Author Topic: NASA - MSL Updates  (Read 103243 times)

Offline John44

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #180 on: 08/04/2012 06:12 pm »
NASA Science News Conference - Mars Science Laboratory - Mission Status and Entry Descent and Landing Overview
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7755

Offline bolun

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #181 on: 08/04/2012 07:28 pm »
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMEV8TX55H_index_0.html

Quote
Timeline: ESA tracks MSL arrival at Mars
 
The highlight of ESA’s support for NASA’s Curiosity landing happens at 06:29 on Monday, 6 August, when the Mars Express Lander Communication (MELACOM) system is switched on.

Recording of the radio signals transmitted by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is planned to begin at 07:09 and end at 07:37 (all times shown as ground event time in CEST).

ESA’s ground tracking station in New Norcia, Australia, will also listen and record signals from the NASA mission at the same time.

At 08:15, Mars Express will contact Earth via ESA’s 35 m deep space station at New Norcia, and begin transmitting the recorded information, which should take about 11 minutes to download; signals will take nearly 14 minutes to cover the 248 million km distance to Earth.

The transfer will be complete by about 08:26; the data will be transferred in real time to ESOC, and made immediately available to NASA’s MSL mission team at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California.

Notes:
CEST = UTC + 2 hours
Earth time = Mars time + 13min:48sec
MEX: Mars Express
MSL: Mars Science Laboratory
NNO: ESA New Norcia station
AOS: Acquisition of signal
S/C: Spacecraft
All times subject to change

Offline jacqmans

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #182 on: 08/05/2012 07:31 am »
Aug. 4, 2012

Mars Tugging on Approaching NASA Rover Curiosity

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-227&cid=release_2012-227

PASADENA, Calif. - The gravitational tug of Mars is now pulling NASA's car-size geochemistry laboratory, Curiosity, in for a suspenseful landing in less than 40 hours.

"After flying more than eight months and 350 million miles since launch, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is now right on target to fly through the eye of the needle that is our target at the top of the Mars atmosphere," said Mission Manager Arthur Amador of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The spacecraft is healthy and on course for delivering the mission's Curiosity rover close to a Martian mountain at 10:31 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5 PDT (1:31 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6 EDT). That's the time a signal confirming safe landing could reach Earth, give or take about a minute for the spacecraft's adjustments to sense changeable atmospheric conditions.

The only way a safe-landing confirmation can arrive during that first opportunity is via a relay by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Curiosity will not be communicating directly with Earth as it lands, because Earth will set beneath the Martian horizon from Curiosity's perspective about two minutes before the landing.

"We are expecting Odyssey to relay good news," said Steve Sell of the JPL engineering team that developed and tested the mission's complicated "sky crane" landing system. "That moment has been more than eight years in the making."

A dust storm in southern Mars being monitored by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter appears to be dissipating. "Mars is cooperating by providing good weather for landing," said JPL's Ashwin Vasavada, deputy project scientist for Curiosity.

Curiosity was approaching Mars at about 8,000 mph (about 3,600 meters per second) Saturday morning. By the time the spacecraft hits the top of Mars' atmosphere, about seven minutes before touchdown, gravity will accelerate it to about 13,200 mph (5,900 meters per second).

NASA plans to use Curiosity to investigate whether the study area has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life.

"In the first few weeks after landing, we will be ramping up science activities gradually as we complete a series of checkouts and we gain practice at operating this complex robot in Martian conditions," said JPL's Richard Cook, deputy project manager for Curiosity.

The first Mars pictures expected from Curiosity are reduced-resolution fisheye black-and-white images received either in the first few minutes after touchdown or more than two hours later. Higher resolution and color images from other cameras could come later in the first week. Plans call for Curiosity to deploy a directional antenna on the first day after landing and raise the camera mast on the second day.

The big hurdle is landing. Under some possible scenarios, Curiosity could land safely, but temporary communication difficulties could delay for hours or even days any confirmation that the rover has survived landing.

The prime mission lasts a full Martian year, which is nearly two Earth years. During that period, researchers plan to drive Curiosity partway up a mountain informally called Mount Sharp. Observations from orbit have identified exposures there of clay and sulfate minerals that formed in wet environments.

The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Its rover, Curiosity, was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. Information about the mission and about ways to participate in challenges of the landing, including a new video game, is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mars and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

You can follow the mission on Facebook and on Twitter at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

Jacques :-)

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #183 on: 08/05/2012 11:34 am »
We'll be starting the LIVE thread in the coming hours - well in advance of the NTV coverage, led by Chris G's article for the events.
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Offline haywoodfloyd

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #184 on: 08/05/2012 12:23 pm »
Good to hear that NSF will be covering MSL live Chris.
I have been following Curiosity's flight to Mars for months and I am pumped!
I just hope I can still be awake at 1:30 am to hear the good news.

Offline John44

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #185 on: 08/05/2012 08:10 pm »
NASA Science News Conference Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Pre-Landing News Conference - Rover Communication overview
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7756

Offline clongton

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #186 on: 08/05/2012 08:52 pm »
Good to hear that NSF will be covering MSL live Chris.
I have been following Curiosity's flight to Mars for months and I am pumped!
I just hope I can still be awake at 1:30 am to hear the good news.


I set the event on my Google Calendar and set the calendar to call my cell phone 60 minutes before the event.
So if I fall asleep my cell phone will wake me and I'll be live too :)
Chuck - DIRECT co-founder
I started my career on the Saturn-V F-1A engine

Offline bolun

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #187 on: 08/06/2012 10:54 am »
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAKBVXF5H_index_0.html

Quote
ESA’s first step in continuing Curiosity support
 
In the coming weeks, Mars Express and the operations team at ESOC will perform several data relay overflights during the first phases of Curiosity’s mission on the surface of Mars.

Then, ESA will offer a standby capability to provide dedicated support at short notice, if requested by NASA, by relaying data from Curiosity to Earth.
 
This could become necessary if Odyssey or MRO were to experience any technical problems, for example.

ESA’s tracking station network can support NASA missions, due in part to long-standing technical and operational cooperation between the two agencies.

“Supporting Curiosity is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation not only on Earth but also in deep space,” said Manfred Warhaut, ESA’s Head of Mission Operations.

“No one likes going to Mars on their own; it takes cooperation and partnership to reduce risk and boost scientific return on investment.”

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #188 on: 08/06/2012 11:17 am »
Have the main cameras deployed yet? When I last checked, the only images received had been from the low-mounted navigation cameras.
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Offline Kaputnik

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #189 on: 08/06/2012 11:45 am »
No, the mast doesn't go up today.
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Offline JBF

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #190 on: 08/06/2012 12:11 pm »
No, the mast doesn't go up today.

Have they published a detailed timeline anywhere?
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Online ugordan

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Re: NASA - MSL Updates
« Reply #191 on: 08/06/2012 01:26 pm »
No, the mast doesn't go up today.

Have they published a detailed timeline anywhere?

Guide for image release: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120803.html

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