NASA evaluates four sites for 2016 Mars mission - Indian Express

PTI : Washington, Thu Sep 05 2013, 15:56 hrs Mars mission will touch down at one of four sites selected in August from a field of 22 candidates. (Reuters) NASA has narrowed down to four potential landing sites for its next mission to Mars in 2016, aimed at studying the red planet's interior. The stationary Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander is scheduled to launch in March 2016 and land on Mars six months later. The mission will touch down at one of four sites selected in August from a field of 22 candidates. All four semi-finalist spots lie near each other on an equatorial plain in an area of Mars called Elysium Planitia, NASA said. "We picked four sites that look safest," said geologist Matt Golombek of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "They have mostly smooth terrain, few rocks and very little slope," he said. Scientists will focus two of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter cameras on the semi-finalists in the coming months to gain data they will use to select the best of the four sites well before InSight is launched. The mission will investigate processes that formed and shaped Mars and will help scientists better understand the evolution of our inner solar system's rocky planets, including Earth. Unlike previous Mars landings, what is on the surface in the area matters little in the choice of a site except for safety considerations. "This mission's science goals are not related to any specific location on Mars because we're studying the planet as a whole, down to its core," said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at JPL. "Mission safety and survival are what drive our criteria for a landing site," said Banerdt. Each semifinalist site is an ellipse measuring 130 kilometres from east to west and 27 kilometres from north to south. Engineers calculate the spacecraft will have a 99-per cent chance of landing within that ellipse, if targeted for the center. Elysium is one of three areas on Mars that meet two basic engineering constraints for InSight. One requirement is being close enough to the equator for the lander's solar array to have adequate power at all times of the year. ... contd. ALSO READ Scientists to develop 'formula milk' for pandas Review: Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch blends style, tech wizardry After Ymail and Flicker revamp, Yahoo Inc. now unveils new logo Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review: A stylish makeover Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s). via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEn0uIYHppQdWR_jDwawaYcTmaOHA&url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nasa-evaluates-four-sites-for-2016-mars-mission/1165072/

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