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THE PLANETARY REPORT SEPTEMBER 2011 EQUINOX VOLUME 31, NUMBER 4 www.planetary.org BEYOND WATER CURIOSITY AND DETERMINING A LOCATION FOR THE NEXT MARS LANDING PLANETARY RADIO AWARD C DOUBLE SUNS DISCOVERED C VESTA: A SPACE-SCIENCE REVELATION SNAPSHOTS FROM SPACE CONTENTS SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 EMILY STEWART LAKDAWALLA blogs at planetary.org/blog. 6 Planetary Radio Wins Parsec Award Somewhere out there, a very happy listener nominated us for a Parsec Award … and we won! By Mat Kaplan 10 Launching Organisms, Solving Anomalies, and Naming an Asteroid Thanks to our members, new science is happening. But that’s not all—you could help name a spacecraft too. By Bruce Betts 12 Vesta: A Revelation Not only did he travel from Spain to Germany to work on an American space program, but he also discovered the answer to a nagging question. By Pablo Gutierrez-Marques P a n ca MIDDLE OF THE MAGAZINE m im Planetary Society Kids How do we detect far-away planets? a g e: N Build this simple project to amaze your friends! A S A 14 /J COVER STORY P L/C Target: Gale o rne Now that we know water played a part in Mars’ history, where do ll/D a we go next? Emily digs deep into the process of choosing the next m Endeavour’s Peaks Within Reach ien B landing site. By Emily Stewart Lakdawalla o u ic FFOiRn aTlHlRyE Er oYlEliAnRgS, iEnntdoe atvohuer ccrraatetre hras deavour, using the color panoramic cam- Na 42 DYSEnoPauAprR sTPMhlEoaNtcTseS f irno mSp Sapcaec Beil lF Ninyael lkye sehposw trianvge ulipn ga:t CEonrdneeallv our. been a distant goal for the Opportunity rover, era. The three peaks are called (from left to vca Kepler-16b m University, Cape Canaveral, and the nation’s Capital, all to its peaked rim forming a dim line of moun- right) Cape Dromedary, Cape Byron, and im a advocate for space. tains on the rover’s horizon. In the summer Cape Tribulation; the monikers come from ge : N Earth of 2011, Opportunity finally reached that ho- places named by James Cook in his explor- AS 7 Q&A Could we be affected by neighboring galaxies? A rizon, rolling onto Cape York, a low part of atory voyage as captain of the ship Endeav- /JP Mercury the crater’s rim. On sol 2678 (August 6, 2011), our. Below is a wider view of Opportunity’s L/M 8 Members’ Dialogue Defining a Planetary Society goal. B ic A pfroormtu nitist yv aganztaegde spoouitnhtw naeradr tCoa cpaep Ytuorrek , thOips- snuarvriogautniodnin cgasm, sehroat. on the same day with the hael Ho 9 Factinos A Trojan asteroid; how about a double sunset? w picture postcard of the western rim of En- —Emily Stewart Lakdawalla ard 13 What’s Up? A lunar eclipse in December. 22 Volunteer Spotlight The Mensa convention LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS IMAGE PLANETARY.ORG/SNAPSHOTS in Portland, Oregon. D ISCOVER MORE ABOUT AMATEUR IMAGE PROCESSING PLANETARY.ORG/PROGRAMS/PROJECTS/AMATEUR SEE MORE EVERY DAY! PLANETARY.ORG/BLOG 23 MySky Members’ photos of the sky. ON THE COVER: The High Resolution Science Experiment on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected mysterious features that may be our first evidence of liquid water on Mars. This view, a combination of orbital imagery and 3-D modeling, shows a slope as it would look from a helicopter inside Newton crater. “The best explanation for these observations so far is the flow of briny water,” said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona. The study of craters, such as Newton and the much-anticipated Gale, brings us ever closer to knowing if life ever graced the Red Planet. For more information on this discovery, go to HTTP://BIT.LY/TPS0610. Photo: NASA/JPL CONTACT US The Planetary Report (ISSN 0736-3680) is published quarterly at the editorial offices Editor CHARLENE M. ANDERSON Planetary Society of the Planetary Society, 85 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena CA 91105-1602, 626- Managing Editor JENNIFER VAUGHN 85 South Grand Avenue 793-5100. It is available to members of the Planetary Society. Annual dues in the Associate Editor DONNA ESCANDON STEVENS Pasadena, CA 91105-1602 United States are $37 (U.S. dollars); in Canada, $40 (Canadian dollars). Dues in other Art Director LOREN A. ROBERTS for HEARKEN CREATIVE General Calls: 626-793-5100 countries are $57 (U.S. dollars). Printed in USA. Third-class postage at Pasadena, Copy Editor A. J. SOBCZAK E-mail: [email protected] California, and at an additional mailing office. Canada Post Agreement Number Proofreader LOIS SMITH Internet: planetary.org 87424. Technical Editor JAMES D. BURKE Science Editor BRUCE BETTS Viewpoints expressed in columns and editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent positions of 2 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 the Planetary Society, its officers, or its advisers. © 2011 by the Planetary Society. YOUR PLACE IN SPACE COFOUNDER BILL NYE is executive director CARL SAGAN 1934–1996 of the Planetary Society. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman of the Board DAN GERACI CEO, Iron Age Consulting Corp. President JAMES BELL We Are All Modern Explorers Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University Vice President HEIDI HAMMEL Senior Research Scientist and Co-Director, Why do we reach for the stars? Research, Space Science Institute Executive Director BILL NYE science educator I RETURNED TO MY ALMA MATER, Cornell of knowing our planetary neighbors. Here’s ANN DRUYAN University, this summer because I made a hoping we maintain our efforts. Chief Executive Officer, Cosmos Studios donation: a big clock—three meters across LOUIS D. FRIEDMAN Cofounder and one meter thick. The school installed it ADVOCATING FOR PLANETARY G. SCOTT HUBBARD professor, Stanford University on the front of a building seven stories high EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY WESLEY T. HUNTRESS JR. named Rhodes Hall, in honor of retired uni- The remarkable nature of astronomy and Director Emeritus, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington versity president Frank Rhodes. The reason space exploration is common knowledge to LON LEVIN SkySevenVentures I worked on designing and funding the clock all who read The Planetary Report, but occa- ALEXIS LIVANOS over the last 13 years is the same reason I sionally it seems that these great discoveries Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Northrop Grumman chose to come and work for you: I want ev- are undervalued by our leaders, especially JOHN LOGSDON eryone in the world to know and appreciate Professor Emeritus, Space Policy Institute, here in the United States. If we let the world’s The GeoCrgHeAR WdISvaTisspOhoBliParnRynHgU etECotCRoanEru CP yUnMo .ncs fUMciiovliR uceeCRKnnrhsdtAAaiietsiYYyrrt womuoerFr, ol pdarl s ac.acl oemc ikon d issep raan cr eesp maanacdrek taeobx plseel oetrhkei nrli gflei.k Woe ney oonuteh eoedrr dibnueghc’stin frdroo obmfy. aAli g Fchrote nstnrtraeonll sllemern istdt eeddsoi mgtnheer odou nbg ythh Cae osbrhuniineldlyl- Solar clock: Bill Nye wwalhal nootv h etaord bt htere ap vwaeroletr dold ft. ot Th tehh eeay d“,T vlewikneete uytroueup o ”af t nsedpn atI c,f rejou emsxt- dliamorWepgselio stttrhh es a pttUh al.eacSate. v ilaeneg a uemdsn?ecirnysd ct,oe wa sseue p wepxeopnrltto rNtionA gSw,A ow rihnke irttoes onRLnEoh oFoenTdv eelFrisgo yHhr s taausl nlfu eCnpwly oB mdcilkali nyaN,ut ys tCeoe’olssa rrn ell Chairman and CELEOO,N S MpaUcSeKX clocks to navigate here on Earth and through engineering students opens up a few min- ploration. It was a glorious launch on a glori- primary mission of space exploration. You University. JOSEPH RYAN the vastness of interplanetary space. Precise utes before solar noon and remains open for ous day. The Atlas V rocket shot up from the Ryan Investments, LLP were all part of it. Our members—living in the MIDDLE The Atlas V rocket timekeeping makes our modern world go a few minutes after. I hope that passersby, pad, its flame longer than the rocket itself. It BIJAL “BEE” THAKORE United States and in other nations—sent us launching Juno on its mission ReSgpioancea lG Ceonoerrdaitniaotno Ar dfovris Aosryia C Poaucnificcil, around. Science historians often argue that students, faculty, and visitors alike will take left a halo of ice crystals at an altitude that more than 20,000 signed petitions, some by to Jupiter executed a picture- NEIL deGRASSE TYSON the reckoning of time has changed our world a few moments from time to time (pun in- is difficult to estimate from the ground; the perfect liftoff on August 5, astropHhyasyidceisnt Panladn Detiraerciutmor,, more than has the invention of the wheel. tended) to ponder just how we came to know water vapor in the rocket exhaust created its postal mail, others by e-mail. We took these 2011. American Museum of Natural History petitions to the U.S. Capitol building and saw If you’ve ever compared your watch or the Earth’s motion around the Sun and why own high-altitude annular cirrus cloud. Most INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL to it that everyone’s voice was recorded by RIGHT Bill Nye holds a box of ROGER-MAURICE BONNET mobile phone clock with the time shown on the reckoning of time has changed the world. of us have experienced nothing remotely like Executive Director, members of the House of Representatives, signed petitions supporting International Space Science Institute a sundial, you’ll find that they seldom agree. This project gave me a great appreciation it, and in five years, we’ll have images from space exploration. On YASUNORI MATOGAWA the Senate, and the administration. Associate Executive Director, The inclination of the Earth with respect to for astronomical discoveries, to be sure, and Jupiter like none that anyone has ever seen. September 9, 2011, Bill Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency the main plane of the solar system conspires it also gave me a deep appreciation for those Meanwhile, the Dawn spacecraft made its You are part of this adventure. Together, hand-delivered more than MAMORU MOHRI our voice is amplified. Together, we can 20,000 of these petitions— Director, National Museum with the slight ellipticity of Earth’s orbit to who donate money to causes and projects way to Vesta, so we had a Vesta Fiesta. Peo- of Emerging Science and Innovation shape the future. Thank you for your efforts from Planetary Society make your clock’s noon occur at a different they believe in—people like you. Thank you ple attended events hosted around the world RISTO PELLINEN members and supporters Direct oFri nonf isShc iMenectee oinro Slopgaiccea lR Ienssetiatructhe, time from the Sun’s daily culmination—its for your support of the Planetary Society. to celebrate the up-close look at this asteroid to ensure the future of science, technology, worldwide—to Congress and and space exploration. ADVISORY COUNCIL maximum height above the horizon, what we that, in the nineteenth century, was consid- the White House. BUZZ ALDRIN Space exploration brings out the best in RICHARD BERENDZEN call solar noon. This fact alone may prompt JUPITER: FOR THE SAKE OF ITS ered worthy of planet status. It’s big, round, JACQUES BLAMONT us. It reminds us that our species is capable RAY BRADBURY us to ponder the remarkable chain of astro- MAGNETIC SECRETS and rocky. The images show that one impact ROBERT. D. BRAUN Im FRANJKBAOLRGMIWNFUAEER CRCSNADEHR CNAG YAJAKVA NAEN IRDGKD.T RH-RO RBDIAUSOERIAKNKTLINYZETTL osnmefo eaomn uvtiorcs y.aa Waln gdceeie ssmsc twooigvirthesh trwo iaeuhlssto o at chnphedoo natshdiedee t roob ft or hpiledsrk eac cysotiensoaefinr diisns-ehlsontinnrcuegg- Oatithwsue arw rlaEeauy aon rtftco hho J tiuohsp fe hritt hoepmerl. a Je(nu,W nebteoau rmcty a winsps elpia oracnere,des .iw cvIthe aritchytth eem nitsdiu moecdhne ages: Juno liftoff: N osmyf asVCtdeeleoms staae w.rc rWatasoth.e ahrt o jaum svtei o,a lbtehoneut tpt awlaso cb eiG gtRh aAes I etLha re(Gl ywr ashovoliatleyr wootiufce r ga wrbseuiolaplut p ctt oothhnritentei gnfrussu teaua nnrtedod. etAwhxtoap trtha knwe t dePo l oachuanernel p tsab eprerye v ooiScppoetlcseiim efeotivysr,-- THOMAS D. JONES AS CHARLESR ESO.JRLE BJKOAROEOOHUGSRHNHNAERTA LIL IL MNEPHKOY SIIAALM CNL ESMPAOBOSEIRAEGTPH DJRRSUEIRONAGKSE. wdacaacrSsus o,ar lawimtc hyiosi sc otth fhi maontuop orwo nnw idtsahe tcecroah nmbeelsemw,. oc clnolopcclkaksc ,e oa nbn udRt h cooandlecenes- oefistvfvr eeoan nry rgeti avhmraoslua .)gtg onJhu e wnttihoict a hwtfii ienlell vd asese n,ef rttk ah wcteot iil golu rnnan vdooiettf a rosatitc oascnneu,dcr o atnfnhodder, A; Bill at the Capitol: M Rwaitreseec p oahavlelse tagr odayn teA ddhn ettdrho eI etn.rhteeebr Myio fiorn oLdna botoou rtla emtaorornry em) asobproaeuc aet bchrooauwftt espryawceh. ere know and appreciate our place in KIM SJTOAHNNL ERYH YRSO-BDIANVSIOENS Hall, solar noon is indicated by a Sun-shaped the wild weather we observe on Jupiter. at K We are in an exciting time in space explo- DONNKAE LV.I NSH SITRULBEYE symbol below the number 12. It’s lit from I was at Cape Canaveral with 150 people aplan ration. We may be entering the golden age Bill Nye 4 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 5 PLANETARY RADIO Q&A MAT KAPLAN is producer of the Planetary Radio show. Planetary Radio Wins Parsec Award Q How long does it take for the Milky the orbital period is between 200 and 250 Making Great Radio Reaps Benefits Way to make one complete revolu- million years. (The last time Earth was in the tion? Is it possible that Earth, be- same place in its orbit, dinosaurs roamed its SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IS A VERY HAPPY afternoon. It won’t make Oscar look over his ing near the outer edge of our galaxy, could surface!) This corresponds to a rotation speed listener who took his or her affection for shoulder, but it was great fun. Past winners also be affected by another galaxy close of about 250 kilometers (155 miles) per second, Planetary Radio to the next level. The result presented the awards and brought their own by? —Ron Purcell, Sherman Oaks, California or about 900,000 kilometers (560,000 miles) was an e-mail message I received a few talents to the podium. MCs Christiana Ellis per hour. This website from the Royal Astro- months ago saying that an anonymous fan and George Hrab were terrific. I admit to AOur galaxy is a collection of hundreds nomical Society of Canada’s Calgary group of our weekly podcast and radio show had being much more anxious than I’d expected; of billions of stars, star clusters, gas, provides more detail: HTTP://BIT.LY/TPS0602. nominated Planetary Radio (PlanRad, as we after all, the competition was stiff. When Paul and dust, and thus does not rotate as To answer your second question, Earth like to call it) for a Parsec Award. Parsecs, and Storm, a music comedy duo, harmonized a solid body. To determine how long it takes certainly could be affected by nearby galax- when they’re not measuring the distance to the category nominees, opened the envelope, stars in the Milky Way’s disk to make a com- ies. In fact, the Milky Way and the Androm- nebulas and galaxies, are awards bestowed and sang out “Planetary Radio,” I was ecstatic! plete revolution, or orbit, around the galaxy’s eda galaxy are falling together under gravity upon science fiction and fantasy podcasts I didn’t even know if I was expected to make center, astronomers measure the rotation at a speed of 100 to 150 kilometers (about 60 and are handed to the lucky winners as part a speech. I was, so I asked if that listener who to 90 miles) per second. In three to four bil- of Atlanta’s enormous Dragon*Con fan event. nominated us was in the audience. “If you’re lion years, we expect that the two galaxies will ABOVE Voyager 2 is speeding Planetary Radio was nominated in the here, raise your hand!” No reaction. I paused. merge to form a new galaxy (see illustration away from our solar system “Best Fact Behind the Fiction” category. We “The beer will be on me.” Hundreds of hands at left). The stars in the two galaxies will likely at 15 kilometers per second (34,000 miles per hour). The learned we had been selected as a finalist a shot skyward. pass right by each other—it’s the stickiness of ApPlaBarOnsVe hcEo AlAdw sba ePraldam noinen tgSa erMpyat Retm aKdbaie-or’ s amtfeairw,yO l ij nuPnwesl aeFt r neraekeissdts eaaa rlyr avly,at a eSttSereioo. p scnWtuie eamimttnhymdb ct eechorrre l o2l hes,e easnIeag cadtuo r ewrmusiarv,y aveI gedfi em n fimengale edlA rneostt l.v aaeonnrf- oEmtonme teSmhi oleya el nnsnLekota owamk t df yotSa hroPw eclia atiPeslnl tlaRcay,arn hodaewe ntcaaddorde lyqlBde uS ialasolgh rcutNeieeelyrvstes—ey —s Bw,har hnaauosndc e dma e BIvan eekgetreetwysst-, Colliding galaxies illustration: J ecstinhyor.tseu otiWler di mneg bt a edeswro saiunltnlne’ tdlab l affkedrn e uacsosffptwteea d tcchh,et eoa.o dtw—r w T bwEeiylreal r rtlyctheh oBias udra lic nddtodo glbe liteossh, ui eeoQrj n eums:ce oteewlenradegsr- AyaaLbenffneEa eodForcmTrbsto ,siaI nmetnlhrgo evt eutdhe hMsdare ed i ogePlekan cityolo eta nl hWfxeoeeriaue eaVsyrrto is laboiy kcninalaedl glin yeon rnos .t 3rd, 2011 in Atlanta. The the city (good thing the major hotels host- the show possible. Most of all, I thank all of ohn D University, Canada will collide. This illustration cPealrlesnecc eA iwna srcdie rnecceo gfinctiizoens eaxn-d Wingh atth ae sCioghnt walelr aer ocounnnde mctee.d T bhye sckryo wbrdisd!g Tehs!e). yspoauc we heox phlaovrea taiollnow oend tuhse troa sdhioa raen odu ro nlo vyeo uorf ubinski, U Q Is there a “Pioneer Anomaly” ef- pshoosiwtiso tnhse t ghaelya wxiiells hino ltdh ea few BRfaeanhdtiianosd yw tpohoned Ffcoiarcs ttithos.en P.“”lBaenset tFaarcyt TcohsTet hupema rPeaasd!r esT!e Dhc eicd e FIr eimlmke onsnitniyog nebr etsgh!a enT c holaest teuc omSsaettusu?mrdeasy! Itftaa’vlse oasr itbtoei g te dulilgn. iiStvatealr ysd eteu,v naicenedd . f to—hrMe rnaeet aaKrraleyp alna fnien we ymeoarres. niversity of Toronto; V stlpeatocnec, Craotffehltoca?rtt a, dIiofos r n momtey, aswsthueyrrei?od u— sPin as ultolh wGei rniVmgo myda,o gwLeintr-, cwEshmluviolensaln edmlltsreuteer aard Mglp lmeypi ,larik ltonlyhiad oeWc ntthraw ,yay oewn aa gsirttfah osbl raaotmhfxttteie oei rnms to. If you’ve missed Planetary Radio lately, here are some recent highlights: oyager 2 illustration: N Aers to mTasapxhinaiesct aesictnPra iabtofhintl.eie zieerTr dhso erc ieraVanrofettya attighoseanprt is ni nfi-as rrtseaep b atihtclhierzru eeosdetr-- aagmo nso itarnoeng HiilnmeT fTeaoPltrl:ii/mpo/BntaiI ctToia.oLf lYnt /gh,Ta iPaslS anc0xdo6yl tl0.io 1sF. isooerne , A SA to slew around and point their instruments. /G SFC Those thruster firings would introduce uncer- C OREnepadpceohartveuosnuirty AAApsl toWrloloonr d1a5eun t FwTtooefliy tlStehihnps eYgca o ocE puederg e VVwGMeuiiaststrhititqe aiPunr eFragesbi ez loos-ft a, TMJtAhwunyepoos i PmttCeeilaorroiln euyaesdne:ed rd SSSACthplsaaaatyyrcp oieenn, g iawn ui intt h BIwPcaeietmc hHo emulane tG eaarn,y ASfHrEonorTm OoI w pPUtiatpiczudala lt e onceptual Image Lab wwtahiitnTehthl imPeisis o adninnieff yete rher.eeff netcrcaetc akinsin stghm eda alwlt aaa ysth ttahhta ewt soopucaclcdue rcorrvianefgrt- the Dawn Anderson are stabilized actually is one of the reasons Mission speeds and distances of the stars. Objects the Pioneer data are so important and unique. near the center take less time to orbit than do Most current spacecraft are three-axis stabi- those farther out. At the distance of the Sun lized, not spin stabilized. —Bruce Betts, Direc- Find these shows and our entire archive of Planetary Radio at planetary.org/radio! (about 25,000 light-years from the center), tor of Projects 6 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 7 MEMBERS’ DIALOGUE FACTINOS Kepler-16b Chasing Earth A SPECIFIC GOAL ration program to what was then called the Our Planetary Society is Earth’s leader for “manned” spaceflight program. BELOW This Lunar space advocacy, and I enjoy the way your Perhaps the Planetary Society will take a SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED THE FIRST Earth Reconnaissance Orbiter contributors make science understandable fresh look at human space exploration. An- known “Trojan” asteroid sharing Earth’s Im inC 2a0m0e9r,a i s( LaR cOloCs)e -iumpa vgiee,w ta okfe na tao m meem abnedr tforo tmhe t hgeen beergailn pnuinbgli.c. I have been dtieorns odnep’se anrdtisc olen i mhupmlieasn tehxapt lroorbaotitoicn .e Ix apglorerea.- ages: W 2o0rb10it TarKo7u nudsi nthg eN SAuSnA.’ sT Wheiyd efo-fiuenldd Iansftrearroeidd Mercury B IS E possible skylight in a lava tube Charlene Anderson’s article in the June As the Mercury astronauts explained to the : NA Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, which A S in an ancient volcanic region 2011 issue faults our political leaders for lack German rocket scientists, “No Buck Rogers, A/J scanned the entire sky in infrared light from of the Moon called the Marius of a specific space exploration goal, either no bucks.” PL-C January 2010 to February 2011. Double Suns? Hills. This feature was first human or robotic. I agree but want to make The publication in the same issue of altech/U Trojan asteroids share a planet’s orbit near imaged, from a higher altitude, several points about the issue. Jacques Blamont’s article, “Planetary Cave CLA a stable point. Because they constantly lead THE EXISTENCE OF A WORLD WITH A by JTaeprarani’sn S CEaLmEeNrEa/ iKna 2g0u0y8a. wa“lkD oo ny oouth ewra nwto rtlod ss?e”e shheu masakns euxsp. l“oDreor sI Dbiwt oefll hinogp: eA t Shtarta ttheegy P floanr eEtxaprylo Sraotciioenty,” ias dlodos sa- ; Kepler: N ocor lfloidlleo ww iath p liat.n eMt ainrs ,it sJu opribteitr,, tNheeyp tcuanne n, eavnedr dStoaurb Wlea srus nmseotr,e l itkhea onn 3e0 p yoertarrasy aegdo i,n i sth neo fiwlm a A ening up a bit. Before we start living in caves SA two of Saturn’s moons also have Trojans. reality. The Kepler space telescope has dis- /A m on Mars, we need to learn how to create our es/J “These asteroids dwell mostly in the day- covered a planet that orbits two stars 200 safe havens—on the Moon. Both Japan and PL-C light, making them very hard to see,” said light-years from Earth. the United States have photographed a pit altech Martin Connors of Athabasca University in Scientists found the new planet in a bi- crater on the lunar surface (at left), which is nary star system called Kepler-16, in which likely a lava tube exposed when its roof col- two eclipses are visible from Earth. The ob- ABOVE This diagram shows an overhead view of the lapsed. What’s in those caves on either side servers noticed, however, times other than eccentric Kepler-16 system, of the hole? Though challenging, robotic ex- eclipses when the brightness of the stars where two stars are orbited ploration would pave the way, then people decreased at irregular intervals. Subsequent by one planet, Kepler-16b. would do the rest. We must learn how to detection of tertiary and quaternary eclipses For reference, the orbits of grow our own food, recycle our water and showed that a third object was circling both Mercury and Earth have been our waste, and solve all the other problems stars in a wide, circumbinary orbit. added in blue. of ultra-primitive camping. Rescue, if things Kepler detected the planet, called Kepler- LEFT The extreme orbit of go wrong, is only three days away. As for 16b, by observing transits, when the bright- Earth’s recently confirmed exciting and inspiring images, establishing ness of a parent star is dimmed by a planet Trojan asteroid 2010 TK7 is a foothold on the Moon promises visual ex- crossing in front of it. Kepler-16b is a cold, shown here in green. The blue citement equal to watching the Pilgrims es- inhospitable world about the size of Saturn dots represent Earth’s orbit. tablish Plymouth Colony. Im that appears to be made up of roughly half To watch an animation of I suggest that the Planetary Society renew age: NA rock and half gas. It orbits the two stars 2H0TT10P :T//K1.7U’SsA w.GilOdV /oTrPbSit0,6 g0o4 t.o itself and advocate the goal of the United SA (both smaller than our Sun) every 229 days. /G S States, and perhaps other nations, of re- FC A report on these findings appeared in the /A turning to the Moon to explore the nature SU September 16, 2011 issue of Science. of these lunar caves and the possibilities of Canada, lead author of a paper on the dis- “Working in film, we often are tasked with dwelling in them. If the president does not covery in the July 28 issue of the journal creating something never before seen,” said articulate a goal, it means that someone Nature. “But we finally found one, because John Knoll of Industrial Light & Magic, a divi- else must. The Planetary Society is uniquely the object has an unusual orbit that takes it sion of Lucasfilm, Ltd. “However, more of- structured to lead the space advocacy com- farther away from the Sun than what is typi- ten than not, scientific discoveries prove to see some sort of Planetary Society advoca- munity by unifying the many divergent ideas cal for Trojans. WISE was a game-changer, be more spectacular than anything we dare cy for humans in space?” I ask myself. The and focusing on one specific goal. giving us a point of view difficult to have at imagine. There is no doubt these discover- Planetary Society was founded by Jet Pro- —Grant Hovey, La Habra, California Earth’s surface.” ies influence and inspire storytellers. Their pulsion Laboratory director Bruce Murray, Follow-up observations with the Canada- very existence serves as cause to dream big- Please send your letters to popular scientist Carl Sagan, and former JPL France-Hawaii Telescope on Hawaii’s Mauna ger and open our minds to new possibilities Members’ Dialogue @ The Planetary Society, employee Louis Friedman to stop the leak- Kea confirmed 2010 TK7 as an Earth Trojan. beyond what we think we ‘know.’” 85 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105 age of funds from the robotic space explo- or e-mail: [email protected] —from NASA/JPL —from NASA/JPL 8 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 9 DEVELOPMENTS IN SPACE SCIENCE BRUCE BETTS is director of projects for the Planetary Society. LEFT Before the Planetary Society stepped in Launching Organisms, Solving to help, only about 11 years of Pioneer Dop- pler data had been analyzed, and the Pioneer Anomalies, and Naming an Asteroid anomaly remained a mystery. Thanks to you—our Members—by June 2006, scientists and engineers were able to recover much of the more than 30 years of navigational histories of both spacecraft. LOTS OF REALLY EXCITING THINGS ARE hap- We are testing the portion of the transper- from space. That way, we can isolate the ef- Society. The members provided the money pening in the next few months, including cli- mia hypothesis that involves interplanetary fects of spaceflight. we needed to get started and demonstrated mactic phases of two major Society projects flight: can life travel between planets natu- Learn more about Phobos LIFE and Shut- to NASA that the public was definitely inter- and a new contest for kids around the world. rally inside meteoroids? tle LIFE at HTTP://BIT.LY/TPS0606. ested in solving the mystery. Their interest Our simulated meteoroid is hitching a ride and strong support made possible our work to RIGHT Millions of tiny organ- miosmons Pahreo bseots t aon tdra bvaecl kto i nM tahriss’ YPeHaOrBs OinS tLhIFeE m RaEkAinDgY, FoOuRr LPAhUoNboCsH LIFE (Liv- omni sbsoioanrd. T thhee mRuissssiioann iPnhcolubdoess S aa msupitlee oRfe ltaunrdn- Images: B TRhEDe EmFIyNsItNeGri oTHuEs PPiIoOnNeEeErR a AnNoOmMaAlyL Yis closer to solLvee athrne Pmioonree aebr oaunto tmhea llay.test information on tLiLTtiaIfheFoni EnEsiu xN(bmLpooie-vavereirninmdmcg abRe Isenunertst,d)es o wirbaupii’rolslla m PPlnahhoeuoodtnabbucroolhyess. L3inn4IegF-am Eri Ionnwngtiet lhlr lp sajleuoannnudcre nhtmae ryiytl lh itoioFsn lisMgN hoaotrfv spe’E mamxspbsoeeeonrr.nig m ePPreshhn ooto)bbn oo iasss eaansnre dsiane ssp oetrrnroubdcmi etteshersne imttsos a tbclhsoaaocltl keh w cittoticl lshE asiatnmurgtpd hayl e f rPosi drhf reoso tbtumood s MyP a.ah sAro ws bC oeohnlsil- ruce Betts, Planetary S caazle neslo eohmrluaaatvtilieoyo nnjiu ,so s afta n Pnbdi eo euknneneye epr x nup1e0blaw liaisn nhpedeide d1,c1 .e ,v (sleT arohuyfen tctPhihnieeoy dnp edubeezyr-- Yatnhobeeuow uP ctsia ocntnihe eaenel tsrPio fiia oclnin sopetmeearnpa ealtyron,, oSianmlta cvaHlualTy dT TPionu:/ngr/ By aaIsT h.lrLieYenv/ckT ePt natSolt0k 6teihn0p5egi.- BEPLhOSoWabmo Aspn Ll eeI FxREpe ltsouhdroenwd m sv wiieshswieo ronef. (atbinnadyc tboearrgciaak,n. eiTsuhmkeass refyr toormtaav ,ae alllen trdhs raienrecc hlduaodemea )a1.1i T nkhsi niosdf wsli ofilefl this launch to study Mars’ exosphere. ociety Top photo: J NinAgSS tlAahv eia ns T o1ul9ar7ry2 ss.yh Bsetovet mahn .a)dr ea toena mtr aojfe rcetoseriaersc hleearvs- psoladnee toafr Py.loarnge/traardyi oR).adio (see the archives at the samples will be contained be the first time organisms will be tested for PL; im recently published results that better define NAME AN ASTEROID CONTEST throughout the cthoeu rflsieg hotf. snuertvoisvpahbeilriety f ooru tmsidoere E tahrathn’ sj upsrto tae cfteiwve dmaaygs.- age at right: N titthh eois um gnyhosttt.e Tcriohoneuissrt aewnffote rcoktv ,w einra cstl uimmdaeind, gea tsph oeos frsaiigcbitln eta hblalyyt Titnihevseo clvoPenldann ewectitatehrdy mw iSatonhcy Ni eAptuSyA b’lisisc r eoecuxetcnritetleaydc s he tleaocc ttebivdei- A SA years of data that were recovered thanks to OSIRIS-REx mission. Michael Drake* of the Titanium Cover /Goddard/U Tthhee sruepcopvoerrt eodf dPalatan ectaamrye Sfroocmie tay vMaerimetbye rosf. cUinpiavle rinsivteys otifg Aatroizro. nAaf twera sl athuen cmhiisnsgio inn’s 2p0r1in6,- Upper Shock Pad niversity of A stoo ubrec eths,r oswomn eo utht.at literally were scheduled ROeSsIRouISr-cReE x I(dOernigtiinfisc-aStpieocnt-rSael cuInrtietyrp-Rreetgaotliiotnh- AaimsBtaOegrVoeE,id OI n1S9 It9hR9iIsS R c-RQoEn36cxe (hpsotouvoeanrl st oa t Temperature Sensors Indium Wire Seal rizona thaStl atvhae’ ss toeuarmce’s owf otrhke satrneonmgtahlye nlsie tsh ein c tahsee E19x9p9lo RreQr3) 6w iinll a2p0p19ro. aTchhe aOnSdI RsaISm-RpElex amstiessroioidn ahnadve u as ems uitcsh a srnma ztoz iceorl nleacmt ae ) Kapton Retainer Our organisms range from bacteria to the spacecraft themselves, not in any mysteri- will return the first samples ever taken from sample from the asteroid’s Colony Cover tiny animals called tardigrades (nicknamed ous outside force acting on them. The most a special type of asteroid that holds clues surface. Titanium Cleat “water bears”). A subset of these organisms likely cause is heat generated by spacecraft to the origin of the solar system and likely Colony Container took a flight on the last flight of space shuttle systems, producing a recoil force. Slava and contains organic molecules of types that Sample Container Silicone O-Ring Endeavour earlier this year. You can find out his team are working on detailed thermal may have seeded life on Earth. Safety Wire more about Shuttle LIFE in the June 2011 is- modeling of the spacecraft and making com- Shortly, we plan to announce a contest for Carrier Base sue of The Planetary Report. parisons with the onboard temperature data students to suggest an asteroid name that is At the time of launch, we will open one of that also were recovered as part of the Plan- a little easier to chew on than 1999 RQ36. *We are deeply sorry to our three Phobos LIFE Earth “control” bio- etary Society–supported effort. We’ll let you The naming contest for the near-Earth aster- report that Michael Drake Radiation Detectors Lower Shock Pad modules. The controls are identical to the know when results of those studies are out. oid is a partnership of the Planetary Society, died on September 21, 2011. OSIRIS-REx lives on as one flight biomodule. Opening one at the time Meanwhile, here is a nice note from Slava: MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory—the discoverers of his many legacies. For Locking Lug of launch will allow us to study the effects of The recovery of Doppler and telemetry data of 1999 RQ36—and the University of Arizona. more information, see Titanium Cover the loading of the module and sitting around and the entire effort in thermal analysis would Look for details coming very soon on our HTTP://BIT.LY/TPS0622. on Earth waiting for launch, so that we can not have happened without the Planetary website, planetary.org. LIFE Biomodule othf ethne “ flsuigbhttr aocrtg”a tnhiosmses r weshuelnts t fhreoym c oomure s btuadcky T h a n k s !Planetary Society Members made the work on the Pioneer anomaly possible with their generous donations. 10 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 11 THE SOCIETY AROUND THE WORLD WHAT’S UP? by Bruce Betts PABLO GUTIERREZ-MARQUES is Dawn’s Framing Camera Operations Manager. He is from Spain and is working with NASA in Germany. IN THE SKY Vesta: A Revelation Understanding why the thrill of discovery is important A total lunar eclipse on December 10 will be visible from all of Asia 1,300 w and Australia as well as most of Europe, Africa, and North America. The time of greatest eclipse will be 14:32 UT. In the evening sky, I ADMIT IT: I DID NOT UNDER- instead on dissecting and details of the project eluded acquire and easier to lose Jupiter is the extremely bright starlike object, growing higher in stand why space science is trying to replicate any com- my comprehension. The tech- from lack of upkeep. They the east as the weeks progress. Even brighter, Venus appears low in the west in December. In the predawn sky, reddish Mars is high in important. This statement is puter program that crossed nical challenge was suffi- become of strategic interest: the east, and yellowish Saturn starts to appear low in the east late bold, coming from a practic- my path. My understanding ciently enticing to reassure just as no country can afford in October. The Geminid meteor shower peaks on December 13–14. ing aerospace engineer. For- of science had evolved to a me in my decision. I spent not to maintain its roads Typically this is the best shower of the year, but this year moonlight tunately, recent events have cloudy concept of a certain seven years building parts, of power provided to and highways because of will obscure the fainter meteors. corrected my lack of under- type of research. programs, and command three 30-inch xenon-fed the cost of rebuilding a run- standing. When deciding which sequences, questioning only ion thrusters by a 10-kW down network, no country photovoltaic solar array on In my youth in Spain, my degree to pursue in college, on rare occasions the final can afford to let its space sci- RANDOM Dawn. Ion propulsion was engineering mind would I veered toward aerospace purpose of my work, until ence industry dwindle and first successfully tested SPACE FACT play tricks on me, luring me engineering. The sciences we were in sight of Vesta. on NASA’s Deep Space 1 in allow its talented engineers BELOW The author makes into forbidden realms of toy were still inaccessible to me, Even with the target within 1998, sending that craft to to drift off to other indus- the case for how interna- deconstruction. I did not but I understood that some reach, I was unable to share asteroid Braille and tries, from which it might tional space projects like Dawn, shown below, are have any understanding of of them were essential pil- the thrill, and I felt nothing Comet Borrelly. be difficult to dislodge them The Sun rotates faster at its equator (period of about 25.6 Earth important to society. science whatsoever. lars in technology, which more than a quiet compla- and where their space sci- days) than at its poles (period of about 33.5 Earth days). fascinated me. cency over the performance understanding of Earth as ence skills would atrophy. After college I had the of the camera. a planet, its role in the so- The most potent and in- luck (or maybe not) of That was the situation Im lar system and the dynam- contestable motive, the one spending several years in as of July. Suddenly, Vesta age: N ics around it, and even the that Vesta showed to me a TRIVIA CONTEST A S pure engineering jobs, from changed my mind forever. A cosmos at large. This knowl- few weeks ago and is unique /B ttoh et hqeu adliefisciganti oonf ofifr ea idrcertaefct- Iamstaegroesid ohf atdh e baepepnr ocaocmhiinngg ackground: W dedivgeer shea fis eilmdsm, elidkeia tteh eu osepse rina- tmoi sspsiaocnes s caireen ocen,e i so tfh atht eth feeswe Our January/February contest winner is Lothar Flathmann of tion instruments. It was regularly, without signifi- illiam tion of commercial satellites endeavors in which human- Limburg, Germany. Congratulations! THE QUESTION WAS: What pleasurable, working end- cant improvements in quali- K. H and study of the behavior kind can express the innate are the only two vehicles to have performed fully autonomous less hours doing what I liked ty, and the novelty had worn artm and nature of near-Earth impulse of exploration and re-entry and runway landings from Earth orbit? THE ANSWER: best, putting things together. off. The new images, how- ann, C objects and the threat they conquest. We have reached The Soviet Buran space shuttle with one flight in 1988, and the supTphoernt ofant ea rsepqaucee smteids simony einvcerre, dnibolte loenalpy ins hreoswoeludt ioann ourtesy of U poTseh teo s heucomnadn rkeinasdo.n is eco- athned ttohpes doefp tthhse omf othuen tsaeinass. XTr-3y7 tBo Owrinb iata flr Teees yt eVaerh’sic Plela, nwehtiacrhy h Saodc iietst yfi mrset mmbisesrisohni pin a 2n0d1 0a . led by the Jet Propulsion but also revealed a wealth of C nomic. Space science pays Only space exploration of- LA Planetary Radio T-shirt by answering this question: Laboratory. I felt flattered by features on Vesta’s surface. ; im the wages of many profes- fers the bewilderment of the the attention, then amazed New portraits changed my age-N sors and postgrads, as well encounter, the thrill of spot- What is the name/designation of the 400-meter- A S diameter asteroid that will fly within 0.85 lunar by the aura of NASA and its understanding of the mis- A/M as involving purchases of ting territories never before C distances of Earth on November 8, 2011? (Note: it long-standing history of pio- sion, space science, and RE equipment, materials, and seen by the human eye. All L will reach 11th magnitude and be visible through neering, and finally thrilled even science in general. specialized services. Further- these sensations are more amateur telescopes.) In high school, my par- at the opportunity to live I propose three major ar- more, space missions often than a jolt of adrenaline for ents, both surgeons, tried to and work in a different coun- guments in favor of foster- finance the development or a few mission team mem- E-mail your answer to [email protected] or mail your answer to The Plan- entice me into less danger- try (Germany). I still had no ing and nurturing scientific advancement of given en- bers; they push forward etary Report, 85 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105. Make sure you include the answer and your name, mailing address, and e-mail address (if you have one). Submis- ous branches of knowledge, clear understanding of the space missions like Dawn. abling technologies. In con- the common consciousness sions must be received by December 1, 2011. The winner will be chosen by a random drawing from among all the correct entries received. like physics or mathematics. benefits that could be de- First, the science that these trast to technologies in other of humankind, nurture the But my attention faltered rived from planetary science. missions produce contrib- fields, such as medicine or feeling of belonging to one For a weekly dose of “What’s Up?” complete with humor, a weekly trivia contest, and a range of significant space and science fiction guests, listen to Planetary Radio at before I could formulate I became a skillful merce- utes to advancement of industrial processing, space human race, and inspire the planetary.org/radio. hypotheses, and I focused nary of science, though the knowledge, especially our technologies are harder to spirit of adventure. 12 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 13 THE NEAR FUTURE EMILY STEWART LAKDAWALLA blogs at planetary.org/blog. Target: Gale Curiosity Will Soon Have a New Home by Emily Stewart Lakdawalla SCREAMING STRAIGHT TOWARD its remaining fuel to crash as crater was chosen above all Mars from space, the cone- far from the rover as possible. other locations on Mars as shaped capsule encasing the When the dust settles and the best hope for success of rover Curiosity will seem to it’s safe for Curiosity to open this $2.5 billion mission, it’s ignite into a long-tailed fire- its eyes, the rover will find necessary to step back and ball. But Curiosity is no shoot- itself on a smooth, slightly consider Curiosity’s science ing star, plummeting toward dusty plain with rocks here goals, which are quite dif- the ground, at the mercy of and there, not so different ferent from those of Spirit gravity. As soon as it’s deep from previous landing sites. and Opportunity. Those pre- enough in Mars’ atmosphere, The horizon, however, will decessors of Curiosity were its unevenly weighted heat contain something never sent to Mars to search for evi- shield will catch the air and before seen by a Martian rover. dence that liquid water really it will surf the wind, zooming Gazing across the plains, Curi- did interact with Mars’ rocks. nearly horizontally along the osity will look up and up and They succeeded; Spirit and ground, while rockets steer up at the nearly 6,000-meter- Opportunity truly have found its course to a targeted point tall conical-shaped mountain plenty of evidence that water in the air above Mars’ cra- that occupies the center of acted on some of the rocks tered surface. Gale crater. they’ve studied, often in un- Its target acquired and Scientists hope that that expected ways. still traveling at supersonic mountain will contain an- Now that we know that speed, Curiosity will pull the swers to the questions that water’s been there, the new ABOVE This artist’s concept trigger on its parachute, the keep driving humans back question is, could life have from an animation depicts largest ever sent to space. It to Mars: What was Mars like existed in these watery en- Curiosity, the rover to be will drop its blackened heat when water flowed on its vironments? To help answer launched in 2011 by NASA, shield, exposing its six wheels surface? Could life ever have that question, Curiosity is as it is being lowered by the mission’s rocket-powered G directly to the Martian air. It thrived here? If it did, do focusing on the habitabil- ale: N will blow off the conical back- we have any hope of finding ity of these ancient watery descent stage during a critical AS moment of the “sky crane” A/JP shell and parachute, dropping clues to its existence? While environments. Water is a landing in 2012. L-C into a heart-stopping, split- Curiosity attempts to answer start, but for watery places altech/MSS smeocounndte fdr ejee-tfpalalc bke ftoarkee sa boavcekr,- tthuronse imquageestsi oonfs , spite cwtaicllu lraer- tnoe esdu pcphoermt icliafel , ptrheecyu rsaolsros RLEeFcoTn An maisossaanicc oef O Mrabritse r S/Tanya Harrison; descent: N wdcrboaeliacblslskcl teleeio ntnrwsegt .e ed tlroFso tiwanhsnnaelodl wlrw ysoa,e vrtdtte hhtr hwee oe it njrwheo t thebpheioargeetchl’eksst ossincturteseon a lelamarnyysde hrsecfardavope rm eoc cawkrahvs .eedrme c oaaunnncytioeanninst- ccatfohoa rserm ob lSupoiufronecnu-’esc n oodocrnhfs t a.ae e Timngnheeiineosrtyggtrhy ya,e— lrssonmoura cganmhale n eeealindycs,- Tc1Cibn5oheo0 v denae iktiwraemiilxhmnoitognm eCl gteaeea lfcrtlmoe. r orraCef staru Ge(a r9rsa ip i3oimlsoe sm taaic tiibgrynlaeoe swsstuie )dit rl e.l A Gale near the northern rim SA gently on the ground before WE FOLLOWED THE WATER. vironment. /J and will drive toward the P L-C cutting the cords and blasting NOW WHAT? How can we have any five-kilometer-high mound of altech off again, burning through all To understand why Gale hope of landing in a place layered deposits in its center. THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 15 TARGET: GALE LEFT Over the years, we have attempted to land in a variety of locations on Mars’ surface, because each location teaches us more about the planet’s Choosing a landing site Viking 2 history. Curiosity has the SUCCESSFUL distinction of being the first Landed: September 3, lander that is able to control 1976 Phoenix Duration: September 3, SUCCESSFUL its descent and pinpoint a 1976 to July 25, 1978 landing site, then drive to Landed: May 25, 2008 a location too hazardous Duration: May 25, 2008 to November 2, 2008 Viking 1 to land in. Curiosity will SUCCESSFUL land safely in the flat floor Landed: July 20, 1976 Pathfinder of Gale crater, then drive to Spirit Duration: July 20, 1976 to SUCCESSFUL a mountain built of rocks November 13, 1982 Landed: July 4, 1997 SUCCESSFUL that contains minerals that Beagle 2 Duration: July 4, 1997 to UNSUCCESSFUL Curiosity Landed: January 4, 2004 September 27, 1997 formed in a wetter Mars more Landed: December 19, 2003 Duration: January 4, suitable for life. Projected landing: between 2004 to March 22, 2010 August 6 and August 20, 2012 Duration: to be determined Opportunity SUCCESSFUL Landed: January 25, 2004 Duration: January 25, 2004 to present Mars 3 UNSUCCESSFUL Mars 6 Landed: December 2, 1971 UNSUCCESSFUL Landed: March 12, 1974 M a p b y E m ily S . L Mars 2 akd UNSUCCESSFUL Mars Polar Lander a wa Landed: November 27, 1971 UNSUCCESSFUL lla a Landed: December 3, 1999 to p V ik in g c o lo r M D IM where we might find these a lake of water—a huge any evidence of Gusev’s Rover landing site selection constrained the locations in the site list was shortened. building blocks of life? It’s channel enters it from the watery past. Mars tricked us, process in the May/June 2003 which the spacecraft is highly Between workshops, orbit- not enough just to say that south and exits it from the and we can’t let that happen issue of The Planetary Report. likely to land safely, and then ing spacecraft were pointed water has been around. north. When Spirit landed again. Too much is at stake. The Curiosity landing site se- Mars scientists were invited at proposed sites to gather Spirit’s landing site provides there, however, scientists So where should Curiosity lection process proceeded to propose sites and defend more data to aid in making a cautionary tale. Gusev found that they had arrived land to find more evidence of according to the same plan. their choices to their peers in the choice. Periodically, up- crater clearly once con- in a “basalt prison,” where the existence of life? I wrote First, engineers developed a series of community work- dates from the engineers tained a river and likely later lava flows had hidden about the Mars Exploration a list of parameters that shops. At each workshop, changed the site constraints. 16 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 17 Relative sizes of Mars entry vehicle aeroshells TARGET: GALE Phoenix MER Mars Viking MSL Pathfinder The changes in safety con- proved to be particularly A locations on or near virtu- topography, so we can avoid broken down by liquid wa- (Meridiani, Opportunity’s Curiosity’s Instruments and Tools ssttrraicintitosn si monp othseed l asnedvienrge sirtee- Olopwp-odretnusniittyy, “swoe nStp ilroint g”a nidn eroshell im Mallayr se vhearsy t toy opffe eorf. terrain that hroavzearr dcoouusl dp llaacneds wonh esrleo pthees ctearn. OseMeE sGuAlf aatnesd aCnRdI ScMar balosno- lnaenvdeirn gla ndsieted) ,i n ba uptl acwee o’vlde McCnrNaReageHOAAamaeVVEdSsre MbIE TefGryRo alICAe Srsr mE AToT pfNIcRoMelOakrnVYEnsN tvI nRa&RAaiielAnn OLwcCdgS NoAiC nvmr(MAMogMiepvE MEapwoeNsRoEsrstTs i RAdcttsAihaAr io(LbiemCSvnl eeh Mg so(s )elNsfOo m cawrNiovC eihInccanTikaggmcOsm hep R)f- sltrraI)aoeN s rsmsmGgoh e talaSouat sowTtkdi tAeiofisstr Tnh wtoaaI mHiO andla DN cetasee - cea(.dlReorni sslEgaoctMltraoe nvSp iciem)de et-.oo pqestttehheaounleacraetd htlc uipe wttnidyroioio m tnuytpoo lp.ofd f rso Wrobedervdea vhe t eSamhapalt aa lie nrzcwnciaodtotar ni dsnnac oidgnenw uidr tnssoi oi triOtfhnnseopeegssr-, dd1oMtr5henioac sekwlrtpyiiersnle doaewc m bltreliaoiverpnuleetasgetl enya er1.stds )5 , lf i[0Forln8aowr g nloma o dmnec indant lohto tg9hiuceo e1aimgn3r ths siiato pl eaenonrlrsdneest],,-- ages by Loren A. Roberts using data from N WTvIalaNemHnhFlIodaNOilps eRGasi niM nrgeAog nT vagetI Oierns,rN meas ebcIaSryires ttA nee strwGi sOeotwsrOf eaDwy d eadrttoeea- wwgtrbhoreeaeac It awtkne tsn riec la oorltdt hfi mhtmdhanapitadatt lint heooht tean1uae5vr,rsl eysd wn e besohlegvewecereereon sneew n a swalfime.icqd eotcue iangvniodnegt, ywoatfoaotvaeiueunTtsnre h, fi drpeMsnt l hacdeacelvt rae wwasyss,phso. o o ebTrarrutnhasestpt de eme o o.ccsfnil utnalrmlyeyof arsmia,itnn eleee- srtrs ceiapcaerlhelrssl-- eeNFtmhsnOaoteoLr dsruLttooeO gawwlhWlntin an cT tligteoHeo n Et sthtph i CgecronL elssaA seiyoeYt ec frSm osvc neilona tfaye ti hrinnmaoitlnsesineg.r-- an airbag-protected landing vations and had flat enough A from two new orbiters: the for more than transient, cially, were only in tiny expo- erals virtually guaranteed  instruments monitor weather features including wind speed SA and direction, pressure, humidity, temperature, and ultraviolet following a ballistic descent. areas that were big enough /JP European Space Agency’s one-time events. This con- sures, because they seemed that the site at which Curios- rMaAdiRaSti oDnE.SCENT IMAGER (MARDI)  wide-angle, downward- Nsceieanr ttihstes ewnedr eo ffo trhcee dp troo caedsds, stok insnqyu eelelizpes eisn. these long, L-Caltech Mata Mrsa Ersx pnreeassr, twheh iscahm aer rtiivmede filudteionnc ein c othmee us nfdroemrst aan rdeivnog- aton ceixenistt oannldy, inh eMnacres, ’ mmoosstt ibtye ewn ouhladb iltaanbdle ,w oauclcdo rhdainveg pointing camera for taking photos during descent to help figure one landing site that would Curiosity’s landing will be as Spirit and Opportunity, of Mars’ history based on deeply buried rocks. to the scientists’ definition. out where the rover landed. be safe for landing but utter- much smarter. During Curi- and NASA’s Mars Reconnais- data from two orbital instru- The data from OMEGA With that in mind, as the site HAZARD AVOIDANCE CAMERAS (Hazcams)  take fish-eye ly uninteresting for science. osity’s autonomously guided sance Orbiter, which joined ments, both imaging spec- and CRISM developed the selection process matured views of terrain immediately in front of and behind the rover, Although Curiosity’s land- descent, the spacecraft will the party in 2005. trometers: OMEGA on Mars following story. At present, and the choices were win- for planning rock approaches and arm placement ing site selection process pro- “fly out” any atmospheric When the Spirit and Op- Express and CRISM on Mars Mars is cold and dry, with nowed to four, Curiosity’s CHEMISTRY & MINERALOGY (CheMin)  measures mineral ceeded according to the same variations it encounters, portunity landing sites were Reconnaissance Orbiter. a strongly oxidizing atmo- science team focused more makeup of samples of powdered rocks and soils delivered by the arm broad outlines, it evolved in a vastly reducing the uncer- being chosen, many of the OMEGA and CRISM are sphere, the cause of its rusty narrowly on habitable envi- totally different way. The two tainty in its landing location. presentations centered on able to see Mars at higher res- red color. Very early in its ronments that might actu- SAMPLE ANALYSIS AT MARS (SAM)  can detect organic compounds in powdered rocks and soils and obtain isotopic main differences had to do Its landing ellipse is about guessing at the properties olution than their forebears history, however, Mars had ally preserve evidence that ratios for carbon and oxygen compounds in samples and atmo- with improvements in mis- 20 by 25 kilometers (12 by 16 of the surface—how rocky it (TES on Mars Global Surveyor a neutral and much wetter organic materials were once sphere sion design and with a revo- miles), a number that may was likely to be, how thick and THEMIS on Odyssey), but environment, where silicate present and available for RADIATION ASSESSMENT DETECTOR (RAD)  for measur- lution in our understanding even decrease. The nearly the dust cover was likely to the key to the new under- minerals were weathered prebiotic or even biologic ing radiation dose that a human would receive on the Martian of Mars. constant altitude of the be, and what the rocks prob- standing didn’t come from into clay minerals. Later, a chemistry. Curiosity will have surface guided phase of its descent ably were made of. this sharper vision. The criti- last gasp of volcanic activity, the unique capability to DYNAMIC ALBEDO OF NEUTRONS (DAN)  measures abun- A SMART LANDER also means that Curiosity Thanks to Mars Express cal difference has to do with which belched out noxious detect and analyze organic dance of water in soil along the rover’s path Originally, this mission’s can land at elevations higher and Mars Reconnaissance Or- which wavelengths OMEGA gases from Mars’ interior, materials in rocks and soils. ROBOTIC ARM (RA)  can place five turret-mounted devices acronym, MSL, stood for than those of any previous biter, such guessing no lon- and CRISM see. acidified the environment, Once the focus shifted to 1.9 meters away from the rover. Mars Smart Lander, and the landers. ger is necessary. We can now TES and THEMIS operate producing sulfate minerals preservation, scientists ac- ALPHA PARTICLE X-RAY SPECTROMETER (APXS)  detects name still applies. Spirit’s The most exciting new see every single rock that is in the thermal infrared part like those explored at Me- tually found themselves in elemental composition of rocks and soils within reach of the arm; sensitive to larger-mass elements than ChemCam and Opportunity’s land- ability of Curiosity is that it large enough to present a of the spectrum, where rock- ridiani by Opportunity. After the odd position of worrying ing locations were at the is designed to be capable of hazard to the rover’s half- forming silicate minerals ex- that volcanism ended, the that some of the proposed MARS HAND LENS IMAGER (MAHLI)  color camera for mag- nified views of rocks and soils within reach of the arm mercy of Mars’ highly vari- driving at least 20 kilometers meter-high ground clear- press their presence as squig- modern cold, dry, oxidizing Martian landing sites might able atmospheric density, (12 miles) if necessary, mean- ance upon landing, thanks gles in the spectra. OMEGA conditions prevailed. have seen too much water in DUST REMOVAL TOOL (DRT)  a brush which meant that the landing that it could potentially to the sharp-eyed HiRISE and CRISM are sensitive to It’s clear that those most the past. Water may be nec- POWDER ACQUISITION DRILL SYSTEM (PADS)  a percus- ing ellipses (the regions drive right out of its land- camera, and we can auto- much shorter wavelengths, ancient rocks made in either essary to support life as we sive drill to take rock samples for CheMin and SAM in which navigators could ing ellipse. It could land on matically count them using the visible and near-infrared. of the two wetter eras—the know it, but once an organ- COLLECTION AND HANDLING FOR INTERIOR MARTIAN be more than 99% certain flat, scientifically uninter- algorithms developed for an- In that part of the spectrum, era of clays or the era of sul- ism has metabolized its last, ROCK ANALYSIS (CHIMRA)  sieves and portions samples for that the rovers would touch esting terrain and proceed alyzing the Phoenix landing spectroscopists can spot evi- fates—present a more favor- water is an enemy. CheMin and SAM down) were 10 by 80 kilome- to mountains and canyons site. We have digital terrain dence for water bound into able environment for the Even if a dead organ- Mounted to the front of the rover are BIT BOXES holding two ters (6 by 50 miles) in size, beyond the safe landing models made from overlap- crystals, either as water mol- possible presence of Mar- ism becomes buried, water spare bits for PADS and an OBSERVATION TRAY, onto which CHIMRA can dump sieved samples for examination by APXS highly elongated along their zone. All this capability ping HiRISE images that pro- ecules or as hydroxyl groups tian life than for the modern flowing through the ground and MAHLI. ground track. (As it turned opened up thousands, even vide amazingly sharp detail (OH–ions), in clay minerals environment. We’ve visited continues to serve as an effec- out, the day of both landings millions, of potential landing about the local and regional that form when rocks are a sulfate-rich environment tive medium for chemical 18 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 THE PLANETARY REPORT C SEPTEMBER EQUINOX 2011 19