Title: Early Spacecraft Exploration Viking
1Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- The scientific goal of the Viking missions is to
increase our knowledge of the planet Mars with
an emphasis on the search for extra-terrestrial
life. The scientific questions deal with the
atmosphere, the surface, the planetary body, and
the question of bio-organic evolution.
Viking Press Kit, July 1975
2Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Get down, get dirty.
Twin orbiter/lander combos
3Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- V1 devoted the first month to searching for
landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia - V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
Planitia
4Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- V1 devoted the first month to searching for
landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia - V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
Planitia - Delayed landing
5Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- V1 devoted the first month to searching for
landing sites for the lander V1 lander touched
down July 20, 1976 in Chryse Planitia - V2 first month devoted to searching for a landing
site V2 touched down September 3, 1976 in Utopia
Planitia - Delayed landing
- Landing sites selected with Mariner 9 imagery,
Viking orbiter cameras were higher resolution
6Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
7Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- With landers on the ground, orbiters continued
science mission above and acted as data relays
for landers
8Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Sinuous canyon in Nanedi Vallis
9Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
10Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
11Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
Viking 2 lander touched down with one pad on a
boulder tilted 8.
12Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
13Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- Notable results from Viking orbiters
- Mapped 97 of the surface 52,000 total images
- Definitively determined the North residual polar
cap is water-ice, not frozen carbon dioxide - Stirred up a little controversy with one
particular image
14Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
15Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- Notable results from Viking landers
- Biology experiments provided no clear evidence
for the presence of living organisms in soil near
the landing sites - Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer found no
evidence of organic material at either landing
site - Winds blew more slowly than anticipated (200
MPH) highest recorded wind gust was 120 km/hr
(74 mph) and average velocities were much lower - Weather in the Martian midsummer was repetitious
but was variable and more interesting in other
seasons
16Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- Notable results from Viking landers
- Atmospheric composition
- CO2 95.32
- N 2.7
- Ar 1.6
- O 0.13
- CO 0.7
- H2O (vapor) 0.03
17Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- Notable results from Viking landers
- Atmospheric composition
- CO2 95.32
- N 2.7
- Ar 1.6
- O 0.13
- CO 0.7
- H2O (vapor) 0.03
- 1963
- 72 N2
- 25 CO2
- 2 Ar
- lt 0.5 O2
- Trace amounts of H2O
18Early Spacecraft ExplorationViking
- How did Viking advance scientific understanding
of Mars? - Difficult for life to exist on the surface at
present, but this does not rule out past life - More evidence for past habitability
- Weather patterns
- Though no current life, Mars is a dynamic planet
- What technological advance(s) did Viking carry?
- LANDER!!
- Higher res. Cameras
- Weather station
- Biology experiments
- Orbiters acted as communications relay, selective
landing sites
19Early Exploration
How did Viking change and/or reaffirm perceptions
of Mars?
20History of Mars Exploration
- Viking mission operations ended in the early
1980s - Viking missions gave scientists the most complete
picture of Mars to date
21History of Mars Exploration
- Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
until the early 1990s. Why not? - Why was it revived?
22History of Mars Exploration
- Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
until the early 1990s. Why not? - Why was it revived?
23History of Mars Exploration
- Attempts to explore Mars did not start up again
until the early 1990s. - The first one failed.
- The next two gave Mars a face-lift and showed a
new way to explore.
24Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
25Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
- Objectives
- High resolution imaging of the surface
- Study the topography and gravity
- Study the role of water and dust on the surface
and in the atmosphere - Study the weather and climate of Mars
- Study the composition of the surface and
atmosphere - Study the existence and evolution of the Martian
magnetic field
26Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
27Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
Credit Malin Space Science Systems www.msss.com
Credit Malin Space Science Systems www.msss.com
28Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
- Notable results from Global Surveyor
- The northern hemisphere is probably just as
cratered as the southern hemisphere, but the
craters are mostly buried. - High-resolution imagery shows modifications to
the surface have taken place over the past
decade. - Hundreds of gullies were discovered that were
formed from liquid water (probably), possibly in
recent times. - The Thermal Emission Spectrometer found that just
about all of the surface of Mars is covered with
volcanic rock. - Magnetometer data show remnant, alternating
magnetic fields
29Modern ExplorationGlobal Surveyor
- How did Global Surveyor advance scientific
understanding of Mars? - Smoking gun evidence that liquid water was stable
on the surface for long periods of time - Mars exhibits a global dichotomy in terms of
topography - Spectral ID of the global surface composition
- What technological advance(s) did Global Surveyor
carry? - Highest-resolution camera, for the time
- Laser altimeter
- TES lithology, mineralogy
- Magnetometer remnant magnetic field
30Early Exploration
How did Mars Global Surveyor change and/or
reaffirm perceptions of Mars?
31Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
32Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
- The primary mission objectives were to
demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost landings
on, and exploration of, the Martian surface
(Faster, Better, Cheaper) - Scientific objectives included
- atmospheric entry science
- long-range and close-up surface imaging
- the general objective was to characterize the
Martian environment for further exploration
33Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
- Landed in Ares Vallis which was believed to be
the site of an ancient flood - Landing site selection made using Viking orbiter
imagery - First rover first to use airbags
34Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
35Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
36Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
37Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
- Notable results from Pathfinder
- More than 16,500 images from the lander and 550
images from the rover - More than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil
and extensive data on winds and other weather
factors - Findings from the investigations carried out by
scientific instruments on both the lander and the
rover suggest that Mars was at one time in its
past warm and wet, with water existing in its
liquid state and a thicker atmosphere
38Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
- How did Pathfinder advance scientific
understanding of Mars? - Evidence on the ground for a warm, wet past
- What technological advance(s) did Pathfinder
carry? - First rover can be remotely operated
- New landing system
39Early Exploration
How did Mars Pathfinder change and/or reaffirm
perceptions of Mars?