Mars and Curiosity Rover Metka Bati Mars Valles

Mars and Curiosity Rover Metka Batič

Mars Valles Marineris Barealis Basin Red planet – iron oxide Thin atmosphere Large temperature changes No magnet field – radiation 2 Moons: Phobos, Deimos 687 Earth days = 1 Mars year Olympus Monds • • •

Exploration • Since 1960 were 50 attempts of which 21 succeded • In forms of orbiters, landers and rovers • Currently: 6 in orbit: 2001 Mars Odyssey 2003 2005 2013 2016 Mars Express Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter MAVEN Mars Orbiter Mission Exo Mars Trace Gas Orbiter 2 on surface: 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity 2011 Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity

Curiosity Rover • Mass of 899 kg • In length is 2, 9 m; width 2, 7 m; height 2, 2 m • Wheel diameter is 0, 5 m • Average speed 30 m/h • 8 years to build • Mission: exploring existance of life: search of water, study chemical structure, geology, study weather, radiation

Landing – Sky Crane Technology

Motors • 43 DC Motors, part of them are brushless DC motors (ECM) • Maxon motors: small, withstand temperature from -120 to 25°C, high efficient up to 90%, used for driving, robotic arm, drilling, camera … • Electronically commutated motors have variable speed control, longer lives, high efficiency up to 80%, used for data communications

Power Supply • MMRTG – Multi Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Genegator • Heat source: decay of 8 radioisotope Plutonium 238, each 250 W • Thermocouples: 2 dissimilar, electric conductive materials which are joined in a closed circle, 2 junctions are kept at different temperatures • Inefficient: 2000 W thermal power in 125 W electrical power, 6, 25% • It charges 2 rechargable Lithium-ion batteries

Gears: Harmonic Drive System • Highly precise, backlash free gear therefore capable of repeating the moment fast • Small, light, efficient, quiet

Computer • Hardware: 2 RAD 750 boards, each: 256 k. B of EEPROM, 256 MB of DRAM, 2 GB of flash memory, 200 MHz CPU • Software: operating system Vx. Works • Functioning code written in C language • Processor immune to radiation, but limited performance • After landing were all no-longerneeded files deleted Signal can travel directly to Earth or first to Satelite and then faster to Earth (14 min)

Instruments • • • Mast Camera (Mastcam) Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) Chemistry & Camera (Chem. Cam) Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction/ X-Ray Fluorescence Instrument (Che. Min) Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI)

Discoveries 1. Curiosity found carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur, which are all necessar for life. 2. Organic carbon indicates that raw ingredients for life to get started existed once. 3. Background level of atmospheric methane was detected. 4. Radiation dangerous to astronauts. 5. Atmosphere contains isotopes of hydrogen, carbon and argon. 6. Smooth and rounded rocks.

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