To infinity . . . and Mars

Friday, January 22, 1999

To infinity . . . and Mars

NASA’s next Mars

lander will be

controlled by UCLA

researchers

By Angela Sveda

Daily Bruin Contributor

Earlier this month, the Mars Polar Lander was launched from Cape
Canaveral, signaling a revolutionary step for NASA.

"It’s the first planned mission not controlled by NASA. It’s
controlled by UCLA," said Steve Salyards, network administrator
with the Mars Volatile and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) research
team.

In 1995, NASA selected UCLA to head this mission because it had
already developed the technology needed, said Karen McBride,
Operations Manager.

Currently, a prototype of the lander resides in the Science and
Technology Building in Westwood. In addition, computers are being
set up to relay and analyze the information gathered after the
lander touches down in December. Both the prototype and the sandbox
will be fully assembled by February.

While on Mars, the Mars Polar Lander will study the climate,
history and the possible presence of water and carbon dioxide.

It will help scientists to understand the potential for life on
Mars, the planet’s similarity to earth’s climate and the potential
for future exploration.

After traveling 470 million miles, the lander will touch down on
the southern pole this December – a prime candidate for carbon
dioxide and water due to extreme temperatures.

Information gathered from the Viking orbitors, the Mariner 9
mission of the 1970s and the Mars Global Surveyor (launched in
November of 1996) contributed to the selection of this landing
site, said Jean-Pierre Williams, a MVACS research assistant.

The site appears to be a layered terrain covered with a dusty
material which is an indication of climate change.

"The big mystery of Mars is what has happened to all the water,"
said Williams.

When the polar lander touches down, UCLA’s 40-person team will
work 12-hour shifts and all-nighters to monitor the mission,
McBride said.

On the first day, the Mars Polar Lander will communicate with
the earth directly via the Deep Space Network.

The lander will continue to communicate with the earth
indirectly via the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched in fall.
The average communication time will be eight minutes.

The lander houses the MVACS, which will study water and carbon
dioxide at the landing site, and the Mars Descent Imager and the
Light Detecting and Ranging laser (LIDAR) will study the geology
and atmosphere near the landing site.

LIDAR also contains the Mars Microphone, which will record
sounds made by the lander as well sounds from the surface, such as
dust storms.

The Mars Polar Lander also has three cameras on board which will
take pictures as the lander descends to the planet. A stereocamera,
fixed on top of the lander, will provide landscape photos as well
as 3-D pictures. The third camera, at the end of the robotic arm,
will allow close-up pictures of soil samples.

After the robotic arm collects soil samples, it will place them
into one of the eight ovens in a gas analyzer. The information
gathered from the heating of the sample will determine the presence
of water and carbon dioxide.

Researchers now are mainly concerned with preparing the
computers and training their staff within the 11 months before the
landing, said Salyards.

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