Discover
/
Article

NASA picks the scientific payload of its next Mars rover

AUG 01, 2014
Physics Today

BBC : At a press conference held yesterday in Washington, DC, NASA official and former astronaut John Grunsfeld announced the seven scientific instruments that would be carried on the agency’s next Mars rover. Provisionally named Mars 2020 for its scheduled launch date, the rover will be based on the Curiosity rover, which is currently exploring the red planet’s Gale Crater. Like its forebear, Mars 2020 will carry cameras, spectrometers, and meteorological sensors. But its payload will also include the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, which will produce oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. In future missions, locally produced oxygen could help power a return trip to Earth and sustain human explorers.

Related content
/
Article
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
/
Article
/
Article
After a foray into international health and social welfare, she returned to the physical sciences. She is currently at the Moore Foundation.
/
Article
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.