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Deep space 2: The Mars Microprobe Mission

Smrekar, S. and Catling, D. and Lorenz, R. and Magalhaes, J. and Moersch, J. and Morgan, P. and Murray, B. and Presley, M. and Yen, A. and Zent, A. and Blaney, D. (1999) Deep space 2: The Mars Microprobe Mission. Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets, 104 (E11). pp. 27013-27030. ISSN 0148-0227

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Publisher’s or external URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1999JE001073

Abstract

The Mars Microprobe Mission will be the second of the New Millennium Program's technology development missions to planetary bodies. The mission consists of two penetrators that weigh 2.4 kg each and are being carried as a piggyback payload on the Mars Polar Lander cruise ring. The spacecraft arrive at Mars on December 3, 1999. The two identical penetrators will impact the surface at similar to 190 m/s and penetrate up to 0.6 m. They will land within 1 to 10 km of each other and similar to 50 km from the Polar Lander on the south polar layered terrain. The primary objective of the mission is to demonstrate technologies that will enable future science missions and, in particular, network science missions. A secondary goal is to acquire science data. A subsurface evolved water experiment and a thermal conductivity experiment will estimate the water content and thermal properties of the regolith. The atmospheric density, pressure, and temperature will be derived using descent deceleration data. Impact accelerometer data will be used to determine the depth of penetration, the hardness of the regolith, and the presence or absence of 1.0 cm scale layers.

Item Type: Article
Publisher’s Statement: © 1999 by the American Geophysical Union. DOI: 10.1029/1999JE001073
ID number or DOI: 10.1029/1999JE001073
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Q Science > QE Geology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status: Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit: College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2015 20:22
URI: http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/925

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