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Pathfinder Mission


Mission Stats:
Launced by NASA in late 1996, arrived at Mars in mid-1997.
Expected lifetime = 1 month, actual lifetime = 3 months.
Website

Mission Objectives:
To be a "faster, better, cheaper" space mission.
To place a small rover (Sojourner) on the Martian surface to explore the area around the landing site.
To explore the "geology" and surface structure on scales of less than a meter to about 100 meters.
To analyze the chemistry of Martian soil and rocks.
To investigate the magnetic and mechanical properties of the dust and soil.
To analyze Mars' atmosphere.
To investigate Mars' rotational and orbital dynamics.

Results:
Mars was once more Earth-like than once thought.
- Similarities in silicon content of crust material.
- Evidence that Mars was previously water rich and warm.
The Martian soil is lower in silicon content than the rocks. The soil is rich in iron, sulphur, magnesium.
Currently, the Martian surface is an extremely dry and dusty place.
Mars as a planet has a very small magnetic field, but the surface dust is highly magnetic.
Mars has a metallic core.
Mars' rotational axis precesses.
Did not find evidence of organic life.

Images:









Mars Global Surveyor


Mission Stats:
Launched by NASA in 1996, arrived at Mars in 1997 (Pathfinder arrived first).
Lifetime = (about) 5 years. Still orbiting Mars.
Website

Mission Objectives:
This mission had just an orbiter, no lander.
To map the Martian surface.
- The camera can capture features as small as 1.5 meters in size.
- Use an altimeter to more precisely measure the heights/depths of mountains and valleys.
To spectroscopically study the surface.
To study the magnetic properties of Mars.
To study the planet's shape.
To study the structure of the atmosphere.

Results:
Sent back very high resolution images of the Martian surface.
Detected very low amounts of carbonate minerals expected to be deposited by former water oceans.
- This evidence contradicts the idea of past oceans on Mars, but does not totally negate the possibility.
- This results indicates that any water on Mars has always been frozen.

Images:









Mars Odyssey


Mission Stats:
Launched by NASA in mid-2001, arrived at Mars in late 2001.
Lifetime = (about) 2 years. Research is to be done from early 2002 through mid 2004.
Website

Mission Objectives:
This mission features just an orbiter, no lander.
To map the elemental composition of the whole surface of Mars.
To determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface (hydrogen is an indicator of water).
To obtain high spatial and spectral resolution of surface minerals (specifcally, those that form in the presence of liquid water).
To examine the morphology (appearance) of the Martian surface.
To analyze how much risk there is to humans from solar radiation levels on the Martian surface.
This orbiter will continue orbiting Mars after its science is completed to act as a communications relay for future Mars missions.

Results:
Detected large amounts of water ice under the surface.
Solar radiation levels are very harmful to humans, they pose substantial and long-term health risks.
The full elemantal and mineralogical composition maps are not yet complete.

Images:








Mars Express


Mission Stats:
Launched in June of this year by the European Space Agency, will arrive at Mars by the end of the year.
Expected lifetime of lander = 6 months, expected lifetime of orbiter = 1 year.
Website

To map the Martian subsurface, atmosphere, and ionosphere.