Missions to Mars Julie A. Rathbun Lowell Observatory

Past Missions to Mars (US) Mariner November Attempted Mars FlybyMariner 3 Mariner November Mars FlybyMariner 4 Mariner 6&7 – February & March Mars FlybyMariner 6&7 Mariner May Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)Mariner 8 Mariner May Mars OrbiterMariner 9 Viking August Mars Orbiter and LanderViking 1 Viking September Mars Orbiter and LanderViking 2 Mars Observer - 25 September 1992 – Attempted Mars Orbiter (Contact Lost – 8/22/93) Mars Observer

Original Plan – circa missions every launch opportunity

Recent & Current Missions

What happened? The life of the 2001 Mars rover…. In 1997, NASA asked scientists for proposals for the science instruments for a 2001 sample collection rover Another sample collection rover would be sent in 2003, with a sample retrieving rover sent in 2005 and samples arriving on earth in 2008

Athena - original Athena, a suite of instruments proposed by Steve Squyres of Cornell University, was selected Remote science instruments: –Pancam –Mini-TES In-Situ science instruments: –Mini-Corer –Microscopic Imager –APXS –Mossbauer Spectrometer NASA quickly discovered that this mission was too ambitious

The 2001 rover was downgraded to APEX, a lander mission with –some Athena instruments on the lander (copy of previous lander) –A Sojurner clone with APXS Pancam APXS Mössbauer Spectrometer Mini-TES APEX – 2001 lander

The ’03/’05 plan – “full” Athena

The ’03/’05 lander

How it was supposed to work

Modified Plan – circa 1999 Modified Plan – circa 1999 Same mission timeline Different missions

1999 – Disaster strikes September 23, 1999 – Mars Climate Orbiter lost on arrival December 3, 1999 – Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 lost on arrival

And everything falls apart…

Now what? The APEX lander was a virtual copy of Mars Polar Lander. With the failure of that spacecraft, APEX was scrapped The 2001 Orbiter Mission is a go – launched April 7, 2001 NASA decides to fly EITHER an orbiter or a rover in 2003 And the winner is…. ROVER

Mars Exploration Rovers

Current Plan – circa Mars Odyssey (no lander) 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers (no orbiter) 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (no lander) Beyond 2007 –Smart Lander and Long-range Rover – as early as 2007 –Sample Return – as early as 2011, likely 2014