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Science Team Chosen For Mars Microprobes Mission (DS-2)

Douglas Isbell
Headquarters, Washington, DC                         April 8, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

John Watson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
(Phone:  818/354-5011)

RELEASE:  98-59

SCIENCE TEAM CHOSEN FOR TECHNOLOGY VALIDATION MISSION TO EXPLORE 
THE SUBSURFACE OF MARS

     Nine researchers have been selected to be the Science Team 
for the Mars Microprobes, a technology validation mission that 
will hitchhike to the red planet aboard NASA's 1998 Mars Polar 
Lander mission.  

     Two identical probes will be carried as a secondary payload 
on the lander, due for launch in January 1999.  Following an 11-
month cruise, the Microprobes will separate from the lander before 
it enters the Martian atmosphere, and then hit the ground at 
approximately 400 mph.  

     During the impact, each microprobe will separate into two 
sections:  the forebody and its instruments will penetrate up to 
six feet (two meters) below the surface, while the aftbody will 
remain near the surface to communicate with a radio relay on 
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter while making meteorological 
measurements. 

The nine selected scientists are: 
*   David Catling, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
*   Ralph Lorenz, University of Arizona, Tucson
*   Julio Magalhaes, NASA Ames Research Center
*   Jeffrey Moersch, NASA Ames Research Center
*   Paul Morgan, Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff
*   James Murphy, NASA Ames Research Center
*   Bruce Murray, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
*   Marsha Presley, Arizona State Univ., Phoenix
*   Aaron Zent, NASA Ames Research Center

     The scientific objectives of the Mars Microprobes include 
searching for the presence of water ice in the soil and 
characterizing its thermal and physical properties.  A small drill 
will bring a soil sample inside the probe, heat it, and look for 
the presence of water vapor using a tunable diode laser.  An 
impact accelerometer will measure the rate at which the probes 
come to rest, giving an indication of the hardness of the soil and 
any layers present.  Temperature sensors will estimate how well 
the Martian soil conducts heat, a property sensitive to different 
soil properties such as grain size and water content.  A sensor at 
the surface will measure atmospheric pressure in tandem with a 
sensor on the Mars Polar Lander.

     The Mars Microprobes mission, also known as Deep Space-2 (DS-
2), is scheduled to be the second launch in NASA's New Millennium 
Program of technology validation flights, designed to enable 
advanced science missions in the 21st century. 

     "I'm delighted with the selection of this excellent group of 
investigators.  The Mars Microprobe will give us a glimpse of the 
subsurface of Mars, which in many ways is a window into the 
planet's history," said Dr. Suzanne Smrekar, the DS-2 project 
scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.  "The 
region of Mars we will explore is similar to Earth's polar regions 
in that it is believed to collect ice and dust over many millions 
of years.  By studying the history of Mars and its climate, we are 
likely to better understand the more complex system on our own 
planet." 
   
     In addition to the miniaturized science instruments capable 
of surviving high velocity impact, technologies to be tested on 
DS-2 include a non-erosive, lightweight, single-stage atmospheric 
entry system or aeroshell;  power microelectronics with mixed 
digital/analog advanced integrated circuits; an ultra-low 
temperature lithium battery; an advanced three-dimensional 
microcontroller; and flexible interconnects for system cabling.

     "The combination of a single-stage entry vehicle with 
electronics and instrumentation that can survive very high impact 
loads will enable us to design a whole new class of very small, 
rugged spacecraft for the in-situ exploration of the planets," 
explained Sarah Gavit, DS-2 project manager at JPL.

     "Slamming high-precision science instruments into the surface 
of Mars at 400 mph is very challenging, no doubt about it!  But 
once this type of technology is demonstrated, we can envision 
future missions that could sample numerous regions on Mars or make 
network measurements of global weather and possible Marsquakes," 
said DS-2 program scientist Dr. Michael Meyer of NASA 
Headquarters, Washington, DC.

     Further information on DS-2 is available on the Internet at 
the following URL:  http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds2/

     The New Millennium Program is managed by JPL for NASA's 
Office of Space Science in Washington, DC.  JPL is a division of 
the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

                           -end-