NASA Picks Landing Site for Mars 2020 Rover

a reply to: Archivalist

Curiosity

Yes.
AKA: Mars Science Laboratory. MSL.

a reply to: LSU2018

MRO orbits Mars today. We have sent several satellite out to these types of distances, but the odds on that type of approach come down to a cost benefit plot, not scientific or technical. If you can do 90% of the same science for half the cost, you take that option. On Earth, you'd have to very convincingly prove that a risky canyon mission will outweigh the benefits of the normal mission plan by a factor that includes the cost of extra transmission power from the rover, landing in the canyon, and cost of constructing, maintaining, and launching, dedicated satellites for communication.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Archivalist

Curiosity

Yes.
AKA: Mars Science Laboratory. MSL.

Curiosity is the name of the rover explicitly, MSL can refer to both the platform, and the team of humans. I don't call rockets JPL.

originally posted by: wildespace
The picture reminds me of delta fronts of Missisipi river:

looks the same as the Mississippi River as it enters the Gulf of Mexico...& What's abundant in the Gulf ? deep oil...

maybe its' not the tell tales signs of past life/organisms being sought --->>
the pragmatic researchers might be looking for evidence of Martian made Fuel/Oil/dehydrated peat from ancient organics...

so, instead of making energy from a transported nuke reactor, the new colony could pollute the thin atmosphere with local/indigenous fossil fuel sources.. Viola' terra-forming





~Food for Thought~


the initial Altruistic Scientific Discovery was nice when it lasted...but now---in the era of a Space Force proposed by Trump … the era of Exploitation begins.... the 21st Century Manifest Destiny being realized

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: wildespace

Seems like it could be an interesting location , shame we have to wait another 2 years before we get wheels on the ground.

As the years go by I feel I have less waiting time to spend waiting .... I want it Now !!!!!!

In the meantime InSight Mars Lander lands next week.

I used to read blogs about people exploring the Nevada desert and other deserts in the USA. They couldn't stay for more than a few hours at any time because of the heat, lack of supplies, but they would find things like old concrete structures, bits of old aircraft and squadron logos. I always thought it would be a cool way of testing exploration vehicles by having a few that people could control remotely from the Internet.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: wildespace

Why do they never check out the canyons?

That would be my first target.

Mt. Sharp (aka Aeolis Mons) was chosen as Curiosity's landing site partly because of the exposed strata at the sides of Mt. Sharp that are similar to canyon walls. The idea being that the layers of exposed strata of Mt Sharp would be a geological time capsule of sorts, with the layers being a glipmpse into Mars' geoligical past, getting more recent as Curiosity ascends the mountain

Curiosity has not yet reaced the parts of Mt. Sharp with the highest walls, but some of the features around the lower parts of the mountain include these strata.

Curiosity Mast Camera Sol 1459


Curiosity Mast Camera Sol 1467

a reply to: wildespace

Looks like a great spot to investigate the water flows that were once there but I have my doubts about microbial life.
Even if water is under the surface I still have doubts.

Imagine drilling up crude oil on Mars.