Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьDenis Voronin пишет: 
Неужто всё настолько плохо что нельзя подрулить? К тому же на орбите спутники болтаются хорошие и разные, они ведь наверняка в состоянии своими приборами оценить параметры атмосферы.

ЦитироватьVi1 пишет:

ЦитироватьDenis Voronin пишет:
Неужто всё настолько плохо что нельзя подрулить? К тому же на орбите спутники болтаются хорошие и разные, они ведь наверняка в состоянии своими приборами оценить параметры атмосферы.

Подрулить может быть и не проблема, проблема - затормозить тяжелый агрегат в тонкой атмосфере. Это не 350-кг "Феникс"

Цитироватьsychbird пишет:
Реализм заставляет искать пути доставки образцов на землю.

Цитироватьsychbird пишет:
Интересно, что постепенно энтузиазм возможностей автономных АМС в ответах на вопрос о реальности внеземной жизни сходит на нет.

Реализм заставляет искать пути доставки образцов на землю.

ЦитироватьN.A. пишет:
На самом деле автономными АМС планомерно ("поиск жизни->поиск воды->поиск следов жизни->поиск следов воды" ;)  был практически закрыт вопрос о реальности внеземной жизни. И тем самым сведен на нет соответствующий энтузиазм.

Цитироватьtestest пишет:

ЦитироватьN.A. пишет:
На самом деле автономными АМС планомерно  был практически закрыт вопрос о реальности внеземной жизни.

Нет. Вопрос закрыт только для Луны и подобных ей тел. Для Марса он не закрыт, несмотря на многомиллиардные АМС, и доставка образца грунта его тоже не закроет.

ЦитироватьN.A. пишет:
Беллетристика. История науки - это история ограничения безудержного полета фантазии достоверными знаниями.

"Многомиллиардные АМС" к настоящему моменту обеспечили достоверные знания о том, что в исследованных ими районах нет ни жизни (земного типа), ни условий для нее

Цитироватьtestest пишет:

ЦитироватьN.A. пишет:
Беллетристика. История науки - это история ограничения безудержного полета фантазии достоверными знаниями.

"Многомиллиардные АМС" к настоящему моменту обеспечили достоверные знания о том, что в исследованных ими районах нет ни жизни (земного типа), ни условий для нее

не несите чушь. Согласно современным представлениям ученых, на Марсе может существовать жизнь. И сейчас, и до марсоходов ученые считали, что она может находиться в нескольких метрах под поверхностью, где пара метров пород защищает потенциальную жизнь от радиации.

Что марсоходы узнали о среде под поверхностью Марса? Ничего. Ноль единиц информации.

ЦитироватьN.A. пишет:
Ваше желание цапнуть меня за ногу понятно - это обычное дело среди путающих факты и домыслы. Но жизнь на Марсе от этого обнаружится вряд ли.

ЦитироватьDenis Voronin пишет:
К тому же на орбите спутники болтаются хорошие и разные, они ведь наверняка в состоянии своими приборами оценить параметры атмосферы.

ЦитироватьPIN пишет:
она еще и варьируется от перицентра к перицентру в диапазоне минимум 30%.

ЦитироватьNASA's Mars 2020 Supersonic Parachute: Test Flight #1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220677.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 14 нояб. 2017 г.

The first flight of an advanced supersonic parachute system for Mars 2020—NASA's next Mars rover. This video is narrated by Ian Clark, the test's technical lead from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The test took place on Oct. 4, 2017, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. At the moment of full inflation, the parachute is going 1.8 times the speed of sound or nearly 1,300 miles an hour, and generating nearly 35,000 pounds of drag force—drag that would be necessary to help slow a payload down as it was entering the Martian atmosphere. This is the first of several tests in support of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. For more information, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fmars.nasa.gov%2Fmars2020&redir_token=BXolY_SMPjprr0PaeLa2-6Lz2R18MTUxMDg2NzE1M0AxNTEwNzgwNzUz&event=video_description&v=mTAbj8aRVvg).

Цитировать https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasas-mars-2020-mission-performs-first-supersonic-parachute-test

Nov. 14, 2017

NASA's Mars 2020 Mission Performs First Supersonic Parachute Test

Landing on Mars is difficult and not always successful. Well-designed advance testing helps. An ambitious NASA Mars rover mission set to launch in 2020 will rely on a special parachute to slow the spacecraft down as it enters the Martian atmosphere at over 12,000 mph (5.4 kilometers per second). Preparations for this mission have provided, for the first time, dramatic video of the parachute opening at supersonic speed.

The Mars 2020 mission will seek signs of ancient Martian life by investigating evidence in place and by caching drilled samples of Martian rocks for potential future return to Earth. The mission's parachute-testing series, the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment, or ASPIRE, began with a rocket launch and upper-atmosphere flight last month from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.

"It is quite a ride," said Ian Clark, the test's technical lead from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "The imagery of our first parachute inflation is almost as breathtaking to behold as it is scientifically significant. For the first time, we get to see what it would look like to be in a spacecraft hurtling towards the Red Planet, unfurling its parachute."

A 58-foot-tall (17.7-meter) Black Brant IX sounding rocket launched from Wallops on Oct. 4 for this evaluation of the ASPIRE payload performance. The payload is a bullet-nosed, cylindrical structure holding a supersonic parachute, the parachute's deployment mechanism, and the test's high-definition instrumentation -- including cameras -- to record data.

The rocket carried the payload as high as about 32 miles (51 kilometers). Forty-two seconds later, at an altitude of 26 miles (42 kilometers) and a velocity of 1.8 times the speed of sound, the test conditions were met and the Mars parachute successfully deployed. Thirty-five minutes after launch, ASPIRE splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean about 34 miles (54 kilometers) southeast of Wallops Island.

"Everything went according to plan or better than planned," said Clark. "We not only proved that we could get our payload to the correct altitude and velocity conditions to best mimic a parachute deployment in the Martian atmosphere, but as an added bonus, we got to see our parachute in action as well."

The parachute tested during this first flight was almost an exact copy of the parachute used to land NASA's Mars Science Laboratory successfully on the Red Planet in 2012. Future tests will evaluate the performance of a strengthened parachute that could also be used in future Mars missions. The Mars 2020 team will use data from these tests to finalize the design for its mission.  

The next ASPIRE test is planned for February 2018.

The Mars 2020 project's parachute-testing series, ASPIRE, is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with support from NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, and NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, for NASA's Space Science Mission Directorate.  NASA's Sounding Rocket Program is based at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility. Orbital ATK provides mission planning, engineering services and field operations through the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract. NASA's Heliophysics Division (http://www.nasa.gov/sunearth) manages the sounding-rocket program for the agency.

ЦитироватьEngineering for Mars: Building the Mars 2020 Mission (360 video)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220677.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 7 дек. 2017 г.

Peer over the shoulders of our engineers as they build hardware for NASA's Mars 2020 mission. This 360 video transports you to the historic Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Engineer Emily Howard narrates as you walk around the cruise stage, which will fly the 2020 rover to the Red Planet, and the descent stage, which will lower the rover to the Martian surface. Note: Not all browsers support viewing 360 videos. YouTube supports their playback on computers using Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers. Use the YouTube app to view it on a smart phone.

ЦитироватьSarah Milkovich‏ @milkysa (https://twitter.com/milkysa) · 10h (https://twitter.com/milkysa/status/962080526868791296)

Scenes from @NASAJPL (https://twitter.com/NASAJPL) Spacecraft Assembly Facility today #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hash)

That's the descent stage (skycrane) for the #Mars2020 rover + some additional boxes containing hardware. We're not quite officially into Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) but are already building hardware!

ЦитироватьA piece of a meteorite called Sayh al Uhaymir 008 (SaU008) will be carried on board NASA's Mars 2020 rover mission, now being built at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This chunk will serve as target practice for a high-precision laser on the rover's arm.

Спойлер

Mars 2020's goal is ambitious: collect samples from the Red Planet's surface that a future mission could potentially return to Earth. One of the rover's many tools will be a laser designed to illuminate rock features as fine as a human hair.

That level of precision requires a calibration target to help tweak the laser's settings. Previous NASA rovers have included calibration targets as well. Depending on the instrument, the target material can include things like rock, metal or glass, and can often look like a painter's palette.

But working on this particular instrument sparked an idea among JPL scientists: why not use an actual piece of Mars? Earth has a limited supply of Martian meteorites, which scientists determined were blasted off Mars' surface millions of years ago.

These meteorites aren't as unique as the geologically diverse samples 2020 will collect. But they're still scientifically interesting -- and perfect for target practice.

"We're studying things on such a fine scale that slight misalignments, caused by changes in temperature or even the rover settling into sand, can require us to correct our aim," said Luther Beegle of JPL. Beegle is principal investigator for a laser instrument called SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals). "By studying how the instrument sees a fixed target, we can understand how it will see a piece of the Martian surface."

SHERLOC will be the first instrument on Mars to use Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies, scientific techniques familiar to forensics experts. Whenever an ultraviolet light shines over certain carbon-based chemicals, they give off the same characteristic glow that you see under a black light.

Scientists can use this glow to detect chemicals that form in the presence of life. SHERLOC will photograph the rocks it studies, then map the chemicals it detects across those images. That adds a spatial context to the layers of data Mars 2020 will collect.

"This kind of science requires texture and organic chemicals -- two things that our target meteorite will provide," said Rohit Bhartia of JPL, SHERLOC's deputy principal investigator.

No Flaky Meteorites

Martian meteorites are precious in their rarity. Only about 200 have been confirmed by The Meteoritical Society, which has a database listing these vetted meteorites.

To select the right one for SHERLOC, JPL turned to contacts at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, as well as the Natural History Museum of London. Not just any Martian meteorite would do: its condition would need to be solid enough that it would not flake apart during the intensity of launch and landing.

It also needed to possess certain chemical features to test SHERLOC's sensitivity. These had to be reasonably easy to detect repeatedly for the calibration target to be useful.

Experts tried several samples, cutting off thin bits to test whether they would crumble. Using a "flaky" sample could damage the entire meteorite in the process.

The SHERLOC team ultimately agreed on using SaU008, a meteorite found in Oman in 1999. Besides being more rugged than other samples, a piece of it was available courtesy of Caroline Smith, principal curator of meteorites at London's Natural History Museum.

"Every year, we provide hundreds of meteorite specimens to scientists all over the world for study," Smith said. "This is a first for us: sending one of our samples back home for the benefit of science."

SaU008 will be the first Martian meteorite to have a fragment return to the planet's surface -- though not the first on a return trip to Mars.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor included a chunk of a meteorite known as Zagami. It's still floating around the Red Planet onboard the now-defunct orbiter.

Additionally, the team behind Mars2020's SuperCam instrument will be adding a Martian meteorite to their own calibration target.

Preparing for Humans on Mars

Along with its own Martian meteorite, SHERLOC's calibration target will include several interesting scientific samples for human spaceflight. These include materials that could be used to make spacesuit fabric, gloves and a helmet's visor.

By watching how they hold up under Martian weather, including radiation, NASA will be able to test these materials for future Mars missions.

"The SHERLOC instrument is a valuable opportunity to prepare for human spaceflight as well as to perform fundamental scientific investigations of the Martian surface," said Marc Fries, a SHERLOC co-investigator and curator of extraterrestrial materials at Johnson Space Center. "It gives us a convenient way to test material that will keep future astronauts safe when they get to Mars."

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ЦитироватьStephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) · 7m (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/966017536331481088)

Jim Watzin, head of NASA's Mars robotic program, says a prototype Mars drone has completed 86 minutes of flight time in test chamber in the past few months. Decision pending this spring on whether to fly it on Mars 2020 rover mission.

ЦитироватьMarch 13, 2018
Next NASA Mars Rover Reaches Key Manufacturing Milestone

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/206871.jpg)
A technician works on the descent stage for NASA's Mars 2020 mission inside JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. Mars 2020 is slated to carry NASA's next Mars rover to the Red Planet in July of 2020. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA22342)

NASA's Mars 2020 mission has begun the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase of its development, on track for a July 2020 launch to Mars.

The first planned ATLO activities will involve electrical integration of flight hardware into the mission's descent stage. The Mars 2020 rover, as well as its cruise stage, aeroshell and descent stage -- a rocket-powered "sky crane" that will lower the rover to the planet's surface -- will undergo final assembly at the Spacecraft Assembly Facility High Bay 1 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Спойлер

"No better place in the world to assemble NASA's next Mars rover than JPL's High Bay 1," said Mars 2020 Project Manager John McNamee at JPL. "On the floor you'll see the components of our spacecraft taking shape -- put together by people who are the best in the world at what they do. And on the wall behind them you will see all the logos of the historic missions of exploration that have also been assembled in High Bay 1 in the past."

Those missions include the Ranger missions to the moon (the first time America reached out and touched the moon), the Mariner mission to Venus (the first spacecraft to successfully encounter another planet) and Mars rovers.

Over the next year-and-a-half, engineers and technicians will add subsystems such as avionics, power, telecommunications, mechanisms, thermal systems and navigation systems onto the spacecraft. The propulsion systems were installed earlier this year on the cruise and descent stage main structures.

"Parts of this mission are coming from the other side of the world, and some are coming from just 'down the street' in Pasadena, and some are coming from literally down the street - a couple of buildings away," said David Gruel, ATLO Manager for Mars 2020 at JPL. "Right now we are working the descent stage, and by fall we expect to be working on the rover itself."

Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July 2020 aboard an Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers. Additionally, scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes, and leave them on the surface of Mars for potential return to Earth by a future mission to the Red Planet.

The mission will build on the achievements of the Curiosity rover and other Mars Exploration Program missions, and offer opportunities to deploy new capabilities developed through investments by NASA's Space Technology Program and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, as well as contributions from international partners.

The Mars 2020 Project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars 2020 spacecraft development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage and oversee the Atlas V launch service for Mars 2020.

More information about the Mars 2020 mission is at:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

For more information about Mars missions:

https://www.nasa.gov/mars

News Media Contact

DC Agle / Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011 / 393-2433
agle@jpl.nasa.gov / Andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

2018-050

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ЦитироватьNASA to decide soon whether flying drone will launch with Mars 2020 rover
March 15, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144188.jpg)
Artist's illustration of the Mars helicopter drone that could travel to the red planet as soon as 2020. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Testing of a lightweight robotic helicopter designed to fly in the alien atmosphere of Mars has produced encouraging results in recent months, and NASA officials expect to decide soon whether the aerial drone will accompany the agency's next rover to the red planet set for liftoff in 2020.

Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have worked on the helicopter design for several years, modifying principles used in drones that fly in Earth's atmosphere for the more challenging conditions at Mars. The atmospheric pressure on Mars is less than 1 percent that of Earth, and the Martian gravity field is about three-eighths as strong as it is on Earth.

Jim Watzin, director of NASA's robotic Mars exploration program at the agency's headquarters, said last month that an engineering model of the helicopter has completed 86 minutes of flying time in a test chamber configured to simulate the Martian atmosphere.

Спойлер

"The system has been built, it's been ground tested, and then we put it into a chamber that was backfilled at Mars atmosphere (conditions)," Watzin said Feb. 20 in a presentation to the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, a panel of scientists that assists NASA in planning Mars missions. "Some parts were removed fr om the helicopter to compensate for the 1g (gravity) field to get the proper relationship of mass and acceleration at Mars, and we did controlled takeoffs, slewing, translations, hovers and controlled landings in the chamber. We've done that multiple times."

The helicopter weighs about 4 pounds, or 1.8 kilograms, on Earth. An internal battery is capable of powering the drone for flights lasting between 90 seconds and 2 minutes — enough time to travel up to 1,000 feet, or 300 meters — and solar panels can recharge the battery for subsequent flights, Watzin said.

"Now we're thinking whether or not it would make sense, and if there would be an opportunity to fly this at some point, potentially maybe even on Mars 2020 as a tech demo," Watzin said. "But that decision hasn't been made, and it will be taken later this spring."

The drone has spinning rotors, avionics and sensors to fly autonomously on Mars, without real-time inputs fr om ground controllers on Earth.

NASA managers say the helicopter could give scientists better views of rough terrain, wh ere it is unsafe to send a rover. The drone could also scout a rover's planned drive path for obstacles.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144192.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Mars 2020 rover, a design based on the Curiosity rover currently exploring the red planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division, said the space agency will examine the technical readiness of the helicopter and the cost of sending it to Mars in 2020.

"There are two aspects of it," Green said Feb. 21. "One is the feasiblity of a technology demonstration such as what the helicopter concept is moving forward on, and the other part of it is an adequate budget to be able to execute it.

"It's going through its reviews," Green said. "So far, it's doing well, but it has a couple more gates to go through before we'd actually confirm it and fly it."

If approved for launch with the Mars 2020 rover, the drone would carry two cameras — one for navigation and one for higher-resolution color imagery. Mission planners want to ensure the helicopter will not harm the rover itself, so controllers would drive the Mars 2020 rover to a position far away from the drone, reducing the chance of a collision or dust impingement on scientific instruments.

"The concept of operations that we looked at for the helicopter involve the rover placing the helicopter on the surface, and then moving several hundred yards away to try to have a safe fly zone so that we can lim it the possibility of recontact," Watzin said.

Once the helicopter concept is demonstrated on Mars, future rovers — and potentially eventual astronaut crews — could use the technology on a more regular basis.

"Looking forward to an operational system, we don't see anything in the architecture that is exceptionally life limiting," Watzin said. "If we were to fly the helicopter as a tech demonstration on something like Mars 2020, we would envision a very small number of flights to prove the aerodynamic and handling characteristics, and the concept of operations, and that would be the end of the demonstration."

NASA announced Wednesday that the Mars 2020 rover, which is set for liftoff in July 2020 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, has officially entered its assembly, test and launch operations phase. The milestone marks the start of final construction of the rover and the descent stage that will deliver it to the surface of Mars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144194.jpg)
A technician works on the descent stage for NASA's Mars 2020 mission inside JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. Mars 2020 is slated to carry NASA's next Mars rover to the Red Planet in July of 2020. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Based on the rover and sky crane lander design from NASA's Curiosity mission, Mars 2020 will reach the red planet in February 2021. The rover carries instruments to study its geological environment after touchdown, a zoom-capable camera, sensors to look for organic compounds, and a radar to map the underground structure at the landing site.

Another instrument on the Mars 2020 rover will attempt to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, a test to determine whether future astronauts could generate their own breathing air, water and rocket fuel from natural resources at the red planet.

Mars 2020 will also collect rock samples and store them inside sealed tubes for retrieval by a future mission...

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ЦитироватьPIN пишет:
Связь обеспечена и сейчас "Электрой". В навигации на сегодня необходимости нет.

ЦитироватьАлихан Исмаилов пишет:
И в ближайшие 3-4 года они могут запросто без неё остаться.

Цитироватьuncle_jew пишет:
Или часть ретрансляторов сдохла?

ЦитироватьДмитрий Виницкий пишет:
Mars 2022 orbiter отменили? MAVEN сломался?

ЦитироватьNASA пересмотрит методы защиты других планет от нас (https://hi-news.ru/space/nasa-peresmotrit-metody-zashhity-drugix-planet-ot-nas.html)
Вчера, в 22:00, Илья Хель (https://hi-news.ru/author/helle) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/138863.svg)

NASA придется озаботиться вопросом защиты планет. Договор об использовании космоса — да, есть такой — а также законы и регулирования уходят корнями еще во времена холодной войны. Они писались еще до того, как ученые узнали об океанах на спутниках возле других планет, о живучих микроорганизмах, способных переносить самые экстремальные условия, и до того, как мы начали искать жизнь на Марсе. Кроме того, техномиллиардеры уже намереваются отправлять людей в космос и, будьте уверены, своего добьются.

Поэтому сотрудникам отдела планетарной защиты NASA — да, есть такой — придется соответствовать самому крутому отделу в Солнечной системе и разработать новые методы защиты, которая не позволит земным жучкам и микробам отложить свои яйца на Андромеде (или где-нибудь еще).

Некоторые из новых препятствий стали результатом новейших экспериментов и десятилетий научного прогресса. У планетарной защиты две основных миссии. «Обратная защита» подразумевает, что ничего опасного из космоса не попадет на Землю. «Упреждающая защита» означает, что никакой земной мусор не попадет в иной мир — и что никакой научный зонд с Земли не загрязнит поверхность другой планеты.

Ничто из этого никогда не было проблемой. Миссии возврата образцов с астероидов и комет — не проблема, потому что космическое излучение их стерилизует. Марсоходы весьма осторожно избегают частей Марса, где может быть жизнь.

 

Цитировать«Но мы готовимся отправляться в месте, способные поддерживать жизнь — поверхность Марса, глубокие океаны Европы и Энцелада», говорит Джозеф Александр, консультант и бывший научный директор NASA. «Частный сектор становится все больше интересуется Марсом. Международное сообщество игроков, которые хотят посетить различные планеты, растет и растет. У США есть план отправить людей на Марс к 2030 году». В космосе становится людно, и тем важнее не ошибиться.

Поэтому группа Александра рекомендует несколько изменений. Переезд отдела планетарной защиты в отдел, отвечающий за безопасность, может открыть несколько заблокированных каналов. В докладе также предлагается вернуться к ранним обсуждениям планетарных защитников и планировщиков планетарных миссий и определить, насколько чистым должно быть все, что отправляется в космос. Другое предложение — закрыть «регулировочную брешь», которая позволяет коммерческим аэрокосмическим компаниям пренебрегать правилами планетарной защиты. Очевидно, Falcon 9, запущенная с Tesla, не проходила проверок на чистоту, поэтому замечательно, что ей не придется пересекаться с чем-то похожим на планету 10 000 лет.

Миссии и разработка астероидов в будущем — не единственные причины пересматривать планетарную защиту. Отдел планетарной защиты не всегда соглашается с людьми, которые строят ракеты, еще с начала космической программы. «В самом начале именно научное сообщество выступало за контроль загрязнения, упреждающий — для сохранения науки, обратный — потому что ответственность», говорит Джон Руммел, биолог и сотрудник отдела планетарной защиты NASA, работавший там с 1998 по 2006 год. «Но если люди не понимают, как устроены полеты, вам придется изворачиваться».

Точкой прорыва стали переговоры на тему миссии Mars 2020. Некоторые научные инструменты стали переработанными версиями тех, что использует «Кьюриосити», но поскольку Mars 2020 также, возможно, постарается вернуть на Землю образцы, отдел планетарной защиты будет соблюдать более высокие стандарты чистоты. Ходят слухи, что разногласия привели к внезапному уходу последнего сотрудника отдела планетарной защиты Кэсси Конли.

Дело в том, что каждый раз, когда наука делает прогресс, меняются стандарты чистоты. У ученых появлятся все больше чувствительных способов поиска жизни и больше способов убивать ее на космических аппаратах до момента их отлета с Земли. На практике, однако, оказывается, что одного убийства земных микроорганизмов перед миссией недостаточно. «Они убивают все, но это не значит, что жизни на космическом аппарате больше нет», говорит Лютер Бигль, астрофизик JPL и ведущий исследователь датчика SHERLOC, размещенного на манипуляторе Mars 2020. На аппарате может остаться прост органическая скорлупа, которую не видят детекторы.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31159.jpg)NASA Wallops‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops) 20 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1017111335585353728)

Wallops' sounding rockets are suborbital. They go (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125628.png) and back (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125629.png). This gives us the ability to recover the payload after flight.

For missions like ASPIRE, which tests the Mars 2020 rover's parachute, recovery is vital for parachute evaluation before its journey to Mars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/165828.jpg)

ЦитироватьСледующий ровер НАСА может посетить сразу две точки на Марсе
МОСКВА, 19 окт – РИА Новости. Научная программа ровера "Марс-2020" может включать в себя изучение и сбор потенциальных образцов "марсианской жизни" не в одной, а сразу в двух точках на поверхности красной планеты, сообщает новостная служба журнала Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07064-y).
"Научное сообщество склоняется в сторону "мега-миссии". Если мы действительно планируем вернуть образцы марсианских пород на Землю, то тогда их должно быть столько, что нам бы их хватило на века", — заявила Бетани Эльманн (Bethany Ehlmann), планетолог из Калифорнийского технологического института в Пасадене (США).
В декабре 2012 года, после успешной посадки марсохода Curiosity в кратер Гейла на экваторе Марса и начала изучения тайн этого высохшего озера, НАСА объявило о намерении создать еще один ровер, который должен отправиться на красную планету в 2020 году.
Как изначально подчеркивали в НАСА, этот марсоход по своей начинке будет полным наследником Curiosity — он будет основан на той же платформе, что и четвертый ровер НАСА, но при этом будет оснащен другим набором инструментов. Их главным предназначением будет не поиск следов воды, а проверка способности Марса в прошлом и сегодня поддерживать жизнь.
Из-за проблем внешнеполитического характера этот марсоход, в отличие от двух других марсианских миссий НАСА, Curiosity и зонда Mars-Odyssey, не будет оснащен российским детектором воды NORD, который разрабатывался для этого ровера в ИКИ РАН группой Игоря Митрофанова. С другой стороны, на борту "Марса-2020", пока не получившего официальное имя, будет установлен микрофон, что позволит нам впервые "услышать" звуки Марса.
Пока НАСА не выбрало место для посадки  своего пятого ровера – на эту роль сейчас претендуют кратер Джезеро, плато Большой Сырт и кратер Гусева. Каждый из этих регионов может таить в себе следы древней марсианской жизни, и пока Фарли и его коллеги не готовы сказать, какой из них привлекает их больше.
На этой неделе НАСА пригласило ведущих планетологов мира на обсуждение возможной точки посадки "Марса-2020" и определение ключевых научных задач миссии. Она, как отметил Томас Цурбухен (Thomas Zurbuchen), глава научного подразделения НАСА, будет выбрана в ближайшие месяцы. 
Эти дискуссии, как сообщает Nature, вчера приняли неожиданный поворот – большинство ученых высказалось за то, чтобы выбрать не одну, а сразу две точки для посадки пятого ровера НАСА. Планетологи обратили внимание на то, что плато Сырт и кратер Джезеро разделяет всего 28 километров, что сопоставимо с тем, как далеко уехал марсоход Curiosity от места посадки за шесть лет работы. 
Обе этих точки, по словам исследователей, сформировались в разных условиях, и сбор образцов в каждой них заметно повысит шансы на открытие марсианской жизни. Вдобавок, это поможет получить более полную картину того, насколько Марс был пригоден для существования микробов в прошлом.
Если НАСА согласится с мнением ученых, то тогда научной команде "Марса-2020" придется задуматься над тем, как много образцов грунта и пород будет собрано в каждой из этих точек, и где они будут "захоронены" ровером и как их вернут на Землю.

ЦитироватьSupersonic Parachute for NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Is Go

NASA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ)

Опубликовано: 28 окт. 2018 г.

Watch as NASA tests a new parachute for landing the Mars 2020 rover on the Red Planet. On Sept. 7, NASA's ASPIRE project broke a record when its rocket-launched parachute deployed in 4-10ths of a second—the fastest inflation of this size chute in history: https://go.nasa.gov/2Ro4eAL (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=1Lb-r9-Dczw&redir_token=xdDNbcYmIus_1Y7luwH8dPDh-yh8MTU0MTYyNjU5NUAxNTQxNTQwMTk1&event=video_description&q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.nasa.gov%2F2Ro4eAL)

Цитироватьsychbird пишет:
Интересно, что постепенно энтузиазм возможностей автономных АМС в ответах на вопрос о реальности внеземной жизни сходит на нет.

Реализм заставляет искать пути доставки образцов на землю.

ЦитироватьMaks пишет:
Марсоход 2020 г, если приземлится, может стартовать с изучения дельты высохшеи реки в кратереJezero.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1064564700233564160)

NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen confirms selection of Jezero Crater, home to an ancient river delta, as the landing site for the Mars 2020 rover.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185855.jpg)Loren Grush‏Подлинная учетная запись @lorengrush (https://twitter.com/lorengrush) 9:03 (https://twitter.com/lorengrush/status/1064564917955674115) - 19 нояб. 2018 г.

And Jezero Crater is the site for the Mars 2020 rover!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/172534.jpg)

ЦитироватьNASA picks Jezero Crater landing site for next Mars rover
November 19, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/) | William Harwood (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/bill-harwood/)

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145166.jpg)
On ancient Mars, water carved channels and transported sediments to form fans and deltas within lake basins. Examination of spectral data acquired fr om orbit show that some of these sediments have minerals that indicate chemical alteration by water. Here in Jezero Crater delta, sediments contain clays and carbonates. This false-color image combines information from two instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars and the Context Camera.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/JHUAPL

After years of analyses and debate, NASA announced Monday that the agency's next Mars rover will land on or near an ancient river delta wh ere water once flowed into a 30-mile-wide, 1,600-foot-deep crater to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to continue ongoing studies of the red planet's history and evolution.

Laying the groundwork for future robotic missions and eventual human flights, the Mars 2020 rover also will test technology designed to extract oxygen from the martian atmosphere and to cache rock and soil samples in the Jezero Crater landing site for possible return to Earth aboard a future spacecraft.

The launch window for the new rover opens on July 17, 2020, setting up a landing on Feb. 18, 2021.

"The landing site at Jezero Crater offers geologically rich terrain with landforms reaching as far back as 3.6 billion years and could potentially answer important questions in planetary evolution and astrobiology," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's science mission directorate, told reporters.

"Getting samples from this unique area will revolutionize how we think about Mars and its ability to harbor life," he added. "This decision today could determine what happens in the next decade or more of Mars exploration, both robotic and human. The technologies that we prove here feed forward into a program that gets ever more exciting."

Спойлер

The landing site announcement came one week before NASA's non-roving InSight lander, launched last May, touches down on Mars next Monday to study the planet's interior structure by placing an ultra-sensitive seismometer on the surface and hammering temperature sensors into the crust.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145176.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Mars 2020 rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Modeled after NASA's hugely successful Curiosity rover, which landed in Gale Crater in August 2012, the Mars 2020 rover will weigh roughly the same, about one ton, feature the same nuclear power pack and use the same dramatic "sky crane" entry, descent and landing system in which a rocket-powered carrier lowers the rover to the surface on a tether.

The 2020 rover originally was projected to cost around $1.9 billion, some $600 million less than Curiosity. It now is expected to cost roughly the same.

But the new rover features different instruments and a major upgrade known as terrain relative navigation. As it descends toward the martian surface, the system will assess the surface below and actively guide the spacecraft to avoid hazardous cliffs, boulders or "sand traps" that could prove difficult to drive through.

The Jezero Crater landing site features all three.

"This selection is dependent upon additional and extensive analysis of ... terrain relative navigation, or TRN," Zurbuchen said. "It is the first time we use this system integrated with the entry, descent and landing process. We're really excited about it. TRN will enable the sky crane descent stage, the rocket powered system that carries the rover down to the surface, to avoid hazardous areas."

An independent review board will assess the landing system and report to NASA in the fall of 2019, "not because we have any doubt about using TRN," Zurbuchen said, "but to be absolutely sure we're ready to go with this exciting technology."

Planetary scientists began debating possible landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover five years ago, whittling down a list of more than 60 candidate sites to just four. After a final round of discussions last month, Zurbuchen selected Jezero, a 30-mile-wide, 1,600-foot-deep crater at 18 degrees north latitude.

Based on imagery and other data collected by Mars orbiters, scientists believe the crater was filled with an 820-foot-deep lake between 3.5 billion and 3.9 billion years ago. The lake was fed by a river that flowed into and then out of the crater, leaving a distinct delta fanning out across the terrain.

"Lakes on Earth are both very habitable and inevitably inhabited, so that's the first attraction," said Ken Farley, Mars 2020 project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "The second attraction is a delta is extremely good at preserving biosignatures, any evidence of life that might have existed in the lake water or at the interface between the sediment and the lake water."

The delta also could preserve evidence of microbial life that originated outside the crater and was carried in by the river that fed the lake.

"So the delta is a good place for evidence of life to be deposited and then preserved for the billions of years that have elapsed since this lake was present," Farley said.

But he cautioned the spacecraft will not look for signs of present life "because currently, the surface of Mars is too cold, it's too dry and it has too much radiation for life as we know it to survive."

"But it wasn't always that way," he said. "For reasons that are not yet known, prior to about three-and-a-half billion years ago, Mars' climate was very different, there was clearly flowing water on the surface of the planet. As we currently understand life, it requires liquid water. And so all things point to the idea we should be looking at ancient Mars for a surface habitable environment."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Landing Site: Jezero Crater Flyover

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 13 дек. 2018 г.

An animated flyover of the Martian surface explains why Mars' Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide ancient lake-delta system, is the best place for the Mars 2020 rover to find and collect promising samples for a possible future return to Earth.

ЦитироватьMaks пишет:
Можно пойти не по пути доставки образов на землю геологам, а попробовать найти такие земные бактерии,
вирусы, водоросли, креветки, которые бы могли жить при марсианских условиях, в подледном озере.

Цитировать23 АПР, 16:31
СМИ: NASA завершило сборку нового марсохода "Марс-2020"

Испытания и доработка аппарата продолжатся до июля 2020 года

ВАШИНГТОН, 23 апреля. /ТАСС/. Техники американского космического ведомства - NASA завершили сборку нового марсохода Mars 2020 Rover ("Марс-2020") и приступили к финальному этапу испытаний аппарата. Об этом сообщило интернет-издание Space.com (https://www.space.com/) со ссылкой на представителей Лаборатории реактивного движения (ЛРД) в Пасадине, где проводятся все работы.

"Испытания и доработка будут продолжаться вплоть до июля 2020 года, когда аппарат отправится к Марсу", - приводит издание слова одного из руководителей программы создания "Марса-2020" в ЛРД Дэвида Грюела.

По его словам, в предстоящие месяцы будет тщательно проверено качество выполнения монтажных работ, проведены ходовые, акустические и другие испытания. Марсоход, в частности, неделю проведет в термобарокамере, где созданы условия космоса.

Шестиколесная научная лаборатория размером с небольшой автомобиль имеет такие габариты: длина - примерно 3 м без учета механической руки-манипулятора, ширина - 2,7 м, высота - 2,2 м. Масса аппарата составляет 1050 кг. При разработке "Марса-2020" было решено позаимствовать много узлов и деталей у его предшественника - Curiosity, который был доставлен на Марс в августе 2012 года и все еще продолжает выполнять свою миссию. Несколько приборов для марсохода изготовлено во Франции, Норвегии и Испании.

Для запуска "Марса-2020" с космодрома на мысе Канаверал планируется использовать ракету-носитель "Атлас-5". Посадку аппарата предполагается осуществить в феврале 2021 года в кратере Джезеро, диаметр которого 45 км. Он находится в западной части Равнины Исиды (Isidis Planitia), севернее марсианского экватора.

Одна из главных задач марсохода - поиск признаков жизни на Марсе. Согласно сотрудникам NASA, "аппарат будет исследовать геологическое строение Марса, состав атмосферы, произведет оценку природных ресурсов и тех угроз, с которыми могут столкнуться люди во время грядущих экспедиций на эту планету". К примеру, на его борту установлен прибор, предназначенный для получения кислорода из атмосферы Марса. Аппарат также будет собирать образцы грунта и камней в контейнеры, которые в дальнейшем при освоении планеты будут отправлены на Землю.

Спойлер

Первый полет человека на Марс NASA планирует осуществить в середине 2030-х годов.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьApril 18, 2019

Things Are Stacking up for NASA's Mars 2020 Spacecraft

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208100.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/stack-1041.gif)
This animated gif shows major components of NASA's Mars 2020 mission in the High Bay 1 clean room in JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23164)

For the past few months, the clean room floor in High Bay 1 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has been covered in parts, components and test equipment for the Mars 2020 spacecraft, scheduled for launch toward the Red Planet in July of 2020. But over the past few weeks, some of these components — the spacecraft-rocket-laden landing system and even the stand-in for the rover (christened "surrogate-rover") — have seemingly disappeared.

In reality, they are still there, tucked neatly into the entry capsule, as they will be when it's time for launch. The procedure is known as vehicle stacking and involves a hyper-detailed plan for what goes where and when.

"One of our main jobs is to make sure the rover and all the hardware that is required to get the rover from here on Earth to the surface of Mars fits inside the payload fairing of an Atlas V rocket, which gives us about 15 feet [5 meters] of width to work with," said David Gruel, assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) manager for Mars 2020 at JPL.

The first step is to place the rocket-powered descent stage on top of the surrogate rover (the real rover is being integrated and tested in tandem with the spacecraft stack). Then, when all the holes line up and everything is attached, checked and re-checked again, the back shell is lowered over them via gantry crane.

"That crane has lifted almost every spacecraft that's come through JPL since Mariner (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-1/)," said Gruel. "To safely lift the large pieces of the Mars 2020 spacecraft, we utilize a dozen technicians and engineers."

After the back shell is in place and everything is determined to be fitting properly, the team puts on the parachute nose cone, which protects the parachute during atmospheric entry, followed by the massive doughnut-shaped cruise stage, which will power the Mars 2020 spacecraft on its seven-month voyage to the Red Planet. Then the vehicle stack is turned on its side so technicians and engineers have access to the mating points between the cruise and descent stages to make connections. The stack is then returned to its original position (cruise stage on top) so the heat shield can be raised into position and attached.

"Stacking is an important milestone in mission development, because as good as our computer models are, we still need to put it together to show that the bolt holes line up and everything fits together," said Gruel. "It is a great feeling for the entire project when we see the stack sitting there waiting to go for the next part of its journey, which will eventually lead to a launch pad at the Cape Canaveral in July of next year."

After three weeks, stacking is finished on April 3, and the spacecraft is transported to JPL's Environmental Test Facility to undergo acoustic testing. During this testing the stack will be bombarded with a thundering wall of sound designed to imitate the sound waves generated during launch. Then, after a check to make sure no bolts have rattled loose or attachment points have become unstuck, the stack heads to the thermal vacuum chamber for a week-long test that simulates the harsh environment of space to assess how the Mars-bound craft and its instruments operate under flightlike conditions.

"Nothing is static with this mission," said Gruel. "After the acoustic and thermal vac tests, the stacked spacecraft is returned to the assembly building for de-stack, then more testing and more work. Until the hold-down bolts on the Atlas rocket blow and our rover is headed to Mars in July of 2020, there is almost always something being assembled, tested or modified."

The Mars 2020 rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers. Scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes and leave them on the planet's surface for potential return to Earth on a future Mars mission.

The Mars 2020 Project at JPL manages rover development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

Last Updated: April 19, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьAPRIL 24, 2019
Mars 2020 is Wired for Sound

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/206888.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/206888.jpg)

Engineers and technicians working on NASA's Mars 2020 mission prepare spacecraft components for acoustic testing in the Environmental Test Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The spacecraft is being tested in the same configuration it will be in when sitting atop the Atlas rocket that will launch the latest rover towards Mars in July 2020.

The image was taken on April 11, 2019, at JPL.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.

ЦитироватьНАСА "отправит" добровольцев на Марс вместе с новым марсоходом
МОСКВА, 22 мая – РИА Новости. Любой человек, посетивший сайт НАСА и заполнивший там заявку, сможет отправить на Марс табличку со своим именем, которая будет установлена на борт ровера "Марс-2020". Об этом сообщает  (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8424/nasas-mars-helicopter-completes-flight-tests/)Лаборатория реактивного движения НАСА.
"Мы приближаемся к запуску этой исторической марсианской миссии, и поэтому мы хотели бы дать всем возможность поучаствовать в путешествии в неизведанное. Для нас наступает самое интересное время - мы готовы получить ответы на самые важные вопросы, касающиеся Марса и происхождения жизни в целом", — заявил Томас Цурбухен, заместитель руководителя научного подразделения НАСА.
В декабре 2012 года, после успешной посадки марсохода Curiosity в кратер Гейла на экваторе Марса и начала изучения тайн этого высохшего озера, НАСА объявило о намерении создать еще один ровер, который должен отправиться на красную планету в 2020 году. По текущим планам агентства, он осуществит посадку в кратере Йезеро на экваторе планеты в феврале 2021 года.
Как изначально подчеркивали в НАСА, этот марсоход по своей начинке будет полным наследником Curiosity - он будет основан на той же платформе, что и четвертый ровер, но при этом будет оснащен другим набором инструментов. Их главным предназначением будет не поиск следов воды, а проверка способности Марса в прошлом и сегодня поддерживать жизнь.
Из-за проблем внешнеполитического характера этот марсоход, в отличие от двух других марсианских миссий НАСА, Curiosity и зонда Mars-Odyssey, не будет оснащен российским детектором воды NORD, который разрабатывался для этого ровера в ИКИ РАН группой Игоря Митрофанова.
С другой стороны, на борту "Марса-2020", пока не получившего официальное имя, будет установлен микрофон, что позволит нам впервые "услышать" звуки Марса, если запуск аппарат НАСА не будет отложен и он успеет сесть на его поверхность раньше российско-европейской миссии "Экзомарс".
Главной технической новацией пятого ровера НАСА станет небольшой дрон-вертолет, который будет помогать "большому брату" искать наиболее оптимальные зоны для поиска потенциальных следов жизни на поверхности четвертой планеты Солнечной системы.
Этот летательный аппарат уже был успешно собран и протестирован в Лаборатории реактивного движения НАСА в условиях, подобным тем, которые царят на Марсе, в том числе и при схожем уровне гравитации. Как надеются ученые, им удастся повторить подвиг братьев Райтов и стать первыми создателями "инопланетного" летающего аппарата через 118 лет после их первого полета.
Помимо вертолета, "Марс-2020" доставит на красную планету еще один груз – миниатюрную кремниевую табличку с именами посетителей сайта НАСА, заполнивших заявку. Аналогичные "памятники" были установлены на борту еще одной марсианской миссии, посадочной платформы InSight, а также зондов New Horizons и Parker Solar Probe, изучающих самые далекие окраины и центр Солнечной системы.

ЦитироватьMaks пишет:
 оба перспективныe среды для древнeй жизни. Ученые жаждут посетить оба местa, но они находятся на расстоянии 37 километров друг от друга - намного дальше, чем может преодолеть любой марсоход.

ЦитироватьJUNE 6, 2019
Watch NASA Build Its Next Mars Rover

A newly installed webcam offers the public a live, bird's-eye view of NASA's Mars 2020 rover (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/) as it takes shape at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. You can watch as JPL engineers and technicians assemble and test the rover before it embarks next year on one of the most technologically challenging interplanetary missions ever designed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaNiYPglK58 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaNiYPglK58)
"There is so much happening and changing in the clean room, I come here every opportunity I get," said Mars 2020 project manager John McNamee of JPL. "It is great that we can share this part of our journey to the Red Planet with the public anytime they want."

Affectionately called "Seeing 2020," the webcam provides the video feed (without audio) from a viewing gallery above the clean room floor. You can also watch and participate in live webchats with members of JPL's social media team and the Mars 2020 team as they answer questions from the public about the mission. These "Seeing 2020" webchats will occur Mon.-Thu. at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. PDT (2 p.m. and 7 p.m. EDT), with additional moderated chats when special activities (like drive tests) occur.

Continuous live video of rover construction is available at:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/where-is-the-rover/

The feed is also available on YouTube with the scheduled, moderated chats at:

http://youtube.com/NASAJPL/live

Currently, work in the High Bay 1 clean room begins at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) Mon.-Fri., much of it revolving around the rover. The back shell, descent stage and cruise stage have already been assembled and tested.

Спойлер

The clean room may be or appear to be empty when assembly activity has shifted to other JPL facilities or when work on 2020 moves out of view of the camera to other parts of the clean room. The camera may also be turned off periodically for maintenance or technical issues.

Months of final assembly and testing lie ahead before the Mars 2020 rover is ready to ship to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch period begins July 17, 2020. Once the Mars 2020 rover arrives at Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, it will not only seek signs of ancient habitable conditions - and past microbial life - but collect rock and soil samples, storing them in sample tubes on the planet's surface.

The Mars 2020 project at JPL manages rover development for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьПервый марсианский вертолет НАСА готов к полету на Марс
16:02

МОСКВА, 7 июн – РИА Новости. Экспериментальный летательный аппарат, который отправится на Марс вместе с новым ровером НАСА, успешно прошел вакуумные испытания и практически полностью готов к полету в космос. Об этом сообщает сайт (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7417) Лаборатории реактивного движения НАСА.

Цитировать"Мы рассчитываем завершить последние проверки и внести модификации в устройство аппарата в ближайшее время и доставить его в Лабораторию реактивного движения для интеграции с марсоходом к середине лета. При этом, надо понимать, что полного успеха мы достигнем только тогда, когда мы поднимемся в воздух Марса", — заявила Мими Онг (MiMi Aung), руководитель проекта.

Спойлер

В декабре 2012 года, после успешной посадки марсохода Curiosity в кратер Гейла на экваторе Марса и начала изучения тайн этого высохшего озера, руководство НАСА заявило о намерении создать еще один ровер, который должен отправиться на красную планету в 2020 году. По текущим планам НАСА, он осуществит посадку в кратере Йезеро на экваторе планеты в феврале 2021 года.

Как изначально подчеркивали в НАСА, этот марсоход по своей начинке будет полным наследником Curiosity - он будет основан на той же платформе, что и четвертый ровер НАСА, но при этом будет оснащен другим набором инструментов. Их главным предназначением будет не поиск следов воды, а проверка способности Марса в прошлом и сегодня поддерживать жизнь.

Из-за проблем внешнеполитического характера этот марсоход, в отличие от двух других марсианских миссий НАСА, Curiosity и зонда Mars-Odyssey, не будет оснащен российским детектором воды NORD, который разрабатывался для этого ровера в ИКИ РАН группой Игоря Митрофанова.

С другой стороны, на борту "Марса-2020", пока не получившего официальное имя, будет установлен микрофон, что позволит нам впервые "услышать" звуки Марса, если запуск аппарат НАСА не будет отложен и он успеет сесть на его поверхность раньше российско-европейской миссии "Экзомарс".

[свернуть]

Главной технической новацией пятого ровера НАСА станет небольшой дрон-вертолет, который будет помогать "большому брату" искать наиболее оптимальные зоны для поиска потенциальных следов жизни на поверхности четвертой планеты Солнечной системы.

Этот летательный аппарат уже был успешно собран и протестирован в Лаборатории реактивного движения НАСА в условиях, подобным тем, которые царят на Марсе, в том числе и при схожем уровне гравитации. Как надеются ученые, им удастся повторить подвиг братьев Райтов и стать первыми создателями "инопланетного" летающего аппарата через 118 лет после их первого полета.

Сейчас, как отмечает Онг, их детище прошло самую важную серию испытаний – температурные и вибрационные проверки внутри вакуумной камеры в сборке с системой, которая поможет ему подняться в воздух после посадки "Марса-2020" в кратер Йезеро. Эти тесты проходили в лабораториях компании "Локхид-Мартин", отвечавшей за разработки "стартовой платформы" для вертолета НАСА.

После того, как аппарат вернется в лабораторию реактивного движения, инженеры планируют установить на него более мощные солнечные батареи и завершить предполетную подготовку. Как ожидают специалисты агентства, аппарат будет полностью готов к полету на Марс в середине июля, когда он будет соединен с марсоходом.

ЦитироватьNASA Chopper Ready for a Spin on Mars

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 6 июн. 2019 г.

The laws of physics may say it's near impossible to fly on Mars, but actually flying a heavier-than-air vehicle on the Red Planet is much harder than that. NASA's Mars 2020 mission will deliver a technology demonstration that will put the idea to the test -- a helicopter that will perform controlled flight on Mars.

Цитировать8 ИЮН, 11:14
В NASA создали вертолет для демонстрации возможностей полета в атмосфере Марса

В феврале аппарат уже совершил пробный полет в "Космическом имитаторе" - испытательной камере диаметром около 8 м. Там были воссозданы условия, существующие на поверхности Марса

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186828.jpg) (https://phototass4.cdnvideo.ru/width/1920_63600a28/tass/m2/uploads/i/20190608/5066423.jpg)
© NASA/JPL-Caltech

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 8 июня. /ТАСС/. Вертолет-беспилотник, способный летать в атмосфере Марса, создали американские специалисты в Лаборатории реактивного движения в Пасадине (штат Калифорния). На его борту не будет научной аппаратуры, он предназначен для того, чтобы доказать возможность полета в атмосфере Марса.

Как сообщил в пятницу интернет-портал Space.com (https://www.space.com/), в феврале вертолет уже совершил пробный полет в "Космическом имитаторе" - испытательной камере диаметром около 8 м, где воссозданы условия, существующие на поверхности Марса. По завершении испытаний он был доставлен в испытательный центр в Денвере (штат Колорадо), где прошел на совместимость конструкции с марсоходом Mars 2020, от которого вертолет должен будет отстыковаться после спуска на поверхность Марса. Кроме того, вертолет подвергли испытанию на вибростенде и охлаждению до минус 129 градусов Цельсия.

"Пока никто еще не создавал вертолеты для полета в марсианской атмосфере, поэтому мы каждый раз решаем все новые проблемы, - сообщила в интервью Space.com руководитель проекта Mars Helicopter Мими Аун. - Мы ожидаем, что испытания будут завершены и мы сможем передать его в монтажный корпус для установки на марсоход уже летом нынешнего года".

Как считают эксперты NASA, в будущем вертолеты можно будет применять для обследования труднодоступных районов на поверхности Марса, в частности, глубоких кратеров и высоких утесов, а также для переброски небольших грузов. Одна из проблем, с которой сталкиваются разработчики, - задержка сигнала от четырех до 24 минут, в зависимости от взаимного положения Земли и Марса, что существенно затрудняет дистанционное управление устройством.

Шестиколесный марсоход Mars 2020 имеет длину примерно 3 м без учета механической руки-манипулятора, его ширина - 2,7 м, а высота - 2,2 м. Масса аппарата составляет 1050 кг. Для запуска "Марса-2020" с космодрома на мысе Канаверал планируется использовать ракету-носитель Atlas V. Посадку аппарата предполагается осуществить в феврале 2021 года в кратере Джезеро, диаметр которого 45 км. Он находится в западной части Равнины Исиды (Isidis Planitia), севернее марсианского экватора. Одна из главных задач марсохода - поиск следов жизни на Марсе, исследование геологического строения Марса и состава атмосферы.

ЦитироватьJUNE 14, 2019
The Mast Is Raised for NASA's Mars 2020 Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140916.jpg)
Members of NASA's Mars 2020 project take a moment after attaching the remote sensing mast to the Mars 2020 rover. The image was taken on June 5, 2019, in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 
› Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23267)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140917.jpg)
Engineers and technicians at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, install the remote sensing mast on the Mars 2020 rover. The image was taken on June 5, 2019, in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room at JPL.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23268)

In this image, taken on June 5, 2019, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, take a moment after attaching the remote sensing mast to the Mars 2020 rover in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room. Full integration of the mast - a process that includes installation of science instrument sensors, electrical wiring and checkout - continued into the following week, concluding on June 11.

During Mars 2020's launch, interplanetary cruise, and its fast and fiery descent toward the Martian surface, the mast will be in stowed flat on the rover's deck. Soon after touchdown, the mast (which tops out at over 7 feet, or 2.2 meters) will be raised to provide a high perch for the SuperCam, Mastcam-Z and Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzerinstruments as well as four Navcam engineering cameras.

Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July of 2020. It will land at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

In a mission first, the rover carries a sample-caching system that will collect Martian rock and soil samples and store them on the planet's surface for retrieval and return to Earth by subsequent missions. Mars 2020 will also be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence - technology that could prove essential to future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge) will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

2019-115

Цитировать21 ИЮН, 12:04
В NASA заканчивают сборку нового марсохода

Аппарат отправится на Марс в 2020 году

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 21 июня. /ТАСС/. Специалисты Национального управления США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) завершили монтаж подвески и шести колес на новом марсоходе Mars 2020 Rover, который планируется десантировать на поверхность Марса зимой 2021 года. Об этом сообщила в четверг Лаборатория реактивного движения (ЛРД) в Пасадине (штат Калифорния), где проводятся все работы.

"Вот теперь это настоящий марсоход", - отметил один из руководителей программы создания Mars 2020 в ЛРД Дэвид Грюел. "Он с подвесной системой не только выглядит как настоящий марсоход, но и готов для интеграции с важнейшими составляющими, если смотреть в зеркало заднего вида", - продолжал он, добавив, что у шестиколесной научной лаборатории не предусмотрено зеркал заднего вида.

Как информировала ЛРД, каждое колесо диаметром 52,5 см изготовлено из алюминия и насчитывает 48 грунтозацепов для увеличения проходимости. Штанги и рычаги подвесной системы для большей прочности выполнены из титана. Каждое колесо снабжено мотором, передняя и последняя пары снабжены рулевой системой для того, чтобы Mars 2020 мог совершать оборот на 360 градусов, не сдвигаясь с места.

Марсоход рассчитан на движение по поверхности с наклоном до 45 градусов. Специалисты NASA, однако, будут подбирать маршрут таким образом, чтобы данный показатель не превышал 30 градусов. В ближайшие недели в ЛРД займутся установкой механической руки-манипулятора, мачты с камерой и системы забора образцов грунта.

Марсоход достигает в длину примерно 3 м без учета руки-манипулятора, его ширина - 2,7 м, а высота - 2,2 м. Масса аппарата составляет 1050 кг. Для запуска Mars 2020 с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в июле 2020 года планируется использовать ракету-носитель Atlas V.

Посадку аппарата на Марсе предполагается осуществить 18 феврале 2021 года в кратере Джезеро диаметром 45 км. Он находится в западной части Равнины Исиды, севернее марсианского экватора. Одна из главных задач марсохода - поиск следов жизни на Марсе, исследование геологического строения Марса и состава его атмосферы.

ЦитироватьJuly 2, 2019

Mars 2020 Rover Gets a Super Instrument

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207971.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23307-16.jpg)
In this image taken June 25, 2019, engineers install the SuperCam instrument on Mars 2020's rover. This image was taken in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20190702/PIA23307.jpg)

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have installed the SuperCam Mast Unit (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/instruments/supercam/) onto the Mars 2020 rover. The instrument's camera, laser and spectrometers can identify the chemical and mineral makeup of targets as small as a pencil point fr om a distance of more than 20 feet (6 meters).

SuperCam is a next-generation version of the ChemCam (https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/instruments/spectrometers/chemcam/) instrument operating on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. It has been developed jointly in the U.S., France and Spain. Once France delivered the last piece of flight hardware, the instrument was fully integrated on the Mars 2020 rover on June 25, 2019, in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room at JPL.

"SuperCam has come a long way from being a bold and ambitious idea to an actual instrument," said Sylvestre Maurice, the SuperCam deputy principal investigator at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie in Toulouse, France. "While it still has a long way to go — all the way to Mars — this is a great day for not only SuperCam but the amazing consortium that put it together."

Mars 2020 scientists will use SuperCam to examine Martian rocks and soil, seeking organic compounds that could be related to past life on Mars.

"SuperCam's rock-zapping laser allows scientists to analyze the chemical composition of its targets," said Soren Madsen, the payload development manager at JPL. "It lets the Mars 2020 rover conduct its cutting-edge science from a distance."

Also to be installed in the next few weeks is Mars 2020's Sample Caching System, which includes 17 separate motors and will collect samples of Martian rock and soil that will be left on the surface of Mars for return to Earth by a future mission.

Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July of 2020. It will land at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

NASA will use Mars 2020 and other missions, including to the Moon, to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. The agency plans to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge).

SuperCam is led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, wh ere the instrument's Body Unit was developed. That part of the instrument was installed in the body of the rover in May and includes several spectrometers, control electronics and software. The Mast Unit was built with contributions from numerous academic laboratories (https://supercam.cnes.fr/en/organization-2) in France, led by the French space agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales, and includes the high-powered laser, a telescope, a camera, an infrared spectrometer and a microphone. Calibration targets on the rover deck are provided by Spain's University of Valladolid.

2019-132

Last Updated: July 2, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьPit Crew for Mars: NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Gets Some Wheels (time lapse)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220497.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 12 июл. 2019 г.

A team of engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, install the legs and wheels — otherwise known as the mobility suspension — on the Mars 2020 rover. The imagery for this accelerated time-lapse was taken on June 13, 2019, from a camera above the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room.

ЦитироватьИнженеры НАСА приступили к загрузке ядерного топлива в атомную установку марсохода Mars 2020. Топливо из диоксида плутония-238 будет заправлено в многоцелевой радиоизотопный термоэлектрический генератор (MMRTG), который обеспечит ровер теплом и электричеством,говорится в сообщении космического агентства.

ЦитироватьNASA's Mars 2020 Rover Does Biceps Curls (Arm Testing Time Lapse)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220497.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 26 июл. 2019 г.

Time lapse video of robotic arm on NASA's Mars 2020 rover handily maneuvers 88-pounds (40 kilograms) worth of sensor-laden turret as it moves from a deployed to stowed configuration.

ЦитироватьAug. 15, 2019

Robotic Toolkit Added to NASA's Mars 2020 Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207974.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23319-main-16.jpg)
In this August 5, 2019 image, the bit carousel - the heart of sampling and caching subsystem of NASA's Mars 2020 mission - is attached to the front end of the rover.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23319)

The bit carousel — a mechanism that will play a key role in the acquisition, containment and eventual return to Earth of humanity's first samples fr om another planet — has been incorporated into NASA's Mars 2020 rover.

"The bit carousel is at the heart of the sampling and caching subsystem," said Keith Rosette, Mars 2020 sample handling delivery manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It contains all of the tools the coring drill uses to sample the Martian surface and is the gateway for the samples to move into the rover for assessment and processing."

Looking somewhat like an extraterrestrial version of a 1960s slide projector, Mars 2020's bit carousel is home to nine drill bits that facilitate sample acquisition and surface analysis: two for abrading, one for regolith (rock and soil) and six for coring. The coring and regolith bits are used to place Martian samples in a clean sample collection tube, while the abrader bit is used to scrape the top layers of rocks to expose un-weathered surfaces for study.

When the rover team is ready to drill, the carousel whirrs into action. If, for instance, the goal is to abrade, the carousel maneuvers the appropriate bit into position so that the drill at the end of the rover's robotic arm can extract it. Once the drilling's done, the bit goes back into the carousel.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207975.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23320-2nd-16.jpg)
In this image, taken on Aug. 5, 2019, engineers at NASA's JPL lift the Mars 2020 rover's bit carousel from its storage container. The bit carousel is at the heart of the rover's Sample Caching System.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23320)

For core sampling, a sample tube is inserted inside the appropriate bit before the carousel moves the combination into position for the drill. Once the sample tube has been filled, the robotic arm returns the drill bit and tube to the carousel, wh ere they wend their way to processing stations and storage.

"The bit carousel was the last piece of the Mars 2020 rover's Sample Caching System to be installed," said JPL's John McNamee, project manager of Mars 2020. "And while the rover interior is essentially complete — a battery and a camera used during landing are planned in coming weeks — the assembly and test team will not be resting on their laurels. Months of evaluation and fine tuning lie ahead to make absolutely certain this rover is on the launch pad and ready to go on July 17, 2020."

Mars 2020 will land on Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. NASA will use Mars 2020 and other missions, including to the Moon, to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. The agency intends to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans.

DC Agle 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov (mailto:agle@jpl.nasa.gov)

2019-165

Last Updated: Aug. 15, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьBuilding NASA's Mars 2020 Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220496.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

Опубликовано: 28 авг. 2019 г.

See NASA's next Mars rover quite literally coming together inside a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This behind-the-scenes look at what goes into building and preparing a rover for Mars, including extensive tests in simulated space environments, was captured from March to July 2019. The rover is expected to launch to the Red Planet in summer 2020 and touch down in February 2021.

ЦитироватьAug. 28, 2019

NASA's Mars Helicopter Attached to Mars 2020 Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207976.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23372-16.jpg)
An engineer works on attaching NASA's Mars Helicopter to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover — which has been flipped over for that purpose — on Aug. 27, 2019, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Engineers attached NASA's Mars Helicopter, which will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet, to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover today in the High Bay 1 clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter was connected, along with the Mars Helicopter Delivery System, to a plate on the rover's belly that includes a cover to shield the helicopter from debris during entry, descent and landing. The helicopter will remain encapsulated after landing, deploying to the surface once a suitable area to conduct test flights is found at Jezero Crater (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286), the rover's destination.

The Mars Helicopter is considered a high-risk, high-reward technology demonstration. If the small craft encounters difficulties, the science-gathering of the Mars 2020 mission won't be impacted. If the helicopter does take flight as designed, future Mars missions could enlist second-generation helicopters to add an aerial dimension to their explorations.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207966.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23153-16.jpg)
Members of the NASA Mars Helicopter team attach a thermal film to the exterior of the flight model of the Mars Helicopter. The image was taken on Feb. 1, 2019 inside the Space Simulator, a 25-foot-wide (7.62-meter-wide) vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23153)

"Our job is to prove that autonomous, controlled flight can be executed in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere," said JPL's MiMi Aung, the Mars Helicopter project manager. "Since our helicopter is designed as a flight test of experimental technology, it carries no science instruments. But if we prove powered flight on Mars can work, we look forward to the day when Mars helicopters can play an important role in future explorations of the Red Planet."

Along with investigating difficult-to-reach destinations such as cliffs, caves and deep craters, they could carry small science instruments or act as scouts for human and robotic explorers. The agency intends to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon through NASA's Artemis (https://www.nasa.gov/artemis) lunar exploration plans, using the Moon as a stepping stone to putting humans on Mars.

"The Wright Brothers flew the first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but they built it in Dayton," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "The Mars Helicopter, destined to be the first aircraft to fly on another world, was built in Pasadena, California. Joined now to the 2020 rover, it is yet another example of how NASA's Artemis generation is expanding humanity's reach in our solar system."

"With this joining of two great spacecraft, I can say definitively that all the pieces are in place for a historic mission of exploration," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA's headquarters in Washington. "Together, Mars 2020 and the Mars Helicopter will help define the future of science and exploration of the Red Planet for decades to come."

The Mars 2020 rover, with the Mars Helicopter aboard, will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. When it lands at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, the rover will be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover and the Mars Helicopter for NASA. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. Lockheed Martin Space provided the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

2019-176

Last Updated: Aug. 29, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

Цитировать30 АВГ, 08:18
В NASA завершили монтаж экспериментального вертолета на новом марсоходе
В американском космическом ведомстве сообщили, что вертолет должен автоматически выдвигаться наружу при обнаружении подходящих для испытательных полетов зон Марса

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 30 августа. /ТАСС/. Специалисты Национального управления США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) завершили монтаж вертолета-беспилотника на новом марсоходе Mars 2020 Rover, который планируется десантировать на поверхность Марса зимой 2021 года. Как сообщило в среду NASA, монтаж проводился в Лаборатории реактивного движения в Пасадине (штат Калифорния).

Вертолет со спаренным несущим винтом и работающий на солнечной энергии закреплен на пластине в подбрюшье марсохода, защищенном оболочкой, предназначенной для защиты аппарата от механических повреждений во время спуска и подъема с поверхности планеты. Вертолет должен автоматически выдвигаться наружу при обнаружении подходящих для испытательных полетов зон Марса. Возможная авария беспилотника не отразится на исследованиях Mars 2020 Rover. Успешные полеты станут основой для конструирования марсианских вертолетов второго поколения, поясняет NASA.

"Наша работа заключается в том, чтобы доказать возможность автономных, контролируемых полетов в экстремально разреженной атмосфере Марса", - пояснила менеджер проекта Mars Helicopter Мими Анг.

"Так как наш вертолет предназначен для проведения испытательных полетов, на нем нет научных приборов. Если нам удастся доказать возможность полетов на Марсе, то настанет тот день, когда марсианские вертолеты смогут играть важную роль в освоении Красной планеты", - отметила она.

NASA планирует запустить Mars 2020 Rover на борту ракеты-носителя Atlas V компании United Launch Alliance в июле 2020 года с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида). Спуск на поверхность Марса назначен на 18 февраля 2021 года. Намеченное место десантирования - кратер Джезеро диаметром 45 км. Он находится в западной части Равнины Исиды, севернее марсианского экватора. Одна из главных задач марсохода - поиск следов жизни на Красной планете, исследование геологического строения Марса и состава атмосферы.

Цитировать13 СЕН, 10:06
Новый марсоход NASA потяжелел на 20 кг после балансировки
Дополнительную массу ему придали специальные утяжелители

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 13 сентября. /ТАСС/. Новый американский марсоход Mars 2020 Rover, который планируется десантировать на поверхность Красной планеты зимой 2021 года, стал на 20 кг тяжелее. Дополнительную массу передвижной научной лаборатории придали специальные утяжелители, установленные во время очередного этапа монтажа в Лаборатории реактивного движения (ЛРД) в Пасадине (штат Калифорния).

Как сообщило в четверг Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA), наладка была проведена в лабораторных условиях 29 августа. Mars 2020 Rover водрузили на вращающийся стол и стали крутить по часовой стрелке и против нее так, чтобы совершать полный оборот один раз в минуту. Задача заключалась в том, чтобы точно установить центр масс марсохода, который у неоднородных тел в большинстве случаев на совпадает с центром тяжести. Балансировка позволит в дальнейшем обеспечить плавные полет и спуск аппарата на поверхность планеты.

"Процедура на вращающемся столе схожа с балансировкой и установкой нового колеса машины в авторемонтной мастерской", - пояснил инженер ЛРД Лемил Кордеро. "Мы вращаем марсоход в одну сторону и в обратную в поиске асимметрии в распределении масс. Затем подобно тому, как механик использует утяжелители для правильной балансировки колеса, мы прикрепляем грузы в определенных местах марсохода, чтобы центр масс сместился в ту точку, которую нам нужно", - добавил он.

Специалисты ЛРД закрепили такие утяжелители из вольфрама на корпусе Mars 2020 Rover в девяти местах. С учетом этого марсоход весом 1040 кг стал тяжелее на 20 кг. Второй и последний подобный тест состоится весной следующего года на космодроме на мысе Канаверал в штате Флорида.

NASA планирует запустить Mars 2020 Rover на борту ракеты-носителя Atlas V компании United Launch Alliance в июле 2020 года с космодрома на мысе Канаверал. Спуск на поверхность Марса назначен на 18 февраля 2021 года. Намеченное место десантирования - кратер Джезеро диаметром 45 км. Он находится в западной части Равнины Исиды, севернее марсианского экватора. Одна из главных задач марсохода - поиск следов жизни на Красной планете, исследование геологического строения Марса и состава атмосферы.

ЦитироватьSept. 12, 2019

NASA's Mars 2020 Comes Full Circle

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207978.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23461-16.gif)
Speeded up 28 times, this time-lapse shows NASA's Mars 2020 rover on a spin table at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Aug. 29, 2019. Engineers were looking to establish the rover's center of gravity, or the point at which weight is evenly dispersed on all sides.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23461)

Engineers took NASA's Mars 2020 for a spin on Aug. 29, 2019. The 2,300-pound (1,040-kilogram) Martian vehicle was rotated clockwise and counterclockwise at about 1 revolution per minute on what is called a spin table in the clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (The rotation was speeded up in the video above.) The engineers were looking for the rover's center of gravity, or the point at which weight is evenly dispersed on all sides.

Establishing the rover's center of gravity is a key part of the assembly process and helps ensure that the spacecraft travels smoothly fr om launch to entry, descent and landing on Mars as calculated. Engineers can add weights in order to help balance out the vehicle. In the end, they affixed nine tungsten weights totaling 44 pounds (20 kilograms) to the rover chassis at predetermined attachment points to get the center of gravity just right.

"The spin table process is similar to how a gas station would balance a new tire before putting it on your car," said Lemil Cordero, Mars 2020 mass properties engineer at JPL. "We rotate the rover back and forth and look for asymmetries in its mass distribution. Then, similar to your gas station putting small weights on the tire's rim to bring it into balance, we'll put small balance masses on the rover in specific locations to get its center of gravity exactly wh ere we want it."

This was the assembled rover's first spin table test to determine its center of gravity; a second and final spin table test will occur at a NASA facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida next spring.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for NASA. The rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

When the rover lands at Jezero Crater (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286) on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge) will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

2019-184

Last Updated: Sept. 12, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьOct. 4, 2019

NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Tests Descent-Stage Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207979.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23466-1041.jpg)
In this picture from Sept. 28, 2019, engineers and technicians working on the Mars 2020 spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, look on as a crane lifts the rocket-powered descent stage away from the rover after a test.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In this picture from Sept. 28, 2019, engineers and technicians working on the assembly and testing of the Mars 2020 spacecraft look on as a crane lifts the rocket-powered descent stage away from the rover. They've just completed a successful separation test at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"Firing the pyrotechnic devices that held the rover and descent stage together and then doing the post-test inspection of the two vehicles was an all-day affair," said Ryan van Schilifgaarde, a support engineer for Mars 2020 assembly at JPL. "With this test behind us, the rover and descent stage go their separate ways for a while. Next time they are attached will be at the Cape next spring during final assembly."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208120.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/timelapse-1041.gif)
Time-lapse animated gif of engineers and technicians working on the Mars 2020 spacecraft, look on as a crane lifts the rocket-powered descent stage away from the rover.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Both the rover and descent stage will ship to Cape Canaveral, Florida, this winter. Before then there'll be a battery of tests for the Mars 2020 rover, including an evaluation of its computers and mechanical systems in Mars-like conditions. Called the Surface Thermal Test, it involves subjecting the car-size Mars vehicle to atmospheric pressures and temperatures similar to those it will encounter on the Red Planet.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for NASA. The rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

When the rover lands at Jezero Crater (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286) on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge) will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

2019-200

Last Updated: Oct. 6, 2019
Editor: Jon Nelson

ЦитироватьOct. 18, 2019

Mars 2020 Unwrapped and Ready for More Testing

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208127.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/unbagging-timelapse-16.gif)
Engineers working on NASA's Mars 2020 mission remove the inner layer of protective antistatic foil from the rover after a move from JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility to the Simulator Building for testing. Mars 2020 must meet extraordinary cleanliness standards before its launch next summer.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In this time-lapse video, taken on Oct. 4, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, bunny-suited engineers remove the inner layer of protective antistatic foil on the Mars 2020 rover after the vehicle was relocated from JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility to the Simulator Building for testing.

"The Mars 2020 rover will be collecting samples for future return to Earth, so it must meet extraordinary cleanliness measures to avoid the possibility of contaminating Martian samples with terrestrial contaminants," said Paul Boeder, contamination control lead for Mars 2020 at JPL. "To ensure we maintain cleanliness at all times, we need to keep things clean not only during assembly and testing, but also during the moves between buildings for these activities."

After removing the first layer of antistatic foil (just prior this time-lapse), the teams used 70% isopropyl alcohol to meticulously wipe down the remaining layer, seen here, along with the trailer carrying the rover. Later that day, the rover was moved into the larger main room of the Simulator Building. In the coming weeks, the rover will enter a massive vacuum chamber for surface thermal testing — a weeklong evaluation of how its instruments, systems and subsystems operate in the frigid, near-vacuum environment it will face on Mars.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for NASA. The rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

When the rover lands at Jezero Crater (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286) on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge) will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov (mailto:agle@jpl.nasa.gov)

Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-672-4780
alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov (mailto:alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov)

2019-209

Last Updated: Oct. 21, 2019
Editor: Randal Jackson

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Stands on Its Own Six Wheels
Доступ по ссылке

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220524.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLraw) JPLraw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYt2JN2z3ZXQpgPHt_eKcTw)

24 окт. 2019 г.

A time-lapse video, taken JPL, captures the first time NASA's Mars 2020 rover has carried its full weight on its legs and wheels.

ЦитироватьOct. 25, 2019

Mars 2020 Stands on Its Own Six Wheels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zI9jMna4C8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zI9jMna4C8)
This time-lapse video, taken on Oct. 8, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, captures the first time NASA's Mars 2020 rover has carried its full weight on its legs and wheels.

"After years of design, analysis and testing, it is fantastic to see the rover on her wheels for the first time," said Ben Riggs, a mechanical systems engineer working on Mars 2020 at JPL. "The whole team looks forward to seeing her in the same configuration on Mars in the not too distant future."

The rover's legs (the black tubing visible above the wheels) are composed of titanium, while the wheels are made of aluminum. Measuring 20.7 inches (52.5 centimeters) in diameter and machined with traction-providing cleats, or grousers, the wheels are engineering models that will be replaced with flight models next year. Every wheel has its own motor. The two front and two rear wheels also have individual steering motors that enable the vehicle to turn a full 360 degrees in place.

When driving over uneven terrain, the rover's "rocker-bogie" suspension system — called that because of its multiple pivot points and struts — maintains a relatively constant weight on each wheel for stability. Rover drivers avoid terrain that would cause the vehicle to tilt more than 30 degrees, but even so, the rover can handle a 45-degree tilt in any direction without tipping over. It can also roll over obstacles and through depressions the size of its wheels.

The Mars 2020 rover was photographed in the Simulator Building at JPL, where it underwent weeks of testing, including an extensive evaluation of how its instruments, systems and subsystems operate in the frigid, near-vacuum environment it will face on Mars.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for NASA. The rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

When the rover lands at Jezero Crater (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7286) on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be the first spacecraft in the history of planetary exploration with the ability to accurately retarget its point of touchdown during the landing sequence.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sending-american-astronauts-to-moon-in-2024-nasa-accepts-challenge) will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.
...

2019-213

Last Updated: Oct. 28, 2019
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьNASA's 2020 Rover Moves into Mars Simulation Chamber (time lapse)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220496.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

7 нояб. 2019 г.

In this time-lapse video, taken at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, bunny-suited engineers move the Mars 2020 rover into a large vacuum chamber for testing in Mars-like environmental conditions.

ЦитироватьNOVEMBER 12, 2019
NASA's Mars 2020 Will Hunt for Microscopic Fossils

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140920.jpg)
Lighter colors represent higher elevation in this image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The oval indicates the landing ellipse, where the rover will be touching down on Mars.
› Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20191112/PIA23511-16.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140919.jpg)
Color has been added to highlight minerals in this image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The green color represents minerals called carbonates, which are especially good at preserving fossilized life on Earth.
› Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20191112/PIA23380-16.jpg)

Scientists with NASA's Mars 2020 rover have discovered what may be one of the best places to look for signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater, where the rover will land on Feb. 18, 2021.

A paper published today in the journal Icarus (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113526) identifies distinct deposits of minerals called carbonates along the inner rim of Jezero, the site of a lake more than 3.5 billion years ago. On Earth, carbonates help form structures that are hardy enough to survive in fossil form for billions of years, including seashells, coral and some stromatolites - rocks formed on this planet by ancient microbial life along ancient shorelines, where sunlight and water were plentiful.

The possibility of stromatolite-like structures existing on Mars is why the concentration of carbonates tracing Jezero's shoreline like a bathtub ring makes the area a prime scientific hunting ground.

Mars 2020 is NASA's next-generation mission with a focus on astrobiology, or the study of life throughout the universe. Equipped with a new suite of scientific instruments, it aims to build on the discoveries of NASA's Curiosity, which found that parts of Mars could have supported microbial life billions of years ago. Mars 2020 will search for actual signs of past microbial life, taking rock core samples that will be deposited in metal tubes on the Martian surface. Future missions could return these samples to Earth for deeper study.

In addition to preserving signs of ancient life, carbonates can teach us more about how Mars transitioned fr om having liquid water and a thicker atmosphere to being the freezing desert it is today. Carbonate minerals formed from interactions between carbon dioxide and water, recording subtle changes in these interactions over time. In that sense, they act as time capsules that scientists can study to learn when - and how - the Red Planet began drying out.

Measuring 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide, Jezero Crater was also once home to an ancient river delta. The "arms" of this delta can be seen reaching across the crater floor in images taken from space by satellite missions like NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (https://mars.nasa.gov/mro/). The orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars instrument, or CRISM, helped produce colorful mineral maps of the "bathtub ring" detailed in the new paper.

Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=qnZ_sidmr4Y)
Scientists from NASA's Mars 2020 mission and the European Space Agency-Roscosmos ExoMars mission are in the Australian Outback to hone research techniques before their missions launch to the Red Planet in summer 2020. They are hoping to better understand how to search for signs of ancient life on Mars. The Pilbara region of North West Australia is home to "stromatolites," the oldest confirmed fossilized lifeforms on Earth.

"CRISM spotted carbonates here years ago, but we only recently noticed how concentrated they are right wh ere a lakeshore would be," said the paper's lead author, Briony Horgan of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. "We're going to encounter carbonate deposits in many locations throughout the mission, but the bathtub ring will be one of the most exciting places to visit."

It isn't guaranteed that the shoreline carbonates were formed in the lake; they could have been deposited before the lake was present. But their identification makes the site's western rim, called "the marginal carbonate-bearing region," one of the richest troves of these minerals anywhere in the crater.

The Mars 2020 team expects to explore both the crater floor and delta during the rover's two-year prime mission. Horgan said the team hopes to reach the crater's rim and its carbonates near the end of that period.

"The possibility that the 'marginal carbonates' formed in the lake environment was one of the most exciting features that led us to our Jezero landing site. Carbonate chemistry on an ancient lakeshore is a fantastic recipe for preserving records of ancient life and climate," said Mars 2020 Deputy Project Scientist Ken Williford of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the 2020 mission. "We're eager to get to the surface and discover how these carbonates formed."

Jezero's former lake shoreline isn't the only place scientists are excited to visit. A new study in Geophysical Research Letters points to a rich deposit of hydrated silica on the edge of the ancient river delta. Like carbonates, this mineral excels at preserving signs of ancient life. If this location proves to be the bottom layer of the delta, it will be an especially good place to look for buried microbial fossils.

The Mars 2020 rover will launch in July or August 2020 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mars 2020 Project at JPL manages rover development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

Mars 2020 is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/).

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, leads MRO's CRISM investigation.

News Media Contact

Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov (mailto:andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov)

Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1501
alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov (mailto:alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov)

2019-226

Цитировать13 НОЯ, 13:47
Американцы определились с местом, где следующий марсоход будет искать следы жизни
Согласно планам NASA, новый марсоход должен будет добраться до Марса уже в 2021 году

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186691.jpg) (https://phototass3.cdnvideo.ru/width/1920_63600a28/tass/m2/uploads/i/20191113/5223839.jpg)
© Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA

ТАСС, 13 ноября. Американские астробиологи и планетологи детально проанализировали рельеф и минеральный состав марсианского кратера Йезеро, где они планируют посадку следующего марсохода NASA. Они нашли большие залежи осадочных пород, в которых могут скрываться микроскопические следы древней жизни. Об этом сообщила (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7539) пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения НАСА (JPL).

"Инструмент CRISM зонда MRO открыл эти залежи карбонатов много лет назад, однако только недавно мы заметили, что они сконцентрированы в той точке, где находились берега древнего озера. Конечно, мы встретим и другие подобные отложения, однако этот известковый налет в природной ванной будет интереснее всего изучать", - прокомментировал одиз из специалистов миссии "Марс-2020" Бриони Хорган из Университета Пердью (США).

В декабре 2012 года представители NASA объявили о том, что инженеры агентства создадут еще один марсоход, пятый по счету. Он станет своеобразным наследником Curiosity, который совершил посадку на Марс в августе 2012 года. Согласно планам специалистов, этот аппарат, получивший имя "Марс-2020", должен будет полететь в космос в 2020 году и приземлиться в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Красной планеты в феврале 2021 года.

С технической точки зрения, этот марсоход будет полным наследником Curiosity. Это заметно удешевило и ускорило сборку ровера, чью стоимость NASA оценивает в 2,46 млрд долларов. Главной задачей "Марса-2020" будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.

Для этого "Марс-2020" не только будет изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Запасенные в нем минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

Марсианские озера и реки

Научные задачи миссии, как отмечает Хорган, заставили его команду и других ученых NASA уже сейчас приступить к поискам тех уголков кратера Йезеро, где следы древней марсианской жизни могли сохраниться лучше всего.

Как и кратер Гейл, эту выемку на поверхности Марса в далеком прошлом покрывали водоемы, однако в этом случае на его территории были не только озера, но и целая сеть из мелководных, но достаточно широких рек. Хорган и его коллеги давно изучают их дельту в надежде найти отложения глины и других осадочных пород, которые сформировались в результате движения воды.

Недавно американские ученые провели своеобразную перепись всех подобных залежей с помощью спектрометра CRISM, который установлен на борту зонда MRO. Их интересовало то, как далеко от русел древних рек и берегов озер расположены породы, в том числе карбонаты, гипс и глина.

Анализируя эту карту, планетологи обнаружили на северо-западной кромке Йезеро крайне интересные отложения карбонатов. Они расположены прямо на береговой линии древнего озера, которая существовала в этой части кратера в первые эпохи жизни Марса, когда его атмосфера еще не улетучилась в космос, а на поверхности находились большие запасы воды.

Это открытие сразу заинтересовало исследователей. Дело в том, что в составе аналогичных отложений мела и других минералов, которые содержат в себе кальций и формируются на теплых мелководьях, почти всегда есть следы микробов и других форм жизни. Кроме того, эти залежи содержат в себе гораздо больше карбонатов, чем другие скопления осадочных пород в кратере Йезеро, и заметно отличаются от них по составу и облику.

Это делает их главной и первоочередной целью для поисков следов марсианской жизни при помощи инструментов "Марса-2020", а также других марсоходов, которых планируют отправить на четвертую планету Солнечной системы в ближайшие годы, резюмировали ученые.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьGearing Up for Mars 2020 Rover

Danielle Sempsrott (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/dsempsro/)
Posted Nov 27, 2019 at 12:38 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130936.jpg)
The Spacecraft Assembly and Rotation Fixture (SCARF) that will be used to process the Mars 2020 rover is photographed inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 22, 2019. Attached to the SCARF is an access stand that will allow personnel to reach the spacecraft when it's held above ground level. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Critical ground support equipment needed to prepare NASA's Mars 2020 (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/) rover for its journey to the Red Planet has arrived at a payload processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center (http://www.naa.gov/kennedy) in Florida. The rover is being manufactured at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/) in California and, once complete, will be sent to Kennedy for assembly, prelaunch processing and checkouts.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130937.jpg)
The spin table, one of the crucial hardware elements that will be utilized to process the Mars 2020 rover, is photographed inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 22, 2019. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

One vital element of hardware involved in spacecraft processing will be the Spacecraft Assembly and Rotation Fixture (SCARF) and its access stand, allowing teams to reach the spacecraft when it's held above ground level. This fixture also is where all of the individual spacecraft elements will be mated together. Once assembly is finalized, the SCARF will rotate the spacecraft 180 degrees for encapsulation into the launch vehicle's payload fairing, where it will remain for launch.

Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program, the Mars 2020 rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial life. The mission will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. It also will test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars. About the size of a car and close to the same dimensions as the Curiosity rover, the Mars 2020 rover will carry seven different scientific instruments to conduct studies aimed at benefiting future Mars exploration efforts.

The rover is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, procured by NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices).

ЦитироватьАнтикосмит написал:
Когда мы запустим какой-нибудь марсоход?

ЦитироватьАнтикосмит написал:
Когда мы запустим какой-нибудь марсоход?

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67676.jpg) Michael Sheetz‏ @thesheetztweetz (https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz) 6 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1205523464410546177)

Lockheed Martin delivered this "aeroshell" to @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) yesterday, which will act as a heat shield to protect the #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hash) rover during the mission's descent to the surface.

Credit: @LockheedMartin (https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/178721.jpg)

ЦитироватьLockheed Martin Delivers Mars 2020 Rover Aeroshell To Launch Site
Heat Shield and Backshell Will Protect NASA's Rover During Descent to Mars

DENVER, Dec. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire (http://www.prnewswire.com/)/ -- The capsule-shaped aeroshell (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2670403-1&h=45145024&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lockheedmartin.com%2Fen-us%2Fcapabilities%2Fspace%2Faeroshell-space.html&a=aeroshell) that will protect NASA's Mars 2020 rover was delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. yesterday. Built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE], the aeroshell will encapsulate and protect the Mars 2020 rover during its deep space cruise to Mars, and fr om the intense heat as the entry system descends through the Martian atmosphere to the surface of Mars.

Because of the large mass and unique entry trajectory profile that could create external temperatures up to 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit, the heat shield uses a tiled Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) thermal protection system instead of the Mars heritage Super Lightweight Ablator (SLA) 561V. This will only be the second time PICA has flown on a Mars mission.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150097.jpg)
Lockheed Martin Mars 2020 Aeroshell
The aeroshell for the Mars 2020 rover was designed and built at Lockheed Martin Space near Denver and is comprised of two parts, the heat shield and the backshell.
Download: Hi Res (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1044839/Lockheed_Martin_Mars_2020_Aeroshell.jpg?p=original)

"Even though we have the experience of building the nearly identical aeroshell for the Curiosity Rover, the almost 15-foot diameter composite structure was just as big a challenge to build and test 10 years later," said Neil Tice, Mars 2020 aeroshell program manager at Lockheed Martin Space. "We've built every Mars aeroshell entry system for NASA of its 40 years of exploring Mars, so we pulled from that experience to build this important system."

Along with the Curiosity mission, this is the largest aeroshell/heat shield ever built for a planetary mission at 4.5 meters (nearly 15 feet) in diameter. In contrast, the aeroshell/heat shield of the InSight lander (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2670403-1&h=3872695789&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lockheedmartin.com%2Fen-us%2Fproducts%2Finsight-mars-lander.html&a=InSight+lander) measured 8.6 feet and Apollo capsule heat shields measured just less than 13 feet.

The backshell and heat shield were transported from Lockheed Martin's Waterton facility in Littleton, Colorado wh ere they were built, to nearby Buckley Air Force Base. They were then loaded onto an Air Force transport plane and flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Recently, Lockheed Martin integrated the MSL Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI2 (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2670403-1&h=4068179740&u=https%3A%2F%2Fgameon.nasa.gov%2Fprojects%2Fmars-entry-descent-and-landing-instrumentation-2-medli2%2F&a=MEDLI2)) onto the heat shield and backshell. Provided by NASA's Langley and Ames Research Centers, MEDLI2 will collect temperature and pressure data during the spacecraft's descent through the Martian atmosphere.

The Mars 2020 rover (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2670403-1&h=3297860060&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmars.jpl.nasa.gov%2Fmars2020%2F&a=Mars+2020+rover) is in testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California., which manages the Mars 2020 project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The mission will launch in July 2020 and land on Mars in February 2021 at the Jezero Crater.

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Rover's Heat Shield, Back Shell Arrive at Florida Spaceport

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Dec 18, 2019 at 2:56 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130938.jpg)
The heat shield and back shell for the Mars 2020 rover are unboxed inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2019. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Two vital pieces of equipment for the Mars 2020 (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/) rover were flown from Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, and recently delivered to the agency's Kennedy Space Center.

The rover's heat shield and back shell arrived at Kennedy's Launch and Landing Facility (formerly the Shuttle Landing Facility) on Dec. 11, 2019, and were then transported to the Florida spaceport's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Built by Lockheed Martin Space, these two essential parts of the spacecraft will protect the rover during its passage to Mars. The Mars 2020 rover is being manufactured at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and, once complete, will be delivered to Kennedy in mid-February, 2020.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130939.jpg)
The heat shield and back shell will protect the Mars 2020 rover during its passage to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

As the spacecraft descends through the Martian atmosphere, the heat shield will encounter extreme amounts of friction, creating temperatures as high as about 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The back shell contains several elements critical to landing the rover, including the parachute and antennas for communication. Some of these key components will be integrated in the months to come by the NASA-JPL team at Kennedy.

The mission is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, procured by NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices). It will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021.

About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, the Mars 2020 rover will carry seven different scientific instruments. Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), the mission aims to search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration of Mars.

ЦитироватьFirst Drive Test of NASA's Mars 2020 Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220496.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

18 дек. 2019 г.

On Dec. 17, 2019, engineers took NASA's next Mars rover for its first spin. The test took place in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This was the first drive test for the new rover, which will move to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the beginning of next year to prepare for its launch to Mars in the summer.  Engineers are checking that all the systems are working together properly, the rover can operate under its own weight, and the rover can demonstrate many of its autonomous navigation functions.  The launch window for Mars 2020 opens on July 17, 2020. The rover will land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

ЦитироватьNASA's next Mars rover will soon ship to Cape Canaveral launch site
January 2, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145866.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility high bay Dec. 27 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Fresh off its first terrestrial test drive, NASA's Mars 2020 rover was displayed to media last week at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California before it's packed up and flown across the country to Cape Canaveral in February to begin final launch preparations for liftoff in July.

The six-wheeled robot is similar in appearance to NASA's Curiosity rover, which has explored Mars since August 2012, but the Mars 2020 rover carries an upgraded suite of scientific instruments, plus mechanisms to collect, seal and store samples of powder drilled and cored from Martian rocks.

The rock specimens will be picked up by a future robotic mission to return the samples to Earth for detailed analysis. Scientists hope to find evidence of ancient life.

The Mars 2020 rover also carries a miniature flying helicopter drone, which will deploy after landing to become the first aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet. It also features aluminum wheels with thicker skin and modified treads to avoid damage observed on Curiosity's wheels on Mars.

"Mars 2020, in the grand scheme of things, is looking for signs of ancient life," said Zach Ousnamer, a mechanical engineer on the Mars 2020 assembly, test and launch team. "We're going to land in Jezero Crater, which is an ancient river delta. Here on Earth, we know those are hot spots for life, so we're going to go to one on Mars in hopes of finding (life) there."

NASA invited reporters and photographers to see the Mars 2020 rover Dec. 27 inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Members of the media, clad in clean room "bunny suit" attire, were able to photograph the rover, the Mars 2020 descent stage, and the cruise stage, or the spacecraft that will ferry the rover from Earth to Mars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145916.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

The Mars 2020 rover is about the size of a small car, measuring around 10 feet (3 meters) long, 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide and 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall, according to NASA. Those dimensions closely match the size of the Curiosity rover.

But the Mars 2020 rover is slightly heavier than Curiosity. NASA's next rover has a fully-loaded weight of 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms), or about 278 pounds (126 kilograms) more than Curiosity.

Engineers at JPL completed assembly of the Mars 2020 rover a few months ago, then put the craft through a series of tests to ensure it is ready for the trip to the Red Planet. The test team checked out the separation system that will release the rover from its sky crane descent stage — a rocket pack that will lower the rover on a bridle to the Martian surface — then placed the rover in a thermal vacuum chamber to expose it to the cold, low-pressure conditions it will encounter after landing on Mars.

On Dec. 17, the rover performed its first test drive inside its assembly building at JPL.

"Mars 2020 has earned its driver's license," said Rich Rieber, the lead mobility systems engineer for Mars 2020, in a statement. "The test unambiguously proved that the rover can operate under its own weight and demonstrated many of the autonomous-navigation functions for the first time. This is a major milestone for Mars 2020."

The Mars 2020 rover's 7-foot-long (2.1-meter) robotic arm carries an 99-pound (45-kilogram) turret package containing the PIXL and SHERLOC instruments, which will scan Martian rocks to determine their chemical composition and search for organic materials.

The turret also has cameras, which the arm can place against Martian rocks to obtain fine-scale measurements, and holds a percussive drill and coring mechanism to collect rock samples for eventual return to Earth.

The Mars 2020 rover also carries the SuperCam instrument, an intricate suite of sensors, including a camera, laser and spectrometers, designed to zap Martian rocks from more than 20 feet (6 meters) away to measure their chemical and mineral make-up, with the ability to identify organic molecules.

Developed by an international team in the United States, France and Spain, the SuperCam instrument is an upgraded version of the ChemCam instrument currently operating on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.

The instruments mounted inside the Mars 2020 rover's main body include MOXIE, which will demonstrate the production of oxygen from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars, a capability that future astronaut explorers could use on the Red Planet. A Norwegian-developed ground-penetrating radar on Mars 2020 will study the Red Planet's underground geologic structure.

The mission also carries a weather station and 23 cameras, including the first camera on Mars with a zoom function. Mars 2020 also has two microphones to record the sound of the rover's landing, Martian wind and the sound of the rover's laser zaps, according to NASA.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145914.jpg)
The descent stage for the Mars 2020 rover. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

The next step on the road to Mars 2020's launch will be the shipment of the rover, descent stage and cruise stage to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The components will be transported from California to Florida in two shipments, with the rover scheduled to arrive at KSC in February on a U.S. military cargo plane.

The other major piece of the mission — the heat shield — has already arrived at the Florida spaceport. The nearly 15-foot-diameter (4.5-meter) heat shield, along with the Mars 2020 mission's back shell structure, arrived at Kennedy on Dec. 11 from a Lockheed Martin factory near Denver.

A team of JPL engineers will travel to Kennedy to assemble all the pieces of the Mars 2020 mission ahead of liftoff in July on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.

The rover and descent stage will be packed inside the heat shield and back shell, the aerodynamic structure which will protect the robot during its scorching entry into the Martian atmosphere. The cruise stage will be mated to the Mars 2020 entry vehicle and then encapsulated inside the Atlas 5's payload fairing inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy, then trucked to nearby pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for installation on top of the launcher.

Once on top of the rocket inside pad 41's vertical hangar, teams will add the Mars 2020 rover's nuclear power generator.

The launch window for the Mars 2020 mission opens July 17 and closes Aug. 5, when Earth and Mars are in the proper positions in the solar system to enable a direct interplanetary journey. The rover is scheduled to land on Mars at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

The Mars 2020 rover will get an official name before its July launch.

NASA invited U.S. students last year to submit essays with their ideas for a name for the rover, and the space agency is expected to reveal finalists later this month, then announce the name selection in February.

Additional photos of the Mars 2020 rover, descent stage and cruise stage are posted below.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145913.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145912.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145915.jpg)
The Mars 2020 cruise stage. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145910.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145911.jpg)
The Mars 2020 descent stage. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30802.jpg)
The Mars 2020 rover. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

ЦитироватьNASA's Launch Services Program Prepares for Upcoming 2020 Missions

Danielle Sempsrott (https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/author/dsempsro/)
Posted Jan 3, 2020 at 9:01 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130924.jpg)
An artist's concept of NASA's Mars 2020 rover exploring the Red Planet. Photo credit: NASA

NASA's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html) (LSP) is ringing in the New Year with three planned science missions in 2020, aimed at studying the Sun, Mars and our oceans. The first two missions will be launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, while the third will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
...

NASA's Mars 2020 (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/) mission is targeting to launch in July. Established under the agency's Mars Exploration Program, the mission will send a rover to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient microbial life. It also will help us better understand the planet's geology, collect rock and soil samples that can later be returned to Earth and test new technologies that could pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.

The rover is being manufactured at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/) in California and will be sent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in mid-February. The rover will launch on a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket, procured by LSP, and is expected to land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.
...

ЦитироватьРовер "Марс-2020" получит официальное имя в марте
ТАСС, 14 января. Пятый марсоход НАСА получит официальное имя в марте этого года после того, как эксперты подведут итоги второго этапа конкурса среди школьников, который космическое агентство США проводит с августа прошлого года. Об этом пишет пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA (JPL).
"Этот ровер станет первой частью возвратной миссии на Марс, которая поможет нам совершить прорыв в астробиологии и других ключевых областях науки. Этот конкурс - хорошая возможность привлечь новое поколение к изучению космоса и покорению точных наук, а имя марсохода, которое мы выберем вместе с детьми, выделит его на фоне других наших марсианских миссий", - сказала руководитель планетологического отделения NASA Лори Глейз.
В декабре 2012 года представители NASA объявили о том, что инженеры агентства создадут еще один марсоход, пятый по счету. Он должен был стать своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity, который сел на Марс в августе 2012 года. Новый аппарат, который неофициально назвали "Марс-2020", должен полететь в космос в 2020 год, а сесть в феврале 2021 года, в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Красной планеты.
В августе этого года специалисты агентства заявили, что имя этому аппарату выберут американские школьники. Для этого детям нужно написать сочинение на тему изучения Марса и отправить его в NASA. В общей сложности, как отметила Глейз, в первом этапе конкурса участвовало свыше 28 тысяч школьников.
Недавно эксперты NASA, в число которых входило почти пять тысяч профессиональных астрономов, астронавтов и других сотрудников агентства, популяризаторов науки и энтузиастов космоса, подвели итоги первого этапа конкурса. Они подготовили и опубликовали список из 155 полуфиналистов, только один из которых получит возможность присвоить имя "Марсу-2020" и поучаствовать в церемонии его запуска с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в июле этого года.
Как сообщает пресс-служба JPL, к концу января жюри конкурса подготовит и опубликует шорт-лист из девяти финалистов конкурса, чьи работы смогут оценить посетители сайта НАСА. Их мнение, по словам Глейз, будет учтено при выборе окончательного имени "Марса-2020". По текущим планам агентства, марсоход получит официальное имя в первые недели марта.

Поиски марсианской жизни
С технической точки зрения, пятый марсоход NASA будет полным наследником Curiosity, что заметно удешевило и ускорило сборку ровера, стоимость которого космическое агентство оценивает в 2,46 млрд долларов. Главной задачей "Марса-2020" будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.
Для этого "Марс-2020" будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Запасенные в нем минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ESA) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

ЦитироватьНАСА определило финалистов конкурса названия для новейшего марсохода
(https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/112732)
Ровер Mars-2020 и его полный набор камер  NASA/JPL-Caltech
ВАШИНГТОН, 23 янв – РИА Новости. НАСА представило в среду финалистов конкурса на название новейшего американского марсохода, запуск которого планируется на 2020 год.
Конкурс на название для нового марсианского ровера проводится между американскими школьниками, которым предстояло не только выбрать звучное название, но и написать сочинение о том, почему именно оно подходит для новой марсианской миссии НАСА.
На участие в состязании были поданы около 28 тысяч заявок, из которых в финал были отобраны девять: Fortitude, Ingenuity, Tenacity, Perseverance, Promise, Endurance, Vision, Clarity, Courage.
Теперь, согласно озвученным НАСА правилам, на сайте ведомства все желающие могут проголосовать за понравившееся название, а итоги конкурса будут объявлены в начале марта.
Все отобранные на данном этапе имена продолжают традицию НАСА называть марсоходы понятиями, наполненными положительным смыслом и позитивным настроем на будущее. Так, в настоящее время на Марсе работает ровер НАСА Curiosity. В 2010 году на Огненной планете завершил службу ровер Spirit, а аппарат Opportunity был активен до июня 2018 года.
Старт новейшего марсохода НАСА Mars2020 планируется на 17 июля текущего года. Планируется, что он совершит посадку в кратере Джезеро (Jezero) 18 февраля 2021.

ЦитироватьNASA опубликовало шорт-лист имен для ровера "Марс-2020"
Определился список из девяти имен, одно из которых станет официальным названием для пятого марсохода, который космическое агентство США отправит на Марс в этом году, передает ТАСС. Список опубликовала пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA (JPL),  проголосовать за понравившееся можно на сайте NASA.

Вот список названий, вошедших в шорт-лист:
1. Endurance ("Выносливость"), предложено Оливером Джекобсом из Вирджинии.
2. Tenacity ("Упорство"), предложено Имон Рейлли из Пенсильвании.
3. Promise ("Обещание"), предложено Амирой Шаншири из Массачусетса.
4. Perseverance ("Настойчивость"), предложено Александром Матером из Вирджинии.
5. Vision ("Видение"), предложено Хэдли Грином из Миссисипи.
6. Clarity ("Ясность"), предложено Норой Бинитес из Калифорнии.
7. Ingenuity ("Изобретательность"), предложено Ванессой Рупани из Алабамы.
8. Fortitude ("Стойкость"), предложено Энтони Юном из Оклахомы.
9. Courage ("Смелость"), предложено Тори Греем из Луизианы.
 "Мы очень гордимся тем, что наш призыв привлек внимание нескольких тысяч школьников и экспертов. Теперь дело за публикой: любой человек сможет отдать свой голос за понравившийся вариант имени", - рассказала Лори Глейз, глава планетологического отделения NASA.
А.Ж.

ЦитироватьReader написал:
Мне название "Endurance" понравилось.

ЦитироватьАнтикосмит написал:
Когда мы запустим какой-нибудь марсоход?

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
 

ЦитироватьАнтикосмит (//forum/user/16456/) написал:
Когда мы запустим какой-нибудь марсоход?

Когда у всех уже будут плутоноходы.  

Цитироватьpkl написал:
 

ЦитироватьСтарый (//forum/user/13420/) написал:
 

ЦитироватьАнтикосмит (//forum/user/16456/)  написал:
Когда мы запустим какой-нибудь марсоход?

Когда у всех уже будут плутоноходы.  

Ты считаешь, страна будет вечно отставать в космических исследованиях?

ЦитироватьЧебурашка написал:
Бгг... вот только что я представил и осознал, что в этом году запускают сразу ТРИ(!!!!) марсахода    

ЦитироватьReader написал:
Мне название "Endurance" понравилось.

ЦитироватьЧебурашка написал:
Бгг... вот только что я представил и осознал, что в этом году запускают сразу ТРИ(!!!!) марсахода  

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
 Да. Вопрос только в величине отставания. Если нынешние тенденции сохранятся то отставание будет навсегда.

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
Люди которые убили Новости Космонавтики не способны исследовать космос.
 На всякий случай: Радиоастрон и СРГ были наконец созданы в тот период когда НК достиг наибольшего расцвета. Теперь - всё. Мы погружаемся в Русский Космос.  

Цитироватьpkl написал: У нас, судя по выпускам новостей, всё пошло в движение.

Цитироватьpkl написал:
 

ЦитироватьСтарый (//forum/user/13420/) написал:
 Да. Вопрос только в величине отставания. Если нынешние тенденции сохранятся то отставание будет навсегда.

Что, вечно что-ли? Как можно отстать навсегда?

Цитироватьpkl написал:
У нас, судя по выпускам новостей, всё пошло в движение.

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Rover Lift Activities Performed at Kennedy Space Center

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jan 24, 2020 at 9:45 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130940.jpg)
Lift activities for the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell are conducted inside Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on Jan. 14, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Lift activities for the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell were conducted inside Kennedy Space Center's (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The activities included installing the inverted lift fixture and lifting the aeroshell assembly to the spin table for mass properties measurements.

The Mars 2020 rover mission will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/) in Florida this summer. NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy will manage the launch.

About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, the Mars 2020 rover will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021.

ЦитироватьNASA Continues With Important Testing of Mars 2020 Rover Aeroshell

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jan 27, 2020 at 10:13 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130941.jpg)
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, tests to measure the center of gravity and moments of inertia for the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell are performed on the spin table inside the Florida spaceport's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Tests to measure the center of gravity and moments of inertia for the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell were performed on the spin table inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida.

The rover is being manufactured at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and, once complete, will be delivered to Kennedy in mid-February. The rover's heat shield and back shell arrived at Kennedy last month.

The mission is scheduled to launch this summer from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket. NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

Carrying seven different scientific instruments, the Mars 2020 rover will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. More information can be found on the mission's website (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185231.jpg) Michael Staab‏ @AstroStaab (https://twitter.com/AstroStaab) 11 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AstroStaab/status/1226969330816110600)

It's all gone.  #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hash) is on its way to the @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy).  Safe travels you intrepid explorer ... we'll see you soon!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/180185.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/180184.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185991.jpg) Brendan Byrne‏ @SpaceBrendan (https://twitter.com/SpaceBrendan) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceBrendan/status/1227298596825051136)

Here's some #Mars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars?src=hash) news: #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hash) will arrive at Kennedy Space Center tomorrow at 3:10 p.m. ET, landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Heading to PHSF before launching to Mars in July.  (H/T @EMSpeck (https://twitter.com/EMSpeck))

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/180219.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/42726.png) (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) NASA's Kennedy Space Center✔@NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) 11:01 PM - Feb 12, 2020 (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1227684184333987840)

Thanks for the delivery @NASAJPL (https://twitter.com/NASAJPL)! #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hash) has officially arrived ahead of its launch to the Red Planet this summer (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png)

Learn more about this mission to study Mars: http://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/  (https://t.co/eCazTFJPmE)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155909.jpg)

ЦитироватьFeb. 12, 2020

NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Goes Coast-to-Coast to Prep for Launch

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207981.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23591-16.jpg)
On Feb. 11, 2020, Mars 2020 Assembly, Test and Launch Operations Manager David Gruel watched as members of his team loaded NASA's next Mars rover onto an Air Force C-17 at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. The rover was flown to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in preparation for its July launch.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's next Mars rover has arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for its launch to the Red Planet this July. Two Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo planes carrying the Mars 2020 rover as well as the cruise stage, descent stage and Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8507/nasas-mars-helicopter-attached-to-mars-2020-rover/) touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at about 3 p.m. EST (12 p.m. PST) today, completing a 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) trip that began yesterday at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"Our rover has left the only home it has ever known," said John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager. "The 2020 family here at JPL is a little sad to see it go, but we're even more proud knowing that the next time our rover takes to the skies, it will be headed to Mars."

Assembly, test and launch operations for Mars 2020 began in January 2018. The first piece of hardware that would become part of the rover arrived on the clean room floor of JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7565)'s High Bay 1 a few months later.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207982.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23592-16.jpg)
The shipping container carrying NASA's Mars 2020 rover is readied for loading aboard an Air Force C-17 transport plane at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The rover's aeroshell — its protective covering for the trip to the Red Planet — arrived at Kennedy this past December. Early on Feb. 11, the rover, cruise stage, descent stage and mission support equipment headed in four police-escorted trucks to the U.S. Air Force's March Air Reserve Base, where they were loaded aboard the two waiting C-17s.

Within hours of arriving at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, the 11 pallets of Mars 2020 spacecraft will be transported to the same spacecraft processing facility that in 2011 handled NASA's Curiosity rover, which is currently exploring Mars' Gale Crater. Later this week, the Mars 2020 assembly, test and launch operations team will begin testing the components to assess their health following the cross-country flight.

After months of final assembly and additional testing, Mars 2020 should be enclosed in its aeroshell for the final time in late June. It will be delivered to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41 to be integrated with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will hurl it toward Jezero Crater in early July.

Mars 2020 will collect and store rock and soil samples in sealed tubes and will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, and pave the way for human exploration. Subsequent missions, currently in the planning stages, will return to Jezero Crater, gather the samples collected by Mars 2020 and return them to Earth for the sort of in-depth study that only a full-size lab can provide.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for NASA. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

2020-028

Last Updated: Feb. 12, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Rover Makes its Way to Kennedy

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Feb 13, 2020 at 12:43 pm

Leaving fr om its temporary home at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, the Mars 2020 rover completed a cross-country trip Wednesday afternoon. It arrived on a C-17 aircraft to Kennedy Space Center's (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) Launch and Landing Facility (formerly the Shuttle Landing Facility) Wednesday afternoon.

The spacecraft was then moved to Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), wh ere it is being unboxed today. Before making the trek to the Florida spaceport, the Mars 2020 rover traveled about 70 miles southeast from JPL to March Air Reserve Base.

Carrying seven different scientific instruments, the Mars 2020 rover will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, the Mars 2020 rover was developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/). The mission aims to search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration of Mars.

Last month, multiple important tests were performed on the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell inside the PHSF, including measuring the center of gravity and moments of inertia on the spin table, as well as lift activities. The rover's heat shield and back shell arrived at Kennedy from Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, on Dec. 11, 2019. The spacecraft was manufactured at JPL.

ЦитироватьMars 2020 rover arrives at Kennedy Space Center for July launch
February 14, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145946.jpg)
The shipping container with the Mars 2020 rover was unloaded fr om a U.S. military cargo plane Wednesday after landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Two U.S. Air Force cargo planes delivered the Mars 2020 rover, cruise stage, descent module and the Mars Helicopter to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week for final assembly, fueling and mounting atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket for liftoff in July.

The military transport aircraft landed Wednesday at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center with hardware for the $2.6 billion Mars 2020 mission, which was delivered to NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Florida spaceport for unpacking and launch preparations.

The Mars 2020 rover, cruise stage, descent package and helicopter departed NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on Feb. 11 and was trucked to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, and loaded into two C-17 cargo planes.

The rover and other flight hardware components were stored inside climate-controlled containers during the 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) cross-country trip.

Engineers and technicians built the rover and its support hardware inside a high bay at JPL over the last two years, culminating a development program that began with the Mars 2020 mission's announcement in 2012.

"Our rover has left the only home it has ever known," said John McNamee, NASA's Mars 2020 project manager, in a statement. "The 2020 family here at JPL is a little sad to see it go, but we're even more proud knowing that the next time our rover takes to the skies, it will be headed to Mars."

Inside the PHSF clean room at the Kennedy Space Center, ground teams will test mission hardware to ensure all systems remain healthy after the cross-country flight from California to Florida.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145951.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Mars 2020 rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Technicians will load hydrazine to feed maneuvering thrusters on the cruise stage, which will fine-tune the rover's trajectory toward Mars after liftoff from Cape Canaveral on top of an Atlas 5 rocket. The Mars 2020 descent stage will also be filled with hydrazine to power braking rockets that will slow the rover before it is lowered from a "sky crane" mechanism onto the Martian surface.

The six-wheeled rover will be mated with the descent stage and the cruise stage, and enclosed inside an aerodynamic shell and heat shield by late June. The Mars 2020 aeroshell, made by Lockheed Martin, was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in a separate shipment in December.

Then the entire vehicle will be encapsulated inside the 5.4-meter (17.7-foot) diameter payload fairing of ULA's Atlas 5 launcher and transported to the Vertical Integration Facility near pad 41. Cranes will hoist the payload atop the Atlas 5 inside the vertical hangar.

One of the final pre-launch tasks before the Atlas 5 rolls out to the launch pad will be the installation of the rover's nuclear battery.

The launch window for the Mars 2020 mission opens July 17 and closes Aug. 5, when Earth and Mars are in the proper positions in the solar system to enable a direct interplanetary journey. The launch time on July 17 would be targeted for approximately 9 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), according to NASA officials.

The Mars 2020 rover will get an official name before its July launch.

NASA invited U.S. students last year to submit essays with their ideas for a name for the rover. The space agency revealed candidates for the mission name last month, and officials will announce the final name selection in March.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145945.jpg)
Two U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane carried the Mars 2020 rover from California to Florida. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

The Mars 2020 rover is similar in appearance to NASA's Curiosity rover, which has explored Mars since August 2012, but the Mars 2020 rover carries an upgraded suite of scientific instruments, plus mechanisms to collect, seal and store samples of powder drilled and cored from Martian rocks.

The rock specimens will be picked up by a future robotic mission to return the samples to Earth for detailed analysis. Scientists hope to find evidence of ancient life.

The Mars 2020 rover also carries a miniature flying helicopter drone, which will deploy after landing to become the first aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet. It also features aluminum wheels with thicker skin and modified treads to avoid damage observed on Curiosity's wheels on Mars.

The rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, targeting touchdown inside Jezero Crater, the home of a dried-up ancient river delta wh ere evidence of ancient microbial life may be preserved from billions of years ago.

ЦитироватьSuperCam's Laser Zaps
Доступ по ссылке

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220524.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLraw) JPLraw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYt2JN2z3ZXQpgPHt_eKcTw)

6 февр. 2020 г.

NASA's Mars 2020 will include a laser instrument, called SuperCam, capable of vaporizing rock material and studying its composition. In a test shown here, the SuperCam Mast Unit — which sits in the mast, or "head," of the rover — zaps marks across a piece of metal. The popping sound of each laser zap will be recorded on Mars by a microphone installed along with SuperCam.

ЦитироватьFeb. 7, 2020

All About the Laser (and Microphone) Atop Mars 2020, NASA's Next Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207973.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23316-main-and-carousel-16.jpg)
Mars 2020's mast, or "head," includes a laser instrument called SuperCam that can vaporize rock material and study the resulting plasma.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA is sending a new laser-toting robot to Mars. But unlike the lasers of science fiction, this one is used for studying mineralogy and chemistry fr om up to about 20 feet (7 meters) away. It might help scientists find signs of fossilized microbial life (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8551/mars-scientists-investigate-ancient-life-in-australia/) on the Red Planet, too.

One of seven instruments aboard the Mars 2020 rover (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/) that launches this summer, SuperCam (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/instruments/supercam/) was built by a team of hundreds and packs what would typically require several sizable pieces of equipment into something no bigger than a cereal box. It fires a pulsed laser beam out of the rover's mast, or "head," to vaporize small portions of rock from a distance, providing information that will be essential to the mission's success.

Here's a closer look at what makes the instrument so special:

A Far Reach

Using a laser beam will help researchers identify minerals that are beyond the reach of the rover's robotic arm or in areas too steep for the rover to go. It will also enable them to analyze a target before deciding whether to guide the rover there for further analysis. Of particular interest: minerals that formed in the presence of liquid water, like clays, carbonates and sulfates. Liquid water is essential to the existence of life as we know it, including microbes, which could have survived on Mars billions of years ago.

Scientists can also use the information from SuperCam to help decide whether to capture rock cores for the rover's sample caching system. Mars 2020 will collect these core samples in metal tubes, eventually depositing them at a predetermined location for a future mission to retrieve and bring back to Earth.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207983.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23620-supercam-tested-16.jpg)
The Mast Unit for Mars 2020's SuperCam, shown being tested here, will use a laser to vaporize and study rock material on the Red Planet's surface.
Credits: LANL

Laser Focus

SuperCam is essentially a next-generation version of the Curiosity (https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/) rover's ChemCam. Like its predecessor, SuperCam can use an infrared laser beam to heat the material it impacts to around 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit (10,000 degrees Celsius) — a method called laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS — and vaporizes it. A special camera can then determine the chemical makeup of these rocks from the plasma that is created.

Just like ChemCam, SuperCam will use artificial intelligence (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6879) to seek out rock targets worth zapping during and after drives, when humans are out of the loop. In addition, this upgraded A.I. lets SuperCam point very precisely at small rock features

Another new feature in SuperCam is a green laser that can determine the molecular composition of surface materials. This green beam excites the chemical bonds in a sample and produces a signal depending on which elements are bonded together — a technique called Raman spectroscopy. SuperCam also uses the green laser to cause some minerals and carbon-based chemicals to emit light, or fluoresce.

Minerals and organic chemicals fluoresce at different rates, so SuperCam's light sensor features a shutter that can close as quickly as 100 nanoseconds at a time — so fast that very few photons of light will enter it. Altering the shutter speed (a technique called time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy) will enable scientists to better determine the compounds present.

Moreover, SuperCam can use visible and infrared (VISIR) light reflected from the Sun to study the mineral content of rocks and sediments. This VISIR technique complements the Raman spectroscopy; each technique is sensitive to different types of minerals.

Laser With a Mic Check

SuperCam includes a microphone so scientists can listen each time the laser hits a target. The popping sound created by the laser subtly changes depending on a rock's material properties.

"The microphone serves a practical purpose by telling us something about our rock targets from a distance. But we can also use it to directly record the sound of the Martian landscape or the rover's mast swiveling," said Sylvestre Maurice of the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetary Science in Toulouse, France.

The Mars 2020 rover marks the third time this particular microphone design will go to the Red Planet, Maurice said. In the late 1990s, the same design rode aboard the Mars Polar Lander, which crashed on the surface. In 2008, the Phoenix mission experienced electronics issues that prevented the microphone from being used.

In the case of Mars 2020, SuperCam doesn't have the only microphone aboard the rover: an entry, descent and landing microphone (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/technology/entry-descent-landing/#EDL-Cameras-Microphone) will capture all the sounds of the car-sized rover making its way to the surface. It will add audio to full-color video recorded by the rover's cameras, capturing a Mars landing like never before.

Teamwork

SuperCam is led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, wh ere the instrument's Body Unit was developed. That part of the instrument includes several spectrometers, control electronics and software.

The Mast Unit was developed and built by several laboratories of the CNRS (French research center) and French universities under the contracting authority of CNES (French space agency). Calibration targets on the rover deck are provided by Spain's University of Valladolid.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

2020-026

Last Updated: Feb. 8, 2020
Editor: Randal Jackson

ЦитироватьMars 2020 Rover Undergoing Processing at Florida Spaceport

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Feb 18, 2020 at 10:52 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130942.jpg)
The launch of the Mars 2020 rover is targeted for mid-July. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Soon after its arrival to NASA's Kennedy Space Center last week, the Mars 2020 rover was moved to the Florida spaceport's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, where it has been undergoing processing for its mission later this year. The spacecraft was flown to Kennedy from California aboard a C-17 aircraft on Feb. 12.

Targeted for mid-July 2020, the mission will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch is managed by the Launch Services Program.

The Mars 2020 rover will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration of Mars.

ЦитироватьС технической точки зрения, пятый марсоход NASA будет полным наследником Curiosity...

ЦитироватьNASA Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation [standard def]          
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220598.jpg)                         (https://www.youtube.com/user/boingboingvideo)   Boing Boing Video (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkhTsO516zCnrxRa6iy9j-w)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wkq_Y2I2-M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wkq_Y2I2-M)5:28
Опубликовано: 5 апр. 2011 г.
Released April 4, 2011, courtesy of NASA/JPL: "This artist's concept animation depicts key events of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, which will launch in late 2011 and land a rover, Curiosity, on Mars in August 2012."

Цитировать5 МАР, 22:56
Пятый марсоход NASA получил официальное имя
Аппарат Perseverance займется сбором образцов с Марса

ТАСС, 5 марта. Пятый марсоход NASA, который космическое агентство США отправит на Марс в этом году, получил официальное имя - Perseverance ("Настойчивость"). Об этом в четверг сообщило руководство NASA на пресс-конференции в Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA (JPL).

"Этот марсоход станет первым аппаратом, который соберет образцы с Марса, которые затем будут возвращены на Землю. Подобных успехов в науке и изучении Солнечной системы нельзя достичь без двух важных вещей - любопытства и настойчивости", - заявил заместитель руководителя научного подразделения NASA Томас Цурбухен.

В августе прошлого года специалисты агентства заявили, что имя этому аппарату выберут американские школьники, которые напишут сочинения на тему изучения Марса и отправят их в NASA. В общей сложности, в первом этапе конкурса приняли участие свыше 28 тыс. учащихся младших, средних и старших классов.

В середине января эксперты NASA подвели итоги первого этапа конкурса и опубликовали список из 155 полуфиналистов, только один из которых, Алекс Мейтер, получил возможность присвоить роверу имя и поучаствовать в церемонии его запуска с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в июле этого года.

В конце января ученые огласили список из девяти финалистов, один из которых станет победителем конкурса в первых неделях марта, когда жюри подведет его итоги. Все имена, попавшие в шорт-лист, связаны с различными положительными качествами человека: стойкостью (Endurance), храбростью (Courage), выносливостью (Fortitude), гениальностью (Ingenuity), твердостью воли (Tenacity), потенциалом (Promise), настойчивостью (Perseverance), предвидением (Vision) и ясностью ума (Clarity).

Поиски марсианской жизни

В декабре 2012 года представители NASA объявили, что инженеры агентства создадут еще один марсоход, пятый по счету. Он станет своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity ("Любопытство"), который совершил посадку на Марс в августе 2012 года. Новый аппарат, получивший неофициальное имя "Марс-2020", будет выведен в космос в середине лета 2020 года и осуществит посадку в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Красной планеты в феврале 2021 года.

С технической точки зрения пятый марсоход NASA будет полным наследником Curiosity, что заметно удешевило и ускорило сборку ровера, чья стоимость оценивается космическим агентством в $2,46 млрд. Главной задачей "Марса-2020" будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.

Для этого "Марс-2020" будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Запасенные в нем минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

[свернуть]

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184967.jpg) Jonathan O'Callaghan‏ @Astro_Jonny (https://twitter.com/Astro_Jonny) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Astro_Jonny/status/1235649236894535680)

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ЦитироватьJonathan O'Callaghan ‏ @Astro_Jonny    9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Astro_Jonny/status/1235649236894535680)

 

ЦитироватьPerseverance is NASA's next Mars rover          
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220392.jpg)                         (https://www.youtube.com/user/SciNewsRo)   SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dISam4yCxmE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dISam4yCxmE)1:44
Опубликовано: 5 мар. 2020 г.
NASA's rover for the Mars 2020 Mission was named Perseverance, on 5 March 2020. The name was announced by Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, during a celebration at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia

ЦитироватьMARCH 19, 2020
NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Gets Its Sample Handling System

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140936.jpg)
NASA's Mars 2020 rover, now called Perseverance, undergoes processing at a payload servicing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 14, 2020. Image Credit: NASA

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140935.jpg)
This illustration depicts NASA's Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars. Perseverance will land at the Red Planet's Jezero Crater a little after 3:40 p.m. EST (12:40 p.m. PST) on Feb. 18, 2021.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 
Full image and caption (https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/24804/perseverance-on-mars/)

The system will be collecting and storing Martian rock and soil. Its installation marks another milestone in the march toward the July launch period.

With the launch period for NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) opening in a little less than four months, the six-wheeler is reaching significant pre-launch milestones almost daily at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rover had some components removed prior to being shipped from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to the Cape in early February. Last week, Perseverance's assembly, test and launch operations team integrated two components that will play key roles in the acquisition, containment and eventual return to Earth of humanity's first samples from another planet: the Adaptive Caching Assembly and the Bit Carousel.

The Bit Carousel contains the nine drill bits Perseverance will use to sample Martian rock and dust. Attached to the top front of the rover on March 7 and resembling a flying saucer, it also is the gateway for the samples to move into the belly of the rover for assessment and processing by the Adaptive Caching System.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4boyXQuUIw (https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4boyXQuUIw)

Installed on March 3, the Adaptive Caching Assembly consists of seven motors and more than 3,000 parts, all working in unison to collect samples from the surface of Mars. A chief component of the assembly is the Sample Handling Arm, which will move sample tubes to the main robotic arm's coring drill and then transfer the filled sample tubes into a space to be sealed and stored.

The installation and testing of the electrical wiring for both the Adaptive Caching Assembly and Bit Carousel were completed on March 11.

"With the addition of the Adaptive Caching Assembly and Bit Carousel, the heart of our sample collection system is now on board the rover," said Matt Wallace, deputy project manager of the Mars 2020 mission at JPL. "Our final but most crucial elements to install will be the sample tubes that will contain the first samples that will be brought from another planet back to Earth for analysis. We will keep these pristine until we integrate them in a couple of months."

Currently, the coronavirus has not impacted the Mars Perseverance rover launch schedule. Launch preparations are continuing.

The Perseverance rover is a robotic scientist weighing just under 2,300 pounds (1,043 kilograms). It will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize Mars' climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and help pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. No matter what day Perseverance launches during the launch period, which extends from July 17 through Aug. 5, it will alight on Mars' Jezero Crater just after 3:40 p.m. EST (12:40 p.m. PST) on Feb. 18, 2021.

JPL, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, is building and will manage operations of the Mars Perseverance rover for NASA. The agency's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. The Mars 2020 project with its Perseverance rover is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/).

News Media Contact

Grey Hautaluoma / Alana Johnson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668 /  202-358-1501
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov (mailto:grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov) / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov (mailto:joshua.a.handal@nasa.gov)




DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
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2020-053

ЦитироватьMarch 21, 2020
RELEASE 20-031

NASA Leadership Assessing Mission Impacts of Coronavirus

To protect the health and safety of the NASA workforce as the nation responds to coronavirus (COVID-19), agency leadership recently completed the first assessment of work underway across all missions, projects, and programs. The goal was to identify tasks that can be done remotely by employees at home, mission-essential work that must be performed on-site, and on-site work that will be paused.

"We are going to take care of our people. That's our first priority," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Technology allows us to do a lot of what we need to do remotely, but, where hands-on work is required, it is difficult or impossible to comply with CDC guidelines while processing spaceflight hardware, and where we can't safely do that we're going to have to suspend work and focus on the mission critical activities."

The agency has defined mission-essential work as that which must be performed to maintain critical mission operations to ensure the schedule of time-sensitive mission-critical launches, or work to protect life and critical infrastructure. This includes work to support America's national security and mission-essential functions for the nation. NASA leadership will continually assess all activities as the situation evolves.

NASA's Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Perseverance Rover and Mars Helicopter, remains a high priority for the agency, and launch and other mission preparations will continue. Much of the work is being done by employees and contractors who work remotely across the agency. Assessments by agency leadership are underway for anyone required to work in areas under restriction, such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, especially after the recent announcement by California's governor.
...
Last Updated: March 21, 2020
Editor: Karen Northon

ЦитироватьNASA Shows Perseverance with Helicopter, Cruise Stage Testing

Anna Heiney (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/aheiney/)
Posted Mar 26, 2020 at 11:34 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130944.jpg) (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/wp-content/uploads/sites/296/2020/03/KSC-20200310-PH-CSH01_0102_large.jpg)
NASA's Mars Helicopter and its cruise stage undergo functional testing in the airlock inside Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on March 10, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

The Mars 2020 mission involving NASA's newly named rover — Perseverance (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) — received a significant boost following the completion of important testing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida.

Activities to measure mass properties of the Cruise Stage vehicle were performed on the spin table inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Successful testing also was performed on NASA's Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8507/nasas-mars-helicopter-attached-to-mars-2020-rover/), which will be attached to Perseverance. The functional test (50 RPM spin) was executed on the stand in the airlock. This marked the last time the rotor blades will be operated until the rover reaches the Martian surface.

The NASA Mars Helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter will remain encapsulated after landing, deploying once mission managers determine an acceptable area to conduct test flights.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130943.jpg) (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/wp-content/uploads/sites/296/2020/03/KSC-20200310-PH-CSH01_0015_large.jpg)
The NASA Mars Helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

On March 5, 2020, NASA announced Perseverance as the new name for the ars 2020 rover. Alexander Mather, a seventh-grader from Virginia, provided the winning name for the rover with his entry in the agency's Name the Rover (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-students-to-name-next-mars-rover) essay contest.

Perseverance will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, Perseverance was developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/). The mission aims to search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration of Mars.

ЦитироватьMillions Tag Along for NASA's Mars 2020 Mission

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Mar 26, 2020 at 5:02 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130946.jpg)
The "Send Your Name to Mars" logo is installed on the Mars Perseverance rover on March 16, 2020, inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

When the Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) begins its seven-month journey to the Red Planet in mid-July, it will be carrying the names of more than 10 million people throughout the world.

Those names were etched onto three microchips, which were placed aboard Perseverance. On March 16, 2020, inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida, the "Names to Mars" logo was installed on the rover.

Those who took advantage of the special public promotion also had the opportunity to receive a souvenir boarding pass and obtain "frequent flyer points" as part of humanity's first round trip to another planet. In total, 10,932,295 people submitted their names. Turkey (2,528,844), India (1,778,277) and the United States (1,733,559) all had more than 1 million submissions.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130945.jpg)
More than 10 million names were etched onto three microchips, which were placed aboard Perseverance. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

Perseverance will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

The rover will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

Weighing more than 2,300 pounds, Perseverance is about the size of a car, with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover. It was developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/).

Earlier this month at Kennedy, activities to measure mass properties of the Cruise Stage vehicle were performed on the spin table inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Successful testing also was performed on NASA's Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8507/nasas-mars-helicopter-attached-to-mars-2020-rover/), which will be attached to Perseverance. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

ЦитироватьСеян написал:
По русски название оптимально произносить как Персиверанс.

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
Как правильно произносится название аппарата - Реверанс или Преферанс?

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
Как правильно произносится название аппарата - Реверанс или Преферанс?

Цитироватьsnek написал:
 

ЦитироватьСтарый (//forum/user/13420/) написал:
Как правильно произносится название аппарата - Реверанс или Преферанс?

Если прям уж очень сильно хочется быть оригинальным, то можно придумать что-то еще и актуальное, типа "Песий-вирус".
А вообще если по звучанию, то "пёсэвирэнс"

Цитироватьpkl написал:
Перверсия, перверсия, как ни крутитесь.

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
 Перверсизм.  

Цитироватьopinion написал:
Хаябусу научились же правильно произносить.

Цитироватькукушка написал:
 Его главная задача – экспериментальное подтверждение теоретической возможности насыщения кислородом атмосферы Марса. Для это предназначена установка «Мокси», глубоко упрятанная в самом защищенном багажнике ровера. Подробности технологии получения кислорода держатся в секрете.
 Великий американский фантаст Рэй Бредбери предрекал, что этот процесс запустят золотые рыбки, 
 

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
Как правильно произносится название аппарата - Реверанс или Преферанс?

Цитироватьpkl написал:
Говорю тебе - Перверсия.

Цитироватьpkl написал:
Говорю тебе - Перверсия.

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
 

Цитироватьpkl (//forum/user/13488/) написал:
Говорю тебе - Перверсия.

Должен заканчиваться на "нс". Или даже на "ранс".

Цитироватьpkl написал:
 

ЦитироватьСтарый (//forum/user/13420/) написал:
 

Цитироватьpkl (//forum/user/13488/)  написал:
Говорю тебе - Перверсия.

Должен заканчиваться на "нс". Или даже на "ранс".

Мне такое не выговорить.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67594.png) Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 23 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1245792128564895744)

3 months away from launch, NASA's Perseverance rover & its helicopter are undergoing final pre-launch testing and checkouts @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy).

Launch is scheduled for 17 July on a @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hash) 541 rocket at roughly 09:00 EDT (13:00 UTC).

ARTICLE:

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1245758621956354049/JK-NShkE?format=jpg&name=600x314)
Perseverance Mars rover in critical pre-launch testing at Kennedy - NASASpaceFlight.com
With its launch just over three months away, NASA's Perseverance rover is undergoing final critical...
nasaspaceflight.com (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/04/perseverance-critical-testing-kennedy/)

Цитировать (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/upload/iblock/a41/00zh.png)   
 Марсоход «Настойчивость» получает новые колеса и парашют
 Финальная сборка и испытания марсохода «Настойчивость» (Perseverance) НАСА продолжаются в Космическом центре Кеннеди во Флориде, по мере приближения июльского окна запуска. Среди некоторых из последних шагов, необходимых перед установкой космического корабля на ракете Atlas V, установка колес и парашюта, пишет AstroNews.

«Настойчивость» получил шесть своих колес 30 марта 2020 года. В то время как в декабре прошлого года марсоход проходил тест-драйв, он был на «запасных колесах», которые не полетят на Марс. Предназначенные для внедорожных поездок ровера Perseverance, который будет работать на Красной планете, колеса представляют собой переработанные версии тех, которые марсоход Curiosity использует на своих траверсах в поездках по горе Шарп.

Изготовленные из алюминия и оснащенные титановыми спицами, каждое колесо немного больше в диаметре чем у Curiosity, а покрытие почти на миллиметр больше. Они также имеют новые протекторы или грунтовые гусеницы: вместо 24 ступеней с шевронным рисунком у Curiosity - 48 слегка изогнутых. Суровые испытания в Mars Yard в Лаборатории реактивного движения НАСА показали, что эти колеса лучше выдерживают давление острых камней и сцепление с дорогой, что так же хорошо и лучше, чем у Curiosity при движении по песку.

Работа по подвеске парашюта к марсоходу в задней части корпуса, заняла несколько дней и была завершена 26 марта. Задача по замедлению самого тяжелого груза в истории исследования Марса со скорости в 1.7 Маха (скорости звука) до примерно 320 км/ч во время посадки ровера 18 февраля 2021 года, будет возложена на 88 кг нейлоновых и кевларовых волокон. Они упакованы в алюминиевый цилиндр шириной 50 сантиметров, и по плотности укладки не уступают дубу. При развертывании на высоте около 11 километров над марсианской поверхностью парашюту потребуется около полсекунды, чтобы полностью накачать свой купол шириной 21,5 метра.
А.Ж.

ЦитироватьWheels, Parachute Installed on Mars Perseverance Rover

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Apr 6, 2020 at 9:25 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130947.jpg)
Wheels are installed on NASA's Mars Perseverance rover inside Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on March 30, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

The assembly, test and launch operations team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida, making significant strides in preparing the agency's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) for its planned July 2020 launch. Final assembly and testing of the rover continue at Kennedy, including the recent installation of its wheels and parachute.

The rover received its six flight wheels on March 30. The wheels (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/wheels/) are re-engineered versions of the ones NASA's Mars Curiosity rover (https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/) has been using on the Red Planet.

Perseverance, which was developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), will liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch. The rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.

ЦитироватьNASA Helicopter Ready to Hitch a Ride to the Red Planet

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Apr 10, 2020 at 1:00 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130948.jpg)
NASA's Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency's Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

NASA's Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8507/nasas-mars-helicopter-attached-to-mars-2020-rover/) will make history in about 10 months when it becomes the first aircraft to fly on another world.

Now it has its ride to the Red Planet.

On April 6, 2020, the helicopter was attached to the belly of the agency's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance). The installation took place inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida, where the rover has remained since its Feb. 9, 2020, arrival from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130949.jpg)
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover, carrying the agency's Mars Helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter weighs less than 4 pounds; the total length of its rotors is about 4 feet, tip to tip. Its main purpose is a technology demonstration. After Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during 30 Martian days (a day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth).

For history's first flight experimental flight test in the thin Martian atmosphere (less than 1% the density of Earth's), the helicopter is tasked with hovering in the air a few feet off the ground for 20 to 30 seconds before landing. It is designed to fly on its own, without human control, using minimal commands from Earth sent in advance.

With the helicopter safely tucked away and covered by a shield to protect it during descent and landing, Perseverance will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/).

ЦитироватьНовый марсоход Perseverance теперь оснащен винтокрылым аппаратом
В преддверии запуска в космос нового марсианского ровера НАСА Perseverance («Настойчивость»), который состоится примерно через 14 недель, в помещениях Космического центра Кеннеди во Флориде, США, завершаются последние приготовления. На прошлой неделе команда, отвечающая за сборку, испытания и подготовку ровера к запуску, завершила важный этап подготовки, заправив топливом посадочную ступень – также известную как «небесный кран» - и смонтировав винтокрылый аппарат Mars Helicopter, который станет первой в истории попыткой осуществить полет воздушного судна в атмосфере иной планеты.

В минувшие выходные 401 килограмм гидразина был загружен в четыре резервуара посадочной ступени. Когда оболочка, защищающая посадочную ступень и ровер, войдет в марсианскую атмосферу 18 февраля 2021 г., топливо под давлением будет подано по трубопроводу из нержавеющей стали и титана длиной 37 метров в восемь посадочных двигателей. Задача этих двигателей состоит в снижении скорости аппарата, который будет двигаться со скоростью около 80 метров в секунду, когда высота будет составлять 2200 метров над поверхностью планеты, до примерно 0,75 метра в секунду. Эта скорость должна быть достигнута, когда высота аппарата над поверхностью Марса будет составлять не более 20 метров. Затем будет осуществлен маневр, называемый «небесным краном» - ровер будет опущен на высоту на 7,6 метра ниже посадочной ступени при помощи нейлоновых тросов. Когда ровер коснется поверхности Красной планеты в расчетной посадочной зоне внутри кратера Джезеро, тросы, связывающие его с посадочной ступенью, будут отрезаны, и посадочная ступень улетит в сторону.

После заправки посадочной ступени на ровер Perseverance была смонтирована система, которая доставит винтокрылый аппарат Mars Helicopter на поверхность Марса. Этот аппарат, который весит около 1,8 килограмма и имеет диаметр винтов около 1,2 метра, размещен внутри специальной системы, предназначенной для доставки. Прежде чем Mars Helicopter будет размещен на поверхности кратера Джезера, он будет заряжаться электроэнергией через систему питания ровера. Впоследствии он сможет генерировать собственную электрическую мощность за счет солнечной панели, расположенной над двумя его вращающимися в противоположные стороны винтами.

Винтокрылый аппарат будет оставаться закрепленным в «подбрюшье» ровера до мая следующего года, то есть в течение 2,5 месяца после посадки ровера. За это время ровер пройдет по поверхности планеты около 100 метров, а инженеры осуществят все необходимые проверки систем для аппарата Mars Helicopter.

ЦитироватьApril 13, 2020

NASA 'Optometrists' Verify Mars Perseverance Rover's 20/20 Vision

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207481.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23316-main-and-carousel-16.jpg)

Equipped with visionary science instruments, the Mars Perseverance rover underwent an "eye" exam (https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/nasa-optometrists-verify-mars-2020-rovers-2020-vision) after several cameras were installed. The rover contains an armada of imaging capabilities, from wide-angle landscape cameras to narrow-angle high-resolution zoom lens cameras.

This image, taken in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on July 23, 2019, shows a close-up of the head of the rover's remote sensing mast. The mast head contains the SuperCam instrument. (Its lens is in the large circular opening.) In the gray boxes beneath mast head are the two Mastcam-Z imagers. On the exterior sides of those imagers are the rover's two navigation cameras.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Last Updated: April 13, 2020
Editor: Yvette Smith

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno‏ @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1250842948222300165)

ULA Road Warriors: production and transportation team in Decatur, AL sending @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere)'s Centaur to the Cape. Launch is scheduled for this summer on an #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hash)... Mars 2020-20

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/181744.jpg)

ЦитироватьМарсоход НАСА «Настойчивость» прошел балансировку
 За 13 недель до запуска марсохода «Настойчивость» (Perseverance) к марсу была произведена окончательная подготовка космического корабля в Космическом центре им. Кеннеди во Флориде. 8 апреля команда по сборке, тестированию и запуску завершила испытание марсохода на массовые свойства.
Точные параметры необходимы для безопасной посадки на Марс, потому что они помогают обеспечить точное движение космического корабля на всем протяжении его полета на Красную планету - от запуска до его входа, спуска и посадки на планете.
6 апреля начался дотошный трехдневный процесс. Он начался с того, что марсоход поставили на приспособление для вращения. Затем команда медленно вращала ровер вокруг его оси X - воображаемой линии, которая проходит через ровер от его хвоста к передней части (ось Х идет в направлении движения ровера - вперед), - чтобы определить его центр тяжести (точку, в которой вес равномерно распределен по всем сторонам) относительно этой оси.
Затем команда поставила ровер на вращающийся стол. Чтобы свести к минимуму трение, которое может повлиять на точность результатов, поверхность стола опирается на сферический воздушный подшипник, который плавает на тонком слое газообразного азота. Чтобы определить центр тяжести относительно оси Z ровера (которая проходит от нижней части ровера через верх - вверх) и оси Y (от левого до правого края ровера), команда медленно поворачивала ровер вперед и назад, вычисляя дисбаланс в его массовом распределении.
Так же, как автомеханик прикрепляется малые свинцовые грузы на обод автомобильного колеса, чтобы привести его в равновесие, команда марсохода Настойчивость проанализировала полученные данные и добавила около 6,27 кг к шасси ровера. Теперь центр тяжести ровера находится в пределах 0,025 миллиметра от точного, заданного проектировщиками задания, пишет AstroNews.
А.Ж.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185028.jpg) (https://twitter.com/terrytrevino) Terry Trevino @terrytrevino (https://twitter.com/terrytrevino) 9:20 PM (https://twitter.com/terrytrevino/status/1253388235587252225) - Apr 23, 2020

@torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) Hey Tory. I'm in a webinar right now on the Perseverance mission and we have a question for ULA. "How long did it take to build@the rocket?". Any detail will be shared in the webinar.


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/45842.jpg) (https://twitter.com/torybruno) Tory Bruno ✔@torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 11:59 PM (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1253428309142065152) - Apr 23, 2020

The Atlas for Perseverance was assembled in approximately 19 months

ЦитироватьTesting Perseverance's Center of Gravity

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220382.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLraw) JPLraw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYt2JN2z3ZXQpgPHt_eKcTw)

20 апр. 2020 г.

NASA's next rover is rotated on special test fixture in preparation for its upcoming summertime launch to Mars. Video taken at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 6, 2020.

ЦитироватьHigh School Student Names NASA's Mars Helicopter

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220315.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/FollowNASA360) NASA 360 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55MqAQLf6S5tSphpOi_1PA)

29 апр. 2020 г.

The first aircraft that will attempt powered flight on another world has a new name! Meet Ingenuity – NASA's Mars Helicopter. And the inspiration for the name? We owe that credit to Vaneeza Rupani, an 11th grader from Northport, Alabama.

ЦитироватьNASA's Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity (UHD Trailer)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220357.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

29 апр. 2020 г.

NASA's Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is set to arrive at the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Its mission: to demonstrate the first powered flight on another world.

ЦитироватьApril 29, 2020

Alabama High School Student Names NASA's Mars Helicopter

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207988.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23883-main-16.jpg)
Vaneeza Rupani (inset), a junior at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, came up with the name Ingenuity for NASA's Mars Helicopter (an artist's impression of which is seen here) and the motivation behind it during NASA's "Name the Rover" essay contest.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/NIA/Rupani Family

Destined to become the first aircraft to attempt powered flight on another planet, NASA's Mars Helicopter officially has received a new name: Ingenuity.

Vaneeza Rupani, a junior at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, came up with the name and the motivation behind it during NASA's "Name the Rover (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-students-to-name-next-mars-rover/)" essay contest.

"The ingenuity and brilliance of people working hard to overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration," Rupani wrote in her contest submission. "Ingenuity is what allows people to accomplish amazing things, and it allows us to expand our horizons to the edges of the universe."

Rupani's was among 28,000 essays submitted to NASA by K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory recommending names for the the next Mars rover. In March, the agency announced that seventh-grader Alexander Mather's essay (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/virginia-middle-school-student-earns-honor-of-naming-nasas-next-mars-rover/) earned him the honor of naming the rover Perseverance. But with so many good essays, it seemed fitting to also choose a name for the helicopter that will accompany the rover to Mars. So NASA officials went back to the submitted essays to choose a name for the helicopter. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, made the choice for the rover's name, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine chose the name for the helicopter.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i-UOl9yTJE (https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i-UOl9yTJE)
The first aircraft that will attempt powered flight on another world has a new name! Meet Ingenuity – NASA's Mars Helicopter. And the inspiration for the name? We owe that credit to Vaneeza Rupani, an 11th grader from Northport, Alabama.

"Ingenuity encapsulates the values that our helicopter tech demo will showcase for everyone when it takes off next year as the first aircraft on another planet's surface," said Bridenstine. "It took a lot of hard and ingenious work to get the helicopter ready and then placed on the rover, and there's a lot more going to be required. I was happy we had another great name from the naming contest finalists from which I was able to sel ect something so representative of this exciting part of our next mission to Mars."

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0RQWv1ybsjM (https://www.youtube.com/embed/0RQWv1ybsjM)
NASA's Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is set to arrive at the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Its mission: to demonstrate the first powered flight on another world.

"I am proud that NASA's Mars Helicopter will be named by Vaneeza Rupani of Northport, Alabama," said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama. "This is a unique privilege. Ms. Rupani's essay on why she chose the name 'Ingenuity' highlights her creativity, originality, and intelligence. Her grasp on the importance of exploration is extraordinary, and I am confident that she has a bright future ahead. Congratulations to Ms. Rupani on being selected for this prestigious honor."

High Risk, High Reward

As a technology demonstration, Ingenuity is a high-risk, high-reward experiment. The helicopter will ride to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which is preparing for launch in July or August. For several months following the rover's landing, Ingenuity will remain encapsulated in a protective cover to shield it from debris during entry, descent and landing (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/timeline/entry-descent-landing/). When the timing in the rover mission is right, Ingenuity will be deployed to stand and operate on its own on the surface of the Red Planet. If the 4-pound (2-kilogram), solar-powered craft — a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — survives the cold Martian nights during its pre-flight checkout, the team will proceed with testing.

If successful during its 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) experimental flight test window, the small craft will prove that powered flight can be achieved at Mars, enabling future Mars missions to better utilize second-generation helicopters to add an aerial dimension to their explorations.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207987.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23882-2nd-16.jpg)
The flight model of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The helicopter successfully completed its flight-testing program using the 25-foot space simulation chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The next flight attempt will be in the actual environment of Mars. And if Ingenuity encounters difficulties, engineers will apply the lessons learned to future technology demonstrations. The science-gathering portion of the Mars 2020 mission will not be impacted.

"In the early days of this project, the feasibility of flying at Mars was questioned," said MiMi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. "But today we have a helicopter down at the launch site, installed on the rover and waiting to board the rocket which will carry us to the Red Planet. Like Vaneeza said in her essay, ingenuity and hard work led us to see beyond what was logical to what was possible. Now Ingenuity will have its chance to fly at Mars."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208653.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/rupanifamily-1041.jpg)
Vaneeza Rupani, the 11th grader who named the Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity), at home in Northport, Alabama.
Credits: Courtesy Rupani Family

Along with investigating difficult-to-reach targets, such as cliffs, caves and deep craters, future aircraft could carry small science instruments or act as scouts for human and robotic explorers on Mars or other celestial bodies.

NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter are currently undergoing final assembly and checkout at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket fr om Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in July and land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

Members of the public and media interested in learning more about the Ingenuity helicopter can ask questions on social media using the hashtag #AskNASA. JPL will share some of these questions with Aung, the helicopter project manager, and release a video at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT) today, April 29, with a live moderated chat. The video will premiere at:

https://www.youtube.com/NASAJPL/live (https://www.youtube.com/NASAJPL/live)

JPL is building and will manage operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is responsible for launch management. Lockheed Martin Space in Boulder, Colorado, provided the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.

The "Name the Rover" contest partnership was part of a Space Act Agreement in educational and public outreach efforts between NASA, Battelle of Columbus, Ohio, and Future Engineers of Burbank, California. Amazon Web Services is an additional prize provider for the contest.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Through its Artemis (https://www.nasa.gov/artemis) program, NASA intends to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024 and establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028, using it as a stepping stone to sending astronauts to Mars.

Last Updated: April 29, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

Цитировать30 АПР, 13:01
Вертолет нового марсохода NASA назвали "Находчивость"
Он будет помогать марсоходу Perserverance искать следы жизни на Красной планете

ТАСС, 30 апреля. Первый марсианский вертолет, который попадет на Красную планету на борту марсохода Perseverance, получил официальное имя – Ingenuity ("находчивость" по-английски). Об (этом) пишет (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7650) пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA.

"Когда вертолет Ingenuity взлетит с поверхности Марса, он продемонстрирует те качества, которые мы больше всего ценим. Его создание и установка на марсоход потребовала много тяжелой и изобретательной работы, и еще больше изобретательности потребуется команде Perseverance после его запуска. Я был очень рад выбрать еще одно отличное имя, которое так хорошо отражает суть этой марсианской миссии", – прокомментировал глава NASA Джим Брайденстайн.

В августе прошлого года специалисты агентства заявили, что имя для пятого по счету марсохода NASA выберут американские школьники. Для этого им нужно было написать сочинение на тему изучения Марса и отправить их в NASA. В общей сложности в первом этапе конкурса участвовали более 28 тысяч школьников.

В середине января эксперты NASA подвели итоги (https://nauka.tass.ru/nauka/7515215) первого этапа конкурса и опубликовали (https://www.futureengineers.org/nametherover) список из 155 полуфиналистов. Только одному из них, Алексу Мейтеру, доверили придумать роверу имя и поучаствовать в церемонии его запуска с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в июле этого года. Мальчик назвал марсоход (https://tass.ru/kosmos/7912581) "Настойчивостью", Perseverance.

Еще один участник этого конкурса, школьница Ваниза Рупани, выиграла право выбрать имя для первого марсианского вертолета, который отправится на Марс вместе с Perseverance. Главная задача этого аппарата будет заключаться в том, чтобы продемонстрировать возможность полетов на поверхности Красной планеты. Вдобавок, он будет помогать пятому Perseverance искать те участки поверхности Марса, где могут существовать следы древней жизни.

Поиски марсианской жизни

О планах по созданию еще одного марсохода, пятого по счету, представители NASA объявили в декабре 2012 года. Он должен был стать своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity, который совершил посадку на Марс в августе 2012 года. Первоначально новый аппарат получил неофициальное имя "Марс-2020", его официальное название – Perserverance – утвердили лишь в марте 2020 года. Его планировали вывести в космос в середине лета 2020 года, посадку он должен совершить в кратере Йезеро на экваторе красной планеты в феврале 2021 года.

С технической точки зрения пятый марсоход NASA будет полным наследником Curiosity: это заметно удешевило и ускорило сборку ровера. Его стоимость космическое агентство оценивает в $2,46 млрд. Главной задачей Perserverance будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.

Для этого Perseverance будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф" на его борту. Инженеры предполагают, что эти минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которую отправят к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

Цитироватьtnt22 написал:
Ingenuity

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
 Ну "Преферанс"же выговариваешь?  

Цитироватьpkl написал:
 

ЦитироватьСтарый (//forum/user/13420/) написал:
 Ну "Преферанс"же выговариваешь?  

На Преферанс непохоже.  

ЦитироватьСтарый написал:
Когда долетит посмотрим - Преферанс он или Просеранс.

 Я буду болеть за Преферанс.

ЦитироватьPerseverance Presses On, Remains Targeted for Summer Launch

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted May 7, 2020 at 4:01 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130952.jpg)
Multiple milestones have been reached recently with the Mars Perseverance rover at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aeroshell backshell was attached on April 29 and the rover was attached to its rocket-powered descent stage on April 23 inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

Testing on NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) at Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) closed out April on an extremely high note.

The latest activities at the Florida spaceport included attaching the aeroshell backshell on April 29 and attaching the rover to its rocket-powered descent stage on April 23 inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The rover and descent stage were the first spacecraft components to come together for launch — and they will be the last to separate when the spacecraft reaches Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.

The backshell carries the parachute and several components that will be used during later stages of entry, descent and landing. The aeroshell will encapsulate and protect Perseverance and its descent stage during their deep space journey to Mars and during descent through the Martian atmosphere, which generates intense heat.

April saw other key rover milestones reached at Kennedy. On April 14, the descent stage — fully loaded with 884 pounds of fuel (a hydrazine monopropellant) — was rotated and spun on two separate measuring fixtures to pinpoint its center of gravity.  This will help ensure the descent stage remains stable while guiding Perseverance to a safe landing.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130953.jpg)
Perseverance remains on track for its targeted launch period, which opens in six weeks. Liftoff, aboard a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket, will be from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

On April 6,  NASA's Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/), recently named Ingenuity, was attached to the belly of the rover. Weighing less than four pounds, the twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during 30 Martian days (a day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth). Ingenuity will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

Thanks to the enduring efforts of NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) engineers, Perseverance remains on track for its targeted launch period, which opens in just six weeks. The rover will liftoff aboard a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

After the rover enters the thin Martian atmosphere, the descent stage will complete the slowing of Perseverance to less than two miles per hour. At about 65 feet over the Martian surface, the descent stage — utilizing a tether of nylon cords — will lower Perseverance to the surface of Jezero Crater (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-landing-site-for-mars-2020-rover). The rover will then sever the cords and the descent stage will fly away.

About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, Perseverance will carry seven different scientific instruments. Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), the rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of past microbial life. It will characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

ЦитироватьLaunch preparations continue for NASA's next Mars rover
May 9, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150056.jpg)
NASA's Perseverance rover is seen underneath its back shell inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 29. Credit: NASA JPL/Christian Mangano

On track for launch from Cape Canaveral in July, NASA's Perseverance rover has been secured to its rocket-powered descent stage and back shell, part of the protective shield that will safeguard the robot when it arrives at Mars next year.

The rover was attached to its descent stage April 23 inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The combined descent stage and rover stack was then stowed inside the mission's back shell, half of the aeroshell that will enclose the rover during its trip from Earth to Mars.

The integration milestones signal the start of putting the Perseverance rover into launch configuration. The mission's launch period opens July 17 and extends through Aug. 5.

"Attaching the rover to the descent stage is a major milestone for the team because these are the first spacecraft components to come together for launch, and they will be the last to separate when we reach Mars," said David Gruel, the Perseverance rover assembly, test, and launch operations manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which manages rover operations. "These two assemblies will remain firmly nestled together until they are about 65 feet (20 meters) over the surface of Mars."

Three flight separation bolts connect the rover with its descent stage, which has eight hydrazine-fueled rocket thrusters to slow the craft's velocity just before landing. The three bolts will be released by pyrotechnic charges in the final stage of the mission's descent to the Martian surface, allowing a Nylon cord to unwind and lower the rover around 25 feet (7.6 meters) below the descent stage, according to NASA.

NASA calls the landing technique the "sky crane" maneuver. The same type of descent stage was successfully employed in the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars in August 2012.

"Once Perseverance senses it's on the surface, pyrotechnically-fired blades will sever the cords, and the descent stage flies off," NASA said in a statement. "The sky crane maneuver ensures Perseverance will land on the Martian surface free of any other spacecraft components, eliminating the need for a complex deployment procedure."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150055.jpg)
NASA's Perseverance rover is seen underneath its back shell inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 29. Credit: NASA JPL/Christian Mangano

In the next few weeks, engineers and technicians working inside the pristine clean room at Kennedy will install sterilized tubes on the rover. The tubes will store Martian rock samples until a future mission can retrieve the specimens for return to Earth.

Then ground crews will attach the mission's 14.9-foot-wide (4.5-meter) ablative heat shield on the bottom of the back shell, cocooning the rover inside its aeroshell, which will protect the robot from scorching temperatures as it plunges into the Martian atmosphere. The aeroshell will then be attached to the mission's solar-powered cruise stage, the module that will fine-tune the rover's trajectory on the interplanetary journey to the Red Planet.

The circular cruise stage will jettison from the aeroshell just before entry into the Martian atmosphere. The mission's entry, descent and landing on Mars is fixed on Feb. 18, 2021, regardless of when it lifts off during this year's 20-day launch period.

Once through the hottest part of entry, the spacecraft will deploy a supersonic parachute, then release the heat shield on the bottom of the aeroshell. The rocket pack landing stage will then separate from the back shell to begin the powered descent phase before lowering the rover for touchdown.

The entire entry, descent and landing process will take around seven minutes from the time the spacecraft hits the upper reaches of the Martian atmosphere until the rover softly lands on the surface of Mars.

Before the rover can attempt the make-or-break landing on Mars, the mission has to safely launch from Earth.

Once the Mars-bound spacecraft is fully assembled in June, the team of JPL engineers working at Kennedy will hand over the vehicle to United Launch Alliance for encapsulation inside the payload fairing of its Atlas 5 rocket.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150054.jpg)
NASA's Perseverance rover is seen underneath its back shell inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 29. Credit: NASA JPL/Christian Mangano

The spacecraft — inside the Atlas 5's fairing — will next be transported across the Cape Canaveral spaceport to ULA's Vertical Integration Facility at pad 41. A crane will hoist the payload on top of the Atlas 5 rocket inside the VIF for final electrical checkouts and an end-to-end integrated test before rolling out to the launch pad.

Also on tap in early July: The installation of the rover's plutonium power source. The nuclear-powered robot will be fitted with its radioisotope power generator inside ULA's vertical rocket hangar.

If the launch remains on track for July 17, the launch window that day opens at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

The Perseverance rover is currently second in line on ULA's mission manifest after the planned launch of an Atlas 5 rocket May 16 with the U.S. Air Force's X-37B orbital spaceplane.

Once the X-37B mission takes off, ULA will begin stacking the Atlas 5 rocket for the Perseverance mission, formerly known as Mars 2020. The Atlas 5 assigned to launch the Mars rover will fly in the "541" configuration with a 5.4-meter-diameter (17.7-foot) payload fairing and four solid-fueled strap-on boosters.

NASA says ground teams are taking extra precautions as they prepare the Perseverance rover for launch during the coronavirus pandemic.

If the mission can't take off in July or August, the next opportunity to launch the rover will not be until September 2022, when the Earth and Mars are again properly aligned to make the interplanetary voyage possible. Such a delay could add up to $500 million to the mission's total cost, according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150054.jpg)
NASA's Perseverance rover (bottom) is seen during attachment to the mission's rocket-powered descent stage (top) April 23 inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA JPL/Christian Mangano

While many members of the mission's software development, science, operations and planning teams have worked remotely over the last two months, around 80 mission-critical personnel have performed required final processing, testing and assembly steps on the spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center.

The processing team traveled between their home base in Southern California and Florida's Space Coast on a NASA aircraft, minimizing their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 viral disease.

NASA identified the Perseverance mission as the top priority for the agency's science directorate, and top officials approved extra measures to ensure the rover could remain on schedule for launch.

Some team members who would have traveled to Kennedy to perform inspections of the rover were able to instead complete their work remotely, thanks to a live video connection through a smartphone.

In addition to its sample collection mission, the Perseverance rover carries a suite of science instruments and the first zoom-capable camera to travel to Mars. The instruments will gather information on soil and rock composition, and the presence of organic material, the building blocks of life.

A Norwegian-developed ground-penetrating radar on Perseverance will study the Red Planet's underground geologic structure. The instruments mounted inside the Perseverance rover's main body include MOXIE, which will demonstrate the production of oxygen from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars, a capability that future astronaut explorers could use.

The mission also carries a weather station and two microphones to record the sound of the rover's landing and Martian winds.

Another pioneering objective of the Perseverance mission will be the deployment of the first Mars Helicopter — recently named Ingenuity by Alabama high school student Vaneeza Rupani — to fly through the planet's thin atmosphere.

Carrying cameras and its own solar panel to produce electricity, the rotorcraft become the first vehicle of its kind to fly to another planet. Its mission is primarily a technology demonstration.

ЦитироватьМарсоход «Персеверанс» соединили с «Небесным краном»
Специалисты NASA объединили марсоход «Персеверанс» (Perseverance) будущей миссии «Марс-2020» с тормозной системой «Небесный кран» и задней оболочкой десантного модуля, задача которых заключается в безопасной доставке марсохода к поверхности Красной планеты. Запуск марсохода в космос состоится в период с 17 июля по 5 августа 2020 года, сообщается на сайте Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA.
В рамках новой исследовательской программы NASA «Марс-2020» 18 февраля 2021 года на Красной планете должен высадиться ровер, получивший имя «Персеверанс» («Настойчивость»), похожий по конструкции на действующий «Кьюриосити», но обладающий расширенным комплектом научных инструментов и камер. Марсоход будет искать в кратере Езеро, где в прошлом располагалась речная дельта, признаки существования жизненных форм в прошлом Марса, изучать геологию и климат, собирать пробы образов грунта для последующей доставки на Землю. Он сможет опробовать технологии, необходимые для будущих пилотируемых полетов к планете, такие как получение кислорода из марсианской атмосферы.
Все работы по сборке самого ровера уже завершены, ранее на него установили парашютную систему и беспилотный летательный аппарат Mars Helicopter. В начале апреля была произведена заправка топливом тормозной системы «Небесный кран», которая должна будет снизить скорость аппарата с 80 до 0,75 метра в секунду. Затем, когда система с ровером окажется на высоте 20 метров от поверхности Марса, сработают пироболты и выпустятся нейлоновые тросы, которые спустят ровер вниз. Как только марсоход встанет колесами на грунт, тросы будут разорваны и система отлетит на безопасное расстояние.
Работы по объединению ровера с тормозной системой начались 23 апреля 2020 года. 29 апреля они были прикреплены к конусообразной задней оболочке десантной ступени, которая включает в себя парашют и теплозащитный экран и обеспечит безопасное прохождение атмосферы на этапе высадки. Запуск марсохода в космос состоится в период с 17 июля по 5 августа 2020 года при помощи ракеты-носителя Atlas V 541 с базы ВВС США на мысе Канаверал.
Ожидается, что в середине 2022 года на планете начнет свою работу марсоход, названный в честь Розалинд Франклин и создаваемый в рамках совместного проекта Европейского космического агентства и «Роскосмоса» «ЭкзоМарс-2020».
Александр Войтюк

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67594.png) Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 40 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1262477845697355777)

Heads up Central Florida. The plane carrying what we believe to be the #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hash) rocket for @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) rover's launch to Mars this summer is inbound to the Cape.
@ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/182720.png)


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg) Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1262486806970413057)

Another Atlas 5 first stage has arrived at Cape Canaveral, taking a rare ride on an Antonov cargo plane from Huntsville, Alabama, near ULA's factory in Decatur.

This rocket will be used to launch NASA's Perseverance Mars rover in July.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/182751.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg) NASA's Launch Services Program‏ @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1262512970703273992)

Less than 60 days from the opening of the launch window for @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) and something BIG arrived to @45thSpaceWing (https://twitter.com/45thSpaceWing) today! Stay tuned to see what's on board (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125368.png)

Launch is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 aboard a @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) Atlas V rocket: http://go.nasa.gov/2LDbGH4  (https://t.co/ioWGJdxWfV)

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ЦитироватьATLAS V TO LAUNCH PERSEVERANCE

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220064.jpg)

• Rocket: Atlas V 541
• Mission:  NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover 
• Launch Date: Friday, July 17, 2020 at 9 a.m. EDT 
• Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Information: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket will launch NASA's Perseverance rover to Mars. The spacecraft will explore the Jezero Crater to study the planet's habitability, seek signs of past microbial life, collect and store samples of selected rock and soil and prepare for future human missions.

The rover also carries the Ingenuity helicopter, a technology demonstration to prove that powered flight can be achieved at Mars.

Launch Notes: The Perseverance launch will mark the 85th Atlas V mission since the inaugural launch in 2002 and the 7th in the 541 configuration. 

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch (http://www.facebook.com/ulalaunch), twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #AtlasV and #Mars2020.

ЦитироватьShake, Rattle and Roll: Testing NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220357.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

18 мая 2020 г.

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover lives up to its name by enduring a series of tests to prepare for its journey to the Red Planet. Tests for the mission were performed between September and December of 2019 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

ЦитироватьMay 18, 2020

NASA's Perseverance Rover Goes Through Trials by Fire, Ice, Light and Sound

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207992.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23890-16.gif)
This animated GIF shows a successful test of the parachute that will be used to land NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars. The images were taken on Sept. 7, 2018, during the third and final flight of the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) project.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

While auto manufacturers built over 92 million motor vehicles for this world in 2019, NASA built just one for Mars. The Perseverance Mars rover is one of a kind, and the testing required to get it ready to roll on the mean (and unpaved) streets of the Red Planet is one of a kind as well.

Because hardware cannot be repaired once the rover is on Mars, the team has to build a vehicle that can survive for years on a planet with punishing temperature shifts, constant radiation and ever-present dust. To ensure readiness, they put Perseverance through a test program tougher than the trip to Mars and the environment it will encounter once there.

"Mars is hard, and everybody knows that," said project manager John McNamee of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "What they may not realize is that to be successful at Mars, you have to test the absolute heck out of the thing here on Earth."

While the unique tests performed for the project number in the thousands, here's a handful that stand out.

The Sound and Fury

It is no secret that loud noises can be detrimental to your hearing. They can also be detrimental to a spacecraft, at least when they're at the level encountered atop the launch vehicle during liftoff. Those punishing decibels can actually cause parts and components to come loose.

Long before the rover was shipped to Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for this summer's launch, engineers put it in a special chamber at JPL and, using nitrogen-charged speakers, blasted away at it with random waves of sound as high as about 143 decibels — louder than what you'd encounter standing behind a roaring jet engine. On several occasions during the daylong acoustical test, they halted to inspect the rover and its surroundings, looking for anything that might have loosened, broken or fallen off. Some fasteners attaching spacecraft components had to be tightened and a few electrical cables replaced, but the mission team came away with increased confidence that while Perseverance will certainly be shaken during launch, nothing should stir.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207989.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23887-1041.jpg)
The spacecraft that will carry NASA's Perseverance rover to Mars is examined prior to an acoustic test in the Environmental Test Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The image was taken on April 11, 2019.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Oh, Chute

Ask any member of the Mars 2020 mission's entry, descent and landing team, and they'll tell you there's little point in traveling through 314 million miles (505 million kilometers) of interplanetary space if you can't stick the landing. At 70.5 feet (21.5 meters) in diameter, the rover's supersonic parachute has everything to do with making that happen. A lot of work goes into ensuring a chute deploys right and can do the job without shredding or getting tangled.

Perseverance's parachute is based on the design successfully flown by Mars Curiosity in 2012. However, since Perseverance is slightly heavier than Curiosity, engineers strengthened their parachute design. But how to be sure it will do what is expected of it? Test, test, test.

First, the team focused on verifying the chute would hold up under the strain of slowing a fast-moving spacecraft down in the Martian atmosphere. In the summer of 2017, they traveled to the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at NASA's Ames Research in California's Silicon Valley to observe trial chute deployments close up in a wind tunnel, checking workmanship and looking for any unexpected behavior.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207994.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23916-1041.jpg)
In this June 2017 photo, the supersonic parachute design that will land NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, undergoes testing in a wind tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames

More complex evaluations would come between March and September 2018. The team tested the chute three times in Mars-relevant conditions, using Black Brant IX sounding rockets launched fr om NASA's Wallops Flight Research Facility in Virginia. The final test flight (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7269), on Sept. 7, exposed the chute to a 67,000-pound (37,000-kilogram) load — the highest ever survived by a supersonic parachute and about 85% higher than what the mission's chute is expected to encounter during deployment in Mars' atmosphere.

The team also tested the chute's deployment mortar. Perseverance's parachute is packed into an aluminum canister so tightly, it has the density of oak. The mortar is a cylindrical canister cradled atop the aeroshell, which encapsulates the rover. At the time of deployment, an explosive propellant at the base of the mortar will launch the carefully bundled array of nylon, Technora and Kevlar at just the right velocity and trajectory into the Martian slipstream.

Mortar deployment evaluations took place in the winter of 2019 at a test facility in central Washington. The temperature of the mortar canister during the first test synched closely with the ambient air temperature — about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). The second and third were executed with the mortar chilled to minus 67 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 55 degrees Celsius) — well below the temperature at which the mortar is expected to fire during the actual deployment at Mars (14 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 10 degrees Centigrade). The mortar passed all three tests with flying colors.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207990.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23888-640.gif)
This animated GIF shows a test of the mortar system that will be used on Feb. 18, 2021, to deploy the parachute for NASA's Perseverance rover. The test took place in November 2019 at a facility in central Washington.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Running Hot and Cold

The Sun's rays heat a white-painted rover differently than they would, say, a Mars boulder. To better understand what temperature-sensitive instruments and subsystems will encounter, the team tested Perseverance's "thermal model." In October 2019, they placed the rover in JPL's 25-foot-wide, 85-foot-tall (8-meter-by-26-meter) vacuum chamber for a daylong test, wh ere powerful xenon lamps several floors below beamed upward, hitting a mirror at the top of the chamber to drench the spacecraft with light.

After the lamps warmed up and reached the same intensity of sunlight the rover will encounter at its landing site in Jezero Crater (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8549/nasas-mars-2020-will-hunt-for-microscopic-fossils/?site=insight), an engineer climbed in and measured the "sunlight" reaching different portions of the rover. Data from the test was used to update the rover's thermal model, giving the team the assurance they needed to proceed with next step in ground-based cold testing.

Once the solar-intensity tests concluded, engineers closed the doors and evacuated the majority of the atmosphere in the chamber to simulate Mars' thin atmosphere, which has about 1% the atmospheric density of Earth. Then the chamber was chilled to minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 129 degrees Celsius), and for a weeklong subsystems check, they ran computer programs, raised the remote sensing mast and antennas, turned wheels, and deployed the Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8659/alabama-high-school-student-names-nasas-mars-helicopter/) to make sure the rover can handle even the coldest Martian nights.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207991.gif) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23889-640.gif)
This animated GIF shows the deployment of the Perseverance rover's remote sensing mast during a cold test in a space simulation chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The test took place in October 2019.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Camera Ready

The Mars 2020 mission is launching 25 cameras to the Red Planet, a record number for an interplanetary expedition. After installation, each camera bound for the Red Planet had to undergo an "eye" exam.

With a camera called WATSON, which is tasked with taking close-up pictures and (if needed) video of rock textures, project engineers recorded the scene as they danced and waved. The goal: to determine the imager's frame rate and exposure time, and the ability of its computer to hold and transfer the data.

For other imagers, the test was a little more formal and rigorous. The process is called machine-vision calibration and involves using target boards featuring grids to establish a baseline for a camera's optical performance. The result? The mission's vision was 2020.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207972.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23314.jpg)
In this image, engineers test cameras on the top of the mast and front chassis of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. The image was taken on July 23, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23314)

About the Mars 2020 Mission

Whether they are working on final assembly of the vehicle at Kennedy Space Center, testing software and subsystems at JPL, or (as the majority of the team is doing) teleworking (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7645) due to coronavirus safety precautions, the Perseverance team remains on track to meet the opening of the rover's launch period. No matter what day Perseverance launches, it will land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. The Perseverance rover mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/).

2020-094

Last Updated: May 18, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

ЦитироватьMars 2020: Atlas V rocket arrives at launch site
May 19, 2020, 13:02 PM

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220078.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220078.jpg)

With less than two months until launch, the Atlas V rocket has arrived at Cape Canaveral from the factory for its mission to send NASA's Perseverance rover to Mars in search of ancient life.
 
The rocket's first stage was delivered from ULA's manufacturing plant in Decatur, Alabama, aboard the massive Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100 cargo aircraft. The 107-foot-tall Atlas booster was loaded into the jet in Huntsville for the flight to the Skid Strip runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Monday, May 18.
 
The Antonov was parked at the runway's ramp, the front of the aircraft swung open and technicians offloaded the rocket today, May 19, for transport to the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC). The stage was wrapped in a protective covering for the trek from the factory.
 
At the ASOC, the stage will undergo receiving checks and ordnance installations before moving soon to the Vertical Integration Facility to begin stacking operations.
 
The first stage joins the Centaur upper stage already delivered to the Cape for the Perseverance launch. Centaur was driven from Decatur to the launch site in an over-the-road shipping trailer in mid-April to begin its pre-flight processing.
 
Since the Atlas first stage is too large to be transported across the Southeast U.S. by road, air-delivery by the Antonov is an alternative way to deliver the rocket.
 
The primary mode of transportation that ULA uses is the R/S RocketShip (learn more about the ship), the rocket-carrying cargo vessel that can navigate both shallow rivers and vast ocean travel.
 
But RocketShip has been occupied delivering the entire Delta IV Heavy rocket -- three common booster cores, Delta Cryogenic Second Stage and payload fairing -- to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, via the Panama Canal, for an upcoming national security launch.
 
The Delta IV cores are too large for either road transport or the Antonov, making RocketShip the only method of taking the rocket to the launch site.
 
But the smaller diameter of Atlas allows its main stage to be compatible with both the RocketShip and the Antonov.
 
The Perseverance launch is planned for July 17 from Space Launch Complex-41 when the window of planetary alignment between Earth and Mars opens to dispatch the rover.
 
ULA and its heritage rockets have launched every U.S. mission to Mars. Atlas V, in particular, will be launching to Mars for the fifth time with Perseverance.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg) NASA's Launch Services Program @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1262826154383286272)

The @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hash) rocket that will launch @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) to the Red Planet this summer has arrived.

The booster is headed to preflight checkouts before stacking that will take place closer to liftoff. Follow along for launch milestones:
http://go.nasa.gov/2LDbGH4   (https://t.co/ioWGJdxWfV)

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1262826089585524737/pu/vid/640x360/GualDCXLxhuOCcqy.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1262826089585524737/pu/vid/640x360/GualDCXLxhuOCcqy.mp4) (0:22)

Цитировать20 МАЯ, 02:13
Ступень ракеты Atlas V доставили на мыс Канаверал на самолете российской компании
C помощью ракеты планируется вывести в космос новый марсоход NASA

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 20 мая. /ТАСС/. Первую ступень американской ракеты-носителя Atlas V, с помощью которой планируется вывести в космос новый марсоход NASA, доставили на мыс Канаверал (штат Флорида) самолетом российской авиакомпании "Волга-Днепр". Об этом говорится в сообщении, опубликованном во вторник на сайте (https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/05/19/mars-2020-atlas-v-rocket-arrives-at-launch-site) компании United Launch Alliance (ULA).

"Первая ступень ракеты была доставлена с предприятия ULA в Декейтере (штат Алабама) на борту огромного транспортного самолета Ан-124-100 компании "Волга-Днепр", - отметили представители американской фирмы. Они уточнили, что ступень, высота которой составляет более 32 м, погрузили на борт самолета в городе Хантсвилл (штат Алабама). В понедельник этот элемент ракеты-носителя доставили на космодром на мысе Канаверал.

Первую ступень выгрузили из самолета во вторник. Специалисты проверят ее и подготовят к запуску. В компании отметили, что данный элемент Atlas V является слишком большим, чтобы везти его автотранспортом. В сообщении констатируется, что для этих целей ULA обычно использует специальное судно, но на его борту сейчас доставляют другие грузы.

Вторая ступень Atlas V была привезена из Декейтера на космодром на мысе Канаверал в середине апреля. Как отметили в ULA, запуск с целью вывода в космос марсохода NASA Perseverance ("Настойчивость") запланирован на 17 июля. В американском космическом ведомстве рассчитывают, что с помощью этого аппарата, в частности, будут проведены поиски возможных следов жизни на Марсе.

Цитата: undefinedNASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Gets a Boost

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted May 21, 2020 at 11:06 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130951.jpg)
The United Launch Alliance booster for NASA's Mars Perseverance rover is offloaded from the Antonov 124 cargo aircraft at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 19, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

With the addition of a powerful piece of hardware, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) continues to progress toward its much-anticipated launch in less than two months.

The spacecraft's booster arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Skid Strip on Monday, May 18. It was then offloaded and taken to United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/130950.jpg)
The Antonov 124 cargo aircraft, carrying the United Launch Alliance booster for NASA's Mars Perseverance rover, taxis off the runway at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 18, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Perseverance remains on track for its targeted mid-July launch. The rover will liftoff aboard a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida is managing the launch.

Perseverance will reach the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. After the rover enters the thin Martian atmosphere, the descent stage — utilizing a tether of nylon cords — will lower Perseverance to the surface of Jezero Crater (https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jezero-crater-mars-2020s-landing-site/).

Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), the rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of past microbial life. Ingenuity (https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/24935/nasa-mars-helicopter-ingenuity-animations/), the twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter attached to Perseverance, will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

Цитата: undefinedMAY 21, 2020
Air Deliveries Bring NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Closer to Launch

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140899.gif)
This animated GIF shows a NASA Wallops Flight Facility C-130 soon after landing Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 11, 2020. The cargo plane was carrying nearly 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of mission flight hardware, test gear and equipment for the agency's Mars-bound Perseverance rover mission. Image Credit: NASA
› Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20200521/airplane20200521.gif)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140938.jpg)
Some of the nearly 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of Perseverance mission flight hardware, test gear and equipment delivered to Kennedy Space Center on May 11, 2020, is unloaded from a NASA Wallops C-130. Image Credit: NASA
› Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20200521/PIA23918-16.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140937.jpg)
The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V that will carry NASA's Perseverance rover into space is offloaded from an Antonov cargo plane at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 11, 2020. Image Credit: NASA
› Larger view (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars2020/20200521/PIA23917-16.jpg)

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A NASA Wallops Flight Facility cargo plane transported more than two tons of equipment - including the rover's sample collection tubes - to Florida for this summer's liftoff.

---

Progress continues to speed along as NASA's Perseverance rover readies for its launch this summer. On May 11, the rover team at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida received the tubes tasked with holding the first samples collected at Mars (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/surface-operations/) for eventual return to Earth. A week later, the Atlas V launch vehicle that will hurl Perseverance to the Red Planet arrived at the launch site. Working together, personnel from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and United Launch Alliance in Centennial, Colorado, were also able to extend the rover's launch period by six days, from Jul. 17-Aug. 5 to Jul. 17-Aug. 11.

The sample tubes will be filled with Martian rock and sediment and deposited on the planet for a future mission to return to Earth to be studied. They're part of the rover's Sample Caching System (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/sample-handling/), the most complex and capable mechanism of its kind to be sent into space to address the question of potential life beyond Earth.

The tubes and their seals were among the nearly 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of mission flight hardware, test gear and equipment that traveled from JPL to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. On May 10, the equipment was loaded onto a C-130 cargo plane from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The following day, the crew set out for Florida, touching down on Kennedy Space Center's Launch and Landing Facility a little before 3 p.m. local time. They were back at Wallops that evening.

A week later, on May 18, a giant Antonov cargo plane delivered the first stage of the mission's Atlas V launch vehicle, arriving at Kennedy Space Center just after 4 p.m. local time. The following day the booster was transported to the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Once final testing is complete, the Atlas will be moved to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41, where preparations for the launch of Perseverance have begun following the successful Atlas V launch of the USSF-7 mission on May 17. Next, the Centaur upper stage and the payload fairing, which protects the spacecraft during launch, will be stacked on top of it.

Perseverance's Launch Period

Along with welcoming these key deliveries, Perseverance's team recently extended the mission's launch period - the range of days they can launch in order to reach Mars. Navigators calculated the original launch period, July 17-Aug. 5, over four years ago - long before the final weight of the spacecraft (the rover, the protective aeroshell in which it will travel to Mars, the descent stage, and the cruise stage that will take them there) could be well defined. With the new spacecraft data in hand, as well as an update on Atlas V performance margins from United Launch Alliance, the navigation team has expanded the period to Aug. 11.

"Vehicle design maturity is the space navigator's friend," said Fernando Abilleira, design and navigation manager for the mission. "We now have a 26-day launch period to get Perseverance on its way."

No matter what day Perseverance lifts off during its launch period, it will land in Mars' Jezero Crater (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8549/nasas-mars-2020-will-hunt-for-microscopic-fossils/?site=insight) on Feb. 18, 2021. Targeting landing for one specific date and time helps mission planners better understand lighting and temperature at the landing site, as well as the location of Mars-orbiting satellites tasked with recording and relaying spacecraft data during its descent and landing.

About the Mission

The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. The mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/).

2020-097

Цитата: undefinedWith Perseverance, we're on our way toward a Sustained Human Presence on Mars!

Bob Collom (https://blogs.nasa.gov/redplanetdispatch/author/rcollom/)
Posted May 22, 2020 at 12:58 pm
 
By: David McIntosh, Michelle Viotti, Richard (Rick) Davis, and Bob Collom

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/131152.jpg)
Artist Concept: Mars rover Perseverance sets out to seek signs of life – and prepare for a human future on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Exciting times as Mars 2020 Rover Perseverance is getting ready to set off on a life-seeking mission, but it marks the beginning of so much more! The Mars 2020 mission is actually the first of a multi-mission effort to return samples from Mars to Earth. That interplanetary round-trip campaign is a precursor for future round-trip crew-carrying spacecraft that will take humans back and forth between Earth and Mars over several missions, ultimately leading to a sustained human presence on the surface of the red planet!

The returned samples that Perseverance collects will be critical for high-priority scientific investigations about microbial life, but will also allow human-mission planners to understand the mechanical properties of the Martian dust, dirt, rocks, and minerals (the "regolith") – that is, how abrasive they are, their oxidizing potential, particle size and shape, etc. That information will teach us about potential human-health hazards: toxicity, respiratory issues, and potential biohazards of any existing microbial life on Mars etc. These data will help mission planners design strategies to safeguard Mars explorers. The analysis of minerals in the returned samples may also have a direct impact on understanding what natural mineral resources are potentially available for future human use on Mars.

Beyond kicking off the Mars sample return campaign, Perseverance will gather mission-enabling knowledge critical to every phase of humanity's own future round-trip voyages to Mars: getting safely to the Martian surface, living and working on Mars, and returning home to Earth.

Getting Safely to the Martian Surface

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The Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) will tell mission planners how to protect humans during entry, descent, and landing, one of the riskiest parts of any Mars mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Mars 2020 aeroshell that protects the rover on its journey carries sensors that will tell us how the spacecraft heats up and performs during entry into the Martian atmosphere. That information will help engineers improve landing designs for the larger crew and cargo landers necessary for human missions. During descent, the rover will demonstrate a new autonomous guidance system called Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN). This hazard-avoidance system may join beacons and other technologies that support landing large cargo in advance of humans, as well as eventual piloted landings by crewed vehicles.

Living and Working on Mars

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Right: Artist concept of a possible in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) facility (foreground) on Mars. Credit: NASA

Mars is an extreme environment, but Perseverance is going to make the most of it. The rover carries a special "lung" that will produce oxygen from Mars' carbon-dioxide atmosphere. It will be the very first demonstration of how to process natural resources on Mars for human use. Large quantities of oxygen will be needed to produce propellant ("rocket fuel") for astronauts' return trip home to Earth, as well as to provide back-up oxygen supplies for breathable air.

The oxygen-generating instrument will also monitor how abundant Martian dust in the atmosphere interacts with machinery to improve future engineering designs. In addition, Perseverance's new weather-monitoring capabilities are specially designed to enhance our understanding of the relationship between dust and weather through the Martian seasons. Learning more about Martian dust will help engineers design better shelters for astronauts, as well as equipment that has to function for long durations on the surface. After all, Mars-bound explorers will want to know their equipment will work for years in the Martian environment.

Once at home on the surface, future human explorers venturing outdoors on Marswalks will need spacesuits that are strong enough to withstand the elements, but flexible enough to move around with agility. Perseverance carries five samples of different space-suit materials to see how each performs in long exposures to radiation and dust in the Martian environment.

As they explore, robotic companions will likely join the crew to enhance their scientific investigations and help keep them safe, just as Perseverance has a helicopter pal named Ingenuity. Like drones here on Earth, Ingenuity will soar overhead, demonstrating how future aerial vehicles could scout out compelling places for humans to explore – or venture into places too steep or too hazardous for people.

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Perseverance carries a ground-penetrating radar called RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars' subsurface experiment), which will reveal the Martian subsurface. Artist Concept. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/FFI

Perseverance also demonstrates the first ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface. Similar systems will land at a potential human base in advance of people arriving, to look for precious water resources found in subsurface water ice. Just as we can extract valuable resources from the Martian atmosphere, water ice on Mars can be processed to produce hydrogen, another key ingredient of propellant needed for launching back to Earth from Mars.

While Perseverance's landing site in Jezero Crater is likely too close to the equator for water ice to be present, a future ice-seeking orbiter will be able to calibrate its radar with Perseverance's results, helping to ensure resources are really there and accessible before humans arrive. Seeing the structure of subsurface rock layers will also ensure that the ground below is stable enough for landing heavy human-class payloads such as a life-supporting habitat and for building a launch pad and other infrastructure needed by human explorers.
Returning to our Home World: Earth

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The "Mother Ship" (Mars Transfer Vehicle) will transport humans back and forth between Earth and Mars. Credit: NASA

Thanks to the Mars 2020 mission, living and working on Mars will be safer and more comfortable, from habitat design to "walkabouts." When the first humans are ready to blast off from Mars on their voyage back to Earth, they will use oxygen, hydrogen, and methane fuel that can be traced back to Perseverance's demonstrations of how to use Martian natural resources. And, just like the samples Perseverance collects, Mars astronauts will launch on a Mars Ascent Vehicle and reunite with a "Mothership" that will carry them safely home. While sending humans to Mars is a complex endeavor, making step-by-step progress through Perseverance and other advances, our human adventure on Mars is closer than ever.

Цитата: undefinedAssembly of Mars rover's rocket to begin this week
May 24, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

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Wrapped up for shipment, the first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket that will launch NASA's Perseverance rover arrived at Cape Canaveral one May 18 aboard a Ukrainian-built Antonov An-124 cargo plane. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Two key pieces of hardware needed for NASA's next Mars rover — an Atlas rocket booster and sterile components of the rover's sample collection system — recently arrived at Cape Canaveral ahead of the mission's scheduled launch July 17.

The first stage of United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Skid Strip runway May 18 aboard a Ukrainian-built Antonov An-124 transport plane. The cargo aircraft carried the 107-f0ot-long (32-meter) Atlas first stage from Huntsville, Alabama, near ULA's rocket factory in Decatur.

After unloading the booster from the cargo jet, ULA moved the rocket into the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center for post-shipment checks.

ULA typically delivers rocket hardware launch sites using the company's ocean-going vessel named "RocketShip." But the vessel recently ferried there Delta 4 rocket cores to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and was not available for the Atlas 5 shipment to Florida.

Rocket and rover preparations for the July launch are continuing with safeguards to mitigate impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.

Omar Baez, NASA's launch director for the Perseverance mission, said the rocket's arrival at Cape Canaveral and the successful launch of the previous Atlas 5 flight (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/17/upgraded-x-37b-spaceplane-rockets-into-orbit-aboard-atlas-5-launcher/) May 17 "should set us up with plenty of time for hitting the beginning of the (rover) launch window July 17."

"Things are progressing as well as they can," Baez said.

Liftoff is scheduled at 9:10 a.m. EDT (1310 GMT) on July 17, within a broader window extending from 9:00-10:40 a.m. EDT (1300-1440 GMT), according to Baez.

"We're really looking forward to this one," he said. "Things evolve from day-to-day. We learn from every mission as far as things that we have to do to protect ourselves and to prevent the team from getting sick.

"We're definitely are encouraging people, unless they have a significant primary role, not to travel for the testing or the launch," Baez said. "That work is progressing as best we can. Obviously, there's a lot of teleworking, but when we do have to have the hands-on work, we try to do it in as safe of a manner as possible."

Hardware for the Perseverance rover landed at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch and Landing Facility on May 11 on a NASA C-130 transport plane. The delivery included the mission's sample tubes, cigar-sized metal cylinders that will store rock samples collected by the Perseverance rover for retrieval and return to Earth by subsequent robotic missions.

The two hardware arrivals signaled the start of a new phase of launch preparations for the Perseverance rover, the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars 2020 mission.

The 43 sampling tubes are part of the rover's sample handling system, consisting of a robotic arm, motors, seals and a rotating array of nine drill bits for abrading, regolith collection, and coring of Martian rocks. The specimens drilled from rocks will be stored into the metallic tubes, where samples will be hermetically sealed to await arrival of a follow-on robotic mission in the late 2020s, which will return the material to Earth for analysis.

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Workers offload the Perseverance rovers' Adaptive Caching Assembly May 11 from a NASA C-130 cargo plane at Kennedy Space Center's Launch and Landing Facility. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

The Perseverance rover is inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy, where ground teams are putting the final touches on the spacecraft before its closed up inside the payload fairing of its Atlas 5 launcher.

With the final pieces of the sampling system now at Kennedy, NASA teams planned to finish installing the mission's heat shield. Other tasks planned in the next few weeks include fueling of the mission's cruise stage, which will shepherd the rover during the seven-month journey from Earth to Mars.

The rover — enclosed inside its atmospheric entry capsule — will then be mated with the cruise stage and attached to the Atlas 5's payload attachment fixture. The entire spacecraft will next be encapsulated inside the Atlas 5's Swiss-made payload fairing, then transferred to ULA's Vertical Integration Facility for integration with the launch vehicle.

Stacking of the Atlas 5 rocket — tail number AV-088 — is scheduled to get underway May 28 with the hoisting of the first stage vertical on top of the Atlas mobile launch platform inside the VIF, according to Omar Baez, NASA's launch director for the Perseverance rover mission.

ULA ground crews transferred the mobile launch platform back inside the VIF from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad last week following liftoff of the previous Atlas 5 flight May 17.

The Atlas 5 for the Perseverance rover mission will fly in the "541" configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters and a 17.7-foot-diameter (5.4-meter) diameter payload fairing.

ULA will install the Atlas 5's four solid-fueled boosters after raising the first stage inside the rocket's vertical hangar.

The Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage, which will propel the rover on an escape trajectory away from Earth, will be stacked on top of the rocket around June 4, Baez said.

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NASA's Perseverance rover is seen mounted on its descent stage inside the mission's atmospheric entry vehicle, which will protect the rover when it plunges into the Martian atmosphere. Credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

ULA will roll the Atlas 5 rocket out to pad 41 on June 17 for a fueling test. ULA performs such fueling demonstrations before launches with limited planetary launch windows to ensure teams can detect and resolve any problems one the rocket before launch day.

The Atlas 5 will return to the VIF after the tanking test.

"After we're done with that, we'll mate the rover spacecraft to the Atlas-Centaur on June 22, do a test between it and the rocket, and that'll set us up pretty much for our final reviews, installation of the RTG, doing a dress rehearsal, and getting our launch readiness review out of the way," Baez said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG, is the rover's nuclear power source. The device converts heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity. Provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the power generator is one of the final items installed on the rover in the final weeks before launch.

The Atlas 5 rocket is the only launch vehicle currently certified by NASA to carry nuclear-powered payloads into space.

The rocket assigned to the Perseverance rover launch has no significant modifications from ULA's standard Atlas 5 vehicle, Baez said.

But there's one change to the pyrotechnic system that would be activated to destroy the Atlas 5 if it deviates from its planned course and threatens populated areas. Such an event is highly unlikely, and the Atlas 5 has successfully reached orbit on all 84 of its missions to date.

"If you did have some kind of accident, that's to prevent the MMRTG from being a danger to the public," Baez said. "So we try to be very precise in destroying, for example the Centaur (upper stage), in a way that the MMRTG is not in harms way, where it could harm the public. Thats about the only difference between this and a non-nuclear mission."

Baez said the same type of ordnance system was used on the Atlas 5 rocket that launched the Curiosity Mars rover in 2011. The Perseverance rover is similar in design to Curiosity, but carries a different set of scientific instruments.

The Perseverance rover's launch window extends from July 17 through Aug. 11. NASA and ULA recently assessed the performance of the Atlas 5 rocket and the final mass of the spacecraft, engineers determined they could add six days to the launch period.

Launch opportunities to Mars only come about once every 26 months, when the positions of the planets make a direct journey possible.

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) (https://twitter.com/torybruno) Tory Bruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1265960990346182658)

The Mars Perseverance booster is heading to the VIF (Vertical Integration Facility) this morning. Weather is looking good for LVOS (Launch Vehicle On Stand).


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29898.jpg) (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) ULA (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1265979253734154241)

The first step will be taken in preparing another #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) for launch to Mars today as technicians at Cape Canaveral begin assembling the rocket to send
@NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) rover to the red planet. Watch for tweets throughout this milestone day on this summer's road to Mars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/182906.jpg)

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29898.jpg) (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) ULA (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1266005227418894336)

ULA is using the #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) 541 rocket that will generate 2.3 million pounds of thrust to perform the #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) launch for @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA). The two-stage rocket will include a five-meter diameter payload fairing, four solid-fuel boosters and a single engine on the high-performance Centaur.

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1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1266014762988691456)

The @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) launch will be ULA's 140th flight since the company was formed, our 35th mission for  @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) and the fifth time that #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) has launched to Mars. In fact, ULA and our heritage rockets have launched every U.S. mission to the red planet since the early 1960s.

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1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1266019010237419522)

The #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) mission will use @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) rover to explore an ancient river delta on Mars to study the planet's habitability, seek signs of past microbial life, collect and store samples of selected rock and soil and prepare for future human missions.

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Цитата: undefined2 hours ago

The Atlas V first stage is being secured to the Mobile Launch Platform inside the Vertical Integration Facility to complete Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS) day for Mars 2020. The four solid rocket boosters and Centaur upper stage will be added in the days ahead.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30007.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200528161836_863302.jpeg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 1 ч (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1267554969978318848)

Mars, Atlas is coming... #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere)
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1267554919273435138/pu/vid/720x1280/I2vvKECFsQd2Is6o.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1267554919273435138/pu/vid/720x1280/I2vvKECFsQd2Is6o.mp4) (0:15)

ЦитироватьWatch as NASA-JPL engineers test the Sample Caching System on the Perseverance Mars rover. Described as one of the most complex robotic systems ever built, the Sample and Caching System will collect core samples from the rocky surface of Mars, seal them in tubes and leave them for a future mission to retrieve and bring back to Earth.

Цитата: undefinedJune 3, 2020
MEDIA ADVISORY M20-065

NASA Invites Media to Launch of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207945.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia22105-16.jpg)
Illustration of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover studying a Mars rock outcrop (not to scale). Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July/August 2020 aboard an Atlas V-541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia22105)

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) rover, designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.

The mission will use the robotic scientist, which weighs just under 2,300 pounds and is the size of a small car, to collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars Sample Return missions. It also will test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.

Perseverance will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch of Perseverance is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. EDT July 17 and is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/launchservices/).

Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NASA will be credentialing a limited number of media to cover the Mars 2020 launch from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions at Kennedy and quarantine requirements (https://nasapeople.nasa.gov/coronavirus/NASA_COVID-19_Travel_Guidance.pdf), international media who would be coming from overseas will not be able to register for this launch. International media already based in the U.S. may apply.
...

The Perseverance rover was built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/home/index.html) in Southern California.

The Mars 2020 mission is part of NASA's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/). ...

-end-

Last Updated: June 3, 2020
Editor: Sean Potter

Цитата: undefinedJune 3, 2020

Preparing the Perseverance Mars Rover to Collect Samples on the Red Planet

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207482.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23919-1041.jpg)

The samples Apollo 11 brought back to Earth from the Moon were humanity's first from another celestial body. NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 Perseverance rover  (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance)mission will collect the first samples from another planet (the red one) for return to Earth by subsequent missions. In place of astronauts, the Perseverance rover will rely on the most complex, capable and cleanest mechanism ever to be sent into space, the Sample Caching System.

In this image taken on May 20, 2020 at the Kennedy Space Center, engineers and technicians insert 39 sample tubes into the belly of the rover. Each tube is sheathed in a gold-colored cylindrical enclosure to protect it from contamination. Perseverance rover will carry 43 sample tubes to the Red Planet's Jezero Crater. 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 
Last Updated: June 3, 2020
Editor: Yvette Smith

ЦитироватьМинистерство энергетики США поставило NASA новый РИТЭГ для марсианского ровера "Стойкость"
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(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/197460.jpg)
Многоцелевой радиоизотопный термоэлектрический генератор F-2
Министерство энергетики США успешно доставило свою новую ядерно-энергетическую систему в Космический центр им. Кеннеди во Флориде - место запуска NASA «Марс 2020», который состоится позднее этим летом. Многоцелевой радиоизотопный термоэлектрический генератор (РИТЭГ) был "заправлен", изготовлен и испытан национальными лабораториями Министерства энергетики США для обеспечения работы миссии ровера «Стойкость» ("Perseverance").
«Стойкость» будет первым ровером, который будет использовать плутоний, созданный Национальной лабораторией Ок-Риджа (ORNL). Лаборатория вместе с национальными лабораториями в Айдахо и Лос-Аламосе помогает NASA увеличить запас топлива для Плутония-238 – изотопа, используемого в дальних космических полетах.
ORNL недавно автоматизировал часть производственного процесса, что позволило лаборатории производить до 400 граммов Pu-238 в год, приближаясь к цели НАСА - 1,5 килограмма в год к 2025 году.
Радиоизотопные энергосистемы (РИТЭГи) преобразуют тепло, генерируемое в результате естественного распада Pu-238, в электроэнергию. Многоцелевой РИТЭГ будет обеспечивать электричеством основные операции ровера «Стойкость» и поддерживать оптимальные температуры инструментов и систем ровера. Срок службы энергосистемы составляет 14 лет, что превышает потребности в энергии, необходимые для годичного путешествия ровера на красную планету и ее исследования.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/197459.png) (https://www.atomic-energy.ru/files/images/2020/06/mars2020_007_v006-500x1.png) Марсианский ровер «Стойкость»
Министерство энергетики США в свою очередь поддерживает в стране необходимую инфраструктуру, которая помогает "заправлять", строить и тестировать каждую энергосистему. ORNL предоставляет материалы и оборудование для источников тепла для миссий NASA . Лос-Аламосская национальная лаборатория очищает и инкапсулирует плутоний-238. Затем Национальная лаборатория Айдахо собирает, тестирует и обеспечивает окончательную доставку РИТЭГа.

Цитата: undefined"РИТЭГ F-2 является новейшей энергосистемой, предоставленной NASA Министерством энергетики США в долгосрочном сотрудничестве для достижения больших целей в освоении космоса", - подчеркивает Стивен Джонсон, директор космических ядерно-энергетических и изотопных технологий в Национальной лаборатории Айдахо.

Поставка и установка РИТЭГа завершает этап производства радиоизотопной системы для этого проекта. Также была проведена проверка на горячую посадку, чтобы проверить систему ровера при работе от РИТЭГа. Небольшая команда из Айдахо будет круглосуточно контролировать энергосистему до ее ожидаемого запуска 17 июля 2020 года.

"Стрекоза"

Министерство энергетики США продолжает тесное партнерство с NASA. Следующий РИТЭГ предназначен для приведения в действие миссии роторкрафта "Стрекоза" ("Dragonfly") для исследования самой большой луны Сатурна, Титана. Поскольку солнечная энергия не является жизнеспособным вариантом в туманной атмосфере Титана, РИТЭГ будет играть важную роль в обеспечении энергией космического корабля.
Роторкрафт "Стрекоза" планируется к запуску в 2026 году.

[свернуть]

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust @jeff_foust 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1270476345303318528)

NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk, speaking at the ASEB/SSB meeting, says that while Mars 2020 processing has continued, ULA encountered a launch vehicle "processing hiccup" that resulted in a three-day schedule slip; so launch of the mission now no earlier than July 20.

Цитата: undefinedMars Perseverance Rover Targeted to Launch July 20

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jun 10, 2020 at 11:49 am

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The Mars Perseverance rover is attached to its rocket-powered descent stage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 23, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA and ULA are now targeting Monday, July 20, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission of the Perseverance Rover on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Additional time was needed for the team to repair an issue with the ground system equipment. Launch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. ET with a two-hour window.

Цитата: tnt22 от 10.06.2020 19:33:57Additional time was needed for the team to repair an issue with the ground system equipment. Launch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. ET with a two-hour window.

Цитата: undefinedJun 11, 2020 16:45

Atlas V stacked for continued launch preps

The United States is going back to Mars, and the powerful #AtlasV rocket that will launch NASA's Perseverance rover to the red planet has been assembled for liftoff on July 20.

Read our blog (https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/06/11/mars-2020-atlas-v-stacked-for-continued-launch-preps) about how ULA is preparing to launch Mars 2020,

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30304.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200611134553_637509.jpeg)

Цитата: undefinedMars 2020: Atlas V stacked for continued launch preps
Jun 11, 2020, 07:39 AM

The United States is going back to Mars, and the powerful Atlas V rocket that will launch NASA's Perseverance rover to the red planet has been assembled for liftoff on July 20.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220063.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220063.jpg)

Operations at the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to stack the rocket began May 28 when the first stage was raised upright and placed aboard the Mobile Launch Platform, completing the Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS) day milestone.

Next, the four solid rocket boosters were attached to the stage. Then, the pre-assembled interstage, Centaur upper stage and lower halves of the payload fairing were hoisted into place as a single element June 10 to finalize initial build up of the Atlas V. 

Over the next few weeks, pre-launch testing of the rocket will be performed to check the avionics, flight controls and subsystems. Ground crews will move the rocket from the VIF to Space Launch Complex-41 for a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), which is a full countdown and fueling exercise meant to uncover any issues that need corrected before the actual launch day.

After the WDR is finished, Atlas V will be returned to the VIF for attachment of the Mars 2020 payload featuring the Perseverance rover. The combined rocket and spacecraft will stand 60 meters (197 feet) tall and weigh 530,771 kg (1,170,150 pounds) at liftoff.

Launch will occur during the nearly-month-long planetary alignment window to send the spacecraft from Earth to Mars.

This will be ULA's 140th flight since the company was formed and our 35th mission for NASA's Launch Services Program. Perseverance will be the fifth spacecraft that Atlas V has launched to Mars.

ULA and our heritage rockets have built a legacy of launching every U.S. mission to the red planet since the early 1960s, beginning with the early probes that flew past the planet and beamed back humanity's first up-close glimpse of Mars, to orbiters, landers and sophisticated rovers to investigate the terrain.

Mars 2020 will use the Perseverance rover to explore an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater to study the planet's habitability, seek signs of past microbial life, collect and store samples of selected rock and soil and prepare for future human missions.

It will also deploy the Ingenuity helicopter, a technology demonstration to prove that powered flight can be achieved at Mars.

See our Flickr album (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ulalaunch/albums/72157714410183007) for more photos of the Atlas V rocket being readied for Mars 2020!

Цитата: undefinedNASA Television Upcoming Events
Watch NASA TV (https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public)

ALL TIMES EASTERN U.S. TIME

June 17, Wednesday
10 a.m. – Countdown to T-Zero: Perseverance Encapsulation and Mars 2020 Ground Operations Virtual Media Briefing from Kennedy Space Center (All Channels)
2 p.m. – Media briefing on upcoming launch of the Mars Perseverance Rover from the Jet Propulsion Lab (All Channels)

Цитата: undefinedNASA's Perseverance Rover Comes Together for Mars Mission

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jun 15, 2020 at 4:15 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30389.jpg)
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover  is targeted to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 20, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

Continuing on its path to preparation for next month's launch, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance) spacecraft is, well, put together.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida, the Backshell-Powered Descent Vehicle and Entry Vehicle assemblies are now attached to Perseverance. The cone-shaped backshell contains the parachute, and along with the mission's heat shield, will provide protection for the rover and descent stage during entry into the Martian atmosphere.

Recently, the rover's ULA Atlas V booster was lifted up in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30390.jpg)
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Mars Perseverance rover is rotated to prepare for the Backshell-Powered Descent Vehicle and Entry Vehicle assemblies to be attached. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

Activities have continued to ramp up with the attachment of the four solid rocket boosters (SRBs) one-by-one to the sides of the Atlas V 541 rocket, followed by the Centaur upper stage. The Centaur can control its orientation precisely, while providing up to 22,300 pounds of thrust. The spacecraft will be mated to the Atlas V rocket on June 22.

The assembly, test and launch operations team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and United Launch Alliance (ULA) engineers have hit multiple key milestones in the past two months, keeping Perseverance on target for its launch to the Red Planet in mid-July. These include attaching the aeroshell backshell and attaching the rover to its rocket-powered descent stage, rotating and spinning the descent stage on two separate measuring fixtures to pinpoint its center of gravity, and attaching NASA's Mars Helicopter (https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/), recently named Ingenuity, to the belly of the rover.

Perseverance will reach Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, touching down on the surface of Jezero Crater (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-landing-site-for-mars-2020-rover). Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), the rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of past microbial life.

The rover, carrying seven different scientific instruments, will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/). Launch is scheduled for Monday, July 20, at 9:15 a.m. ET, with a two-hour window. NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) based at Kennedy is managing the launch. For more information on Perseverance and its mission, visit the mission website (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/).

Цитата: Crasher от 17.06.2020 17:15:36

Цитировать18 ИЮН, 12:51
NASA отправит на Марс табличку в память о борьбе с пандемией коронавируса на Земле
В NASA отметили, что памятная табличка посвящена всем медицинским работникам, борющимся с пандемией

ВАШИНГТОН, 18 июня. /ТАСС/. Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) готовится в июле отправить на Красную планету пятый по счету марсоход, получивший имя Perseverance. Вместе с ним на Марс полетит небольшая металлическая табличка, посвященная борьбе с пандемией заболевания, вызываемого новым коронавирусом, сообщили в среду представители американского космического ведомства.

Алюминиевый прямоугольник размером 8 на 13 см был установлен на левой стороне шасси марсохода между средними и задними колесами (всего их три пары). В первую очередь, памятная табличка посвящена всем медицинским работникам, борющимся с пандемией. "Мы хотели продемонстрировать, что ценим тех, кто пожертвовал своим личным благополучием ради блага других, - рассказал заместитель руководителя проекта Perseverance в Лаборатории реактивного движения в Пасадине (штат Калифорния) Мэтт Уоллас. - Мы надеемся, что когда будущие поколения отправятся на Марс и обнаружат наш марсоход, табличка напомнит им, что в 2020 году на Земле были такие люди".

На черной табличке изображена белая планета Земля, опирающаяся на посох, вокруг которого обвита змея - символ медицины. От Земли в сторону белой точки, символизирующей Марс, уходит траектория полета ракеты, которая отправит марсоход на Красную планету.

В декабре 2012 года представители NASA объявили, что инженеры агентства создадут еще один марсоход, пятый по счету. Он станет своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity, который совершил посадку на Марс в августе 2012 года. Предполагается, что новый аппарат, получивший имя Perseverance, будет выведен в космос 20 июля. Как отметили в среду на телефонном брифинге представители американского космического ведомства, если в этот день запуск произвести не удастся, у специалистов NASA будет "окно" до 11 августа, когда ровер все еще можно будет отправить к Красной планете вовремя. Вне зависимости от даты старта посадку в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Марса он осуществит 18 февраля 2021 года.

Главной задачей Perseverance будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни. Для этого марсоход будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Запасенные в нем минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

Цитата: tnt22 от 19.06.2020 00:09:00Фиксация для анналов (из ранее не вошедшего...)

Один из двигателей - РД180 №105Т

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29898.jpg) ULA @ulalaunch 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1274377799659327488)

#AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click), without the Mars 2020 @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) payload, rolls to the pad for its Wet Dress Rehearsal. The countdown demonstration will fuel and test the rocket to ensure systems are ready for the upcoming window when Earth can launch spacecraft to Mars. #CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/175506.jpg)

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1274437081209733120)

Starting our trip to the Red Planet. Mighty Atlas has rolled to the pad and RP1 tanking is underway. #MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click)

Цитата: Виктор  Левашов от 21.06.2020 15:01:18Ракета похожа на которой "Старлайнер" к МКС запускали не так давно.

Цитата: undefinedRocket 101: What is WDR?
Jun 22, 2020, 04:27 AM

Practice is essential whether you are an athlete preparing for a big game, trying to master the skills of playing a musical instrument or launching a rocket during a narrow opportunity to reach another planet.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30549.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30549.jpg)

At United Launch Alliance (ULA), we conduct Wet Dress Rehearsals (WDRs) as the practice to ensure the rocket will be ready when its payload needs to launch.
 
Payloads such as interplanetary spacecraft have very short windows lasting only a few weeks to launch. Missing that brief opportunity means waiting months or even years before the next available window.
 
That is where the practice comes in.
 
ULA prepares the rocket, without the payload yet attached, and transfers it to the launch pad. The team follows the exact launch day procedures by testing and fueling the rocket in a real-life countdown.
 
With all the necessary people at their stations, clocks count down to mere moments before the rocket would ignite on launch day. It is a full dress rehearsal for launch, with the rocket "wet" or fueled.
 
The exercise allows engineers to see how the rocket and ground systems behave, discover any issues that might need resolved before the launch day arrives, with time ticking in the unmovable launch window.
 
Every customer can request that ULA conduct a WDR, but not every launch performs the test as part of pre-flight preparations. Satellite launches to Earth orbit, for example, that are able to launch any day of the year, can withstand a scrub or two. So the time and effort to conduct a WDR is deemed not necessary in most cases.
 
But critical science missions like the launch of the Mars 2020 mission including the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter will have a WDR because the Atlas V is required to launch the spacecraft during a three-week period when Earth and Mars are properly aligned. Missing this opportunity means waiting two years before the motion of the planets is just right once again to conduct the launch.
 
The upcoming WDR will test the hardware, procedures and the people to reduce the risk of a delay when the real launch day arrives next month.

Цитата: undefinedJun 22, 2020 18:03

WDR Cryogenic Loading

Today's Atlas V test is called a Wet Dress Rehearsal for a reason. Cryogenic fueling operations have begun at Space Launch Complex-41 to load the rocket with 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as we demonstrate day-of-launch operations.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30550.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200622150329_222234.jpeg)

ЦитироватьJun 22, 2020 18:32

RP-1 Filling Complete

DYK: After rollout to the pad on Saturday, the Atlas V rocket first stage was loaded with 25,000 gallons of RP-1, a highly refined kerosene. The room-temperature fuel will remain stored aboard the rocket from now through launch, a standard practice for missions with WDRs.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30551.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200622153234_703637.jpeg)

ЦитироватьJun 22, 2020 19:26

Today's Atlas V Mars 2020 Wet Dress Rehearsal is being conducted at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41 to test hardware and systems in a real-life scenario. The practice includes virtually all countdown operations and will conclude before engine start.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30554.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200622162607_306186.jpeg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg) Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNow 49 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1275099112501841927)

Venting oxygen vapors are visible at launch pad 41 as United Launch Alliance conducts a 'Wet Dress Rehearsal' in preparation for next month's Atlas 5 launch of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50347.jpg)

ЦитироватьJun 22, 2020 20:49

GO for Terminal Count

All systems are "go" as we enter the final phase of the countdown for today's Atlas V rehearsal of the Perseverance rover launch day. ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney polled the launch team and ULA Launch Director Bill Cullen gave permission to enter terminal count.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30557.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200622174944_629577.jpeg)

ЦитироватьJun 22, 2020 21:02

WDR Counts Down

Today's Atlas V test was successfully completed at 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 UTC). Systems will be safed, cryogenic fuels drained and the rocket allowed to warm up before rollback to Cape Canaveral's Vertical Integration Facility for Mars 2020 attachment.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30558.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200622180239_388897.jpeg)

Цитата: undefinedAtlas 5 rocket runs through practice countdown before Mars rover launch
June 22, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/06/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30563.jpg)
Vapors stream away from a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket during a fueling test Monday on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The Atlas 5 rocket that will send NASA's Perseverance rover toward Mars next month aced a countdown rehearsal Monday at Cape Canaveral, helping ensure the United Launch Alliance-built rocket is ready for liftoff during the rover's 23-day launch window.

Working a few miles away from the Atlas 5 launch pad at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center, ULA's launch team powered up the Atlas 5 rocket and ran the rocket through a practice countdown. During the test — called a "wet dress rehearsal" — ULA loaded super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage, and pumped liquid oxygen into the Atlas first stage booster.

The Atlas 5 launch team ended the countdown rehearsal at 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 GMT) Monday, just before the rocket's simulated launch time.

ULA kicked off preparations for the wet dress rehearsal Saturday with the rollout of the Atlas 5 rocket — without the Mars Perseverance rover payload on top — from the Vertical Integration Facility to Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad about a quarter mile to the north.

Once at the pad, the Atlas 5's first stage was filled with RP-1 kerosene fuel in preparation for Monday's countdown test.

With the countdown rehearsal completed Monday, ULA planned to drain the Atlas 5 of its cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen propellants, then allow the rocket's tanks to warm up to ambient temperatures before rolling the rocket back into the VIF on its mobile launch platform.

The kerosene fuel will remain aboard the Atlas 5's first stage through launch because it is stored at room temperature, and does not boil off.

The wet dress rehearsal was once a standard part of Atlas 5 launch campaigns. In recent years, ULA has limited the fueling test to Atlas 5 launches carrying NASA payloads with limited interplanetary launch window. A wet dress rehearsal was also conducted before the Atlas 5 launch on the first unpiloted test flight of Boeing's Starliner crew capsule last year.

ULA plans to hoist NASA's Perseverance rover atop the Atlas 5 rocket Friday inside the VIF. Already closed up inside its aeroshell for landing on Mars, the spacecraft was expected to be encapsulated inside the Atlas 5's Swiss-made payload fairing over the past few days.

An update on the status of the encapsulation process, which was to happen inside a clean room at the Kennedy Space Center, was not available Monday.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30564.jpg)
The Perseverance rover is enclosed within its aeroshell for launch. Credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

With the addition of the Perseverance rover Friday, the Atlas 5 rocket will stand 197 feet (60 meters) tall. ULA and NASA teams will perform electrical interface tests to ensure the Mars-bound payload is properly connected with the launch vehicle.

The final component to be installed on the rover will be its plutonium power source, or Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, in July.

Launch of the Atlas 5 rocket with the Perseverance rover is scheduled for a two-hour window opening at 9:15 a.m. EDT (1315 GMT) July 20. The mission has launch opportunities daily through Aug. 11 — and perhaps until Aug. 15 — to depart Earth on a trajectory to allow a direct seven-month journey to Mars.

Developed with a budget of $2.4 billion, the Perseverance mission is NASA's first rover to launch toward the Red Planet since the Curiosity rover took off in 2011.

The robotic rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, to begin a mission to collect rock core samples for return to Earth by a future mission.

Цитата: undefinedTesting the Mars Helicopter Delivery System on NASA's Perseverance Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220468.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

23 июн. 2020 г.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is traveling to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover and must safely detach to begin the first attempt at powered flight on another planet. Tests done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin Space show the sequence of events that will bring the helicopter down to the Martian surface.

Цитата: Max Andriyahov от 24.06.2020 04:49:50вертолет в барокамере
https://twitter.com/TJ_Cooney/status/1275480510031110144 (https://twitter.com/TJ_Cooney/status/1275480510031110144)

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67676.jpg) Michael Sheetz @thesheetztweetz 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1275571966527901697)

NASA put the #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) rover Perseverance in the nosecone of the Atlas V rocket that will carry it to space and then on to Mars.

The mission is scheduled to launch on July 20.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50365.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50366.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50367.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50368.jpg)

Цитировать Launch Date: Wed., July 22, 2020 at 9:35 a.m. EDT with a two-hour launch window

Цитата: undefinedMars 2020 Mission Now Targeted for July 22 Launch

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jun 24, 2020 at 11:47 am

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30599.jpg)
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is being prepared for encapsulation in the United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing on June 18, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

NASA and United Launch Alliance are now targeting Wednesday, July 22, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission due to a processing delay encountered during encapsulation activities of the spacecraft. Additional time was needed to resolve a contamination concern in the ground support lines in NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF).

The spacecraft and vehicle remain healthy. The launch of the Mars 2020 mission on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for 9:35 a.m. ET with a two-hour window.

Цитата: undefinedMars 2020: Atlas V completes countdown rehearsal
Jun 24, 2020, 13:11 PM

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has achieved a major milestone in preparation to launch the Mars 2020 mission on July 22 to investigate whether life ever existed on Mars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30601.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30601.jpg)

Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) (https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/06/22/rocket-101-what-is-wdr), teams from ULA and NASA this past week successfully completed the test that demonstrated the rocket's rollout and day-of-launch countdown operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The assembled rocket, minus the payload, was transported aboard the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Saturday, June 20.
 
After reaching the pad, the first stage was loaded with its flight supply of 25,000 gallons of RP-1, a highly refined kerosene. That fuel will remain inside the rocket through launch day, a standard practice for Atlas rockets that undergo a WDR.
 
The countdown on Monday, June 22, was initiated at dawn under the control of ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney and his team of console operators stationed in the Launch Control Center at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center.
 
The rocket stages were powered up, guidance system testing conducted and final preps to ground systems accomplished, enabling ULA Launch Director Bill Cullen (https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2019/12/19/rocketstars-cullen-leads-ula-team-as-oft-launch-director) to give approval for cryogenic tanking.
 
The launch team configured the Atlas V for cryo loading and approximately 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen filled the rocket's tanks using the same procedures that will be executed on the actual launch day.

Cullen, with input from NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez, gave permission to enter terminal count at T-minus 4 minutes. 
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30602.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30602.jpg)

The final phase of the countdown progressed smoothly with all planned activities completed. The rocket's tanks were pressurized, systems armed and the vehicle placed on internal power.
 
At T-minus 25 seconds, Atlas Lead Engineer David Kube (https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/06/01/rocketstars-dave-kube-ensures-atlas-first-stage-is-'go), Centaur Lead Engineer Stu Backus and Launch Conductor Scott Barney confirmed final readiness by declaring "Go Atlas," "Go Centaur," "Go Perseverance."
 
The count finished at the scheduled cutoff point just prior to ignition time at 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 UTC).

The rocket was safed and cryogenic tanks drained to conclude the test. The rocket was returned to the VIF on Wednesday, June 24 after the hardware warmed up and the MLP could be disconnected from the pad facility. The Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, packaged within its descent vehicle and encapsulated in the payload fairing, is scheduled to arrive at the VIF soon for hoisting atop the Atlas V to produce a 197-foot-tall rocket for launch.
 
WDRs are milestones meant to mitigate any issues before the actual launch day arrives. Typically, they are performed during the launch campaign for all planetary missions that have very short timeframes to launch. Missing that launch period would mean lengthy delays to wait for the next opportunity.
 
In the case of Perseverance and Ingenuity, they have a three-week window in which to launch when Earth and Mars are aligned to carry out the spacecraft's interplanetary trek. 
 
Mars 2020 will reach its destination next February for entry, descent and landing to begin searching for evidence of life persevered in rocks and sediments with an ancient river delta near the Martian equator.

ЦитироватьЗапуск марсохода Perseverance отложили из-за грязи
Космическое агентство NASA заявило, что запуск нового марсохода состоится не ранее 22 июля 2020 года из-за проблем его загрязнения наземным вспомогательным оборудованием.
Марсоход Perseverance («Настойчивость») должен был отправиться к Красной планете 20 июля 2020 года с мыса Канаверал во Флориде. Но возникла проблема, когда инженеры работали над герметизацией марсохода, поместив его в ракету Atlas V, построенную альянсом United Launch Alliance.
«NASA и United Launch Alliance перенесли запуск миссии «Марс 2020» на 22 июля из-за задержки, возникшей во время инкапсуляции космического корабля, — говорится в сообщении агентства. — Требуется дополнительное время для решения проблемы загрязнения линий наземной поддержки на объекте обслуживания опасных грузов NASA (PHSF)».
Это уже вторая задержка отправки ровера Perseverance на Марс. Первоначально миссия должна была стартовать 17 июля, но была перенесена на три дня — на 20 июля из-за проблемы с оборудованием наземной системы. Проще говоря, сломался кран.
Согласно данным NASA, марсоход Perseverance и ракета Atlas V находятся в хорошем состоянии, а в начале этой недели была успешно проведена заправка ракеты, пишет Ecoruspace.
А.Ж.

Цитата: undefinedNASA, ULA Targeting NET July 30 for Mars 2020 Launch

Danielle Sempsrott (https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/author/dsempsro/)
Posted Jun 30, 2020 at 4:52 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30798.jpg)
More than 10 million names were etched onto a microchip, which was placed aboard Perseverance on March 16, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

Due to launch vehicle processing delays in preparation for spacecraft mate operations, NASA and United Launch Alliance have moved the first launch attempt of the Mars 2020 mission to no earlier than July 30. A liquid oxygen sensor line presented off-nominal data during the Wet Dress Rehearsal, and additional time is needed for the team to inspect and evaluate. Flight analysis teams have expanded the mission launch opportunities to August 15 and are examining if the launch period may be extended further into August.

Цитата: undefinedNASA delays Mars rover launch to no earlier than July 30
June 30, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/06/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30801.jpg)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket undergoes a Wet Dress Rehearsal June 22 at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad in preparation for liftoff with NASA's Peseverance Mars rover. Credit: United Launch Alliance

A technical issue with the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will send NASA's $2.4 billion Perseverance rover toward Mars has pushed the mission's launch date back to no earlier than July 30, nearly two weeks into a month-long window for the rover to head to the Red Planet, or else face a two-year delay.

NASA confirmed the launch delay to no sooner than July 30 in a statement Tuesday.

"Due to launch vehicle processing delays in preparation for spacecraft mate operations, NASA and United Launch Alliance have moved the first launch attempt of the Mars 2020 mission to no earlier than July 30," NASA said. "A liquid oxygen sensor line presented off-nominal data during the Wet Dress Rehearsal, and additional time is needed for the team to inspect and evaluate."

ULA performed the Wet Dress Rehearsal on June 22. The exercise involved rolling the Perseverance rover's Atlas 5 launcher out of its vertical integration hangar to Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad, then loading the rocket with kerosene, liquid hydrogen, and liquid oxygen propellants.

The launch team practiced countdown procedures, testing the Atlas 5's systems before halting the pre-launch sequence seconds before ignition of the rocket's RD-180 main engine.

After draining cryogenic propellants from the rocket, ULA returned the Atlas 5 to the Vertical Integration Facility south of pad 41 on June 24 to await the arrival of the Perseverance rover, the centerpiece of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. ULA ground crews are also assessing the liquid oxygen sensor line that behaved unexpectedly during the Wet Dress Rehearsal.

The launch window July 30 opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT). The Atlas 5 assigned to launch the Perseverance rover will fly in a configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters, a single-engine Centaur upper stage, and a 5.4-meter-diameter (17.7-foot) payload fairing.

The Mars 2020 mission was originally scheduled for launch July 17, the opening of an interplanetary launch period stretching several weeks in length. But several problems have delayed the launch date, eating into the limited period NASA has to vault the Mars 2020 mission off Earth on a trajectory toward Mars.

The launch period for the Mars 2020 mission originally ended Aug. 5, but NASA said earlier this month that additional analysis of the rover's trajectory extended the available launch dates through Aug. 11. On Tuesday, NASA said flight analysis teams have added more days to the launch period, which now extends to Aug. 15.

Engineers are examining if the launch period may be extended further into August, according to NASA.

Spaceflight Now requested an interview Tuesday with NASA's launch director for the Mars 2020 mission, but a NASA spokesperson could not provide the interview opportunity.

Nevertheless, the clock is ticking for the Mars 2020 team. Assuming the launch period closes Aug. 15, the mission has now used up nearly half of its launch period this year. The next chance to launch the Perseverance rover after this August will come in 2022.

"When you talk about Earth and Mars being on the same side of the sun, that happens once every 26 months," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a Mars 2020 pre-launch press conference earlier this month. "So it's very expensive, if we have to take Perseverance and put it back into storage for a period of two years, it could cost half a billion dollars."

NASA initially delayed the launch to July 20 after a problem with a crane held up assembly of the Atlas 5 rocket inside the VIF. A contamination concern issue with ground support equipment in NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility — the ultra-clean room where the Perseverance rover is being readied for launch — delayed encapsulation of the spacecraft inside the Atlas 5's aerodynamic payload shroud.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30802.jpg)
The Perseverance rover is pictured at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California last year. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

With the contamination concern resolved, NASA and ULA intended to transport the Mars 2020 spacecraft inside its payload fairing to the VIF on Saturday for installation on top of the Atlas 5 rocket.

But ULA needed extra time to address liquid oxygen sensor line issue, and a NASA spokesperson said Tuesday she did not know when the Mars rover could be transported to the Atlas 5 hangar. After the spacecraft is mated to the Atlas 5 rocket, teams need around 25 days to ready the vehicle for launch.

Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO, tweeted Tuesday that the Atlas 5 and Mars 2020 teams have "been working through a couple of challenges."

He identified the ground facility issue at the PHSF, and characterized the liquid oxygen system problem as a "misbehaving pressure sensor." He also wrote that current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida has been a concern.

Once the spacecraft is hoisted atop the Atlas 5 rocket, ground crews will install the Perseverance rover's plutonium-fueled power source through a port in the side of the Atlas 5's payload fairing. The Mars rover — about the size of a small car — will be powered by the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG, throughout its mission.

Assuming it launches this year, the Perseverance rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, aiming for a region known as Jezero Crater. Scientists say Jezero is home to an ancient dried-up river delta, where the rover will get to work with its scientific instruments studying Martian geology and climate.

One of the rover's primary missions is to gather dozens of rock and soil samples inside hyper-sterile tubes, which the rover will hermetically seal and drop in caches on the Martian surface for retrieval by a future robotic sample return mission.

Цитата: smokan от 01.07.2020 14:03:03Кажется такого еще никогда не было,

Цитата: Serge V Iz от 01.07.2020 18:30:58Я вот подумал внезапно. А не подсмотрел ли товарищ Маск крамольно-еретическую идею (https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Minimum_Equipment_List_(MEL)) у самолетчиков?..  ;D

Цитата: lev_g от 01.07.2020 19:39:47

Цитата: Serge V Iz от 01.07.2020 18:30:58Я вот подумал внезапно. А не подсмотрел ли товарищ Маск крамольно-еретическую идею (https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Minimum_Equipment_List_(MEL)) у самолетчиков?..  ;D

Маск? Какой Маск? Он пробрался ночью в ангар Юлы и перепилил ножовкой кислородную магистраль?

Цитата: lev_g от 01.07.2020 19:39:47Он пробрался ночью в ангар Юлы и перепилил ножовкой кислородную магистраль?

Цитата: Serge V Iz от 01.07.2020 19:44:02Трасологи говорят что-то о 2мм...

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67594.png) (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) Chris G - NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1278669619528638474)

Good news! The #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) #Centaur (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Centaur?src=hashtag_click) sensor that malfunctioned during Wet Dress has been found and the issue is being repaired.  Launch, at present, is No Earlier Than 30 July 2020 at about 07:50 EDT (11:50 UTC). #Perseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Perseverance?src=hashtag_click) #Mars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars?src=hashtag_click) #Rover (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rover?src=hashtag_click)
@ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch)

Цитата: undefinedПереписка

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67585.jpg) (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace) Eric Berger (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace) @SciGuySpace (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace) 30 июн. (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1278067392703336448)

NASA has confirmed that the launch of Mars Perseverance will slip to no earlier than July 30th due to an issue that cropped up during the wet dress reshearsal.


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67840.jpg) (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_) Adnan Taufiq (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_) @adnantaufiq_ (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_) 30 июн. (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_/status/1278068898521219072)

@torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) any updates?


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) (https://twitter.com/torybruno) Tory Bruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 21 ч (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1278364328278835201)

В ответ @adnantaufiq_ (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_) и @SciGuySpace (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace)
Yes.  Misbehaving sensor.  We have retrieved it, found the cause, and are repairing it now.


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67841.jpg) (https://twitter.com/MyGhostWorld) Steve (https://twitter.com/MyGhostWorld) @MyGhostWorld (https://twitter.com/MyGhostWorld) 15 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/MyGhostWorld/status/1278459724283949056)

В ответ @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno)
@adnantaufiq_ (https://twitter.com/adnantaufiq_) и @SciGuySpace (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace)
Since it was found so quickly, any chance the original date can be returned to?


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) (https://twitter.com/torybruno) Tory Bruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 12 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1278503213000515585)

no.  testing...

Цитировать2 ИЮЛ, 18:48
Запуск нового марсохода NASA перенесли на 30 июля
"Окно" запуска будет открыто до 15 августа

ВАШИНГТОН, 2 июля. /ТАСС/. NASA перенесло запуск марсохода Perseverance с 22 июля на 30 июля. Причиной переноса агентство назвало проблемы во время стендовых испытаний ракеты в полной сборке с заправкой топливными компонентами.

"Показания датчика жидкого кислорода отличались от расчетных, и нужно дополнительное время для того, чтобы разобраться, чем это вызвано", – пишет ведомство. "Окно" для запуска будет открыто до 15 августа.

Спойлер

Сначала NASA планировало отправить марсоход на Красную планету 17 июля. Но дату старта сперва перенесли на 20 июля, а потом – на 22 июля. Аппарат должен сесть в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Марса в феврале 2021 года.

Ранее специалисты NASA говорили, что если аппарат не удастся запустить этим летом, то миссию придется отложить на осень 2022 года, так на минимальное расстояние – примерно 56 млн км – Земля и Марс сближаются раз в 26 месяцев.

Поиск следов жизни

С технической точки зрения Perserverance будет практически полной копией предыдущего марсохода, Curiosity. Это сделало сборку ровера гораздо быстрее и дешевле (NASA оценивает его стоимость в $2,46 млрд.). Главной задачей "Марса-2020" будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка того, была ли жизнь на Марсе в прошлом, и поиски возможных следов жизни.

Для этого "Марс-2020" будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф". Собранные таким образом минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ESA) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

[свернуть]

Цитата: Чебурашка от 02.07.2020 17:00:00А Атлас варианта 541 переделать в вариант 551 можно быстро? Пусковое окно на недельку бы расширилось ;)

Цитата: undefinedMars 2020: Perseverance rover mounted atop Atlas V
Jul 8, 2020, 12:00 PM

The Atlas V rocket, ready to make its fifth launch to Mars for the scientific exploration and discovery at the red planet, is loaded with NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to begin the Mars 2020 mission.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30974.jpg)
The NASA and Mars 2020 logos adorn the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing. Photo by NASA/Christian Mangano

Scheduled for liftoff at the end of the month from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this Atlas V mission builds the long and distinguished history by ULA and our heritage rockets of launching every U.S. mission to Mars, from the early flybys and orbiters to landers and today's sophisticated rovers.

In preparation for the launch, the encapsulated payload was delivered to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) and hoisted atop the Atlas V yesterday, July 7. The ULA crane operator performed the delicate work and placed the spacecraft on the rocket with a soft touch to begin combined operations with the launch vehicle.

The spacecraft was assembled and then enclosed within the payload fairing at NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. ULA's KAMAG payload transporter hauled Mars 2020 to the VIF overnight.

An integrated electrical test with both the rocket and the payload will be performed to verify all systems are functioning correctly. Then, two weeks of mission unique activities for the payload are scheduled.

The Atlas V rocket is flying in the 541 configuration to accelerate the Mars 2020 payload to 24,785 mph (11.008 km/s) for deployment on an interplanetary trajectory to intercept Mars on Feb. 18, 2021 for entry, descent and landing.

The Mars 2020 mission with its Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter is headed for the 28-mile (45-km) wide Jezero Crater on the western edge of a flat plain called Isidis Planitia, just north of the Martian equator.

The primary goal of the mission is determining whether life ever existed on Mars. Perseverance is the first rover mission designed to seek signs of past microbial life. Earlier rovers first focused on and confirmed that Mars once had habitable conditions.

This will mark United Launch Alliance's 140th flight overall and our 35th for NASA's Launch Services Program. Those missions have sent spacecraft to Mars, the moon, the Sun, a dwarf planet, an asteroid, a protoplanet, the radiation belts and numerous spacecraft to study the Earth.

The Atlas V rocket has been entrusted with four previous launches to Mars, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005, the Mars Science Laboratory featuring the Curiosity rover in 2011, the MAVEN atmospheric research orbiter in 2013 and the InSight geophysical lander in 2018.

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30975.jpg) NASA's Launch Services Program @NASA_LSP 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1281036660768223232)

What @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno) said! (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125247.svg)

Here is the @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) Mars 2020 stacked spacecraft in its payload fairing being lifted on the transporter prior to delivery to @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch)'s Vertical Integration Facility for hoist and mate:
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/Ecck-A8XsAA1c8e.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/Ecck-A8XsAA1c8e.mp4) (0:12)

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1281003196278857737)

Spacecraft hoist and mate is complete. We're going to Mars.
#marsperseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/marsperseverance?src=hashtag_click)

Цитата: undefinedJuly 9, 2020

NASA's Perseverance Rover Attached to Atlas V Rocket

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207995.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23985-1041.jpg)
The nose cone containing the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover sits atop a motorized payload transporter at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 7, 2020.
Credits: NASA/KSC

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has been attached to the top of the rocket that will send it toward the Red Planet this summer. Encased in the nose cone that will protect it during launch, the rover and the rest of the Mars 2020 spacecraft (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7659) – the aeroshell, cruise stage, and descent stage – were affixed to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster on Tuesday, July 7, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Central Florida.

The process began when a 60-ton hoist on the roof of the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 lifted the nose cone, otherwise known as the payload fairing, 129 feet (39 meters) to the top of the waiting rocket. There, engineers made the physical and electrical connections that will remain between booster and spacecraft until about 50 to 60 minutes after launch, when the two are pyrotechnically separated and Perseverance is on its way.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31003.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23986-1041.jpg)
The nose cone containing NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is maneuvered into place atop its Atlas V rocket. The image was taken at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 7, 2020.
Credits: NASA/KSC

"I have seen my fair share of spacecraft being lifted onto rockets," said John McNamee, project manager for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "But this one is special because there are so many people who contributed to this moment (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7645). To each one of them I want to say, we got here together, and we'll make it to Mars the same way."

With the mating of spacecraft and booster complete, the final testing of the two (separately and as one unit) will be underway. Then two days before the July 30 launch, the Atlas V will leave the Vertical Integration Facility for good. Traveling by rail, it will cover the 1,800 feet (550 meters) to the launch pad in about 40 minutes. From there, Perseverance has about seven months and 290 million miles (467 million kilometers) to go before arriving at Mars.

The Launch Period

NASA and United Launch Alliance recently updated the mission's launch period – the range of days the rocket can launch in order to reach Mars. It now spans from July 30 to Aug. 15.

The launch period opening changed from July 17 to 30 due to launch vehicle processing delays (https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/) in preparation for spacecraft mate operations. Four days were also added to the previously designated Aug. 11 end of the launch period. NASA and United Launch Alliance Flight Teams were able to provide those extra days after final weights of both the spacecraft and launch vehicle became available, allowing them to more accurately calculate the propellant available to get Perseverance on its way.

No matter what day Perseverance lifts off during its July 30 to Aug. 15 launch period, it will land in Mars' Jezero Crater (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8549/nasas-mars-2020-will-hunt-for-microscopic-fossils/) on Feb. 18, 2021. Targeting landing for one specific date and time helps mission planners better understand lighting and temperature at the landing site, as well as the location of Mars-orbiting satellites tasked with recording and relaying spacecraft data during its descent and landing. 

More About the Mission

Managed by JPL, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover's astrobiology (https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/about/) mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first planetary mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with the European Space Agency, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31004.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23984-16.jpg)
NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover waits to be lifted onto its Atlas V launch vehicle at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 7, 2020.
Credits: NASA/KSC

The Mars 2020 mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/).

2020-131
      
Last Updated: July 9, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

Цитата: undefined10 ИЮЛ, 13:48
Марсоход Perseverance успешно установили на ракету Atlas V
Запустить его планируют в конце июля – начале августа этого года

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31021.jpg) (https://phototass3.cdnvideo.ru/width/1920_63600a28/tass/m2/uploads/i/20200710/5643485.jpg)
Марсоход Perseverance
© J. Krohn/NASA via AP

ТАСС, 10 июля. Специалисты NASA установили марсоход Perseverance на ракету-носитель Atlas V и подготовили к запуску, который должен состояться в конце июля. Об этом пишет пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA (JPL) (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7698).

"Запуск Perseverance отложили на конец месяца из-за проблем, которые возникли во время подготовки ракеты-носителя к стыковке с капсулой, где находится марсоход. Из-за этого мы сдвинули окно запуска на промежуток между 30 июля и 15 августа, что допустимо с точки зрения имеющихся запасов топлива на борту миссии", – пишет JPL.

Как отметили в NASA, в ближайшие дни начнутся последние предполетные тесты марсохода и ракеты-носителя. Специалисты планируют, что 28 июля ракету выведут на стартовую площадку для первой попытки запуска, которая намечена на 30 июля.

Первоначально специалисты JPL планировали отправить марсоход на Красную планету 17 июля. Но дату старта перенесли – сначала на 20 и 22 июля, а потом на 30 июля. При этом в NASA не исключают, что аппарат может отправиться в космос и позже, если 30 июля этому помешает погода или технические проблемы.

Если марсоход не выведут в космос до 15 августа, миссию придется отложить на два года, так как Земля и Марс сближаются на минимальное расстояние – примерно 56 млн км – раз в 26 месяцев. Подобные случаи уже происходили в недавней истории NASA – посадочную платформу InSight, которая изучает марсотрясения, отправили на Красную планету на два года позже намеченного из-за разгерметизации ее сейсмографа.

На Марс с вертолетом

О планах на создание своего пятого марсохода представители NASA рассказали в декабре 2012 года. Он должен был стать своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity, который сел на Марс в августе 2012 года и работает там до сих пор. Это заметно удешевило и ускорило бы сборку ровера. Главной задачей марсохода должны были стать не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.

В марте 2020 года марсоход получил официальное имя (https://tass.ru/kosmos/7912581) – Perserverance ("настойчивость" по-английски). Запустить на Марс его планировали в середине лета 2020 года. Сесть аппарат должен будет в районе кратера Йезеро на экваторе Марса в феврале 2021 года.

Perseverance будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Помогать ему в этом будет вертолет Ingenuity. Впрочем, главной его задачей будет показать, что полеты на поверхности Марса в принципе возможны. Минералы, которые соберет марсоход, на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая полетит к Красной планете не раньше 2026 года.

Цитата: undefinedLaunch Date: Thurs., July 30, at 7:50 a.m. ET, with a two-hour window

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 59 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1281584008208486400)

IST (Integrated Systems Test) completed successfully. #MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click)


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29897.png) Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click)50 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1281586411955785729) 

В ответ (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click) @torybruno (https://twitter.com/torybruno)

We like these flow milestones, Tory!

I've seen the IST described as an abbreviated countdown and a simulated flight with the avionics, through to an electrical connectivity test between LV and payload test.

First, second, or both? (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125159.svg)


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 27 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1281592285696843777)

Kind of both

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31158.jpg) Aerojet Rocketdyne @AerojetRdyne 7 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/1282668634008158208)

POWERING PERSEVERANCE: After landing on #Mars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars?src=hashtag_click), @NasaPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere)'s two year data collection mission begins. The rover will be powered by @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne)'s MMRTG.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50716.jpg)

ЦитироватьMars Perseverance Rover: Launching This Summer

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220413.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision) NASA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ)

13 июл. 2020 г.

Our Mars Perseverance rover is targeted to lift off July 30, 2020, on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet. It will search for signs of ancient life, collect rock and soil samples and help prepare for future human exploration. About the mission: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1l1WEhLQlpma3Ffa0Y2WGtzbVY5TVB0QU5ud3xBQ3Jtc0trV29FNlAteEtzZzQxYkQtZHFQU05BdGtGbXEwU3YtVXdSZkt1VmtpS2hIVFM3ekoyWWdPTlVXU3FlaDVoWlYyVmZ4LWFibXBiXzU0Mm9uQ0oyanh4R1JDS3lFT0RLdW1UM0h4a1YtVTRfMGpveU81Zw%3D%3D&event=video_description&v=9m95j0rM9Zs&q=https%3A%2F%2Fmars.nasa.gov%2Fmars2020%2F)

ЦитироватьNASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: Attempting the First Powered Flight on Mars

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220468.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

14 июл. 2020 г.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter will make history's first attempt at powered flight on another planet next spring. It is riding with the agency's next mission to Mars (the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover) as it launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station later this summer.  Perseverance, with Ingenuity attached to its belly, will land on Mars February 18, 2021.

As a technology demonstration, Ingenuity is testing a new capability for the first time: showing controlled flight is possible in the very thin Martian atmosphere. If successful, Ingenuity could lead to an aerial dimension to space exploration, aiding both robots and humans in the future.

ЦитироватьAtlas V getting ready to launch the Mars 2020 mission (4K UHD)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220391.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/SciNewsRo) SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

15 июл. 2020 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1284104148179451904)

exclusive ULA #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click)  @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) mission patch was created to commemorate our significant history launching to Mars. Each star represents a Mars mission launched by ULA and our heritage rockets. A limited supply of the patch is available for purchase http://ulalaunchstore.com (https://t.co/wgoK9VywAl?amp=1)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50764.jpg)

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29898.jpg) ULA @ulalaunch 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1284187259420409856)

LAUNCH COUNTDOWN: @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125166.svg) #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) 541
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125138.svg) July 30 at 7:50 a.m. EDT
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125245.svg) http://bit.ly/av_mars2020 (https://t.co/iq4oKMrMuA?amp=1)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125110.svg) https://flic.kr/s/aHsmNnWHj8 (https://t.co/fkp8rune0i?amp=1)
 
#CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50765.jpg)

Цитата: undefinedJuly 14, 2020

6 Things to Know About NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31247.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23720-1041.jpg)
In this illustration, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter stands on the Red Planet's surface as NASA's Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23720)

The first helicopter attempting to fly on another planet is a marvel of engineering. Get up to speed with these key facts about its plans.

When NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida later this summer, an innovative experiment will ride along: the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Ingenuity may weigh only about 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms), but it has some outsize ambitions.

"The Wright Brothers showed that powered flight in Earth's atmosphere was possible, using an experimental aircraft," said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity's chief pilot at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "With Ingenuity, we're trying to do the same for Mars."

Here are six things you should know about the first helicopter going to another planet:

1. Ingenuity is a flight test.

Ingenuity is what is known as a technology demonstration – a project that seeks to test a new capability for the first time, with limited scope. Previous groundbreaking technology demonstrations include the Mars Pathfinder (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/pathfinder/) rover Sojourner and the tiny Mars Cube One (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php) (MarCO) CubeSats that flew by Mars in 2018.

Ingenuity features four specially made carbon-fiber blades, arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm – many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. It also has innovative solar cells, batteries, and other components. Ingenuity doesn't carry science instruments and is a separate experiment from the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

2. Ingenuity will be the first aircraft to attempt controlled flight on another planet. 

youtu.be/qwdfdE6ruMw
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter will make history's first attempt at powered flight on another planet next spring. It is riding with the agency's next mission to Mars (the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover) as it launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station later this summer. Perseverance, with Ingenuity attached to its belly, will land on Mars February 18, 2021.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What makes it hard for a helicopter to fly on Mars? For one thing, Mars' thin atmosphere makes it difficult to achieve enough lift. Because the Mars atmosphere is 99% less dense than Earth's, Ingenuity has to be light, with rotor blades that are much larger and spin much faster than what would be required for a helicopter of Ingenuity's mass on Earth.

It can also be bone-chillingly cold at Jezero Crater (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8549/nasas-mars-2020-will-hunt-for-microscopic-fossils/), where Perseverance will land with Ingenuity attached to its belly in February 2021. Nights there dip down to minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius). While Ingenuity's team on Earth has tested the helicopter at Martian temperatures and believes it should work on Mars as intended, the cold will push the design limits of many of Ingenuity's parts.

In addition, flight controllers at JPL won't be able to control the helicopter with a joystick. Communication delays are an inherent part of working with spacecraft across interplanetary distances. Commands will need to be sent well in advance, with engineering data coming back from the spacecraft long after each flight takes place. In the meantime, Ingenuity will have a lot of autonomy to make its own decisions about how to fly to a waypoint and keep itself warm.

3. Ingenuity is a fitting name for a robot that is the result of extreme creativity. 

High school student Vaneeza Rupani of Northport, Alabama, originally submitted the name Ingenuity for the Mars 2020 rover, before it was named Perseverance (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8622/virginia-middle-school-student-earns-honor-of-naming-nasas-next-mars-rover/), but NASA officials recognized the submission (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7650) as a terrific name for the helicopter, given how much creative thinking the team employed to get the mission off the ground. 

"The ingenuity and brilliance of people working hard to overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration," Rupani wrote. "Ingenuity is what allows people to accomplish amazing things."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31248.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23962-1041.jpg)
In February 2021, NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (shown in an artist's concept) will be the agency's two newest explorers on Mars. Both were named by students as part of an essay contest.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23962)

4. Ingenuity has already demonstrated feats of engineering.

In careful steps from 2014 to 2019, engineers at JPL demonstrated that it was possible to build an aircraft that was lightweight, able to generate enough lift in Mars' thin atmosphere, and capable of surviving in a Mars-like environment. They tested progressively more advanced models in special space simulators at JPL. In January 2019, the actual helicopter that is riding with Perseverance to the Red Planet passed its final flight evaluation. Failing any one of these milestones would've grounded the experiment.

5. The Ingenuity team will count success one step at a time. 

Given the firsts Ingenuity is trying to accomplish, the team has a long list of milestones (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/mars_2020/launch/mission/spacecraft/experimental_technologies/) they'll need to pass before the helicopter can take off and land in the spring of 2021. The team will celebrate each time they meet one. The milestones include:

• Surviving the launch from Cape Canaveral, the cruise to Mars, and landing on the Red Planet
• Safely deploying to the surface from Perseverance's belly 
• Autonomously keeping warm through the intensely cold Martian nights
• Autonomously charging itself with its solar panel

And then Ingenuity will make its first flight attempt. If the helicopter succeeds in that first flight, the Ingenuity team will attempt up to four other test flights within a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) window.

6. If Ingenuity succeeds, future Mars exploration could include an ambitious aerial dimension.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31249.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23963-1041.jpg)
When NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts its first test flight on the Red Planet, the agency's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will be close by, as seen in this artist's concept.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23963)

Ingenuity is intended to demonstrate technologies needed for flying in the Martian atmosphere. If successful, these technologies could enable other advanced robotic flying vehicles that might be included in future robotic and human missions to Mars. They could offer a unique viewpoint not provided by current orbiters high overhead or by rovers and landers on the ground, provide high-definition images and reconnaissance for robots or humans, and enable access to terrain that is difficult for rovers to reach.

"The Ingenuity team has done everything to test the helicopter on Earth, and we are looking forward to flying our experiment in the real environment at Mars," said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity's project manager at JPL. "We'll be learning all along the way, and it will be the ultimate reward for our team to be able to add another dimension to the way we explore other worlds in the future."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31250.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23961-1041.jpg)
An artist's concept of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flying through the Red Planet's skies.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23961)

2020-135

Last Updated: July 17, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1284842334685995008)

Practicing MMRTG installation again today. Mars is coming. #MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click)

Цитата: undefinedJuly 17, 2020
MEDIA ADVISORY M20-086

NASA to Broadcast Mars 2020 Perseverance Launch, Prelaunch Activities

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207895.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/mars2020-small_0.jpg)
Engineers observe the first driving test for NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on Dec. 17, 2019.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA is targeting 7:50 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 30, for the launch of its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is approximately two hours, with a launch opportunity every five minutes.

Live launch coverage will begin at 7 a.m., on NASA Television and the agency's website (https://www.nasa.gov/live).

The mission – designed to better understand the geology and climate of Mars and seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet – will use the robotic scientist, which weighs just under 2,300 pounds (1,043 kilograms) and is the size of a small car, to collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars sample return missions. It also will test new technologies to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech in Southern California, built the Perseverance rover and will manage mission operations for NASA. The agency's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html), based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

Mars 2020 Perseverance is part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program. (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/)
...

Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Monday, July 27

• 1 p.m. – Mars 2020 Prelaunch News Conference. Participants include:
  
  • NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
  • Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA's Science Mission Directorate
  • Omar Baez, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program
  • Matt Wallace, deputy project manager, JPL
  • Tory Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance
  • Jessica Williams, launch weather officer, 45th Space Force

• 3 p.m. – Mars 2020 Mission Engineering/Science Briefing. Participants include:
  
  • Lori Glaze, NASA Planetary Science Division director
  • Jennifer Trosper, deputy project manager, JPL
  • Farah Alibay, mobility engineer, JPL
  • Ken Farley, project scientist, Caltech
  • Tanja Bosak, science team member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tuesday, July 28

• 2 p.m. – Mars 2020 Mars Sample Return Briefing. Participants include:
  
  • Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA's Science Mission Directorate
  • David Parker, director of human and robotic exploration, ESA (European Space Agency)
  • Jeff Gramling, NASA Mars Sample Return Program director
  • Julie Townsend, sampling and caching operations lead, JPL
  • Chris Herd, returned sample science participating scientist, University of Alberta
  • Lisa Pratt, NASA planetary protection officer

• 4 p.m. – Mars 2020 Mission Tech and Humans to Mars Briefing. Participants include:
  
  • Jeff Sheehy, chief engineer, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate
  • Jim Watzin, NASA Mars Exploration Program director
  • Michael Hecht, MOXIE principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Mimi Aung, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager, JPL
  • Amy Ross, lead spacesuit engineer NASA's Johnson Space Center
  • Michelle Rucker, Mars Integration Group lead, NASA's Johnson Space Center

Wednesday, July 29

• Noon – Administrator Briefing. Participants include:
  
  • NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
  • NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard
  • Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana
  • NASA astronaut Zena Cardman

No phone bridge will be available for this event. In-person media at Kennedy's Press Site countdown clock may ask questions.

Thursday, July 30

• 7 a.m. – NASA TV live launch coverage begins
• 11:30 a.m. – Postlaunch News Conference

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

On launch day, a "clean feed" of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, heard within Brevard County on Florida's Space Coast.

-end-

Last Updated: July 18, 2020
Editor: Karen Northon

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1285926064284475393)

The #MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click) MMRTG is installed and doing well.  This Red Planet dune buggy is fueled and ready to go!

ЦитироватьJuly 22, 2020
RELEASE 20-075

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Passes Flight Readiness Review

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31003.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia23986-1041.jpg)
The nose cone containing NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is maneuvered into place atop its Atlas V rocket. The image was taken at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 7, 2020.
Credits: NASA/KSC

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission cleared its Flight Readiness Review Wednesday, an important milestone on its way to the launch pad. The meeting was an opportunity for the Mars 2020 team and launch vehicle provider United Launch Alliance to report on the readiness of the spacecraft, along with the Atlas V rocket, flight and ground hardware, software, personnel, and procedures. The daily launch window on Thursday, July 30, opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT.

"Our deepest thanks go to the many teams who have worked so hard to get Perseverance ready to fly during these challenging times," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This mission is emblematic of our nation's spirit of meeting problems head-on and finding solutions together. The incredible science Perseverance will enable and the bold human missions it will help make possible are going to be inspirations for us all."

"We're pleased to be passing another milestone with the completion of the Flight Readiness Review," said Matt Wallace, deputy project manager for the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. "But we'll keep our heads down through the final prelaunch activities and the opening of the launch window next week, until we're certain this spacecraft is safely on its way. Mars is a tough customer, and we don't take anything for granted."

With all the connections between the spacecraft and Atlas V launch vehicle complete, the majority of business remaining for Mars 2020's Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) team involves checking out every one of the multitude of systems and subsystems onboard the rover, aeroshell, cruise stage, and descent stage. (https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/overview/)

"NASA can't wait to take the next steps on the surface of Mars with Perseverance," said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The science and technology of this mission are going to help us address major questions about the geologic and astrobiologic history of Mars that we've been working on for decades, and we're excited to take the whole word with us on this journey."

"At this point, the spacecraft has been powered on and will remain so around the clock," said Dave Gruel, ATLO manager for Mars 2020. "The launch operations team will continue to monitor the health of the spacecraft to ensure it's 'Go' for launch – nothing glamorous, but an important part of the job."

The spacecraft and launch teams have one more major review to complete. Scheduled Monday, July 27, the Launch Readiness Review is the last significant checkup before the mission receives final approval to proceed with launch.

"At present, everything is green across the board," said Wallace. "Everyone involved with this endeavor, from the spacecraft team to the launch vehicle team to those working the range, are looking forward to seeing Perseverance begin its long-awaited flight to Mars."

Around 1 p.m. EDT on July 27, or approximately one hour after the Launch Readiness Review ends, the agency will hold a preflight news conference that will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website (http://www.nasa.gov/live).

Other prelaunch briefings also will take place July 27, and Tuesday, July 28. A full list of media briefings for the Mars 2020 mission launch is available here:

https://go.nasa.gov/39inOsn (https://go.nasa.gov/39inOsn)

The Perseverance rover's astrobiology (https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/about/) mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first planetary mission to collect and cache selected samples of Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

JPL, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, is building and will manage operations of Perseverance for NASA. The agency's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. The Mars 2020 mission with its Perseverance rover are part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program. (https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/)

-end-

Last Updated: July 23, 2020
Editor: Sean Potter

Цитировать23 ИЮЛ, 13:40
Марсоход Perseverance прошел все предполетные тесты

ВАШИНГТОН, 23 июля. /ТАСС/. Специалисты Национального управления по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) США завершили все предполетные тесты и проверки марсохода Perseverance, который будет запущен в космос 30 июля, если этому не помешают непогода и непредвиденные обстоятельства. Об этом в четверг сообщила пресс-служба Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA (JPL).

"Мы очень рады, что нам удалось преодолеть очередной барьер к запуску и пройти все предполетные проверки. При этом мы не собираемся расслабляться и будем продолжать работу в том же ключе и ритме до того момента, когда марсоход будет запущен в космос. Марс - крайне суровая планета и мы не собираемся оставлять что-то на волю случая", - заявил Мэтт Уоллас, заместитель руководителя проекта Perseverance, чьи слова передает пресс-служба JPL.

Первоначально планировалось отправить марсоход на Красную планету на борту ракеты-носителя Atlas V с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида) 17 июля. Но дату старта перенесли сначала на 20 и 22 июля, а потом - на 30 июля. Переносы были связаны со сложностями, возникшими при стыковке капсулы с марсоходом и ракетой. Они были окончательно решены только в середине текущего месяца.

Как отмечается в сообщении JPL, пятый ровер NASA официально завершил прохождение всех предполетных тестов, запланированных до вывода ракеты Atlas V на стартовую площадку и перевода марсохода на бортовое питание. Окончательное решение о готовности к запуску будет принято в понедельник, 27 июля, когда специалисты NASA завершат последние тесты всех систем ракеты-носителя и капсулы с марсоходом.

Поиски марсианской жизни

В декабре 2012 года представители NASA объявили, что инженеры агентства создадут еще один марсоход, пятый по счету. Он станет своеобразным наследником ровера Curiosity, который совершил посадку на Марс в августе 2012 года. Новый аппарат, получивший неофициальное имя "Марс-2020", будет выведен в космос в середине лета 2020 года и осуществит посадку в кратере Йезеро на экваторе Марса в феврале 2021 года.

С технической точки зрения пятый марсоход NASA будет полным наследником Curiosity, что заметно удешевило и ускорило сборку ровера, чья стоимость оценивается космическим агентством в $2,46 млрд. Главной задачей "Марса-2020" будут не поиски следов пресноводных водоемов, как у его предшественника, а оценка обитаемости Марса в прошлом и поиски возможных следов жизни.

Для этого Perseverance будет не только изучать свойства отложений осадочных пород, но и собирать их образцы в специальный "шкаф", установленный на его борту. Запасенные в нем минералы на Землю вернет специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Марсу не раньше 2026 года.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/68334.jpg) Geoff Barrett @GeoffdBarrett 15 ч (https://twitter.com/GeoffdBarrett/status/1286037828988796939)

Sounds like the final preparations are complete and @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) is targeting liftoff of @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) aboard a @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) Atlas V rocket at 7:50 a.m. on July 30.
#CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)
#perseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/perseverance?src=hashtag_click) #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50880.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50881.png)

Цитата: tnt22 от 23.07.2020 15:10:06

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/68334.jpg) Geoff Barrett @GeoffdBarrett 15 ч (https://twitter.com/GeoffdBarrett/status/1286037828988796939)

Sounds like the final preparations are complete and @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) is targeting liftoff of @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) aboard a @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) Atlas V rocket at 7:50 a.m. on July 30.
#CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)
#perseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/perseverance?src=hashtag_click) #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50881.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67887.jpg) Emre Kelly @EmreKelly 34 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/1286373580008194049)

Hazard area for July 30 Atlas V / Mars #Perseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Perseverance?src=hashtag_click) rover is out and about. Targeting 0750 ET for liftoff from LC-41.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50893.png)

ЦитироватьAtlas V Mars 2020 Mission Profile

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220328.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedLaunchAlliance) United Launch Alliance (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrGPRKAg1PgvuSHrRIl3jg)

23 июл. 2020 г.

ЦитироватьGetting NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover to the Launch Pad

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220468.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

22 июл. 2020 г.

ЦитироватьExcitement Builds as NASA's Mars Perseverance Launch Nears

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jul 24, 2020 at 2:18 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31473.jpg)
The Mars Perseverance rover will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday, July 30. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA

By Jim Cawley
NASA's Kennedy Space Center

A historic mission years in the making is now less than a week from liftoff.

Final preparations are being made for launch of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance), targeted for Thursday, July 30, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/) in Florida. Perseverance will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT.

"It's hard to describe the feeling of pride and accomplishment — mixed with the excitement and nervous apprehension — that goes with this final stage of the mission," said John Calvert, Mars 2020 Mission Manager for NASA's Launch Services Program (http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices) (LSP), which is based at Kennedy Space Center (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html) in Florida and is managing the launch.

The team has successfully overcome obstacles and challenges along the way, including working through a worldwide pandemic, to remain on schedule for launch.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31474.jpg)
Mars 2020 Mission Manager John Calvert

"Just throw COVID-19 on the pile of unexpected things that NASA and its incredible teams have been able to respond to and deal with for decades," Calvert said. "It's part of our DNA: work hard and solve the problems as they present themselves. Whatever it takes — simple as that."

Live launch coverage will begin at 7 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website (https://www.nasa.gov/live). The broadcast will capture major milestones as Perseverance starts her seven-month journey to the Red Planet. A postlaunch news conference is planned from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Several events leading up to launch also will be broadcast on NASA Television and the agency's website (https://www.nasa.gov/live).

• Monday, July 27: Prelaunch news conference, from 1 to 2 p.m. NASA Associate Administrator for Communications Bettina Inclán will host the event, featuring NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen, Launch Director Omar Baez from LSP, and ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno. A Mars 2020 Mission Engineering/Science Briefing will follow, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 28: NASA Edge Rollout Show, from 10 to 11 a.m.; Mars 2020 Mars Sample Return Briefing, from 2 to 3 p.m.; and Mars 2020 Mission Tech and Humans to Mars Briefing, from 4 to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 29: Briefing with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, Kennedy Director Bob Cabana and astronaut Zena Cardman, from noon to 1 p.m.

Perseverance will reach Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, touching down on the surface of Jezero Crater (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-landing-site-for-mars-2020-rover). About the size of a car with dimensions similar to the Curiosity (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html) rover, Perseverance will carry seven different scientific instruments. The rover's astrobiology mission, developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), will search for signs of past microbial life. It will characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Attached to the belly of the rover and weighing less than four pounds is NASA's Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter/). The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1287015989750751232)

#marsperseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/marsperseverance?src=hashtag_click) continues on track. SCR (System Certification Review) and MDR (Mission Dress Rehersal) successfully completed. Looking good for next week

ЦитироватьПусковой день        (30.07) - 80 % GO
1-й Резервный день (31.07) - 90 % GO
2-й Резервный день (01.08) - 80 % GO

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 6 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1287476614847225862)

#MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/176360.jpg)

ЦитироватьJul 26, 2020 17:46

Weather 80% GO for Thursday's launch

The initial forecast from Launch Weather Officer Jessica Williams for Thursday's 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC) launch of Atlas V and the Mars 2020 mission indicates an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions. The available launch window extends for two hours.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31548.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200726144657_460452.jpeg)
Photo by United Launch Alliance

"For launch day Thursday, overall conditions are favorable. However, an isolated shower just offshore and some mid-level clouds along the coast are likely as a weak front off the coast of the southeast sags southward. Therefore, the primary concerns for launch day are the Cumulus Cloud and Thick Cloud Layer Rules," the launch weather team says.

The operations forecast includes a few low-level and scattered mid-level clouds, good visibility, southwesterly winds 8 to 10 knots and a temperature near 80 degrees F.

If the launch is delayed to Friday for some reason, there is a 90 percent chance of good conditions.

"For Friday morning, the front weakens, but an isolated shower could still be just offshore. Therefore the primary concern for the 24hr backup day is the Cumulus Cloud Rule," forecasters report.

ЦитироватьJul 27, 2020 17:30

Launch Readiness Review completed

The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) has given approval to continue preparations for Thursday's liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 mission.

Liftoff is scheduled for 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The LRR, led by NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez, was completed this morning in the Mission Briefing Room at Kennedy Space Center's Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building and virtually via teleconferencing.

Leadership from ULA, NASA and the Space Force assessed the readiness of the rocket, payload and mission assets, discussed the status of pre-flight processing work, heard technical overviews of the countdown and flight, and previewed the weather forecast that continues to be favorable with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, senior leaders were polled and gave a unanimous ready status for launch, then signed the Launch Readiness Certificate. 

The Mars 2020 mission featuring the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter is headed for Jezero Crater, home to an ancient river delta that could have collected and preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life from the water and sediments that flowed into the crater billions of years ago.

In addition to Perseverance's astrobiology mission, the rover will characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and demonstrate the viability of technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars.

United Launch Alliance will offer live reports from the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center in our automatically-refreshing blog during the Atlas V's rollout to the launch pad on Tuesday, plus provide comprehensive countdown coverage beginning Thursday morning at 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 UTC), with continuing commentary all the way to the spacecraft separation nearly an hour after liftoff.

ЦитироватьNAVAREA IV 652/20

NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
    301150Z TO 301435Z JUL,
    ALTERNATE 311155Z TO 311440Z JUL
    AND 011155Z TO 011440Z AUG
    IN AREAS BOUND BY:
    A. 28-38-00N 080-36-58W, 28-38-00N 080-21-00W,
        28-14-00N 077-57-00W, 28-06-00N 078-00-00W,
        28-28-27N 080-32-02W.
    B. 28-07-00N 078-34-00W, 28-27-00N 078-30-00W,
        28-13-00N 076-58-00W, 27-51-00N 077-01-00W.
    C. 26-25-00N 070-21-00W, 27-20-00N 070-01-00W,
        26-27-00N 066-04-00W, 25-32-00N 066-19-00W.
    D. 20-56-00N 053-37-00W, 23-16-00N 052-40-00W,
        20-47-00N 046-06-00W, 18-29-00N 047-03-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 011540Z AUG 20.//

Authority: EASTERN RANGE 212302Z JUL 20.

Date: 250554Z JUL 20
Cancel: 01154000 Aug 20

ЦитироватьПусковой день        (30.07) - = 80 % GO
1-й Резервный день (31.07) - = 90 % GO
2-й Резервный день (01.08) - = 80 % GO

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust @jeff_foust 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1287804976207626241)

Launch weather officer Jessica Williams says still 80% chance of acceptable weather for the Thursday morning launch, 90% on Friday, 80% on Saturday.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29925.jpg) Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1287805896324599808)

As promised, the return of the worm was not only for Demo-2.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50968.jpg)

ЦитироватьPerseverance Mars Rover Pre-Launch News Conference

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220413.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision) NASA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ)

Трансляция началась 64 минут назад

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust @jeff_foust 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1287812477514850305)

Not much news from the briefing. Launch readiness review is done, spacecraft and launch vehicle are ready, weather looking favorable for a Thursday morning launch.

Цитата: tnt22 от 27.07.2020 21:13:5845-е КК опубликовало (в необычном формате .DOCX вместо .PDF) документы к пуску

Цитата: Виктор  Воропаев от 27.07.2020 22:24:41

Цитата: tnt22 от 27.07.2020 21:13:5845-е КК опубликовало (в необычном формате .DOCX вместо .PDF) документы к пуску

tnt22, если не сложно, выложите здесь, как PDF.

*.mil россиян не пускает

ЦитироватьPerseverance Mars Rover Mission Engineering & Science Briefing

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220413.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision) NASA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ)

Трансляция началась 54 минуты назад

ЦитироватьWatch Our Perseverance Rover Launch to Mars!

youtu.be/JIB3JbIIbPU

Запланировано на 30 июл. 2020 г.

Начало трансляции - 30 июля 2020 г. в 11:00 UTC / 14:00 ДМВ

ЦитироватьUnited Launch Alliance Atlas V Set to Launch Mars 2020 Mission for NASA Launch to Mark ULA's 20th Mission to the Red Planet

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (July 27, 2020) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch NASA's Mars 2020 mission with the Perseverance rover. The launch is on track for July 30 at Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is planned for 7:50 a.m. EDT at the opening of a two-hour launch window. The live launch broadcast begins at 7 a.m. EDT on NASA TV and at www.ulalaunch.com.

ULA has a significant history launching to the red planet. ULA and its heritage rockets have launched every U.S. led mission to Mars, beginning in the 1960s. The launch of this mission will mark ULA's 20th trip to Mars. Mars 2020 will be the fifth mission to Mars launched by the Atlas V rocket, following the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005, the Curiosity rover in 2011, the MAVEN orbiter in 2013 and the InSight lander in 2018.

"We are proud to launch the Mars 2020 mission to orbit," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "The discoveries from the Mars 2020 mission will provide crucial science and research that will help inform NASA's future plans to put humans on the Moon and Mars. We look forward to continuing the Mars mission legacy with our NASA partners."

One of the most powerful rockets in the Atlas V fleet, the 541 configuration, with four solid rocket boosters, provides optimum performance to precisely deliver a range of mission types. In addition to three national security and two weather satellites, an Atlas V 541 rocket launched NASA's Curiosity rover on its 10-month, 354 million-mile journey to the surface of Mars.

This Atlas V 541 configuration vehicle includes a 5-meter payload fairing (PLF) and stands 197 ft. tall. The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the four AJ-60A SRBs and RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.

NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida selected United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) proven Atlas V vehicle for this mission and is responsible for management and oversight of the Atlas V launch services. LSP selected this rocket because it has the right liftoff capability for the "heavy weight" requirements for NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch.

To date ULA has launched 139 times with 100 percent mission success.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully launched more than 135 missions to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.

ЦитироватьАмериканский аппарат Perseverance займется поиском возможных следов жизни на Марсе
НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 27 июля. /ТАСС/. Основная задача марсохода Perseverance (с англ. "настойчивость") - поиски следов жизни на планете и испытание новых технических решений, которые могут использоваться при пилотируемой экспедиции к Марсу и при исследованиях других планет Солнечной системы. Об этом заявил в понедельник директор NASA Джим Брайденстайн на брифинге, транслировавшемся на сайте Центра космических полетов имени Кеннеди.

"Предстоящая миссия марсохода - первый случай в истории, когда основной задачей являются исследования в области астробиологии, - отметил он. - Это поиск ныне существующей или, возможно, существовавшей ранее жизни на этой планете. Мы отправляем марсоход в древний кратер, бывший некогда дном озера. Там когда-то могла существовать жизнь, но сейчас мы этого не знаем".

По словам директора NASA, проведенные ранее исследования свидетельствуют о том, что 3 млрд лет назад на Марсе существовала активная атмосфера, имелась вода, поверхность планеты была защищена от воздействия солнечной радиации. "Возможно, что в тот период на Марсе были условия для жизни", - добавил он. Марсоход соберет образцы грунта для последующей доставки их на Землю, это будет "первый случай в истории, когда мы осуществим полет с Марса на Землю", подчеркнул директор NASA.

Во время работы марсохода, продолжал он, будут опробованы новые технологии, в частности получение кислорода для систем жизнеобеспечения. "Таким образом, будут созданы предпосылки для пилотируемой экспедиции на Марс, - считает Брайденстайн. - Кроме того, с марсохода будет осуществлен запуск вертолета, который впервые осуществит полет в атмосфере другой планеты. В будущем этот эксперимент позволит по-новому осуществлять исследования планет".

Еще одной особенностью предстоящей миссии, по словам заместителя руководителя программы полета Мэтта Уоллеса, станет то, что на марсоходе установлены микрофоны. "Впервые мы получим возможность услышать, как будут осуществляться процесс снижения на парашютах и посадка", - отметил он. Кроме того, на марсоходе установлены научные инструменты, созданные учеными из Франции, Испании и Норвегии.

Запуск ракеты-носителя с марсоходом Perseverance с космодрома на мысе Канаверал запланирован на 30 июля в 07:50 (14:50 мск). Собранные марсоходом образцы вернет на Землю специальная совместная миссия Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) и NASA, которая будет отправлена к Марсу не раньше 2026 года.

ЦитироватьPerseverance заберет марсианский метеорит с Земли на Красную планету
Одна из главных миссий ровера Perseverance, который отправится на Марс 30 июля, — собрать материал на Красной планете, а затем вернуть его на Землю. Однако полетит марсоход «не с пустыми руками». Крошечный кусочек марсианского базальта размером с монету будет находиться на борту американского робота-зонда во время запуска.
Екатерина Бельчикова  27 июля 2020 09:25
В такое путешествие маленький марсианский камушек отправится вовсе не для того, чтобы вернутся домой. Космические инженеры говорят, что базальт, который был подарен Музеем естественной истории в Лондоне, будет использоваться для калибровки детекторов на борту ровера Perseverance.

«Когда вы включаете приборы и начинаете настраивать их перед использованием, вы калибруете их на материалах, которые будут похожи на неизвестные вещества, которые вы собираетесь изучать. Так что же может быть лучше для изучения горных пород на Марсе, чем камень, который возник там?», — сказала профессор Каролина Смит из Музея естественной истории.

Ученые уверены, что этот камень возник на Марсе. Об этом свидетельствуют крошечные пузырьки газа внутри этого метеорита, они имеют точно такой же состав, как и атмосфера Марса, поэтому эксперты могут утверждать, что это марсианская порода. Что касается его возраста, то ученые приводят даты в диапазоне от 600 000 лет назад до 700 000 лет назад. Тогда в Марс врезался астероид, который и отколол различные кусочки планеты, отправив их путешествовать по космосу. Этот метеорит, известный как SAU 008, был обнаружен в Омане в 1999 году и с тех пор находится на попечении Музея естественной истории в Лондоне.

Когда марсоход Perseverance прибудет на Красную планету, он будет использовать специальный высокоточный лазер, который способен расшифровывать химический состав горных пород планеты и определять, могут ли они содержать органические материалы, указывающие на то, что жизнь когда-то существовала на Марсе. SAU 008 поможет прибору работать с максимальной точностью.

ЦитироватьPositivity Pours From NASA's Mars Perseverance News Conference

James Cawley (https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/author/jjcawley/)
Posted Jul 27, 2020 at 5:27 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31568.jpg)
A Mars 2020 prelaunch news conference is held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 27, 2020. Participating in the briefing, from left, are Moderator Bettina Inclan, NASA Headquarters; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate; Matt Wallace, deputy project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Launch Director Omar Baez, NASA's Launch Services Program; and Tory Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

By Jim Cawley
NASA's Kennedy Space Center

With three days to go until liftoff of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover (https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance), everything is on track for Thursday's planned launch to the Red Planet.

"The launch readiness review is complete and we are indeed 'go' for launch," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during Monday's news conference at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "This has been an amazing team effort."

Perseverance is scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (https://www.nasa.gov/content/cape-canaveral-air-force-station/)'s Space Launch Complex 41. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. NASA's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html), based at Kennedy, is managing the launch.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron is predicting an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for Thursday's launch. The primary weather concerns are cumulus and thick clouds.

The historic mission has remained on track, despite unprecedented challenges from a worldwide pandemic.

"We are in extraordinary times right now with the coronavirus pandemic, and yet we have, in fact, persevered," Bridenstine said. "And we have protected this mission because it is so important."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31569.jpg)
Perseverance is scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The two-hour window opens Thursday, July 30, at 7:50 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

Perseverance, which will reach Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, is carrying seven different scientific instruments. The rover's astrobiology mission, developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program (https://mars.nasa.gov/), will search for signs of past microbial life. Ingenuity (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter/), a twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter attached to the belly of the rover, will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

"I just couldn't be happier to be here today and have this amazing mission on top of a rocket and ready to go," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "From this launch readiness review ... all the issues are addressed and we are in fact ready now; we're just counting down and really celebrating with the team."

Perseverance will collect samples from the Red Planet that could be returned to Earth on a future mission. These samples would provide unprecedented information about the Martian climate and weather.

"We're doing transformative science; really for the first time, we're looking for signs of life on another planet," said Matt Wallace, deputy project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The mission has involved thousands of people in a cross-agency effort that included scientists from around the world. In the U.S., flight hardware was built in 44 states, involving more than 550 cities, towns and communities.

"So no matter where you are in this country, you don't have to go very far probably to find somebody who has been a part of this mission," Wallace said. "It's a tremendous team effort."

Multiple events will be broadcast Tuesday on NASA Television and the agency's website (https://www.nasa.gov/live): NASA Edge Rollout show, from 10 to 11 a.m.; Mars 2020 Mars Sample Return briefing, from 2 to 3 p.m.; and Mars 2020 Mission Tech and Humans to Mars briefing, from 4 to 5 p.m.

From noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a briefing featuring Bridenstine, NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro, and astronaut Zena Cardman.

Follow along at blogs.nasa.gov/Mars2020 for live countdown and launch coverage starting Thursday at 7 a.m.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29898.jpg) ULA @ulalaunch 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1287899727812493313)

Explore the details of the #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) rocket and its launch of the Mars 2020 mission with @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) in ULA's Mission Overview!

https://ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/launch-booklets/mars2020_mobrochure_200717.pdf... (https://t.co/6oJIR7obCz?amp=1)

#CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50983.png)

ЦитироватьMission Overview: NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220468.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCryGec9PdUCLjpJW2mgCuLw)

27 июл. 2020 г.

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is heading to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life, collect samples for future return to Earth and help pave the way for human exploration. The rover will carry with it several technology demonstrations including a helicopter, which will attempt humanity's first powered flight on another planet. Perseverance has a new set of science instruments and the ability to "self-drive" on the Martian surface.   

The Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 41 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as early as July 30. It is set to land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

ЦитироватьLIVE Tuesday, July 28, 9:45 a.m.: Rollout of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and launch vehicle to the launch pad (https://www.nasa.gov/live)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29931.jpg) Tory Bruno @torybruno 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1288063933044207617)

#MarsPerseverance (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsPerseverance?src=hashtag_click) weather forecast holding at 80%.  #CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 16:50
Roll Preps

Final preparations are underway for this morning's rollout of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from its assembly building to the pad at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41.

The transfer will cover a distance of one-third-of-a-mile and position the rocket and NASA's Mars 2020 spacecraft on the launch pad for Thursday's countdown and liftoff to send the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to the red planet.

A weather briefing from Launch Weather Officer Jessica Williams of the 45th Weather Squadron has verified conditions are acceptable for the move, which is expected to begin shortly.

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 17:22
GO to Roll

A readiness check of systems' status has been completed satisfactorily, and ULA Launch Director Bill Cullen has authorized the rollout to begin.

Pre-roll preps are complete and the weather is acceptable to move the 197-foot-tall rocket on its Mobile Launch Platform to the launch pad.

"Stand Engineer, proceed with MLP transport to pad." We are standing by to initiate the roll.

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 17:25

Rollout Underway

Rollout of the Atlas V rocket to launch Mars 2020 is underway with first motion at 10:24 a.m. EDT (1424> UTC) of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) departing the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF). 

The VIF is a 30-story building where the rocket stages and payload were put together for this mission aboard the Mobile Launch Platform. The MLP will travel to the pad with the help of undercarriage railcars and trackmobile machines that push the entire 1.8-million-pound platform and Atlas V 541 rocket along tracks up the hill to the pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31581.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200728142512_050653.jpeg)
Photo by United Launch Alliance

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 17:37

The MLP convoy is led by two boxcars, called the PVan and GVan. The payload support van houses spacecraft ground equipment such as the electrical and communication interfaces between the spacecraft systems and the launch pad throughout the countdown. The ground van supports the launch vehicle with a dedicated set of control electronics.
 
Bringing up the rear are two portable environmental control system trailers that supply conditioned air to the rocket's compartments during rollout.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31582.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200728143749_774383.jpeg)
Photo by United Launch Alliance

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 17:44

The Atlas V rollout continues as the rocket completes the first 1,800 feet on its journey into space, traveling by rail from the Vertical Integration Facility to the Space Launch Complex-41 pad.

This will be the 85th flight for Atlas V since debuting in August 2002. The vehicle has a 100 percent mission success record for the Defense Department, the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and commercial customers.

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 18:05

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31583.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200728150551_219774.jpeg)
Photo by United Launch Alliance

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 18:19
On the Pad!

Our Atlas V rocket has arrived at its Cape Canaveral pad for Thursday's launch to Mars.

Over the next few hours today, umbilical connections will be made with launch pad systems, the environmental control system feeding conditioned air to the rocket and payload will be switched to facility supplies to allow the portable trailers used during rollout to be unplugged and moved away.

The Perseverance rover is bound for Jezero Crater, located on the western edge of Isidis Planitia, a giant impact basin just north of the Martian equator at about 18 degrees latitude, 77 degrees longitude. Perseverance's core goal is astrobiological -- to seek signs of ancient microbial life -- and the rover will be landing in a place with high potential for finding these signs. Western Isidis presents some of the oldest and most scientifically interesting landscapes Mars has to offer. Mission scientists believe the 28-mile-wide (45- kilometer) crater was home to a lake 3.5 billions of years ago -- the word "Jezero" in several slavic languages means "lake" -- as well as to an ancient river delta. Together, they could have collected and preserved ancient organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life from the water and sediments that flowed into the crater billions of years ago.

The seven-hour launch countdown will begin Thursday morning, leading to a liftoff of the Atlas V rocket at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC).

Our live countdown updates will begin on this page at 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 UTC).

The live video webcast of the launch begins at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC) and will be viewable on this page.

ЦитироватьNASA EDGE: Mars 2020 Rollout Live

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220323.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAedge) NASA EDGE (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPgFeclBHqZp80D14J5kfA)

Трансляция началась 80 минут назад

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 18:24

Secured at Pad

The MLP has been lowered onto the launch pad piers, accomplishing the "harddown" milestone at 11:23 a.m. EDT. 

This will enable the undercarriages with the attached portable environmental control system trailers to be removed and retreat from the pad later this afternoon.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31584.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2525695125672426624/20200728152444_215335.jpeg)
Photo by United Launch Alliance

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67649.jpg) Ken Kremer @ken_kremer 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ken_kremer/status/1288126903946113034)

At the midpoint ! Rollout of historic @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) #mars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/mars?src=hashtag_click) rover on @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) - launching Jul30 for 500 mil me journey @ landing Feb 18 2021

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50989.jpg)


9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ken_kremer/status/1288167694395744258)

Final preparations have begin at @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) with rollout of historic @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) #MarsRover (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsRover?src=hashtag_click) at 1023 AM from the VIF on #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) to #pad41 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/pad41?src=hashtag_click) over ca. 45 min - equence my pics.  For @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) launch July 30 to the Red Planet - landing Feb 18, 2021

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50990.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50991.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50992.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50993.jpg)

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1238952683698106373/Wjyns-ok_bigger.jpg) Trevor Mahlmann @TrevorMahlmann 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TrevorMahlmann/status/1288130423604891648)

Timelapse: #Mars2020 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2020?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png) rolls out at Space Launch Complex 41 in preparation for launch on Thursday! One step closer to Mars!
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1288130376376909825/pu/vid/1280x720/CdxQ9MLNUkaX_QOV.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1288130376376909825/pu/vid/1280x720/CdxQ9MLNUkaX_QOV.mp4) (0:21)

ЦитироватьJul 28, 2020 18:45
Weather still 80% GO

The launch weather forecast remains unchanged with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions to allow liftoff on Thursday afternoon. The outlook calls for just a few low-level and scattered mid-level clouds, good visibility, southwesterly winds 8 to 10 knots and a temperature near 80 degrees F.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30975.jpg) NASA's Launch Services Program @NASA_LSP 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1288135119639842816)

The @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) #AtlasV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click) rocket carrying the @NASAPersevere (https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere) rover has made its final move on Earth: the short journey from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Liftoff is targeted for 7:50 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 30 with a two-hour window. #CountdownToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hashtag_click) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125648.png)
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1288134087757172737/pu/vid/1280x720/Hxlqk2xUX6PRwg8G.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1288134087757172737/pu/vid/1280x720/Hxlqk2xUX6PRwg8G.mp4) (0:20)