[meteorite-list] NASA Selects Future Projects To Study Mars And Mercury

[Ron Baalke]

May 04, 2009

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington                                    
202-358-1726 
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov   
CONTRACT RELEASE: C09-020

NASA SELECTS FUTURE PROJECTS TO STUDY MARS AND MERCURY

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected two science investigations that will 
aid in the interior examination of Mars and probe the tenuous 
atmosphere of Mercury. The projects, valued at approximately $38 
million, also establish new alliances with the European Space Agency, 
or ESA. 

"The selections will further advance our knowledge of these exciting 
terrestrial planets," said Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary 
Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The international 
collaboration will create a new chapter in planetary science and 
provide a strong partnership with the international science community 
to complement future robotic and human exploration activities." 

The Lander Radio-Science on ExoMars, or LaRa, will use NASA's Deep 
Space Network of radio telescopes to track part of ESA's ExoMars 
mission. Scheduled to launch in 2016, the mission consists of a fixed 
lander and a rover that will roam Mars collecting soil samples for 
detailed analysis. 

Data relayed from the lander back to the network will allow scientists 
to measure and analyze variations in the length of the day and 
location of the planet's rotational axis. This data will help 
researchers further dissect the structure of the Red Planet's 
interior, including the size of its core. When combined with the 
lander's onboard instruments, the data also may help confirm whether 
the planet's interior is still, at least partially, composed of 
liquid. William Folkner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 
Pasadena, Calif., is the principal investigator. The project costs 
approximately $6.6 million. 

The second selection, named Strofio, will employ a unique mass 
spectrometer. The instrument will determine the mass of atoms and 
molecules to reveal the composition of Mercury's atmosphere. The 
investigation will study the atmosphere, which is formed from 
material ejected from its surface, to reveal the composition of 
Mercury's surface. 

Strofio will investigate Mercury as a key component of the Italian 
Space Agency's suite of science instruments that will fly aboard 
ESA's BepiColombo mission. Scheduled for launch in 2013, the mission 
is composed of two spacecraft. Japan will build one spacecraft to 
study the planet's magnetic field. ESA will build the other to study 
Mercury directly. Stefano Livi of the Southwest Research Institute in 
San Antonio is the principal investigator. The project costs 
approximately $31.8 million. 

The selections were among eight proposals submitted in December 2008 
in response to NASA's new Stand Alone Mission of Opportunity, known 
as Salmon. NASA solicited proposals for investigations that address 
planetary science research objectives on non-agency missions. A key 
criterion is that science goals, including data archiving and 
analysis, must be accomplished for less than $35 million. 

NASA's Deep Space Network is an international system of antennas that 
support interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar 
astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and 
the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting 
missions. The system consists of three deep-space communications 
facilities placed around the world in California's Mojave Desert; 
Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. This strategic placement 
permits constant observation of spacecraft as Earth rotates and helps 
to make the network the largest and most sensitive scientific 
telecommunications system in the world. 

NASA's Planetary Science Division aims to improve understanding of the 
planets and small bodies that inhabit our solar system. Mission 
activities include helping scientists answer questions about the 
solar system's formation, how it reached its current diverse state, 
and how life evolved on Earth and possibly elsewhere in the solar 
system. The Mars Exploration Program, a component of the Planetary 
Division, seeks to characterize and understand Mars as a dynamic 
system, including its present and past environment, climate cycles, 
geology and biological potential. 

For more information about the Stand Alone Mission of Opportunity, 
visit: 

http://salmon.larc.nasa.gov 

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov   
	
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