tasks, the potential for closed cells of batch-processing robot-run units is noted to be close to realization. Finally, consideration is given to methods for retraining the human workforce that robots replace

New constraints on Mars rotation determined from radiometric tracking of the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuchynka, Petr; Folkner, William M.; Konopliv, Alex S.; Parker, Timothy J.; Park, Ryan S.; Le Maistre, Sebastien; Dehant, Veronique

2014-02-01

The Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover remained stationary between January and May 2012 in order to conserve solar energy for running its survival heaters during martian winter. While stationary, extra Doppler tracking was performed in order to allow an improved estimate of the martian precession rate. In this study, we determine Mars rotation by combining the new Opportunity tracking data with historic tracking data from the Viking and Pathfinder landers and tracking data from Mars orbiters (Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). The estimated rotation parameters are stable in cross-validation tests and compare well with previously published values. In particular, the Mars precession rate is estimated to be -7606.1 ± 3.5 mas/yr. A representation of Mars rotation as a series expansion based on the determined rotation parameters is provided.

The Mars Pathfinder atmospheric structure investigation/meteorology (ASI/MET) experiment.

PubMed

Schofield, J T; Barnes, J R; Crisp, D; Haberle, R M; Larsen, S; Magalhães, J A; Murphy, J R; Seiff, A; Wilson, G

1997-12-05

The Mars Pathfinder atmospheric structure investigation/meteorology (ASI/MET) experiment measured the vertical density, pressure, and temperature structure of the martian atmosphere from the surface to 160 km, and monitored surface meteorology and climate for 83 sols (1 sol = 1 martian day = 24.7 hours). The atmospheric structure and the weather record are similar to those observed by the Viking 1 lander (VL-1) at the same latitude, altitude, and season 21 years ago, but there are differences related to diurnal effects and the surface properties of the landing site. These include a cold nighttime upper atmosphere; atmospheric temperatures that are 10 to 12 degrees kelvin warmer near the surface; light slope-controlled winds; and dust devils, identified by their pressure, wind, and temperature signatures. The results are consistent with the warm, moderately dusty atmosphere seen by VL-1.

Chryse Outflow Channel

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-06-08

A color image of the south Chryse basin Valles Marineris outflow channels on Mars; north toward top. The scene shows on the southwest corner the chaotic terrain of the east part of Valles Marineris and two of its related canyons: Eos and Capri Chasmata (south to north). Ganges Chasma lies directly north. The chaos in the southern part of the image gives rise to several outflow channels, Shalbatana, Simud, Tiu, and Ares Valles (left to right), that drained north into the Chryse basin. The mouth of Ares Valles is the site of the Mars Pathfinder lander. This image is a composite of NASA's Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 20 degrees S. to 20 degrees N. and from longitude 15 degrees to 53 degrees; Mercator projection. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00418

Interdisciplinary investigations of comparative planetology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sagan, C.

1978-01-01

Research supported wholly or in part by NASA's Planetary Programs Office is summarized. Topics covered include: the evaporation of ice in planetary atmospheres: ice-covered rivers on Mars; reducing greenhouses and the temperature history of Earth and Mars; particle motion on Mars inferred from the Viking Lander cameras; the nature and visibility of crater-associated streaks on Mars; the equilibrium figure of Phobos and other small bodies; striations on Phobos; radiation pressure and Poynting-Robertson drag for small spherical particles; direct imaging of extra-solar planets with stationary occultations; the relation between planetology and conventional astrophysics; remote spectral studies and in situ X-ray fluorescence analysis of the Martian surface; small channels on Mars; junction angles of Martian channels; constraints on Aeolian phenomena on Mars; the geology of Mars; and the flow of erosional debris on the Martian terrain.

A summary of Viking sample-trench analyses for angles of internal friction and cohesions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, H. J.; Clow, G. D.; Hutton, R. E.

1982-01-01

Analyses of sample trenches excavated on Mars, using a theory for plowing by narrow blades, provide estimates of the angles of internal friction and the cohesions of the Martian surface materials. Angles of internal friction appear to be the same as those of many terrestrial soils because they are generally between 27 degrees and 39 degrees. Drift material, at the Lander 1 site, has a low angle of internal friction (near 18 degrees). All the materials excavated have low cohesions, generally between 0.2 and 10 kPa. The occurrence of cross bedding, layers of crusts, and blocky slabs shows that these materials are heterogeneous and that they contain planes of weakness. The results reported here have significant implications for future landed missions, Martian eolian processes, and interpretation of infrared temperatures.

Aqueous geochemistry on Mars: Possible clues from salts and clays in SNC meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gooding, James L.

1992-01-01

All subgroups of the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassignite (SNC) meteorites contain traces of water precipitated minerals that include various combinations of carbonates, sulfates, halides, ferric oxides, and aluminosilicate clays of preterrestrial origin. Oxygen three-isotope analysis of thermally extracted bulk water has confirmed that at least some of the water in SNC's is, indeed, extraterrestrial. A mixture of aqueous precipitates found in the SNC's, comprising smectite, illite, and gypsum (with minor halite +/- calcite and hematite), provides a self-consistent, though not unique, model for the bulk elemental composition of surface sediments at the Viking Lander sites. Therefore, if the salts and clays in SNC's are truly linked to aqueous alteration and soil formation on Mars, then the suite of SNC secondary minerals might provide the best currently available insight into near-surface martian chemistry.

Thirty Years After: The Science of the Viking Program and the Discovery of a 'New Mars'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Joel S.

2006-01-01

Viking discovered a Mars that was very different from the Mars found by Mariner 4, 6 and 7. The new, exciting, more Earth-like Mars was hinted at by the Mariner 9 orbiter and confirmed by Viking. Viking discovered some very fundamental things about Mars. Viking discovered the presence of nitrogen in the atmosphere. A key ingredient needed for life. Viking made the first measurements of the isotopic composition of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and the noble gases in the atmosphere of Mars. The ratio of 15N to 14N suggested that Mars may have lost more than 99% of the total mass of its atmosphere. The denser atmosphere in the past may explain the presence of flowing water earlier in the history of Mars first discovered by Mariner 9 with additional and higher spatial resolution examples provided by the Viking Orbiters. Viking did not measure organics or life at the surface of Mars. But, Viking did discover a surface unlike any other on the Solar System--a surface exhibiting very high chemical reactivity, most probably formed by the deposition of chemically active atmospheric gases, like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ozone (O3), onto the surface of Mars.

75 FR 43092 - Airworthiness Directives; Viking Air Limited (Type Certificate Previously Held by Bombardier, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-23

... completed a system safety review of the aircraft fuel system against fuel tank safety standards introduced... Limited has completed a system safety review of the aircraft fuel system against fuel tank safety... describes the unsafe condition as: Viking Air Limited has completed a system safety review of the aircraft...

First Photograph Taken On Mars Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-12

This is the first photograph ever taken on the surface of the planet Mars. It was obtained by Viking 1 just minutes after the spacecraft landed successfully early today [July 20, 1976]. The center of the image is about 1.4 meters (five feet) from Viking Lander camera #2. We see both rocks and finely granulated material--sand or dust. Many of the small foreground rocks are flat with angular facets. Several larger rocks exhibit irregular surfaces with pits and the large rock at top left shows intersecting linear cracks. Extending from that rock toward the camera is a vertical linear dark band which may be due to a one-minute partial obscuration of the landscape due to clouds or dust intervening between the sun and the surface. Associated with several of the rocks are apparent signs of wind transport of granular material. The large rock in the center is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) across and shows three rough facets. To its lower right is a rock near a smooth portion of the Martian surface probably composed of very fine-grained material. It is possible that the rock was moved during Viking 1 descent maneuvers, revealing the finer-grained basement substratum; or that the fine-grained material has accumulated adjacent to the rock. There are a number of other furrows and depressions and places with fine-grained material elsewhere in the picture. At right is a portion of footpad #2. Small quantities of fine grained sand and dust are seen at the center of the footpad near the strut and were deposited at landing. The shadow to the left of the footpad clearly exhibits detail, due to scattering of light either from the Martian atmosphere or from the spacecraft, observable because the Martian sky scatters light into shadowed areas. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00381

Mars Pathfinder Landing Site: Evidence for a Change in Wind Regime and Climate from Lander and Orbiter Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, R.; Kraft, M. D.; Kuzmin, R. O.; Bridges, N. T.

1999-01-01

Surface features related to the wind are observed in data from the Mars Pathfinder lander and from orbit by the Viking Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor missions. Features seen from the surface include wind tails associated with small rocks, barchanoid duneforms, ripplelike patterns, and ventifact flutes cut into some rocks. Features seen from orbit include wind tails associated with impact craters, ridges inferred to be duneforms, and modified crater rims interpreted to have been eroded and mantled by windblown material. The orientations of these features show two prevailing directions, one inferred to represent winds from the northeast which is consistent with strongest winds predicted by a general circulation model to occur during the Martian northern winter under current conditions, and a second wind pattern oriented approx. 90 degrees to the first. This latter wind could be from the W-NW or from the E-SE and was responsible for cutting the ventifacts and modifying the crater rims. The two wind regimes could reflect a change in climate related to Mars' obliquity or some other, unknown factor. Regardless of the cause, the MPF area has been subjected to a complex pattern of winds and supply of small particles, in which the original surface formed by sedimentary processes from Tiu and Ares Vallis events has been modified by repeated burial and exhumation.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the Phoenix Mars Lander (foreground) can be seen inside the backshell. In the background, workers are helping place the heat shield, just removed from the Phoenix, onto a platform. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Phoenix Mars Lander Spacecraft Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-10

An overhead crane lifts the backshell with the Phoenix Mars Lander inside off its work stand in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The spacecraft is being moved to a spin table (back left) for spin testing. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. It will serve as NASA's first exploration of a potential modern habitat on Mars and open the door to a renewed search for carbon-bearing compounds, last attempted with NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. A stereo color camera and a weather station will study the surrounding environment while the other instruments check excavated soil samples for water, organic chemicals and conditions that could indicate whether the site was ever hospitable to life. Microscopes can reveal features as small as one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket is targeted for Aug. 3 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Planetary Lake Lander - A Robotic Sentinel to Monitor a Remote Lake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedersen, Liam; Smith, Trey; Lee, Susan; Cabrol, Nathalie; Rose, Kevin

2012-01-01

The Planetary Lake Lander Project is studying the impact of rapid deglaciation at a high altitude alpine lake in the Andes, where disrupted environmental, physical, chemical, and biological cycles result in newly emerging natural patterns. The solar powered Lake Lander robot is designed to monitor the lake system and characterize both baseline characteristics and impacts of disturbance events such as storms and landslides. Lake Lander must use an onboard adaptive science-on-the-fly approach to return relevant data about these events to mission control without exceeding limited energy and bandwidth resources. Lake Lander carries weather sensors, cameras and a sonde that is winched up and down the water column to monitor temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and other water quality parameters. Data from Lake Lander is returned via satellite and distributed to an international team of scientists via web-based ground data systems. Here, we describe the Lake Lander Project scientific goals, hardware design, ground data systems, and preliminary data from 2011. The adaptive science-on-the-fly system will be described in future papers.

Launch Vehicle Directorate and Centaur Rocket Model

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-05-21

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center’s Launch Vehicle Directorate in front of a full-scale model of the Centaur second-stage rocket. The photograph was taken to mark Centaur’s fiftieth launch. NASA Lewis managed the Centaur Program since 1962. At that time, the only prior launch attempt ended in failure. Lewis improved the spacecraft and tested it extensively throughout the early 1960s. In May 1966 an Atlas-Centaur sent the Surveyor spacecraft to the moon. It was the first successful soft landing on another planet. The Launch Vehicles Division was formed in 1969 to handle the increasing number of Centaur launches. The Lewis team became experts at integrating the payload with the Centaur and calculating proper trajectories for the missions. Centaur’s first 50 missions included Orbiting Astronomical Observatories, the Mariner 6 and 7 flybys of Mars, Mariner 9 which was the first spacecraft to orbit around another planet, the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions to the outer solar system, the Mariner 10 flyby of Venus and Mercury, the Viking 1 and 2 Mars landers, Voyagers 1 and 2 missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the Pioneer 12 and 13 flights to Venus.

Recent progress in exobiology and planetary biology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jukes, T. H.

1981-01-01

Recent work in the fields of exobiology, the study of the possible characteristics of extraterrestrial life, and planetary biology, the study of life forms as a function of planetary conditions, is reviewed. Searches conducted for life on Mars by the Viking Landers and on Titan by Voyager 1 are considered, and the origin of life on earth is considered in relation to the question of the inorganic trace elements in living systems that are required for life. The question of the origin of terrestrial life from spores carried through the interstellar medium is examined, and the unlikelihood of the survival of such spores except within meteorites or dust particles is pointed out. Studies of organic molecules present in the interstellar medium are indicated as evidence that the conditions necessary for the formation of life can exist in various locations throughout the universe. Investigations of the molecular evolution of life on earth and of life under extreme conditions of heat, cold, drought and ultraviolet radiation, and of the organic compounds found in meteorites and comets are also discussed. The importance of a mechanism of heredity, such as terrestrial DNA, to the evolution of terrestrial and possible extraterrestrial life is pointed out.

Simple models for complex natural surfaces - A strategy for the hyperspectral era of remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, John B.; Smith, Milton O.; Gillespie, Alan R.

1989-01-01

A two-step strategy for analyzing multispectral images is described. In the first step, the analyst decomposes the signal from each pixel (as expressed by the radiance or reflectance values in each channel) into components that are contributed by spectrally distinct materials on the ground, and those that are due to atmospheric effects, instrumental effects, and other factors, such as illumination. In the second step, the isolated signals from the materials on the ground are selectively edited, and recombined to form various unit maps that are interpretable within the framework of field units. The approach has been tested on multispectral images of a variety of natural land surfaces ranging from hyperarid deserts to tropical rain forests. Data were analyzed from Landsat MSS (multispectral scanner) and TM (Thematic Mapper), the airborne NS001 TM simulator, Viking Lander and Orbiter, AIS, and AVRIS (Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer).

Conditions of the Martian atmosphere and surface in the remote past and their relevance to the question of life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pang, Kevin D.; Tsay, Fun-Dow

1988-01-01

Although the Viking Landers failed to find any evidence of life on the surface of Mars, much remains unknown. Study of returned samples can answer some of these questions. The search for organic compounds, the building blocks of life forms based on carbon chemistry, should continue. The question of life on Mars is still an open one, and deserves to be addressed by the study of returned samples. Whether life developed and evolved on Mars or not depends critically on the history of the Martian atmosphere and hydrosphere. The exobiology of Mars is thus inextrically intertwined with the nature of its paleoatmosphere and the ancient state of the planet's regolith, which may still be preserved in the polar caps and underground. Core samples from such sites could answer some of the questions.

Ecology and thermal inactivation of microbes in and on interplanetary space vehicle components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, J. E.

1972-01-01

The sterilization parameters for the Viking lander of D sub 125 C = 30 minutes and z = 21 C for the exposed bioburden were derived from the experimental findings of several laboratories conducting thermal inactivation studies on Bacillus subtilis var. niger by dry heat. The moisture constraint, that the sterilizing gas shall be less than 25 percent relative humidity at standard conditions of 0 C and 760 mm Hg pressure, was added in recognition of the profound influence of water vapor on the time and temperature required for thermal inactivation of these spores. Data is presented demonstrating that the application of the moisture parameter does not significantly change the D sub 125 C and z values of 30 minutes and 21 C, respectively. Data are presented also to show the maximum influence that could be expected by decreasing the humidity to near zero percent relative humidity at 105, 113, and 125 C.

Iron oxide and hydroxide precipitation from ferrous solutions and its relevance to Martian surface mineralogy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Posey-Dowty, J.; Moskowitz, B.; Crerar, D.; Hargraves, R.; Tanenbaum, L.

1986-01-01

Experiments were performed to examine if the ubiquitousness of a weak magnetic component in all Martian surface fines tested with the Viking Landers can be attributed to ferric iron precipitation in aqueous solution under oxidizing conditions at neutral pH. Ferrous solutions were mixed in deionized water and various minerals were added to separate liquid samples. The iron-bearing additives included hematite, goethite, magnetite, maghemite, lepidocrocite and potassium bromide blank at varying concentrations. IR spectroscopic scans were made to identify any precipitates resulting from bubbling oxygen throughout the solutions; the magnetic properties of the precipitates were also examined. The data indicated that the lepidocrocite may have been preferentially precipitated, then aged to maghemite. The process would account for the presumed thin residue of maghemite on the present Martian surface, long after abundant liquid water on the Martian surface vanished.

Chemistry and mineralogy of Martian dust: An explorer's primer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gooding, James L.

1991-01-01

A summary of chemical and mineralogical properties of Martian surface dust is offered for the benefit of engineers or mission planners who are designing hardware or strategies for Mars surface exploration. For technical details and specialized explanations, references should be made to literature cited. Four sources used for information about Martian dust composition: (1) Experiments performed on the Mars surface by the Viking Landers 1 and 2 and Earth-based lab experiments attempting to duplicate these results; (2) Infrared spectrophotometry remotely performed from Mars orbit, mostly by Mariner 9; (3) Visible and infrared spectrophotometry remotely performed from Earth; and (4) Lab studies of the shergottite nakhlite chassignite (SNC) clan of meteorites, for which compelling evidence suggests origin on Mars. Source 1 is limited to fine grained sediments at the surface whereas 2 and 3 contain mixed information about surface dust (and associated rock) and atmospheric dust. Source 4 has provided surprisingly detailed information but investigations are still incomplete.

2nd International Planetary Probe Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Martinez, Ed; Arcadi, Marla

2005-01-01

Included are presentations from the 2nd International Planetary Probe Workshop. The purpose of the second workshop was to continue to unite the community of planetary scientists, spacecraft engineers and mission designers and planners; whose expertise, experience and interests are in the areas of entry probe trajectory and attitude determination, and the aerodynamics/aerothermodynamics of planetary entry vehicles. Mars lander missions and the first probe mission to Titan made 2004 an exciting year for planetary exploration. The Workshop addressed entry probe science, engineering challenges, mission design and instruments, along with the challenges of reconstruction of the entry, descent and landing or the aerocapture phases. Topics addressed included methods, technologies, and algorithms currently employed; techniques and results from the rich history of entry probe science such as PAET, Venera/Vega, Pioneer Venus, Viking, Galileo, Mars Pathfinder and Mars MER; upcoming missions such as the imminent entry of Huygens and future Mars entry probes; and new and novel instrumentation and methodologies.

Imaging natural materials with a quasi-microscope. [spectrophotometry of granular materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragg, S.; Arvidson, R.

1977-01-01

A Viking lander camera with auxilliary optics mounted inside the dust post was evaluated to determine its capability for imaging the inorganic properties of granular materials. During mission operations, prepared samples would be delivered to a plate positioned within the camera's field of view and depth of focus. The auxiliary optics would then allow soil samples to be imaged with an 11 pm pixel size in the broad band (high resolution, black and white) mode, and a 33 pm pixel size in the multispectral mode. The equipment will be used to characterize: (1) the size distribution of grains produced by igneous (intrusive and extrusive) processes or by shock metamorphism, (2) the size distribution resulting from crushing, chemical alteration, or by hydraulic or aerodynamic sorting; (3) the shape and degree of grain roundness and surface texture induced by mechanical and chemical alteration; and (4) the mineralogy and chemistry of grains.

2031, an edaphological Mars odyssey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrón, Vidal

2016-04-01

NASA is projecting to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. In the PICO session we will make a 4D experience, a journey in space and time. Wéll connect with a meeting in the future mission "Edaphos one" travelling to Mars in 2031. In that meeting, an international scientific team with one geophysicist, one mineralogist and two agronomist will review the state of the art of the geo-edaphological knowledge of the martian surface, based on the main Mars missions using orbiters (Mariner), landers (Viking) and rovers (Pathfinder, Spirit-Opportunity, Curiosity). A special attention will be devoted to the mineralogy of the iron oxides, as important aquamarkers. Finally, they discuss about the biological, physical and chemical limitations for plants growth on Mars. You can see the trailer of the presentation in this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRS0tPNpvFU

Factors governing water condensation in the Martian atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colburn, David S.; Pollack, J. B.; Haberle, Robert M.

1988-01-01

Modeling results are presented suggesting a diurnal condensation cycle at high altitudes at some seasons and latitudes. In a previous paper, the use of atmospheric optical depth measurements at the Viking lander site to show diurnal variability of water condensation at different seasons of the Mars year was described. Factors influencing the amount of condensation include latitude, season, atmospheric dust content and water vapor content at the observation site. A one-dimensional radiative-convective model is used herein based on the diabatic heating routines under development for the Mars General Circulation Model. The model predicts atmospheric temperature profiles at any latitude, season, time of day and dust load. From these profiles and an estimate of the water vapor, one can estimate the maximum occurring at an early morning hour (AM) and the minimum in the late afternoon (PM). Measured variations in the atmospheric optical density between AM and PM measurements were interpreted as differences in AM and PM condensation.

Radioisotope Power: A Key Technology for Deep Space Explorations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, George R.; Sutliff, Thomas J.; Duddzinski, Leonard

2009-01-01

A Radioisotope Power System (RPS) generates power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes, such as Plutonium-238 (Pu-238), into electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices have enabled some of the most challenging and exciting space missions in history, including the Pioneer and Voyager probes to the outer solar system; the Apollo lunar surface experiments; the Viking landers; the Ulysses polar orbital mission about the Sun; the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn; and the recently launched New Horizons mission to Pluto. Radioisotopes have also served as a versatile heat source for moderating equipment thermal environments on these and many other missions, including the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The key advantage of RPS is its ability to operate continuously, independent of orientation and distance relative to the Sun. Radioisotope systems are long-lived, rugged, compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and other environmental effects. As such, they are ideally suited for missions involving long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space and other planetary bodies. This paper reviews the history of RPS for the U.S. space program. It also describes current development of a new Stirling cycle-based generator that will greatly expand the application of nuclear-powered missions in the future.

Radioisotope Power: A Key Technology for Deep Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, George; Sutliff, Tom; Dudzinski, Leonard

2008-01-01

A Radioisotope Power System (RPS) generates power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes, such as Plutonium-238 (Pu-238), into electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices have enabled some of the most challenging and exciting space missions in history, including the Pioneer and Voyager probes to the outer solar system; the Apollo lunar surface experiments; the Viking landers; the Ulysses polar orbital mission about the Sun; the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn; and the recently launched New Horizons mission to Pluto. Radioisotopes have also served as a versatile heat source for moderating equipment thermal environments on these and many other missions, including the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The key advantage of RPS is its ability to operate continuously, independent of orientation and distance relative to the Sun. Radioisotope systems are long-lived, rugged, compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and other environmental effects. As such, they are ideally suited for missions involving long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space and other planetary bodies. This paper reviews the history of RPS for the U.S. space program. It also describes current development of a new Stirling cycle-based generator that will greatly expand the application of nuclear-powered missions in the future.

Multibody Modeling and Simulation for the Mars Phoenix Lander Entry, Descent and Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Queen, Eric M.; Prince, Jill L.; Desai, Prasun N.

2008-01-01

A multi-body flight simulation for the Phoenix Mars Lander has been developed that includes high fidelity six degree-of-freedom rigid-body models for the parachute and lander system. The simulation provides attitude and rate history predictions of all bodies throughout the flight, as well as loads on each of the connecting lines. In so doing, a realistic behavior of the descending parachute/lander system dynamics can be simulated that allows assessment of the Phoenix descent performance and identification of potential sensitivities for landing. This simulation provides a complete end-to-end capability of modeling the entire entry, descent, and landing sequence for the mission. Time histories of the parachute and lander aerodynamic angles are presented. The response of the lander system to various wind models and wind shears is shown to be acceptable. Monte Carlo simulation results are also presented.

Tracking and data system support for the Viking 1975 mission to Mars. Volume 1: Prelaunch planning, implementation, and testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mudgway, D. J.; Traxler, M. R.

1977-01-01

The tracking and data acquisition support for the 1975 Viking Missions to Mars is described. The history of the effort from its inception in late 1968 through the launches of Vikings 1 and 2 from Cape Kennedy in August and September 1975 is given. The Viking mission requirements for tracking and data acquisition support in both the near earth and deep space phases involved multiple radar tracking and telemetry stations, and communications networks together with the global network of tracking stations, communications, and control center. The planning, implementation, testing and management of the program are presented.

Aeroshell for Mars Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

This image from July 2008 shows the aeroshell for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory while it was being worked on by spacecraft technicians at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company near Denver.

This hardware was delivered in early fall of 2008 to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is being assembled and tested.

The aeroshell encapsulates the mission's rover and descent stage during the journey from Earth to Mars and shields them from the intense heat of friction with that upper atmosphere during the initial portion of descent.

The aeroshell has two main parts: the backshell, which is on top in this image and during the descent, and the heat shield, on the bottom. The heat shield in this image is an engineering unit for testing. The heat shield to be used in flight will be substituted later. The heat shield has a diameter of about 15 feet. For comparison, the heat shields for NASA's Mars Exploraton Rovers Spirit and Opportunity were 8.5 feet and the heat shields for the Apollo capsules that protected astronauts returning to Earth from the moon were just under 13 feet.

In addition to protecting the Mars Science Laboratory rover, the backshell provides structural support for the descent stage's parachute and sky crane, a system that will lower the rover to a soft landing on the surface of Mars. The backshell for the Mars Science Laboratory is made of an aluminum honeycomb structure sandwiched between graphite-epoxy face sheets. It is covered with a thermal protection system composed of a cork/silicone super light ablator material that originated with the Viking landers of the 1970s. This ablator material has been used on the heat shields of all NASA Mars landers in the past, but this mission is the first Mars mission using it on the backshell.

The heat shield for Mars Science Laboratory's flight will use tiles made of phenolic impregnated carbon ablator. The engineering unit in this image does not have the tiles.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Lunar lander ground support system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The design of the Lunar Lander Ground Support System (LLGSS) is examined. The basic design time line is around 2010 to 2030 and is referred to as a second generation system, as lunar bases and equipment would have been present. Present plans for lunar colonization call for a phased return of personnel and materials to the moons's surface. During settlement of lunar bases, the lunar lander is stationary in a very hostile environment and would have to be in a state of readiness for use in case of an emergency. Cargo and personnel would have to be removed from the lander and transported to a safe environment at the lunar base. An integrated system is required to perform these functions. These needs are addressed which center around the design of a lunar lander servicing system. The servicing system could perform several servicing functions to the lander in addition to cargo servicing. The following were considered: (1) reliquify hydrogen boiloff; (2) supply power; and (3) remove or add heat as necessary. The final design incorporates both original designs and existing vehicles and equipment on the surface of the moon at the time considered. The importance of commonality is foremost in the design of any lunar machinery.

The Mars NetLander panoramic camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaumann, Ralf; Langevin, Yves; Hauber, Ernst; Oberst, Jürgen; Grothues, Hans-Georg; Hoffmann, Harald; Soufflot, Alain; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Dimarellis, Emmanuel; Mottola, Stefano; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Neukum, Gerhard; Albertz, Jörg; Masson, Philippe; Pinet, Patrick; Lamy, Philippe; Formisano, Vittorio

2000-10-01

The panoramic camera (PanCam) imaging experiment is designed to obtain high-resolution multispectral stereoscopic panoramic images from each of the four Mars NetLander 2005 sites. The main scientific objectives to be addressed by the PanCam experiment are (1) to locate the landing sites and support the NetLander network sciences, (2) to geologically investigate and map the landing sites, and (3) to study the properties of the atmosphere and of variable phenomena. To place in situ measurements at a landing site into a proper regional context, it is necessary to determine the lander orientation on ground and to exactly locate the position of the landing site with respect to the available cartographic database. This is not possible by tracking alone due to the lack of on-ground orientation and the so-called map-tie problem. Images as provided by the PanCam allow to determine accurate tilt and north directions for each lander and to identify the lander locations based on landmarks, which can also be recognized in appropriate orbiter imagery. With this information, it will be further possible to improve the Mars-wide geodetic control point network and the resulting geometric precision of global map products. The major geoscientific objectives of the PanCam lander images are the recognition of surface features like ripples, ridges and troughs, and the identification and characterization of different rock and surface units based on their morphology, distribution, spectral characteristics, and physical properties. The analysis of the PanCam imagery will finally result in the generation of precise map products for each of the landing sites. So far comparative geologic studies of the Martian surface are restricted to the timely separated Mars Pathfinder and the two Viking Lander Missions. Further lander missions are in preparation (Beagle-2, Mars Surveyor 03). NetLander provides the unique opportunity to nearly double the number of accessible landing site data by providing simultaneous and long-term observations at four different surface locations which becomes especially important for studies of variable surface features as well as properties and phenomena of the atmosphere. Major changes on the surface that can be detected by PanCam are caused by eolian activities and condensation processes, which directly reflect variations in the prevailing near-surface wind regime and the diurnal and seasonal volatile and dust cycles. Atmospheric studies will concentrate on the detection of clouds, measurements of the aerosol contents and the water vapor absorption at 936 nm. In order to meet these objectives, the proposed PanCam instrument is a highly miniaturized, dedicated stereo and multispectral imaging device. The camera consists of two identical camera cubes, which are arranged in a common housing at a fixed stereo base length of 11 cm. Each camera cube is equipped with a CCD frame transfer detector with 1024×1024 active pixels and optics with a focal length of 13 mm yielding a field-of-view of 53°×53° and an instantaneous filed of view of 1.1 mrad. A filter swivel with six positions provides different color band passes in the wavelength range of 400-950 nm. The camera head is mounted on top of a deployable scissors boom and can be rotated by 360° to obtain a full panorama, which is already covered by eight images. The boom raises the camera head to a final altitude of 90 cm above the surface. Most camera activities will take place within the first week and the first month of the mission. During the remainder of the mission, the camera will operate with a reduced data rate to monitor time-dependent variations on a daily basis. PanCam is a joint German/French project with contributions from DLR, Institute of Space Sensor Technology and Planetary Exploration, Berlin, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, Orsay, and Service d'Aéronomie, CNRS, Verrières-le-Buisson.

Pattern-Recognition System for Approaching a Known Target

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntsberger, Terrance; Cheng, Yang

2008-01-01

A closed-loop pattern-recognition system is designed to provide guidance for maneuvering a small exploratory robotic vehicle (rover) on Mars to return to a landed spacecraft to deliver soil and rock samples that the spacecraft would subsequently bring back to Earth. The system could be adapted to terrestrial use in guiding mobile robots to approach known structures that humans could not approach safely, for such purposes as reconnaissance in military or law-enforcement applications, terrestrial scientific exploration, and removal of explosive or other hazardous items. The system has been demonstrated in experiments in which the Field Integrated Design and Operations (FIDO) rover (a prototype Mars rover equipped with a video camera for guidance) is made to return to a mockup of Mars-lander spacecraft. The FIDO rover camera autonomously acquires an image of the lander from a distance of 125 m in an outdoor environment. Then under guidance by an algorithm that performs fusion of multiple line and texture features in digitized images acquired by the camera, the rover traverses the intervening terrain, using features derived from images of the lander truss structure. Then by use of precise pattern matching for determining the position and orientation of the rover relative to the lander, the rover aligns itself with the bottom of ramps extending from the lander, in preparation for climbing the ramps to deliver samples to the lander. The most innovative aspect of the system is a set of pattern-recognition algorithms that govern a three-phase visual-guidance sequence for approaching the lander. During the first phase, a multifeature fusion algorithm integrates the outputs of a horizontal-line-detection algorithm and a wavelet-transform-based visual-area-of-interest algorithm for detecting the lander from a significant distance. The horizontal-line-detection algorithm is used to determine candidate lander locations based on detection of a horizontal deck that is part of the lander.

The Latest Mars Climate Database (MCD v5.1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, Francois; Spiga, Aymeric; Navarro, Thomas; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Pottier, Alizée; Montabone, Luca; Kerber, Laura; Lefèvre, Franck; Montmessin, Franck; Chaufray, Jean-Yves; López-Valverde, Miguel; González-Galindo, Francisco; Lewis, Stephen; Read, Peter; Huot, Jean-Paul; Desjean, Marie-Christine; the MCD/GCM development Team

2014-05-01

For many years, several teams around the world have developed GCMs (General Circulation Model or Global Climate Model) to simulate the environment on Mars. The GCM developed at the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique in collaboration with several teams in Europe (LATMOS, France, University of Oxford, The Open University, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia), and with the support of ESA and CNES is currently used for many applications. Its outputs have also regularly been compiled to build a Mars Climate Database, a freely available tool useful for the scientific and engineering communities. The Mars Climate Database (MCD) has over the years been distributed to more than 150 teams around the world. Following the recent improvements inthe GCM, a new series of reference simulations have been run and compiled into a new version (version5.1) of the Mars Climate Database, released in the first half of 2014. To summarize, MCD v5.1 provides: - Climatologies over a series of dust scenarios: standard year, cold (ie: low dust), warm (ie: dusty atmosphere) and dust storm, all topped by various cases of Extreme UV solar inputs (low, mean or maximum). These scenarios differ from those of previous versions of the MCD (version 4.x) as they have been derived from home-made, instrument-derived (TES, THEMIS, MCS, MERs), dust climatology of the last 8 Martian years. - Mean values and statistics of main meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature, density, pressure and winds), as well as surface pressure and temperature, CO2 ice cover, thermal and solar radiative fluxes, dust column opacity and mixing ratio, [H20] vapor and ice columns, concentrations of many species: [CO], [O2], [O], [N2], [H2], [O3], ... - A high resolution mode which combines high resolution (32 pixel/degree) MOLA topography records and Viking Lander 1 pressure records with raw lower resolution GCM results to yield, within the restriction of the procedure, high resolution values of atmospheric variables. - The possibility to reconstruct realistic conditions by combining the provided climatology with additional large scale and small scale perturbations schemes. At EGU, we will report on the latest improvements in the Mars Climate Database, with comparisons with available measurements from orbit (e.g.: TES, MCS) or landers (Viking, Phoenix, MSL).

Viking orbiter system primary mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goudy, J. R.

1977-01-01

An overview of Viking Orbiter (VO) system and subsystem performances during the primary mission (the time period from VO-1 launch on August 20, 1975, through November 15, 1976) is presented. Brief descriptions, key design requirements, pertinent historical information, unique applications or situations, and predicted versus actual performances are included for all VO-1 and VO-2 subsystems, both individually and as an integrated system.

Comparison of transgressive and regressive clastic reservoirs, late Albian Viking Formation, Alberta basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reinson, G.E.

1996-06-01

Detailed stratigraphic analysis of hydrocarbon reservoirs from the Basal Colorado upwards through the Viking/Bow Island and Cardium formations indicates that the distributional trends, overall size and geometry, internal heterogeneity, and hydrocarbon productivity of the sand bodies are related directly to a transgressive-regressive (T-R) sequence stratigraphic model. The Viking Formation (equivalent to the Muddy Sandstone of Wyoming) contains examples of both transgressive and regressive reservoirs. Viking reservoirs can be divided into progradational shoreface bars associated with the regressive systems tract, and bar/sheet sands and estuary/channel deposits associated with the transgressive systems tract. Shoreface bars, usually consisting of fine- to medium-grained sandstones,more » are tens of kilometers long, kilometers in width, and in the order of five to ten meters thick. Transgressive bar and sheet sandstones range from coarse-grained to conglomeratic, and occur in deposits that are tens of kilometers long, several kilometers wide, and from less than one to four meters in thickness. Estuary and valley-fill reservoir sandstones vary from fine-grained to conglomeratic, occur as isolated bodies that have channel-like geometries, and are usually greater than 10 meters thick. From an exploration viewpoint the most prospective reservoir trends in the Viking Formation are those associated with transgressive systems tracts. In particular, bounding discontinuities between T-R systems tracts are the principal sites of the most productive hydrocarbon-bearing sandstones.« less

In-Situ Propellant Supplied Lunar Lander Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donahue, Benjamin; Maulsby, Curtis

2008-01-01

Future NASA and commercial Lunar missions will require innovative spacecraft configurations incorporating reliable, sustainable propulsion, propellant storage, power and crew life support technologies that can evolve into long duration, partially autonomous systems that can be used to emplace and sustain the massive supplies required for a permanently occupied lunar base. Ambitious surface science missions will require efficient Lunar transfer systems to provide the consumables, science equipment, energy generation systems, habitation systems and crew provisions necessary for lengthy tours on the surface. Lunar lander descent and ascent stages become significantly more efficient when they can be refueled on the Lunar surface and operated numerous times. Landers enabled by Lunar In-Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) facilities will greatly ease constraints on spacecraft mass and payload delivery capability, and may operate much more affordably (in the long term) then landers that are dependant on Earth supplied propellants. In this paper, a Lander concept that leverages ISPP is described and its performance is quantified. Landers, operating as sortie vehicles from Low Lunar Orbit, with efficiencies facilitated by ISPP will enable economical utilization and enhancements that will provide increasingly valuable science yields from Lunar Bases.

COMPASS Final Report: Low Cost Robotic Lunar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGuire, Melissa L.; Oleson, Steven R.

2010-01-01

The COllaborative Modeling for the Parametric Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) team designed a robotic lunar Lander to deliver an unspecified payload (greater than zero) to the lunar surface for the lowest cost in this 2006 design study. The purpose of the low cost lunar lander design was to investigate how much payload can an inexpensive chemical or Electric Propulsion (EP) system deliver to the Moon s surface. The spacecraft designed as the baseline out of this study was a solar powered robotic lander, launched on a Minotaur V launch vehicle on a direct injection trajectory to the lunar surface. A Star 27 solid rocket motor does lunar capture and performs 88 percent of the descent burn. The Robotic Lunar Lander soft-lands using a hydrazine propulsion system to perform the last 10% of the landing maneuver, leaving the descent at a near zero, but not exactly zero, terminal velocity. This low-cost robotic lander delivers 10 kg of science payload instruments to the lunar surface.

Stereo Topography of the South Polar of Mar: Volatile Inventory and Mars Polar Landing Landing Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenk, Paul M.; Moore, Jeffrey M.

2000-01-01

Viking stereo images and topographic maps reveal that the south polar layered deposits of Mars are topographically complex and morphologically distinct from the north polar layered deposits. The dominant feature is a 500-km-wide topographic dome that rises 3 km above the surrounding plains. This dome underlies the residual ice cap but is at least 50% larger in area. Erosional scarps and terraces indicate that this dome was once more extensive and has undergone erosional retreat. Adjacent to the dome, layered deposits form a vast plateau 1-1.5 km high extending approximately 1000 km beyond and to one side of the residual south polar cap. This plateau is relatively flat at kilometer scales, although it is cut in places by troughs and depressions, which have locally steep scarps up to 2 km high and sloping up to roughly 10 deg. Contiguously flat kilometer-scale regions the size of the Mars Polar Lander (MPL) landing ellipse are present. These are in the form of plateaus 100-300 km wide and 1-2 km high. One of the largest of these plateaus has been proposed as a landing site for the Mars Polar Lander (MPL). The volume associated with the south polar layered deposits may be comparable to those of the layered deposits at the north pole. Although this doubles the current probable inventory of surface ice on Mars, it still falls far short of accounting for the inferred volume of water on Mars in the past.

Carbon-Based Compounds and Exobiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerridge, John; DesMarais, David; Khanna, R. K.; Mancinelli, Rocco; McDonald, Gene; diBrozollo, Fillipo Radicati; Wdowiak, Tom

1996-01-01

The Committee for Planetary and Lunar Explorations (COMPLEX) posed questions related to exobiological exploration of Mars and the possibility of a population of carbonaceous materials in cometary nuclei to be addressed by future space missions. The scientific objectives for such missions are translated into a series of measurements and/or observations to be performed by Martian landers. These are: (1) A detailed mineralogical, chemical, and textural assessment of rock diversity at a landing site; (2) Chemical characterization of the materials at a local site; (3) Abundance of Hydrogen at any accessible sites; (4) Identification of specific minerals that would be diagnostic of aqueous processes; (5) Textual examination of lithologies thought to be formed by aqueous activity; (6) Search for minerals that might have been produced as a result of biological processes; (7) Mapping the distribution, in three dimensions, of the oxidant(s) identified on the Martian surface by the Viking mission; (8) Definition of the local chemical environment; (9) Determination of stable-isotopic ratios for the biogenic elements in surface mineral deposits; (10) Quantitative analysis of organic (non-carbonate) carbon; (11) Elemental and isotopic composition of bulk organic material; (12) Search for specific organic compounds that would yield information about synthetic mechanisms, in the case of prebiotic evolution, and about possible bio-markers, in the case of extinct or extant life; (13) and Coring, sampling, and detection of entrained gases and cosmic-ray induced reaction products at the polar ice cap. A discussion of measurements and/or observations required for cometary landers is included as well.

Preparing the Phoenix Lander for Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-01

The Phoenix lander, housed in a 100,000-class clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems facilities near Denver, Colo. Shown here, the lander is contained inside the backshell portion of the aeroshell with the heat shield removed.

Lander Radioscience LaRa, a Space Geodesy Experiment to Mars within the ExoMars 2020 mission.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehant, V. M. A.; Le Maistre, S.; Yseboodt, M.; Peters, M. J.; Karatekin, O.; Van Hove, B.; Rivoldini, A.; Baland, R. M.; Van Hoolst, T.

2017-12-01

The LaRa (Lander Radioscience) experiment is designed to obtain coherent two-way Doppler measurements from the radio link between the 2020 ExoMars lander and Earth over at least one Martian year. The LaRa instrument consists of a coherent transponder with up- and downlinks at X-band radio frequencies. The signal received from Earth is a pure carrier at 7.178 GHz; it is transponded back to Earth at a frequency of 8.434 GHz. The transponder is designed to maintain its lock and coherency over its planed one-hour observation sessions. The transponder mass is at the one-kg level. There are one uplink antenna and two downlink antennas. They are small patch antennas covered by a radome of 130gr for the downlink ones and of 200gr for the uplink. The signals will be generated and received by Earth-based radio antennas belonging to the NASA deep space network (DSN), the ESA tracking station network, or the Russian ground stations network. The instrument lifetime is more than twice the nominal mission duration of one Earth year. The Doppler measurements will be used to observe the orientation and rotation of Mars in space (precession, nutations, and length-of-day variations), as well as polar motion. The ultimate objective is to obtain information/constraints on the Martian interior, and on the sublimation/condensation cycle of atmospheric CO2. Orientation and rotational variations will allow us to constrain the moment of inertia of the entire planet, the moment of inertia of the core, and seasonal mass transfer between the atmosphere and the ice caps. The LaRa experiment will be combined with other previous radio science experiments such as the InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) RISE experiment (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment) with radio science data of the NASA Viking landers, Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rovers. In addition, other ExoMars2020 and TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) experiments providing information on the Martian atmosphere will be considered in order to retrieve a maximum amount of information on the interior of Mars. This contribution will provide an overview of the LaRa instrument and science objectives.

Robotic Lunar Landers for Science and Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chavers, D. G.; Cohen, B. A.; Bassler, J. A.; Hammond, M. S.; Harris, D. W.; Hill, L. A.; Eng, D.; Ballard, B. W.; Kubota, S. D.; Morse, B. J.;

Lander Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chavers, Greg

2015-01-01

Since 2006 NASA has been formulating robotic missions to the lunar surface through programs and projects like the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, and International Lunar Network. All of these were led by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Due to funding shortfalls, the lunar missions associated with these efforts, the designs, were not completed. From 2010 to 2013, the Robotic Lunar Lander Development Activity was funded by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to develop technologies that would enable and enhance robotic lunar surface missions at lower costs. In 2013, a requirements-driven, low-cost robotic lunar lander concept was developed for the Resource Prospector Mission. Beginning in 2014, The Advanced Exploration Systems funded the lander team and established the MSFC, Johnson Space Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory team with MSFC leading the project. The lander concept to place a 300-kg rover on the lunar surface has been described in the New Technology Report Case Number MFS-33238-1. A low-cost lander concept for placing a robotic payload on the lunar surface is shown in figures 1 and 2. The NASA lander team has developed several lander concepts using common hardware and software to allow the lander to be configured for a specific mission need. In addition, the team began to transition lander expertise to United States (U.S.) industry to encourage the commercialization of space, specifically the lunar surface. The Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) initiative was started and the NASA lander team listed above is partnering with three competitively selected U.S. companies (Astrobotic, Masten Space Systems, and Moon Express) to develop, test, and operate their lunar landers.

Space Power Facility at NASA’s Plum Brook Station

NASA Image and Video Library

1969-02-21

Exterior view of the Space Power Facility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The $28.4-million facility, which began operations in 1969, is the largest high vacuum chamber ever built. The chamber is 100 feet in diameter and 120 feet high. It produces a vacuum deep enough to simulate the conditions at 300 miles altitude. The facility can sustain a high vacuum; simulate solar radiation via a 4-megawatt quartz heat lamp array, solar spectrum by a 400-kilowatt arc lamp, and cold environments. The Space Power Facility was originally designed to test nuclear power sources for spacecraft during long durations in a space atmosphere, but it was never used for that purpose. The facility’s first test in 1970 involved a 15 to 20-kilowatt Brayton Cycle Power System for space applications. Three different methods of simulating solar heat were employed during the Brayton tests. The facility was also used for jettison tests of the Centaur Standard Shroud. The shroud was designed for the new Titan-Centaur rocket that was scheduled to launch the Viking spacecraft to Mars. The new shroud was tested under conditions that simulated the time from launch to the separation of the stages. Test programs at the facility include high-energy experiments, shroud separation tests, Mars Lander system tests, deployable Solar Sail tests and International Space Station hardware tests.

MOC's Highest Resolution View of Mars Pathfinder Landing Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] (A) Mars Pathfinder site, left: April 1998; right: January 2000.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] (B) top: April 1998; bottom: January 2000.

Can Mars Global Surveyor's 1.5 meter (5 ft) per pixel camera be used to find any evidence as to the fate of the Mars Polar Lander that was lost on December 3, 1999? One way to find out is to look for one of the other Mars landers and determine what, if anything, can be seen. There have been three successful Mars lander missions: Viking 1 (July 1976), Viking 2 (September 1976), and Mars Pathfinder (July 1997). Of these, the location of Mars Pathfinder is known the best because there are several distinct landmarks visible in the lander's images that help in locating the spacecraft. The MGS MOC Operations Team at Malin Space Science Systems has been tasked since mid-December 1999 with looking for the lost Polar Lander. Part of this effort has been to test the capabilities of MOC by taking a picture of the landing site of Mars Pathfinder.

An attempt to photograph the Pathfinder site was made once before, in April 1998, by turning the entire MGS spacecraft so that the camera could point at the known location of the Mars Pathfinder lander. Turning the MGS spacecraft like this is not a normal operation--it takes considerable planning, and disrupts the on-going, normal acquisition of science data. It took 3 attempts to succeed, but on April 22, 1998, MOC acquired the picture seen on the left side of Figure A, above. The three near-by major landmarks that were visible to the Pathfinder's cameras are labeled here (North Peak, Big Crater, Twin Peaks). It was known at the time that this image was not adequate to see the Pathfinder lander because the camera was not in focus and had a resolution of only 3.3 meters (11 ft) per pixel. In this and all other images shown here, north is up. All views of the 1998 MOC image are illuminated from the lower right, all views of the 2000 MOC image are illuminated from the lower left.

As part of the Polar Lander search effort, the Mars Pathfinder site was targeted again in December 1999 and January 2000. Like the 1998 attempt, the spacecraft had to be pointed off of its normal, nadir (straight-down) view. Like history repeating itself, it once again took 3 tries before the Pathfinder landing site was hit. The picture on the right side of Figure A, above, shows the new image that was acquired on January 16, 2000. The white box indicates the location shown in Figure B (above, right). The 1000 m scale bar equals 0.62 miles.

Figure B (above) shows a subsection of both the 1998 image (top, labeled SPO-1-25603) and the 2000 image (bottom, labeled m11-2414) projected at a scale of 3 meters (10 ft) per pixel. At this scale, the differences in camera focus and sunlight illumination angle are apparent, with the January 2000 image being both in focus and having better lighting conditions. In addition, the MGS spacecraft took the 2000 image from a lower altitude than in 1998, thus the image has better spatial resolution overall. The 500 m scale bar is equal to about 547 yards. The white box shows the location of images in Figure C, below.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] (C) higher-resolution view; left: April 1998; right: January 2000.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] D) Erroneous, preliminary identification of Mars Pathfinder location in January 2000 image. Subsequent analysis (Figures E & F, below) identified the correct spot.

The third figure (C, above) again shows portions of the April 1998 image (C, left) and January 2000 image (C, right), only this time they have been enlarged to a resolution of 0.75 meters (2.5 ft) per pixel. The intrinsic resolution of the January 2000 image is 1.5 meters (5 ft), so this is a 200% expanded view of the actual M11-02414 image. The circular features in this and the previous images are impact craters in various states of erosion. Some boulders (dark dots) can be seen near the crater in the lower left corner. The texture that runs diagonally across the scene from upper left toward lower right consists of ridges created by the giant floods that washed through the Pathfinder site from Ares and/or Tiu Vallis many hundreds of millions of years ago. These ridges and the troughs between them were also seen by the Pathfinder lander; their crests often covered with boulders and cobbles (which cannot be seen at the resolution of the MOC image). The 100 m scale bar is equal to 109 yards (which can be compared with a 100 yard U.S. football field). The Mars Pathfinder landing site is located near the center of this view.

The fourth picture, Figure D (above), shows a feature that was initially thought to be the Mars Pathfinder lander by MOC investigators. This and the following figures point out just how difficult it is to find a lander on the martian surface using the MGS MOC. Figure D was prepared early in the week following receipt of the new MOC image on January 17, 2000, and for several days it was believed that the lander had been found. As the subsequent two figures will show (E, and F, below), this location appears to be in error. How the features were misidentified is discussed below. Both Figure D and Figure F, showing possible locations of the Pathfinder lander in the MOC image, are enlarged by a factor of three over the intrinsic resolution of that image (that is, to a scale of 0.5 meters or about 1 ft, 7 inch per pixel). The right picture in Figure D shows sight-lines to the large horizon features--Big Crater, Twin Peaks, and North Peak--that were derived by the MOC team by looking at the images taken by the lander in 1997. After placing these lines on the overall image, there appeared to be two features close to the intersection of the sight-lines. Based upon the consistency of the size and shape of the lander as illuminated by sunlight in this image, the northern of the two candidate features (the small 'hump' at the center of both left and right pictures) was considered, at the time, to be the most likely. HOWEVER...

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] (E) Photoclinometry, Topography, and Revised Landing Site Location.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] (F) Mars Pathfinder Landing Site; lander not resolved by MOC.

Later in the week following acquisition of the January 16, 2000, image (and over the following weekend), there was time for additional analysis to determine whether the rounded hump identified earlier in the week (Figure D, above) was, in fact, the Mars Pathfinder lander. A computer program that estimates relative topography in a MOC image from knowledge of the illumination (called 'shape-from-shading' or photoclinometry) was run to determine which parts of the landing site image are depressions, which are hills, and which are flat surfaces. The picture at the left in Figure E (above) shows the photoclinometry results for the area around the Pathfinder lander. The picture at the center of Figure E shows the same photoclinometry results overlain by an inset of a topographic map of the Pathfinder landing site derived by the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Branch (Flagstaff, Arizona) from photogrammetry (parallax measurements) using images from Pathfinder's own stereo camera. By matching the features seen by MOC with those seen by the Pathfinder (the large arrows are examples of the matching), the location of the lander was refined and is now indicated in the picture on the right side of Figure E. The large, rounded hump previously identified as Pathfinder in Figure D (above), is more likely a large boulder that was seen in Pathfinder's images and named 'Couch' by the Pathfinder science team in 1997.

Figure F is summary of the results of this effort to find Mars Pathfinder: it shows that while the landing site of Mars Pathfinder can be identified, the lander itself cannot be seen. It is too small to be resolved in an image where each pixel acquired by the MOC covers a square of 1.5 meters (5 feet) to a side, given the contrast conditions on Mars and the MOC's ability to discriminate contrast. At this scale, Pathfinder is not much larger than two pixels, and the same is true of the lost Polar Lander.

No evidence has been found in the January 2000 MOC image of the aft portion of Mars Pathfinder's aeroshell or its parachute, either. If the aeroshell is laying on its side, as interpreted from Mars Pathfinder's images, then it would be very difficult to see this from orbit. Because Pathfinder did not image the parachute, it is not known how it may be configured on the surface--it could be wrapped around the aeroshell or a boulder, for example.

This effort to photograph the Mars Pathfinder lander demonstrates that it is extremely difficult to find a lander on the surface of Mars using the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard the MGS spacecraft. This analysis suggests that it is not very likely that the December 1999 Polar Lander will be found by MOC.

Design and Sizing of the Air Revitalization System for Altair Lunar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allada, Rama Kumar

2009-01-01

Designing closed-loop Air Revitalization Systems (ARS) for human spaceflight applications requires a delicate balance between designing for system robustness while minimizing system power and mass requirements. This presentation will discuss the design of the ARS for the Altair Lunar Lander. The presentation will illustrate how dynamic simulations, using Aspen Custom Modeler, were used to develop a system configuration with the ability to control atmospheric conditions under a wide variety of circumstances while minimizing system mass/volume and the impact on overall power requirements for the Lander architecture.

Structural analyses of the JPL Mars Pathfinder impact

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gwinn, K.W.

1994-12-31

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that finite element analysis can be used in the design process for high performance fabric structures. These structures exhibit extreme geometric nonlinearity; specifically, the contact and interaction of fabric surfaces with the large deformation which necessarily results from membrane structures introduces great complexity to analyses of this type. All of these features are demonstrated here in the analysis of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Pathfinder impact onto Mars. This lander system uses airbags to envelope the lander experiment package, protecting it with large deformation upon contact. Results from the analysis showmore » the stress in the fabric airbags, forces in the internal tendon support system, forces in the latches and hinges which allow the lander to deploy after impact, and deceleration of the lander components. All of these results provide the JPL engineers with design guidance for the success of this novel lander system.« less

Structural analyses of the JPL Mars Pathfinder impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwinn, Kenneth W.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that finite element analysis can be used in the design process for high performance fabric structures. These structures exhibit extreme geometric nonlinearity; specifically, the contact and interaction of fabric surfaces with the large deformation which necessarily results from membrane structures introduces great complexity to analyses of this type. All of these features are demonstrated here in the analysis of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Pathfinder impact onto Mars. This lander system uses airbags to envelope the lander experiment package, protecting it with large deformation upon contact. Results from the analysis show the stress in the fabric airbags, forces in the internal tendon support system, forces in the latches and hinges which allow the lander to deploy after impact, and deceleration of the lander components. All of these results provide the JPL engineers with design guidance for the success of this novel lander system.

Understanding the Lunar System Architecture Design Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arney, Dale C.; Wilhite, Alan W.; Reeves, David M.

2013-01-01

Based on the flexible path strategy and the desire of the international community, the lunar surface remains a destination for future human exploration. This paper explores options within the lunar system architecture design space, identifying performance requirements placed on the propulsive system that performs Earth departure within that architecture based on existing and/or near-term capabilities. The lander crew module and ascent stage propellant mass fraction are primary drivers for feasibility in multiple lander configurations. As the aggregation location moves further out of the lunar gravity well, the lunar lander is required to perform larger burns, increasing the sensitivity to these two factors. Adding an orbit transfer stage to a two-stage lunar lander and using a large storable stage for braking with a one-stage lunar lander enable higher aggregation locations than Low Lunar Orbit. Finally, while using larger vehicles enables a larger feasible design space, there are still feasible scenarios that use three launches of smaller vehicles.