Robotic Spacecraft (Astronomy, Planetary, Earth, Solar/Heliophysics) > Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Mars 2020 Rover Section
Midway landing site
vjkane:
Two of the proposed 2020 landing sites, Jezero crater and NE Syrtis, lie just a few 10's of kilometers apart. The 2020 rover project is now evaluating whether the mission could land on a delta in Jezero crater and then move to collect samples at a 'midway' site that most of geologic features of the NE Syrtis site. The geologic features of midway would need to be confirmed as would safe landing eclipses for the subsequent Mars ascent vehicle/fetch rover to land in.
This option has been presented at two meetings. These are the only two slides from the last MEPAG meeting.
Blackstar:
It was briefly described at our Space Studies Board meeting a couple of weeks ago. I have the slides from that.
redliox:
--- Quote from: vjkane on 05/13/2018 04:06 pm ---Two of the proposed 2020 landing sites, Jezero crater and NE Syrtis, lie just a few 10's of kilometers apart. The 2020 rover project is now evaluating whether the mission could land on a delta in Jezero crater and then move to collect samples at a 'midway' site that most of geologic features of the NE Syrtis site. The geologic features of midway would need to be confirmed as would safe landing eclipses for the subsequent Mars ascent vehicle/fetch rover to land in.
This option has been presented at two meetings.
--- End quote ---
This sounds like a promising compromise. I recall that Pathfinder's site was purposely chosen to be Ares Vallis' delta so it'd have a chance to see different rock types. At least if the rover ends up driving to one region from the midway point it would still study samples that came from the other.
Don2:
It might be better to do the 'Midway ' site as part of an extended mission, but I can see why the scientists want a hydrothermal site as well as a crater lake site.
The last universal common ancestor of all Earth life has now been identified as a hydrothermal vent organism living off of CO2 and H2. Hydrothermal vents are a favored site for the origin of life. However, a photosynthetic lifeform will prefer the upper layers of a crater lake. A lifeform that lives by degrading asteroridal organics might find the mud of the delta to its liking. The Jezero Crater - NE Syrtis region certainly has everything an astrobiologist could want.
This will also be an excellent region for a manned Mars mission to explore.
redliox:
Apparently Midway has been approved as a candidate site: https://www.space.com/41108-nasa-2020-mars-rover-fourth-landing-site-candidate.html
Seems like a good compromise, although the 2 sites it borders were already very close (at least from a global or regional perspective).
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