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Next Mars Mission Will Look for Landing Sites

Posted by michael on from the beachhead dept.

fenimor writes "NASA's next mission to Mars to be launched on Aug. 10, 2005 - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - will examine potential landing sites and provide a high-data-rate communications relay for for future surface missions. Weighing 2,180 kilograms, the spacecraft will be the largest ever to orbit Mars and with the largest telescopic camera ever sent into orbit around another planet, will reveal Mars surface features as small as a kitchen table."

4 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Correct link.. by barawn · · Score: 4, Informative

    That story would be

    here, rather than the Cassini/Huygens probe story that was linked to.

    More proof that /.ers don't read the article, eh?

  2. Re:Nothing much to see here... by purfledspruce · · Score: 2, Informative
    Actually, the next rover is already in design. It's possible to design a rover without knowing where it will land. ;)

    It's a pretty neat rover, too...too bad that the public site at JPL isn't very good:

    http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/ms l.html
  3. Re:Kitchen tables!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    If you saw the movie "The postman always rings twice" then you would know that a kitchen table is definitely sports equipment.

  4. Re:Hmm, communications relay by stevesliva · · Score: 2, Informative

    NASA's Global Surveyor and Odessey and ESA's Express already provide data relay capabilities.

    --
    Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts