Introduction Research to Date Importance of Water Previous Landing Sites Mars Polar Lander Safe Landing Sites Conclusion
Introduction
Mars has long held a fascination for scientists and laymen alike and much research has been done to this point. The aim of this undertaking is to investigate the point that we have reached from this research and the best way to move forward.
Following on from this, a proposed, best landing site will be suggested to further understanding of Mars, based on the data that can be gained from the location and the feasibility of a safe and useful landing.
Research to Date
Martian data is collected in a variety of ways and will be dealt with separately. Flybys and Orbiters. Data from the Mars Global Sureveyor have shown surface structures, altimetry profiles, underlying buried hydrogen and temperatures that are consistent with the presence of water ice at the southern polar cap[1].
Previous Landers: The Viking landers discovered that Mars has very dry soil and appears to be self-sterilizing. It also gave some clues to the existence of a seasonal water cycle, and this became an area for further development[2].
Previous Rovers: NASA's rovers, have shown evidence that water was present on Mars. Most notably the Spirit Rover which showed interaction between water and volcanic rocks in the Gusev Plains[3].
Importance of Water
The Martian atmosphere transports water through a variety of processes both as vapor and as condensate and these processes are powered by solar heat. The atmospheric transport interacts with the Martian seasonal and residual polar ice caps during the seasonal cycle.
An understanding of the water reservoirs of Mars and its role in the seasonal cycle would give deeper insight into its climate change, and perhaps, in turn, to the climate change on Earth. It would also allow further development of models regarding future research stations and possibly habitation.
By digging into the Martian surface in the polar regions, a layered history of climate change could be revealed.
Previous Landing Sites
In the past, Mars missions have been predominantly conducted close to the equatorial region, as shown in figure 1. It is clear from the figure and more so from the evidence of missions mentioned above, that the Martian surface has much lateral variation. The most extreme example of this is the polar caps that are a mixture of carbon dioxide and water ice.
Mars Polar Lander
It was intended that the Mars Polar Lander would investigate the southern polar cap of Mars in 1999 using its thermal and evolved gas analyzer (TEGA) to discover the content of volatiles and to constrain the mineral composition of the soil.
The probe failed to land successfully, although its intended landing site is marked in figure 1. As well as TEGA, the Mars Polar Lander carried water detection equipment.
Safe Landing Sites
The southern polar region is an extreme terrain with many cliffs, scarps and peaks. This makes it incredibly risky trying to land a craft in that area. An ideal site would slope no more than 10° and would be stable. By landing too far South, it becomes impossible to find a safe area, meeting the above description that is large enough to land in. 76°S195°W fits this description perfectly.[5].
Conclusion
The ideal polar site for the next Mars Mission would be centered on 76°S195°W. It is safe from extreme surface features and close enough to the ice caps to provide the required data to allow research in the areas listed above.
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