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NASA Picks Mars Scout Candidates
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 04:30 pm ET
06 December 2002
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NASA PICKS MARS SCOUT CANDIDATES NASA today announced four proposals -- the first step of a two-step process -- to select a 2007 "Scout" mission in the agency's Mars Exploration Program. The first round winners are: - SCIM (Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars): Laurie Leshin, Arizona State University, Tempe. This innovative mission would sample atmospheric dust and gas using aerogel and use a "free-return trajectory" to bring the samples back to Earth. Such samples could provide breakthrough understanding of the chemistry of Mars, its surface, atmosphere, interior evolution and potential biological activity.
- ARES (Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey): Joel Levine, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. ARES would provide the first in situ measurements of the near-surface atmospheric chemistry within the Mars planetary- boundary layer, thereby providing critical clues to the chemical evolution of the planet, climate history, and potential biological activity.
- Phoenix: Peter Smith, University of Arizona, Tucson. This mission proposes to conduct a stationary, in situ investigation of volatiles (especially water), organic molecules and modern climate. It aims to "follow the water" and measure indicator molecules at high-latitude sites where Mars Odyssey has discovered evidence of large ice concentrations in the Martian soil.
- MARVEL (Mars Volcanic Emission and Life Scout): Mark Allen, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. This mission proposes to conduct a global survey of the Martian atmosphere's photochemistry to search for emissions that could be related to active volcanism or microbial activity, as well as to track the behavior of water in the atmosphere across a full annual cycle.
"This Scout selection will serve as a trailblazer for what we plan to be a continuing line of a small, yet exciting, class of Mars missions," said Orlando Figueroa, Director for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Following detailed mission-concept studies, due for submission by July 2003, NASA intends to select one of the mission proposals by August 2, 2003, for full development as the first Mars Scout mission. The mission developed for flight will be launched in 2007. The Mars Scout competition is designed to augment or complement, but not duplicate, major missions being planned as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program or those under development by foreign space agencies. The selected Scout science mission must be ready for launch before December 31, 2007, within a total mission cost cap of $325 million.
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