Mars and Curiosity Rover Metka Batič

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

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 Mars Express 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter  2013 MAVEN 2013 Mars Orbiter Mission 2016 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 Plutonium- 238, 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-longer- needed files deleted Signal can travel directly to Earth or first to Satelite and then faster to Earth (14min)

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

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