The science process for selecting the landing site for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory |
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| Authors: | John A Grant Matthew P Golombek John P Grotzinger Sharon A Wilson Michael M Watkins Ashwin R Vasavada Jennifer L Griffes Timothy J Parker |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geology, Environmental Studies Building, Western Washington University, 516 High St, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA;2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northrop Hall 141MSC03, University of New Mexico, 221 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA;3. Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, 595 Charles Young Dr. E., Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA;4. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA |
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| Abstract: | The process of identifying the landing site for NASA’s 2011 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) began in 2005 by defining science objectives, related to evaluating the potential habitability of a location on Mars, and engineering parameters, such as elevation, latitude, winds, and rock abundance, to determine acceptable surface and atmospheric characteristics. Nearly 60 candidate sites were considered at a series of open workshops in the years leading up to the launch. During that period, iteration between evolving engineering constraints and the relative science potential of candidate sites led to consensus on four final sites. The final site will be selected in the Spring of 2011 by NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. This paper serves as a record of landing site selection activities related primarily to science, an inventory of the number and variety of sites proposed, and a summary of the science potential of the highest ranking sites. |
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