NASA has selected several mission proposals for future missions to Mars. They include missions where NASA is the primary driver, as well as participation by NASA on the ESA's ExoMars project.
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, or MAVEN: The mission would provide first-of-its-kind measurements and address key questions about Mars climate and habitability and improve understanding of dynamic processes in the upper Martian atmosphere and ionosphere. The principal investigator is Bruce Jakosky, University of Colorado, Boulder. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., will provide project management.The Great Escape mission: The mission would directly determine the basic processes in Martian atmospheric evolution by measuring the structure and dynamics of the upper atmosphere. In addition, potentially biogenic atmospheric constituents such as methane would be measured. The principal investigator is Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, will provide project management.
And several others.
The ESA's Mars Express orbiter has beamed back this shot of the Claritas Fossae region of Mars.
The ESA presents the first of four articles articulating their goals for the period between 2015 to 2025. It's a pretty ambitious vision, including plans for Mars, the detection of extra-solar planets and more.
One of the latest images sent back by the ESA's Mars Express shows an impact crater on Mars. So what, you say? As has been found on the Moon, this crater was made by a meteor coming in at a very low angle, so it is more of a slash than a splash.
A mixed crew of Italian and French researchers will be spending a year in the ESA's Concordia Station, located in Antarctica.
While final details are unclear, it looks like financial grumblings may have scuttled (for now, at least) the ESA's participation in Russia's proposed Cliper shuttle. The United Kingdom will be playing a role in the ESA's ExoMars mission.
More details on the recent confirmation by the ESA's Mars Express of the workings of water on Mars. Reports here about the ionosphere of Mars as well as first reports of the deep subsurface of Mars.
Here's a document that outlines the plans for the European Space Agency for the immediate and near-term future. Goals include ExoMars (a robotic exobiology mission to Mars), participation the Russian Cliper shuttle, the medium Vega launcher and more.
I'm watching NASA TV right now and watching NASA and the ESA embarass themselves. I'm supposed to be watching an exciting press conference about some of the amazing things that we've learned from the Huygens probe to Saturn's moon Titan and the Mars Express orbiter around Mars.
Instead I'm watching a webcast on NASA TV. Why a webcast? And why does it appear to be sent at dialup speeds so that lips don't match words, words are spoken in a chopped off fashion, slides are blurry, etc.? The pictures are fuzzy. The sound is awful. And let's not mention the A/V person who seems to be having constant problems with the slide presentations.
You send a pair of probes across the solar system and find some really neat things. Here's your chance to excite the public. And then you blow it. Big time.
Continue reading "Worse Press Conference Ever?"
The MARSIS instrument on the ESA's Mars Express orbiter has been in operation for four months now. The ESA has released a brief report on findings so far. It does not appear that the search for subsurface water has really started.
