A Scientific Rationale for Mobility in Planetary Environments (1999) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 5-11
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From page 5... ...
The pioneering trips of Alexander McKenzie across the Canadian Rockies in 1793, and of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark farther south in 1804-1805, served to define the geographical limits and accessibility of much of the West. The great scientific surveys conducted by John Wesley Powell down the Green and Colorado rivers through the Grand Canyon, and the extensive survey along the 40th parallel conducted in the 1860s and 1870s by Clarence King, served to map the West, survey its resources, and enable development.
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WHAT IS MOBILITY? A variety of recent planetary exploration missions either have demonstrated the advantages that derive from the ability to move instruments from one location to another in planetary environments or have indicated that such a capability is a logical approach to conducting future priority studies.
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That is, a depositional model, derived from studies of analogous terrains on Earth, was applied to images obtained by the Viking orbiters and used to select a landing site that would provide access to an abundance of diverse rock types. Likewise, current planning for future Mars Surveyor missions and advanced mobility devices, such as the Athena rover, recently deleted from the 2001 lander mission,*
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SCIENTIFIC GOALS FOR SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION The science objectives to be addressed by mobility relate directly to the broad scientific goals for solar system exploration, as stated by the Space Studies Board. These objectives are the following: i · Understanding how physical and chemical processes determine the main characteristics of the planets, thereby illuminating the workings of Earth; · Learning how planetary systems originate and evolve; · Determining how life developed in the solar system and in what ways life modifies planetary environments; and · Discovering how the simple, basic laws of physics and chemistry can lead to the diverse phenomena observed in complex systems.
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· Define the conditions and processes during the evolution of the solar nebula through laboratory analysis of meteorites and interplanetary dust particles and observations of primitive solar system objects, such as comets and asteroids. Planetary Systems ,, ~ ,, · Construct an internally consistent, quantitative theory of the formation of our entire planetary system that contains sufficient details to permit comparison with as much observational evidence as possible, including the meteoritic record.
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· Understand how solar wind and planetary variations drive magnetospheric dynamics, including substorms, for various magnetospheric conditions. · Determine the roles of microscopic plasma processes in the mass and energy budgets of planetary magnetospheres, and ascertain the energy conversion processes that yield auroral emissions.
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From page 11... ...
11. Roadmap Development Team, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Mission to the Solar System: Exploration and Discovery-A Mission and Technology Roadmap, Version B
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