Transcript Mars and Curiosity Rover

Mars and Curiosity Rover
Metka Batič
Mars
Barealis Basin
• 687 Earth days = 1 Mars year
Valles
Marineris
Red planet – iron oxide
Thin atmosphere
Large temperature changes
No magnet field – radiation
2 Moons: Phobos, Deimos
Olympus Monds
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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
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 899kg
• In length is 2,9m; width 2,7m;
height 2,2m
• Wheel diameter is 0,5m
• Average speed 30m/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 Plutonium238, each 250W
• Thermocouples: 2 dissimilar, electric conductive
materials which are joined in a closed circle, 2
junctions are kept at different temperatures
• Inefficient: 2000W thermal power in 125W
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 RAD750 boards, each:
256kB of EEPROM, 256MB of DRAM,
2GB of flash memory, 200MHz CPU
• Software: operating system VxWorks
• 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 (14min)
Instruments
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Mast Camera (Mastcam)
Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)
Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)
Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam)
Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction/
X-Ray Fluorescence Instrument (CheMin)
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.
Thank you for your attention
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