D-Bone
Jun 5th '06, 01:30 PM
It's a big planet out there, so scientists planning NASA's next Mars rover mission have a formidable array of landing sites to choose from.
With tantalizing evidence of ancient lakes or oceans that may have been around long enough for life to evolve, the team working on the Mars Science Laboratory has high hopes of striking scientific gold once the rover's powerful suite of science instruments begins its search for organic compounds.
But where to look?
After a three-day meeting at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California last week, 120 scientists ranked the top 30 contenders and then turned the list over to the team planning the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's observations.
The orbiter, which can image features as small as one meter, is adjusting its orbit for optimal science observations and is on schedule to begin work in Janaury.
"Basically we're going to start poking at all of [the potential sites]," said planetary geologist Matt Golombek, co-chairman of the rover's landing site selection committee.
Read More: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060605/marslanding_spa.html
With tantalizing evidence of ancient lakes or oceans that may have been around long enough for life to evolve, the team working on the Mars Science Laboratory has high hopes of striking scientific gold once the rover's powerful suite of science instruments begins its search for organic compounds.
But where to look?
After a three-day meeting at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California last week, 120 scientists ranked the top 30 contenders and then turned the list over to the team planning the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's observations.
The orbiter, which can image features as small as one meter, is adjusting its orbit for optimal science observations and is on schedule to begin work in Janaury.
"Basically we're going to start poking at all of [the potential sites]," said planetary geologist Matt Golombek, co-chairman of the rover's landing site selection committee.
Read More: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060605/marslanding_spa.html