Before us is a desert, naked and lifeless. The horizon is marked by the edge of a crater, with a five-kilometer peak rising in the center.
Before us is a desert, naked and lifeless. The horizon is marked by the edge of a crater, with a five-kilometer peak rising in the center. The wheels and panels of the rover glisten right at our feet. Fear not: we are in London, where a unique Data Observatory allows geologists to travel to the Martian desert and work side-by-side with Curiosity, the most sophisticated robot ever sent into space.
The panorama glowing on the monitors is made up of frames sent by the rover to Earth. The blue sky should not be deceiving: on Mars it is dull yellow, but the human eye is more familiar with the shades that are created by the light scattered by our earthly atmosphere. Therefore, the images are processed and displayed in unnatural colors, allowing you to calmly examine each pebble. “Geology is a field science,” explained Sanjev Gupta, professor at Imperial College London. - We love to walk on the ground with a hammer. Pour coffee from a thermos, examine the findings and select the most interesting for the laboratory. " There are no laboratories or thermos on Mars, but geologists sent Curiosity, their electronic counterpart, there. The neighboring planet has intrigued humanity for a long time, and the more we learn about it, the more often we discuss future colonization, the more serious are the grounds for this curiosity.
At one time, Earth and Mars were very similar. Both planets had oceans of liquid water and, apparently, fairly simple organic matter. And on Mars, like on Earth, volcanoes erupted, a thick atmosphere swirled, but at one unfortunate moment something went wrong. “We're trying to understand what this place was like billions of years ago and why it has changed so much,” said California Institute of Technology geology professor John Grötzinger in an interview. “We believe there was water, but we don't know if it could have sustained life. And if she could, then she supported. If so, then it is not known whether at least some evidence has been preserved in the stones. " It was up to the rover geologist to find out all this.
Curiosity is photographed regularly and carefully, allowing you to examine yourself and assess your general condition. This “selfie” is a compilation of images taken with a MAHLI camera. It is located on a three-joint manipulator, which was almost invisible when the images were combined. An impact drill, a bucket for collecting loose samples, a sieve for sifting them and metal brushes for cleaning stones from dust were not included in the frame. The MAHLI macro camera and the APXS X-ray spectrometer for analyzing the chemical composition of the samples are also not visible.
1. Powerful rover systems will not have enough solar batteries, and it is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). 4.8 kg of plutonium-238 dioxide under the casing supplies 2.5 kWh daily. The blades of the cooling radiator are visible.
2. The laser of the ChemCam device emits 50-75 nanosecond pulses, which vaporize the stone at a distance of up to 7 m and allow the spectrum of the resulting plasma to be analyzed to determine the composition of the target.
3. A pair of MastCam color cameras are shooting through different IR filters.
4. The REMS weather station monitors pressure and wind, temperature, humidity and UV radiation.
5. Manipulator with a set of tools and devices (not visible).
6. SAM - gas chromatograph, mass spectrometer and laser spectrometer
to establish the composition of volatiles in evaporated samples and in the atmosphere.
7. CheMin determines the composition and mineralogy of crushed samples from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
8. The RAD radiation detector was operational while still in low-Earth orbit and collected data throughout the entire flight to Mars.
9. The DAN neutron detector detects hydrogen bound in water molecules. This is a Russian contribution to the work of the rover.
10. Antenna casing for communication with satellites Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (about 2 Mbit / s) and Mars Odyssey (about 200 Mbit / s).
11. Antenna for direct communication with the Earth in the X-band (0.5-32 kbit / s).
12. During the descent, the MARDI camera carried out high-resolution color photography, allowing a detailed view of the landing site.
13. Right and left pairs of black-and-white Navcams cameras for building 3D models of the nearest area.
14. Panel with clean samples allows you to check the operation of chemical analyzers of the rover.
15. Spare bits for the drill.
16. Prepared samples are poured into this tray from a bucket for study with a MAHLI macro camera or an APXS spectrometer.
17. 20-inch wheels with independent drives, titanium spring-loaded spokes. The tracks left by the corrugation can be used to assess the properties of the soil and monitor the movement. Drawing includes Morse code letters - JPL.
Expedition start
Ferocious Mars is an unfortunate target for astronautics. Since the 1960s, almost fifty vehicles have gone to him, most of which crashed, turned off, failed to enter orbit and disappeared forever in space. However, the efforts were not in vain, and the planet was studied not only from orbit, but even with the help of several rovers. In 1997, a 10-kg Sojourner rode across Mars. The twins Spirit and Opportunity have become a legend: the second of them heroically continues to work for more than 12 years in a row. But Curiosity is the most impressive of them all, an entire robotic laboratory the size of a car.
On August 6, 2012, the Curiosity lander dropped a parachute system that allowed it to slow down in a thin atmosphere. Eight jet engines fired, and the cable system carefully lowered the rover to the bottom of Gale Crater. The landing site was chosen after much debate: according to Sanjev Gupta, it was here that all the conditions were found in order to better know the geological - apparently very turbulent - past of Mars. Orbital surveys indicated the presence of clays, the appearance of which requires the presence of water and in which organic matter is well preserved on Earth. The high slopes of Mount Sharpa (Aeolis) promised the opportunity to see layers of ancient rocks. The fairly flat surface looked safe. Curiosity successfully contacted and updated the software. Part of the code used during the flight and landing was replaced by a new one - from an astronaut, the rover finally became a geologist.
Year One: Traces of Water
Soon the geologist "stretched his legs" - six aluminum wheels, checked numerous cameras and tested equipment. His colleagues on Earth viewed the landing point from all sides and chose a direction. The journey to Mount Sharpe was to take about a year, and a lot of work had to be done during that time. The direct communication channel with the Earth does not have a good bandwidth, but every Martian day (sol) orbiters fly over the rover. The exchange with them occurs thousands of times faster, allowing hundreds of megabits of data to be transferred daily. Scientists analyze them in the Data Observatory, look at screenshots on computer screens, select tasks for the next sol or several at once and send the code back to Mars.
Working practically on another planet, many of them are forced to live according to the Martian calendar and adapt to slightly longer days. Today for them it is "tosol", tomorrow "solvtra" (solmorrow), and the day is just sol. So, 40 Solov later, Sanjev Gupta made a presentation at which he announced: Curiosity is moving along the bed of an ancient river. Small pebbles cut with water indicated the current at a speed of about 1 m / s and ankle-deep or knee-deep. Later, the data from the DAN device, which was made for Curiosity by the team of Igor Mitrofanov from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, were also processed. Shining through the soil with neutrons, the detector showed that up to 4% of water is still stored in it at depth. It is, of course, drier than even the driest of terrestrial deserts, but in the past, Mars was still full of moisture, and the rover could cross this question off its list.
In the center of the crater
64 high-resolution screens create a panoramic view of 313 degrees: The KPMG Data Observatory at Imperial College London allows geologists to travel directly to Gale Crater and work on Mars in much the same way as on Earth. “Look closer, there are also traces of water here: the lake was quite deep. Of course, not the same as Baikal, but deep enough ”, - the illusion was so real that it seemed as if Professor Sanzhev Gupta was jumping from stone to stone. We visited the Data Observatory and spoke to the scientist as part of the 2017 UK-Russia Year of Science and Education, organized by the British Council and the British Embassy.
Year Two: Getting More Dangerous
Curiosity celebrated its first anniversary on Mars festively and played the melody "Happy birthday to you", changing the vibration frequency of the bucket on its heavy 2.1-meter manipulator. With a bucket, the "robotic arm" picks up loose soil, levels, sifts and pours a little into the receivers of its chemical analyzers. The drill with hollow, replaceable bits allows you to work with hard rocks, and the malleable sand the rover can stir directly with wheels, opening the inner layers for its tools. It was these experiments that soon brought a rather unpleasant surprise: up to 5% of calcium and magnesium perchlorates were found in the local soil.
Substances are not only poisonous, but also explosive, and ammonium perchlorate is used as a basis for solid rocket fuel. Perchlorates had already been detected at the landing site of the Phoenix probe, but now it turned out that these salts on Mars are a global phenomenon. In an icy, oxygen-free atmosphere, perchlorates are stable and harmless, and the concentrations are not too high. For future colonists, perchlorate can be a useful fuel source and a serious health threat. But for geologists working with Curiosity, they can end the chances of discovering organics. Analyzing the samples, the rover heats them up, and in such conditions, perchlorates quickly decompose organic compounds. The reaction proceeds violently, with combustion and smoke, leaving no discernible traces of the starting materials.
Year three: at the foot
However, Curiosity also discovered organic matter - this was announced later, after on Sol 746, covering a total of 6.9 km, the rover-geologist reached the foot of Mount Sharpe. “When I got this data, I immediately thought that everything needed to be rechecked,” said John Grötzinger. In fact, already when Curiosity was working on Mars, it was revealed that some terrestrial bacteria - such as Tersicoccus phoenicis - were resistant to clean room cleaning methods. It was even calculated that by the time of launch, the rover should have left from 20 to 40 thousand stable disputes. No one can guarantee that any of them did not make it to Mount Sharpe with him.
To check the sensors, there is also a small supply of clean samples of organic substances on board in sealed metal containers - can we say with certainty that they remained sealed? However, the graphs that were presented at a press conference at NASA did not cause doubts: during the work, the Martian geologist recorded several sharp - tenfold at once - jumps in the methane content in the atmosphere. This gas may well have a non-biological origin, but the main thing is that it could once become a source of more complex organic substances. Their traces, primarily chlorobenzene, were found in the soil of Mars.
Years Four and Five: Living Rivers
By this time, Curiosity had drilled a dozen or so holes, leaving perfectly round 1.6-centimeter footprints along its way that someday will mark the tourist route dedicated to his expedition. The electromagnetic mechanism, which forced the drill to hit up to 1,800 strokes per minute for the hardest rock, was broken. However, the studied outcrops of clays and hematite crystals, layers of silicate spars and channels cut by water revealed an already unambiguous picture: once the crater was a lake into which a branching river delta descended.
Curiosity's cameras now opened onto the slopes of Mount Sharpe, the very appearance of which left little doubt about their sedimentary origin. Layer by layer, for hundreds of millions of years, the water either came or receded, depositing rocks and leaving it to erode in the center of the crater, until it finally left, collecting a whole peak. “Where the mountain now rises, there was once a pool filled with water from time to time,” explained John Grötzinger. The lake was stratified in height: the conditions in shallow water and at depth differed both in temperature and composition. In theory, this could provide conditions for the development of various reactions and even microbial forms.
The colors in the 3D model of Gale Crater correspond to the height. In the center is Mount Aeolis (Aeolis Mons, 01), which rises 5.5 km above the plain of the same name (Aeolis Palus, 02) at the bottom of the crater. The landing site of Curiosity (03), as well as the Farah Valley (Farah Vallis, 04), one of the supposed channels of ancient rivers flowing into the now disappeared lake, is noted.
The journey continues
The Curiosity expedition is far from over, and the power of the onboard generator should be enough for 14 Earth years of operation. The geologist remains on the way for almost 1,750 sols, having overcome more than 16 km and climbed the slope 165 m.As far as his tools can see, traces of sedimentary rocks of the ancient lake are still visible above, but who knows where they end and what else will indicate ? The geological robot continues to climb, while Sanjev Gupta and his colleagues are already choosing a place to land the next one. Despite the loss of the Schiaparelli reentry probe, the TGO orbital module successfully entered orbit last year, launching the first stage of the European-Russian Exomars program. The rover, due to launch in 2020, will be next.
There will already be two Russian devices in it. The robot itself is about half the weight of Curiosity, but its drill will be able to take samples from a depth of up to 2 m, and the Pasteur instrument complex will include tools for direct search for traces of the past - or even surviving life. "Do you have a cherished desire, a find that you especially dream of?" we asked Professor Gupta. “There certainly is: a fossil,” the scientist answered without hesitation. - But this, of course, is unlikely to happen. If there was life there, then only some microbes ... But, you see, it would be something incredible. "
Self-portrait "Curiosity"
Mars Science Laboratory (MNL) ( Mars Science Laboratory, abbr. MSL), "Mars Science Laboratories" is a NASA mission, during which the third generation was successfully delivered and operated "Curiosity" (Curiosity, - curiosity, curiosity). The rover is an autonomous chemical laboratory several times larger and heavier than the previous Spirit and Opportunity rovers. The device will have to go from 5 to 20 kilometers in a few months and carry out a full analysis of Martian soils and atmospheric components. Auxiliary rocket motors were used to perform a controlled and more accurate landing.
The Curiosity Mars launch took place on November 26, 2011, and a soft landing on the Mars surface on August 6, 2012. The estimated lifespan on Mars is one Martian year (686 Earth days).
MSL is part of NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program. In addition to NASA, the project also involves the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Project leader Doug McCuistion of NASA's Other Planets Division, MSL has a total cost of approximately $ 2.5 billion.
Specialists from the American space agency NASA decided to send the rover to Gale Crater. In the huge crater, the deep layers of the Martian soil are clearly visible, revealing the geological history of the red planet.
The name "Curiosity" was chosen in 2009 among the options proposed by schoolchildren by voting on the Internet. Other options included Adventure ("Adventure"), Amelia, Journey ("Travel"), Perception ("Perception"), Pursuit ("Aspiration"), Sunrise ("Sunrise"), Vision ("Vision"), Wonder ("Miracle").
Story
The spacecraft is assembled.
In April 2004, NASA began selecting proposals for equipping the new rover with scientific equipment, and on December 14, 2004, it was decided to select eight proposals. At the end of the same year, development and testing of system components began, including the development of a single-component engine manufactured by Aerojet, which is capable of delivering thrust in the range from 15 to 100% of maximum thrust at a constant boost pressure.
All components of the rover were completed by November 2008, with most of MSL's tools and software continuing to be tested. Mission budget overruns were about $ 400 million. The next month, NASA postponed the MSL launch to late 2011 due to lack of time for testing.
From March 23 to March 29, 2009, a vote was held on the NASA website to choose a name for the rover, with 9 words to choose from. On May 27, 2009 the word "Curiosity" was declared the winner. It was suggested by Clara Ma, a sixth grader from Kansas.
The rover was launched by the Atlas-5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011. On January 11, 2012, a special maneuver was carried out, which experts call "the most important" for the rover. As a result of the perfect maneuver, the device took a course, which brought it to the optimal point for landing on the surface of Mars.
On July 28, 2012, the fourth minor trajectory correction was carried out, the engines were turned on for only six seconds. The operation was so successful that the final correction, originally scheduled for August 3, was not required.
The landing was successful on August 6, 2012 at 05:17 UTC. The radio signal, announcing the successful landing of the rover on the surface of Mars, reached at 05:32 UTC.
Mission objectives and goals
On June 29, 2010, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory reassembled the Curiosity in a large clean room in preparation for the rover's launch in late 2011.
MSL has four main goals:
- to establish whether conditions have ever existed suitable for the existence of life on Mars;
- get detailed information about the climate of Mars;
- get detailed information about the geology of Mars;
- to prepare for the landing of a man on Mars.
To achieve these goals, MSL has six main objectives:
- to determine the mineralogical composition of Martian soils and subsurface geological materials;
- try to find traces of the possible course of biological processes - by the elements that are the basis of life as it is known to earthlings: (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur);
- to establish the processes in which Martian rocks and soils were formed;
- to evaluate the process of evolution of the Martian atmosphere in the long term;
- determine the current state, distribution and circulation of water and carbon dioxide;
- establish the spectrum of radioactive radiation from the surface of Mars.
The research also measured the effect of cosmic radiation on components during a flight to Mars. These data will help estimate the levels of radiation expected by humans on a manned mission to Mars.
Composition
| Flight module |
 |
The module controls the trajectory Mars Science Laboratory during a flight from Earth to Mars. Also includes components for in-flight communication and temperature control. Before entering the atmosphere of Mars, the separation of the flight module and the descent vehicle takes place. |
| Back part capsules |
 |
The capsule is required for descent through the atmosphere. It protects the rover from the effects of outer space and congestion during the entry into the atmosphere of Mars. In the back there is a container for the parachute. Several communication antennas are installed near the container. |
| "Sky Crane" |  |
After the heat shield and the rear of the capsule complete their task, they undock, thereby clearing the way for the descent of the vehicle and allowing the radar to determine the landing site. After undocking, the crane ensures an accurate and smooth descent of the rover to the surface of Mars, which is achieved through the use of jet engines and is controlled by a radar on the rover. |
| Curiosity Mars rover |  |
The Mars rover, called Curiosity, contains all scientific instruments as well as important communications and power supply systems. During flight, the landing gear folds down to save space. |
| Frontal part capsules with heat shield |
 |
The heat shield protects the rover from the extremely high temperatures that affect the lander when braking in the atmosphere of Mars. |
| Descent vehicle |  |
The mass of the descent vehicle (shown assembled with the flight module) is 3.3 tons. The descent vehicle is used for a controlled safe descent of the rover when braking in the Martian atmosphere and soft landing of the rover on the surface. |
Flight and landing technology
The flight module is ready for testing. Pay attention to the part of the capsule below, in this part there is a radar, and at the very top - solar panels.
Trajectory of movement Mars Science Laboratory from Earth to Mars controlled the flight module connected to the capsule. The structural element of the flight module was a ring truss with a diameter of 4 meters, made of aluminum alloy, reinforced with several stabilizing struts. On the surface of the flight module, 12 panels were installed, connected to the power supply system. By the end of the flight, before the capsule entered the atmosphere of Mars, they generated about 1 kW of electrical energy with an efficiency of about 28.5%. For energy-intensive operations, lithium-ion batteries were provided. In addition, the power supply system of the flight module, the batteries of the descent module and the Curiosity power system were interconnected, which made it possible to redirect energy flows in the event of a malfunction.
The spacecraft's orientation in space was determined using a star sensor and one of two solar sensors. The star tracker observed several stars selected for navigation; used the solar sensor as a reference point. This system was designed with redundancy to increase mission reliability. To correct the trajectory, 8 hydrazine engines were used, the supply of which was contained in two spherical titanium tanks.
After a soft landing, the rover's mass was 899 kg, of which 80 kg was the mass of scientific equipment.
Curiosity is larger than its predecessors, the rover, and in size. Their length was 1.5 meters and a mass of 174 kg (the scientific equipment had only 6.8 kg). The length of the Curiosity rover is 3 meters, the height with the installed mast is 2.1 meters and the width is 2.7 meters.
Movement
On the surface of the planet, the rover is able to overcome obstacles up to 75 centimeters high, while on a solid flat surface, the rover's speed reaches 144 meters per hour. On rough terrain, the speed of the rover reaches 90 meters per hour, the average speed of the rover is 30 meters per hour.
Curiosity Power Supply
The rover is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), this technology has been successfully used in descent vehicles and.
The RTG generates electricity as a result of the natural decay of the isotope plutonium-238. The heat released during this is converted into electricity, and the heat is also used to heat the equipment. This provides energy savings that will be used to move the rover and operate its instruments. Plutonium dioxide is contained in 32 ceramic granules, each about 2 centimeters in size.
The generator of the Curiosity rover belongs to the latest generation of RTGs, it was created by Boeing, and is called the "Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator" or MMRTG. Although it is based on classic RTG technology, it is designed to be more flexible and compact. It produces 125 watts of electrical energy (which is 0.16 horsepower) by converting approximately 2 kW of heat. Over time, the power of the generator will decrease, but in 14 years (minimum service life) its output power will only decrease to 100 W. For each Martian day, MMRTG produces 2.5 kWh, which is significantly higher than the results of the power plants of Spirit and Opportunity rovers - only 0.6 kW.
Heat Removal System (HRS)
The temperature in the region where Curiosity operates varies from +30 to −127 ° C. The system, which removes heat, drives the liquid through pipes laid in the MSL hull, with a total length of 60 meters, so that the individual elements of the rover are in the optimal temperature regime. Other ways to heat the rover's internal components are to use the heat generated by the instruments as well as excess heat from the RTG. The HRS can also cool system components if required. The cryogenic heat exchanger installed in the rover, manufactured by the Israeli company Ricor Cryogenic and Vacuum Systems, maintains the temperature in various compartments of the vehicle at -173 ° C.
Curiosity computer
The rover is controlled by two identical on-board computers "Rover Compute Element" (RCE) with a processor RAD750 with a frequency of 200 MHz; with installed radiation-resistant memory. Each computer is equipped with 256 kilobytes of EEPROM, 256 megabytes of DRAM, and 2 gigabytes of flash memory. This number is several times greater than the 3 megabytes of EEPROM, 128 megabytes of DRAM and 256 megabytes of flash memory, which the Spirit and Opportunity rovers had.
The system operates under the control of a multitasking RTOS VxWorks.
The computer controls the operation of the rover: for example, it can change the temperature in the desired component, It controls photographing, driving the rover, sending technical reports. Commands to the rover's computer are transmitted from the control center on Earth.
The RAD750 processor is the successor to the RAD6000 processor used in the Mars Exploration Rover mission. It can perform up to 400 million operations per second, while the RAD6000 only up to 35 million. One of the on-board computers is backup and will take control in the event of a malfunction of the main computer.
The rover is equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit that records the location of the vehicle and is used as a navigation tool.
Communication
Curiosity is equipped with two communication systems. The first consists of an X-band transmitter and receiver that allow the rover to communicate directly with Earth, at speeds up to 32 kbps. The range of the second UHF (UHF), based on the Electra-Lite software-defined radio system, developed at JPL specifically for spacecraft, including for communication with artificial Martian satellites. Although Curiosity can communicate directly with Earth, the bulk of the data is relayed by satellites, which have more bandwidth due to the larger diameter of the antennas and the higher power of the transmitters. The data exchange rates between Curiosity and each of the orbiters can reach up to 2 Mbps () and 256 kbps (), each satellite maintains communication with Curiosity for 8 minutes a day. Also, orbiters have a noticeably large time window for communication with the Earth.
Landing telemetry could be tracked by all three satellites orbiting Mars: Mars Odysseus, Martian Reconnaissance Satellite, etc. Mars Odysseus served as a relay for telemetry transmission to Earth in streaming mode with a delay of 13 minutes 46 seconds.
Curiosity manipulator
The rover is equipped with a 2.1-meter three-joint manipulator, on which 5 instruments are installed, their total weight is about 30 kg. At the end of the manipulator there is a cruciform turret with tools that can rotate 350 degrees. The diameter of the turret with a set of tools is approximately 60 cm, when the rover moves, the manipulator folds.
The two turret instruments are in-situ instruments, the APXS and MAHLI. The rest of the devices are responsible for the extraction and preparation of samples for research, this is an impact drill, a brush and a mechanism for scooping and sifting samples of Masian soil. The drill is equipped with 2 spare drills, it makes holes in the stone with a diameter of 1.6 centimeters and a depth of 5 centimeters. The materials obtained by the manipulator are also examined by SAM and CheMin instruments installed in the front of the rover.
The difference between Earth and Martian (38% Earth) gravity leads to varying degrees of deformation of the massive manipulator, which is compensated by special software.
Rover mobility
As in previous missions, Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Pathfinder, the science equipment at Curiosity sits on a platform with six wheels, each with its own electric motor. Two front and two rear wheels are involved, allowing the rover to turn 360 degrees while staying in place. The Curiosity wheels are much larger than those used in previous missions. The design of the wheel helps the rover maintain traction if it gets stuck in the sand, and the wheels of the vehicle leave a trail in which the letters JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) are encoded using Morse code in the form of holes.
Onboard cameras allow the rover to recognize regular wheel prints and determine the distance traveled.
The diameter of the crater is over 150 kilometers, in the center there is a cone of sedimentary rocks 5.5 kilometers high - Mount Sharpe.The yellow dot marks the landing site of the roverCuriosity - Bradbury Landing
The spacecraft descended almost in the center of a given ellipse near Aeolis Mons (Eolis, Mount Sharp) - the main scientific goal of the mission.
Curiosity Trail in Gale Crater (6.08.2012 landing - 1.08.2018, Sol 2128)
The main areas of scientific work are marked along the route. The white line is the southern border of the landing ellipse. For six years, the rover traveled about 20 km and sent over 400 thousand photographs of the Red Planet
Curiosity collected samples of "underground" soil at 16 sites
(according to NASA / JPL)
Curiosity rover on Vera Rubin Ridge
The area of \u200b\u200bthe weathered Murray Buttes hills, the dark sands of Bagnold Dunes and the plain of Aeolis Palus (Aeolian swamp) in front of the northern ridge of Gale Crater are clearly visible from above. The high peak of the crater wall on the right of the image is about 31.5 km from the rover, and its height is ~ 1200 metersThe eight main tasks of the Martian Science Laboratory:
1. To discover and establish the nature of Martian organic carbon compounds.
2.Discover the substances necessary for the existence of life: carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur.
3. Find traces of possible biological processes.
4. Determine the chemical composition of the Martian surface.
5. To establish the process of formation of Martian rocks and soil.
6. To estimate the process of evolution of the Martian atmosphere in the long term.
7. Determine the current state, distribution and circulation of water and carbon dioxide.
8. To establish the spectrum of radioactive radiation from the surface of Mars.
Its main task - the search for conditions that have ever been favorable for the habitation of microorganisms - Curiosity performed by examining the dried-up bed of an ancient Martian river in the lowlands. The rover found strong evidence that the site was an ancient lake and was suitable for supporting the simplest forms of life.
Curiosity's roverYellowknife bay
The majestic Sharpe Mountain rises on the horizon ( Aeolis Mons,Eolis)
(NASA / JPL-Caltech / Marco Di Lorenzo / Ken Kremer)
Other important results are:
- Assessment of the natural radiation level during a flight to Mars and on the Martian surface; this assessment is necessary for the creation of radiation protection for a manned flight to Mars
( )
- Measurement of the ratio of heavy and light isotopes of chemical elements in the Martian atmosphere. This study showed that most of the primordial atmosphere of Mars was scattered into space by the loss of light atoms from the upper layers of the planet's gas envelope ( )
The first measurement of the age of rocks on Mars and an estimate of the time of their destruction directly on the surface under the action of cosmic radiation. This assessment will allow us to find out the time frame of the planet's aquatic past, as well as the rate of destruction of ancient organic matter in the rocks and soil of Mars.
Cthe central embankment of Gale Crater, Mount Sharpe, was formed from layered sedimentary rocks in an ancient lake over tens of millions of years
The rover found a tenfold increase in methane in the atmosphere of the Red Planet and found organic molecules in soil samples
RoverCuriosity at the southern edge of the landing ellipse June 27, 2014, Sol 672
(Image from the HiRISE camera of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter)
From September 2014 to March 2015, the rover explored the "Pahrump Hills" hilly area. According to planetary scientists, it represents the bedrock outcropping of the central mountain of Gale Crater and does not geologically refer to the surface of its bottom. From that time on, Curiosity began exploring Mount Sharpe.
View of the "Pahrump Hills"
Drilling locations for the "Confidence Hills", "Mojave 2" and "Telegraph Peak" tiles are marked. The slopes of Mount Sharpe are visible in the background on the left, while the outcrops of Whale Rock, Salsberry Peak and Newspaper Rock are visible above. MSL soon traveled to the higher slopes of Mount Sharpe through a hollow called "Artist's Drive"(NASA / JPL)
The HiRISE camera of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter saw the rover on April 8, 2015from a height of 299 km.
North is up. The image covers an area about 500 meters wide. Light areas of the relief - sedimentary rocks, dark - covered with sand
(NASA / JPL-Caltech / Univ. Of Arizona)
The Rover constantly surveys the area and some objects on it, monitors the environment with instruments. Navigation cameras also peer up to the sky for clouds.
Self-portraitin the vicinity of the Marias Pass Hollow
On July 31, 2015, Curiosity drilled a Buckskin rock slab in an unusually high silica sedimentary area. This type of rock was first encountered by the Martian Science Laboratory (MSL) during its three years in Gale Crater. Taking a soil sample, the rover continued on to Mount Sharpe
(NASA / JPL)
The Curiosity rover at the Namib Dune dune
The steep leeward slope of Namib Dune rises at a 28-degree angle to a height of 5 meters. Gale Crater's northwestern ridge is visible on the horizonThe nominal technical life of the device is two Earth years - June 23, 2014 on Sol-668, but Curiosity is in good condition and successfully continues to study the Martian surface
Layered hills on the slopes of the Aeolis, concealing the geological history of the Martian Gale Crater and traces of environmental changes in the Red Planet, are the future home of Curiosity
On August 6, 2012, the Curiosity spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars. In the next 23 months, the rover will study the planet's surface, its mineralogical composition and radiation spectrum, look for traces of life, and also assess the possibility of a human landing.
The main research tactic is to find interesting rocks with high resolution cameras. If there are any, then the rover irradiates the rock under study from afar with a laser. The result of the spectral analysis determines whether the manipulator with the microscope and X-ray spectrometer should be taken out. Curiosity can then retrieve and load the sample into one of the 74 internal laboratory dishes for further analysis.
With all its large body kit and external lightness, the device has the mass of a passenger car (900 kg) and weighs 340 kg on the surface of Mars. All the equipment is powered by the decay energy of plutonium-238 from a Boeing radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which has a lifetime of at least 14 years. At the moment, it generates 2.5 kWh of thermal energy and 125 W of electrical energy, over time, the output of electricity will decrease to 100 W.
Several different types of cameras are installed on the rover. Mast Camera is a system of two dissimilar conventional color cameras that can take pictures (including stereoscopic ones) with a resolution of 1600 × 1200 pixels and, which is new for rovers, record a hardware-compressed 720p video stream (1280 × 720). To store the resulting material, the system has 8 gigabytes of flash memory for each of the cameras - this is enough to fit several thousand pictures and a couple of hours of video recording. The processing of photos and videos is carried out without load on the control electronics of Curiosity. Despite the manufacturer's configuration with a zoom lens, the cameras do not have a zoom, since there was no time for testing.
Illustration of images from MastCam. Colorful panoramas of the surface of Mars are obtained by gluing together several images. MastCam cameras will be used not only to entertain the public with the weather of the red planet, but also as an aid in the extraction of samples with the manipulator and during movement.
Part of the ChemCam system is also attached to the mast. This is a laser-spark emission spectrometer and an imaging unit that work in pairs: after evaporation of a tiny amount of the studied rock with a 5-nanosecond laser pulse, the spectrum of the obtained plasma radiation is analyzed, which will make it possible to determine the elemental composition of the sample. In this case, it is not necessary to extend the manipulator.
The resolution of the equipment is 5-10 times higher than that installed on the previous rovers. From 7 meters away, ChemCam can determine the type of rock being studied (e.g. volcanic or sedimentary), the structure of soil and rocks, track the predominant elements, recognize ice and minerals with water molecules in the crystal structure, measure erosion marks on rocks and visually assist in rock exploration with the manipulator.
ChemCam cost $ 10 million (less than half a percent of the total cost of the expedition). The system consists of a laser on the mast and three spectrographs inside the housing, the radiation to which is fed through a fiber-optic light guide.
The Mars Hand Lens Imager is installed on the rover's manipulator, capable of taking images of 1600 × 1200 pixels, in which 12.5 micrometer details can be seen. The camera has a white backlight for day and night operation. Ultraviolet illumination is necessary to induce radiation of carbonate and evaporite minerals, the presence of which suggests that water took part in the formation of the surface of Mars.
For mapping purposes, a Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) camera was used, which, during the descent of the spacecraft, recorded images of 1600 × 1200 pixels on 8 gigabytes of flash memory. As soon as a few kilometers were left to the surface, the camera began taking five color photographs per second. The data obtained will make it possible to map the Curiosity habitat.
On the sides of the rover are two pairs of black and white cameras with a viewing angle of 120 degrees. The Hazcams system is used when maneuvering and extending the arm. On the mast is the Navcams system, which consists of two black and white cameras with a 45 degree viewing angle. The rover programs constantly build a wedge-shaped 3D map based on the data from these cameras, thus avoiding collisions with unexpected obstacles. One of the first pictures from Curiosity is from the Hazcam.
To measure weather conditions on the rover, an environmental monitoring station (Rover Environmental Monitoring Station) is installed, which measures pressure, atmospheric and surface temperatures, wind speed and ultraviolet radiation. REMS is protected from Martian dust.