Red Rover
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
analyses from, 179
caliber of camera on, 199
image captured by, (ins. img. 12), 210
relying on images from, 179
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) additional funding needed for, 140, 147
capsule for, 144–145, 144–145
ChemCam cost review and, 140
delayed launch of, 147, 148
electrical motors for, 145–146, 148
engineering model for, 112, 142
instrument selections for, 108–110
list of cutback options for, review of, 128–129
motors for, temperature issue with, 127
naming contest for, 148
new landing technology developed for, 145
parachute for, 144
payload budget for, 110, 125–127
payload selection for, 99–100
proposals for, arrival of, 105
radiation and, 117
reviewing proposals for, 107
RTG-powered, 117, 144, 145
size issues affecting, addressing, 144–145
as a successor to Mars Exploration Rovers, 98, 143
versatility of, features intending for, 144
See also Curiosity
Mars Science Laboratory InterfaCE (MSLICE), 195
Mars Scout program, 86, 89, 91
Mars Society, 135
Mars 3 mission, 10
Mars time, adjusting to, 211, 213
Martian rocks, 11
Martin, James S., Jr., 29, 30, 31, 32, 93
Mast motors, 145, 146, 155
Mast unit, 75, 78, 98, 112, 113, 114, 122, 123, (ins. img. 15), 126, 138, 145, 160, 161, 162, 164, 194, 212, 214
Mastcam
as a sentry, 109
as a set of imagers, 168
view from, (ins. img. 14, 16), 212, 214
Maurice, Sylvestre, 95, 96–98, 100–101, 108, 122, (ins. img. 7), 131, 162, 186, 187, 197, 206, 212
Mawrth Valles site, 179, 180, 181, 183
Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, 171
McKay, Christopher, 101
McKeegan, Kevin, 63
Mennonite Central Committee, 170
Mercury, ideas for small missions to, 20
Mercury program, 5, 187
MERs. See Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs)
Meslin, Pierre-Yves, 186
Meteorites, 11, 62, 73, 86, 87, 88, 90, 174
Meyer, Michael, 130
Michael Army Airfield, 51, 53
Micrometeroid effects, investigating, 36, 37
Military lasers, 70, 71
Military space efforts, 18, 20, 30, 46, 51
Miller, Ed, 130, 156
Milliken, Ralph, 173
Mitrofanov, Igor, 170–171
Mobile lab concept, 99, 107
Model rockets, building, 5–6, 54–55
Moon rocks, 11, 59, 62, 90
Moon, the, 186
Apollo capsules used for missions to, 144
decade devoid of explorations to, 13
first mission to, 6–7, 7–8
first spacecraft to go past, and return, 45, 54
ice discovery on, 171
ideas for small missions to, 20
last astronauts to walk on, 10
magnetic tail extending past, 19
module orbiting, 7–8
next step for NASA after, 87
positioning of, for launching missions, 41
race to, 6
reflector on, 72
solar-wind samples from Apollo missions to, 17
surface of, and lasers, 69
See also specific Moon missions and spacecraft
Mount Sharp, (ins. img. 14, 16)
MSL. See Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
NASA Advisory Council, 133
NASA TV, 41, 207
National Academy of Sciences, 133
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
administrative change in, 14–15
call by, for instrument concepts for new Mars missions, 73–74
contests held by, for mission concepts, 20–22, 85–86, 91
controlling costs at, difficulty of, 128
cost pressures facing, involving all missions, 127–128
effect of a reduced budget on, 10, 13–14, 75, 88
electrical leads forbidden by, 118
fiber experts, 122
flight project stages, 112
investing more money into missions, 88
live feed from, 204–205
Los Alamos National Laboratory and, 34, 108
major failures faced by, 13, 14
new approach to missions at, 15, 16
old approach to missions at, 15, 16
Physics and Astrophysics divisions of, 19
planetary protection office, 178, 179
planning first orbiter to Mars, 9
public-relations hit for, 51, 53
race to the Moon and, 6
relationship with foreign space agencies, 95, 96, 106
restrictions on, 44
review board of, for selecting the first Discovery mission, 29–31
selections by, and the process leading to flight units and testing, 111–112
small mission concepts presented to, 20–21
Solar System Exploration division of, 93
test rovers and, 74, 75, 76
usual response of, to mission financial troubles, 125
See also specific NASA centers, programs, missions, spacecraft, and personnel
National Ignition Facility, 70
National Public Radio (NPR), 93
Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, 72
Neugebauer, Marcia, 18, 25
Neutron spectrometers, 107, 109, 141, 170, 171
New Mexico (Cerro Grande) fire, 79–83
Newsom, Horton, 101
Niemann, Hasso, 168
Nilli Fossae valley, 179
Nitrogen isotopes, 64
Ocean Optics, Inc., 101, 120
Odyssey, Mars satellite, 198, 204, 210
Office of Solar System Exploration, 87
Operational readiness tests (ORTs), 194–195, 196–199
Operations lead, 195
Oppenheimer, Robert, 33
Opportunity, 89, 98, 143, 147, 169, 173, 209
See also Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs)
Optical demultiplexer (demux), 156, 157
Optical fiber issues, 113–116, 120–121, 122, 126, 138
Optical lens design, 156, 157–158
Orion, 148
Oxygen, 142, 175
Oxygen isotopes, 62, 63, 64
Paillet, Allexis, 162
Pancam, 102
Parachute deployment, failure in, 54, 55, 60
Parachutes, 5, 30, 48, 49, 52, 56, 57, 59, 89, (ins. img. 12), 144, 145, 194, 203, 204, 207
Parafoil, 52
Pathfinder, Mars mission, 74, 88
Pavri, Betina, 161
Pepin, Robert, 11
Percholate chemicals, 142
Perez, René, 187, 205–206, 208
Phobos, 189
Phoenix Mars lander, 10, 94, 141–142, 145, 199
Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS), 133
Planetary Society, 135
Proposal phase, 112
R Coronae Borealis, 9
R Leonis, 9
Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), 212
Radiation levels, 117
Radiation monitor, 109, 171
Radiation testing, 43, 45, 119
Radio signal frequency, 203–204
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), 117, 144, 145, 154, 164, 178
Raman spectroscopy, 106–107, 110, 169
Reagan, Ronald, 70, 92
Red Planet. See Mars
Reentry capsules, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 47, 51, 52, 53
Resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS), 27, 71
Retro-rocket
package, 145, 161–162, 164, 194, 209
See also Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) stage
Robotic missions
effect of a reduced budget on, 13–14
involving the Physics and Astrophysics divisions, 19
shift to, 10
small, push for, 15
See also specific robotic missions, spacecraft, and probes
Rocknest, 211
Rover Development Team, 75
Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), 212
Rover Technology Group, 74
Rovers
ChemCam interfacing with, challenge of, 112–116
communications with, 78
expanding use of, 88
field testing involving, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78–79, 80, 82, 83
generator used for powering, 117, 144, 145
”shake and bake” tests for instruments on, 101, 140
See also specific rovers and missions
RTG. See Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG)
Rudert, Dan, 52–53
Rummel, John, 178
Russia
collaborations with, 98, 109, 170–171
Comet Halley and, 14
mission by, to Mars’ moon, 189
proposals from, for the mobile laboratory, 107
See also Soviet Union, the
Salt flats, 30, 52, 57, (ins. img. 2)
Sample Analysis on Mars (SAM), 109, 169, 212
Sample Arm and Sample Preparation and Handling system (SA-SPaH), 127, 128
See also Arm, rover
Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars (SCIM), 89, 90–92, 93, 94, 95, 98, (ins. img. 4), 141, 149, 185
Sample-return missions, 17, 31, 35, 87–88, 89
See also Solar-wind sample-return mission
Sandia National Laboratories, 48
Satellites, 19, 30, 46, 74, 96, 123, 173, 198, 199, 204, 210, 212
Saturn, 14, 160, 168
Saturn V, 6–7
Scarecrow rover, (ins. img. 10)
Schiaparelli, Giovanni, 8, 9
Scientist-led approach, 15, 16
Seven Minutes of Terror (video), 205
“Shake and bake” tests, 101, 138, 140, 156, 163–164
Sharma, Shiv, 107
Silicon, 169, 174
Silicon dioxide, 173
Sirius, 148
Sky Crane, (ins. img. 13), 145, 162, 194, 203, 204, 207, 208, 213
Slow Motion Field Test, 172–176
Smithsonian Museum, 183
Snodgrass, Roger, 55
Sojourner, Mars rover, 98, 171
Solar system, formation of, 62, 63, 64
Solar wind, described, 17, 24n
Solar-wind concentrator design, 27, 35, 36, 63, (ins. img. 1)
Solar-wind concentrator grids
integration of, 39
testing, 36, 37–38
Solar-wind concentrator target, locating, following impact, 58
Solar-wind detectors, acquiring and testing, 38–39
Solar-wind monitors, 38, 39
Solar-wind sample-return mission
collectors for, deploying and stowing, 23–24, (ins. img. 1)
complete proposal for, working on, 23–26
concept proposal for, submitting, as a Discovery mission, 20–22
cost to return samples in, 20
earlier imperfect attempts at, 17
idea of, pursuing, 16–17
new plans for an independent, 18–20
selection of, as a small mission concept winner, 21, 22
See also Genesis
Solar-wind test facility, 28
Sounding-rocket sampling, 90
Soviet Union, the
collaborations with, 95–96
Mars landings and, 191
nuclear weapons and, 171
space race and, 6, 10, 95
See also Russia
Space race, 6, 10, 95
Space Shuttle program, 13, 188
Space shuttles, 13, 45, 55, 89, 92, 93, 94, 183, 185, 188
Spain, 109, 171
Spare-part testing, 43
Spectrometers, 70, 72–73, 101, 102, 106–107, 109, 110, 126, 137, 160, 169, 170, 171
See also Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
Spectroscopists, perspective of, 179, 180
Spirit, 89, 98, 143, 147, 169, 176, 209, 214
See also Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs)
Sputnik, 5
Squyres, Steve, 167, 177, 206–207
Star observations, 9
Star trackers, 43–44
Star Wars missile defense system, 70
Stardust, 27, 31, 32, 60, 86, 90
Stern, Alan, 128, 131, 133, 140, 141, 147, 172
Stiglich, Ralph, 135, 152–153
Stolper, Ed, 172
Suborbital flights, 89–90
Sulfur, 64, 175, 176
Sun, the
centrifugal force of going around, 19
composition of, studying, 4, 16–17, 18
Earth and Mars orbiting, 8, 147
elliptical orbit around, inner and outer point of, 201
instrument used to collect oxygen and nitrogen from, (ins. img. 3)
magnetic fields radiating out from, 17
nitrogen of, 64
oxygen of, 62, 63
ratio of isotopes, 62, 63, 64, 87
rising and setting on Mars, 214
wind from, described, 17, 24n
See also Solar-wind sample-return mission
Swiss scientists, 17
Syrtis Major, 9
Telescope observations, 8, 9, 14, 94, 112–113
Telescopes, lasers, and spectrometers. See Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
Thermal spectroscopy, 106, 110
Thermoelectric cooler (TEC), 155–156
Thiemens, Mark, 90
Titan, 168
Titanium, 126, 127, 162
United States, the
collaborations with the Soviet Union, 95–96
live events planned in, to watch Curiosity’s landing, 204–205
Mars landings and, 191
number of Mars landings by, 209
space race and, 6, 10, 95
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 63, 64
University of California, San Diego (UCSD), 90
University of Hawaii, 107
University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy, 11
University of New Mexico, 101
Uplink leads, 196
US Geological Survey, 101
Utah Test and Training Range, 52
Vaniman, Dave, 170
Venus, 20, 149, 168
Venus orbiter, 27
Vertigo (company), 52
Viking program, 10, 11, 13, 29, 101, 142, 145, 206
Visible and Infrared Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer (OMEGA), 179, 180
Vulcanologists, 214
Wang, Alian, 107
War of the Worlds (radio broadcast), 70
Washington University, St. Louis, 107
Water, detection of, 98–99, 109, 141, 142, 171, 178, 212, 214
Weather station, 109, 171
Weiler, Ed, 182
Welles, Orson, 70
Wheel motors, 145, 146
Wheels, 75, (ins. img. 10), 145, 162, 194, 204, 208, 214
Whitaker, Rob, 102
Wiens, Roger, 42, (ins. img. 3, 6, 9)
X-ray diffractometer (XRD), 107, 109, 110, 133, 169, 170
Z Ursa Majoris, 9
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