NASA Mars mission managers are considering launching one Athena Mars rover in 2003 rather than two, to ease pressure on the development schedule and on the deep space tracking communications network.
The $650 million twin Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions are set to be launched in May and June 2003, landing encased in airbags like 1997's Mars Pathfinder, in January-February 2004 in different locations on the planet. The Mars Polar Lander, fitted with a landing retrorocket, failed in December 1999.
Three main issues for the MER team are handling the growth weight; assuring communications continuously during entry, descent and landing; and adding redundancy in critical systems.
The Mars Global Surveyor orbiter ended its formal mapping mission on 31 January. The spacecraft, which has been in Mars orbit since 1996, will continue to be available for 14 months, providing data on potential future landing sites, making seasonal comparisons and measuring targets.Source: Flight International
