NASA's near-term missions to Mars

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Phoenix

Mars Science Laboratory

Mars Telecommunications Orbiter

Other missions


I like MTO the best.

[edit on 5-5-2005 by NWguy83]

I just found out from Space.com that MSL is 4 or 5 times larger than Spirit or Opportunity.

the MTO is unbelievable!

I like the idea of shooting up the samples container up in the Martian sky and then having it picked up by a larger craft in orbit. That's brilliant.

I jsut think, maybe instead of manned landing it makes sense to have a permanent orbiting station around Mars? So it handle such samples right there.

Originally posted by Aelita
it makes sense to have a permanent orbiting station around Mars? So it handle such samples right there.

Brilliant. But keep the (wo)manned landing, too (remember the mantra: command module, lunar module... command module, lunar module...).

Five minutes on the Moon and Neil Armstrong had the story. Thirty years of Mars robotics and we are still guessing.

- So Nasa is planning on launching the MSL Rover the same time as the MTO? Thats kinda odd, Since each on it so big i'm assuming they will each get there own rocket.

Personally I love all the planned missions, One you didn't really touch on is the 2011 mission, which will be when the first ever plane flew on Mars.

They have allready done extensive testing for the plane, because a while back they were hoping that to celebrate the Wright Brothers 1903 powered flight with a powered flight on Mars in 2003...But I suppose it was best they waited so they didn't rush it and have it be the first airplane crash on Mars.

It was called Ares...not sure if it still has that name though. Heres a pic.

Cant wait for the awesome High Def images and video this will record while flying a m ile up.

Originally posted by Chakotay
Five minutes on the Moon and Neil Armstrong had the story. Thirty years of Mars robotics and we are still guessing.

What? What story did we have?

I think the rovers covered more scientific ground than Commander Armstrong in his 5 minutes of glory.

Instruments do the work anyway. We can't X-ray the rocks with our eyes any more than we can power the jet engine with our urine. Let the robots do their job, dammit.

Mars is trully the star planet right now, and I love the fact that so many future missions are planned for the next rock out from the sun.

But until we have a better idea about the source of methane in Mars' atmosphere, a sample return mission should be ruled out. I don't think we want to bring back any potential life forms until we know more.

I think we all remember the Genesis msnbc.msn.com...

I don't want to see Martian rocks and soil samples spread across Utah. They could contain some very hardy bugs that could go nuts in a very "life friendly" enviroment like ours.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!!!!

anxietydisorder - The earliest we could get martian rocks would be a 2013 mission to the red planet...In which we will know by that time virtually 100% if there is life or not...Besides, even when they get back to earth they will have a close eye on them at all times.

I assume by your statement you were thinking of Genises, that contained solar samples, in which case that mission was a success because the samples were still intact, even after a failed chute and 200mph plunge into the sand. I always thought that was ironic, how not only did Nasa have a chute on it for its soft landing, but to make sure it gets to earth in good condition they were going to use a helicopter to scoop it out of the sky, and it turns out that even with a crash they still got there particles.

But, I to would hope for a better landing.

Murcielago - That was my reference, and my point was that the samples were contaminated due to exposure after the crash. Though some data was recovered from the shards of broken discs, and these were benign particles collected from the solar wind, the same can't be said for rocks and soil from a planet that may have life, in whatever form.

Many of the Martian landers have gone splat, so we know landing is not a perfected technology.

And our probes on Mars have surly cross contaminated that planet. I just don't want to see the reverse happen here on Earth.

I just dont think its that big of a deal..I think your drawing your fears from movies.

asteriods hit our earth on a daily basis...we dont go running around like crazy trying to put them all in glass jars so the dont contaminate our world.