sciencetech-blog

comments

A souped-up version of the Curiosity rover has been unveiled with seven powerful instruments that could help unravel the mysteries of the red planet.

Among the most exciting is Moxie - a machine that sucks in carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and pumps out pure oxygen for rocket fuel, or for humans to someday breathe.

The 2020 Mars rover will also have the capability to capture images of the red planet that Nasa scientists claim will 'knock your socks off', using an instrument known as MastCam.

Enlarge  

Nasa has announced a slew of new instruments on its planned 2020 Mars Rover, including 2 on its mast that provide better imaging capabilities

'It will be closer to having an experience of a human looking at Mars,' said John Grunsfeld, an astronaut and associate administrator for the Nasa.

'You're going to feel like you're on Mars and that's going to be fantastic.'

MastCam will have an augmented 3.6:1 zoom feature capable of resolving images about one millimetre in size, in the near field and between three and four centimetres at 328ft (100 metre) distance.

As well as MastCam, SuperCam will be able to provide imaging, chemical composition analysis and mineralogy.

The 2020 Mars rover will also have the capability to capture images of the red planet that Nasa scientists claim will 'knock your socks off', using an instrument known as MastCam

Sherloc, a spectrometer, will provide fine-scale imaging and uses an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy and detect organic compounds

The instrument will also be able to detect the presence of organic compounds in rocks from a distance.

Meanwhile, Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (Sherloc) will provide fine-scale imaging and uses an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy and detect organic compounds.

'The rocks on Mars tell a story,' said Mr Grunsfeld. 'They tell a story about the history of Mars, and the words of the story are written in minerals. And that's what this rover is going to do.'

One of the key features is the fact that the rover's 99lb (45kg) payload will be able to bring intact samples back to Earth, without it being crushed - as is the case with Curiosity.  

Meda, a set of sensors, will provide measurements of temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, relative humidity and dust size and shape.

'We are excited that Nasa's Space Technology Program is partnered with Human Exploration and the Mars 2020 Rover Team to demonstrate our abilities to harvest the Mars atmosphere and convert its abundant carbon dioxide to pure oxygen,' said James Reuther, deputy associate administrator for programs for the Space Technology Mission Directorate.

'This technology demonstration will pave the way for more affordable human missions to Mars where oxygen is needed for life support and rocket propulsion.'

These instruments will be carried onboard the agency's Mars 2020 mission, a roving laboratory based on the Curiosity rover.

The 'roving laboratory' will be powered by a radioisotrope generator that gives the rover an operating life-span of at least a full Martian year. This equals 687 days on Earth.

The space agency said it received 58 proposals in January for science and exploration technology instruments to fly on board the Mars 2020 mission.

RIMFAX is a ground-penetrating radar that provides centimetre-scale resolution of the geologic structure of the subsurface

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with a built-in high resolution imager than can determine the fine scale elemental composition of Martian surface materials. PIXL will make it possible to make detailed detection and analysis of chemical elements than ever before

This was twice the average number of proposals submitted for instrument competitions in the recent past and an indicator of the extraordinary interest in exploration of the red planet.

Nasa hopes the 2020 Mars rover will demonstrate technology for a human exploration of the planet and look for signs of life.

For instance, the rover could make measurements and technology demonstrations to help designers of a human expedition understand any hazards posed by Martian dust.

It could also demonstrate how to collect carbon dioxide, which could be a resource for making oxygen and rocket fuel.

Nasa's next Mars rover (plans pictured) has been given a mission to find signs of past life and to collect and store rock from the the red planet that will one day be sent back to Earth. Mars 2020 will also demonstrate technology for a human exploration of the planet

SuperCam is an instrument that provides imaging, chemical composition analysis, and mineralogy. It will also be able to locate organic compounds in rocks, from a distance

It will use the same body of Nasa's Curiosity Rover, which is currently searching for life on Mars, and beginning the journey to its final destination.

The new rover will also use the same landing system as Curiosity, which was a ground-breaking chassis and 'sky crane' to arrive on Mars in one piece.

As a result, Mars 2020 is estimated to cost $1.5 billion - one billion less than its predecessor Curiosity.

The new design, which will collect rock samples, marks the next major step in fulfilling President Obama's challenge of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s.

John Grunsfeld, Nasa's associate administrator for science in Washington, said: 'Crafting the science and exploration goals is a crucial milestone in preparing for our next major Mars mission.'

In April, head of the U.S. space programme Charles Bolden, said: 'If this species is to survive indefinitely we need to become a multi-planet species, we need to go to Mars, and Mars is a stepping stone to other solar systems.'

Mr Bolden revealed plans for the series of 'stepping stones' to the red planet, which included 'lassoing' an asteroid.

It also included growing plants in space, and using 3D printers for onboard repairs.

 

The NEXT Mars Rover! Scientists talk about hopes for 2020 mission

The 2020 mission aims to build on the accomplishments of Curiosity and other Mars missions.

The Spirit and Opportunity rovers, along with several orbiters, found evidence Mars has a watery history.

Curiosity has also confirmed that past environmental conditions on Mars could have supported living microbes.

According to the Science Definition Team, looking for signs of past life is the next logical step.

The rover will use its instruments for visual, mineralogical and chemical analysis down to microscopic scale to understand the environment around its landing site.

It will also identify biosignatures or features in the rocks and soil that could have been formed biologically.

Jack Mustard, chairman of the Science Definition Team and a professor of geological sciences at Brown University in Providence, said: 'The Mars 2020 mission concept does not presume that life ever existed on Mars.'

'However, given the recent Curiosity findings, past Martian life seems possible and we should begin the difficult endeavor of seeking the signs of life.

'No matter what we learn, we would make significant progress in understanding the circumstances of early life existing on Earth and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.'

There are plans for the next rover to collect and package as many as 31 samples of rock cores and soil with the intention of a later mission picking them up bringing them back to Earth for more definitive analysis in laboratories.

In a bid to save time and money, the Mars 2020 rover will share the body of Nasa's Curiosity Rover (model pictured) which is currently searching for life on Mars. The new rover will use the same landing system as Curiosity, which used a ground-breaking chassis and 'sky crane' to arrive on Mars in one piece