OrbitalHub

Wikipedia dicit:

The sky crane system lowers the rover with a 7.6 m (25 ft) tether to a soft landing—wheels down—on the surface of Mars. This system consists of a bridle lowering the rover on three nylon tethers and an electrical cable carrying information and power between the descent stage and rover. As the support and data cables unreel, the rover’s six motorized wheels snap into position. At roughly 7.5 m (25 ft) below the descent stage the sky crane system slows to a halt and the rover touches down. After the rover touches down, it waits two seconds to confirm that it is on solid ground by detecting the weight on the wheels and fires several pyros (small explosive devices) activating cable cutters on the bridle and umbilical cords to free itself from the descent stage. The descent stage then flies away to a crash landing site 650 m (2,100 ft) away.

Video credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Wikipedia dicit:

Ingenuity (also known as the Mars Helicopter) is a robotic helicopter that is planned to be used to test the technology to scout interesting targets on Mars, and help plan the best driving route for future Mars rovers. The small drone helicopter is planned for deployment in 2021 from the Perseverance rover as part of the Mars 2020 mission. It is expected to fly up to five times during its 30-day test campaign, early in the rover’s mission, as it is primarily a technology demonstration. Each flight is planned to take no more than three minutes, at altitudes ranging from 3 to 10 m above the ground. It could potentially cover a distance of up to 300 metres (980 ft) per flight. It can use autonomous control and communicate with the Perseverance rover directly after each landing. If it works as expected, NASA could build on the design for future Mars aerial missions.

Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA dicit:

Bee-lieve it or not NASA could send a swarm of robot bees to the Red Planet. Researchers are taking inspiration from the insect world to develop Marsbee, a bold new idea that could enhance the exploration of Mars.

This is a research study within the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. NIAC is a visionary and far-reaching aerospace program, one that has the potential to create breakthrough technologies for possible future space missions. However, such early stage technology developments may never become actual NASA missions.

Video credit: NASA

Wikipedia dicit:

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft has discovered “layers” and “rifts” in the electrically charged part of the upper atmosphere (the ionosphere) of Mars. The phenomenon is very common at Earth and causes unpredictable disruptions to radio communications. However, we do not fully understand them because they form at altitudes that are very difficult to explore at Earth. The unexpected discovery by MAVEN shows that Mars is a unique laboratory to explore and better understand this highly disruptive phenomenon.

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/James Tralie (ADNET): Lead Producer, Lead Editor, Narrator/Bailee DesRocher (USRA): Lead Animator/Michael Lentz (USRA): Art Director/Jonathan North (USRA): Animator/Krystofer Kim (USRA): Animator/Jacquelyn DeMink (USRA): Animator/Bruce Jakosky (LASP): Scientist/Glyn Collinson (Catholic University of America): Scientist/Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

NASA dicit:

MAVEN is the first spacecraft specifically designed to study the Mars upper atmosphere, in order to better understand the evolution of its climate. By measuring windspeed and direction near the top of the atmosphere, MAVEN has discovered that high-altitude wind currents are being disturbed by terrain features far below. This unexpected and surprising finding means that MAVEN can sense the presence of mountains and valleys on the surface of Mars while skimming the edge of space.

Video Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/University of Michigan/Dan Gallagher (USRA): Producer/Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC): Lead Data Visualizer/Jonathan North (USRA): Lead Animator/Ernie Wright (USRA): Visualizer/Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC): Visualizer/Michael Lentz (USRA): Animator/Walt Feimer (KBRwyle): Animator/Chris Smith (USRA): Animator/John/Blackwell (LPI): Animator/Dan Gallagher (USRA): Narrator/Michael Lentz (USRA): Art Director/Mehdi Benna (UMBC): Lead Scientist/Kali Roeten (UM): Scientist/Paul Mahaffy (NASA/GSFC): Support/Bruce Jakosky (LASP): Principal Investigator/Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

Wikipedia dicit:

Mars 2020 is a Mars rover mission by NASA’s Mars Exploration Program with a planned launch on 17 July 2020, and touch down in Jezero crater on Mars on 18 February 2021.

The mission will seek signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, and will also search for evidence—or biosignatures—of past microbial life. The rover is planned for launch in 2020 on an Atlas V-541, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage the mission. The mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.

The Science Definition Team proposed that the rover collect and package as many as 31 samples of rock cores and surface soil for a later mission to bring back for definitive analysis on Earth. In 2015 they expanded the concept, planning to collect even more samples and distribute the tubes in small piles or caches across the surface of Mars.

In September 2013 NASA launched an Announcement of Opportunity for researchers to propose and develop the instruments needed, including the Sample Caching System. The science instruments for the mission were selected in July 2014 after an open competition based on the scientific objectives set one year earlier. The science conducted by the rover’s instruments will provide the context needed for detailed analyses of the returned samples. The chairman of the Science Definition Team stated that NASA does not presume that life ever existed on Mars, but given the recent Curiosity rover findings, past Martian life seems possible.

Video Credit: NASA