New Mars Forums

Russian ISS segment would be complete by 2011. Plans call for launching into orbit a multi-purpose laboratory module in 2007, a science and power platform in 2009, and another laboratory module in 2011.

A portable imaging device currently in development by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) will produce clear, highly detailed pictures of bone and tissue, helping physicians manage bone health in space and on Earth. The Scanning Confocal Acoustic Diagnostic system, or SCAD, will enable doctors to determine the rate of loss and plan treatment options with the aid of high-quality images, taken noninvasively.

“Aside from use inflight, my goal is to make this device available to physicians across disciplines to improve the diagnosis of osteopenia and osteoporosis,” Qin said. “Because such diseases are essentially painless at the initial stages, they are difficult to pinpoint and often diagnosed late.”

Deep Impact is comprised of two parts, a "fly-by" spacecraft and a smaller "impactor" to be released into the comet's path for a planned collision. The effects of the collision with the comet will be observed by the fly-by spacecraft, the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra great observatories, and by telescopes on Earth.

The price tag for the MSL project is just under $1.5 billion – that includes the rover’s nuclear power source, as well as the launcher to hurl the hardware to Mars – either a Delta 4 Heavy or an Atlas 5 rocket.

At present, MSL is a one-of-a-kind robot mission. That could change. Talk has begun on tossing two of the roving labs Marsward.

MSL science instruments and their respective principal investigators (PIs) are:

Mars Science Laboratory Mast Camera: Performs multi-spectral, stereo imaging at lengths ranging from kilometers to centimeters, and can acquire compressed high-definition video at 10 frames per second without the use of the rover computer. PI, Michael Malin, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California.
ChemCam: A laser-induced remote sensing device for chemistry and micro-imaging. It ablates surface coatings from materials at standoff distances of up to 33-feet (10-meters) and measures elemental composition of underlying rocks and soils. PI, Roger Wiens, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Mahli: This Mars HandLens Imager for the Mars Science Laboratory images rocks, soil, frost and ice at resolutions 2.4 times better, and with a wider field of view, than the Microscopic Imager now onboard the dual Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. PI, Kenneth Edgett, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California.
Alpha-Particle-X-ray-Spectrometer: Reveals elemental abundance of rocks and soil. It will be provided by the Canadian Space Agency. PI, Ralf Gellert, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
CheMin: An X-ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence instrument for definitive mineralogical analysis. It identifies and quantifies all minerals in complex natural samples such as basalts, evaporites and soils, one of the principle objectives of the MSL mission. PI, David Blake, NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.
Radiation Assessment Detector: Characterizes the broad spectrum of radiation at the surface of Mars, an essential precursor to human exploration of the planet. The instrument would be funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. PI, Donald Hassler, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado.
Mars Descent Imager: Produces high-resolution color-video imagery of the descent and landing phase, providing geological context information, as well as allowing for precise landing-site determination of the rover. PI, Michael Malin, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California.
SAM: This Sample Analysis at Mars features an integrated set of devices consisting of a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer and a tunable laser spectrometer. It conducts mineral and atmospheric analyses, detect a wide range of organic compounds and perform stable isotope analyses of organics and noble gases. PI, Paul Mahaffy, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Libya has ordered a 13-million-dollar telescope from France. Built by Sagem, a French electronics group, the telescope will be two metres (6.5 feet) diameter and remote-controlled.

PURPOSE AND DUTIES

1. The Committee will draw on the expertise of its members and other sources to provide advice and recommendations to NASA on Mars exploration, including robotic exploration of Mars to search for evidence of life, to understand the history of the solar system, and to prepare for future human exploration. The purview of the Committee also includes advice and recommendations on human expeditions to Mars after acquiring adequate knowledge about the planet using these robotic missions and after successfully demonstrating sustained human exploration missions to the Moon. Recommendations to be provided by the Committee will help guide Agency program prioritization, budget formulation, facilities and human capital planning, and technology investment.

2. The Committee shall function solely as an advisory body and will comply fully with the provisions of the FACA.

3. The Committee reports to the Associate Deputy Administrator for Systems Integration (ADA-SI) and to the Administrator.

The NASA Exploration of Mars Strategic Roadmap Committee will be meeting 4-6 January 2005 at NASA JPL.

NASA PAO supplied the following membership list of this committee to NASA Watch:

Alphonso Diaz, NASA Science Mission Directorate, co-chair
Charles Elachi, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, co-chair
A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin (retired), co-chair
Ray Arvidson, Washington University
Robert Braun, Georgia Institute of Technology
James Cameron, producer/writer/director
Aaron Cohen, Texas A & M University
Steven Dorfman, Hughes Electronics (retired)
Linda Godwin, Johnson Space Center
Noel Hinners, Lockheed Martin (retired)
Kent Kresa, Northrop Grumman
Gentry Lee, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Laurie Leshin, Arizona State University
Shannon Lucid, Johnson Space Center
Paul Mahaffy, Goddard Space Flight Center
Christopher McKay, Ames Research Center
Sally Ride, University of California, San Diego
Lawrence Soderblom, U.S. Geological Survey
Steven Squyres, Cornell University
Margaret (Peggy) Whitson, Johnson Space Center