Mission Involvement
Researchers at the Center for Planetary Science and Exploration are involved in current planetary exploration missions, and have a long history of mission involvement as well.
All images courtesy of NASA
Curiosity
MAHLI, Mastcam, MARDI, DAN
Curiosity is one of the two currently active Mars rovers. It landed in Gale Crater in 2012 as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Its primary scientific objectives include assessing whether Mars could ever have supported life, investigating the role of water in Martian history, and studying the planet’s climate and geology.
CPSE members are actively involved in four Curiosity instruments: Mastcam, MAHLI, DAN, and MARDI.
- Mastcam (Mast Camera) is the rover’s main camera system, used to investigate the physical properties and chemical composition of the Martian surface.
- MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager) acquires high-resolution, close-up images of rocks and soil, providing insights into their textures and origins.
- MARDI (Mars Descent Imager) documented the rover’s descent and landing by capturing images during Curiosity’s final approach to the surface.
- DAN (Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons) uses neutron measurements to detect and quantify water and ice near the Martian surface.
Perseverance
Supercam, Mastcam-Z, SHERLOC-WATSON, RIMFAX
Perseverance is NASA’s newest Mars rover, launched in 2020 and landed in Jezero Crater in 2021. Its primary mission goals include investigating Martian geology and past climate, searching for signs of ancient life, and collecting samples for future return to Earth.
CPSE members contribute to several of Perseverance’s scientific instruments: SuperCam, Mastcam-Z, SHERLOC–WATSON, and RIMFAX.
- SuperCam can study the chemical composition of rocks from a distance by shooting a laser onto the target and studying the resulting plasma.
- Mastcam-Z is the primary science camera of the rover, capable of imaging the Martian landscape and rocks.
- SHERLOC-WATSON (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) is a Raman spectrometer designed to investigate fine-scale mineralogy and detect organic compounds. Its associated WATSON camera (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) provides high-resolution close-up imaging.
- RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment) is a ground-penetrating radar used to characterize subsurface structures and search for water ice and brines.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
MiniRF and LROC
LRO is a NASA mission, currently in the Moon’s orbit, launched in 2009. Whereas the mission serves to answer many scientific questions, its primary goals include producing high-resolution maps of the lunar surface and supporting the planning of future human and robotic exploration.
CPSE members serve as participating scientists on two LRO instrument teams: MiniRF and LROC.
- MiniRF (Miniature Radio-Frequency Instrument) is a synthetic-aperture radar system designed to investigate surface properties and search for the presence of water ice.
- LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera) is a high-resolution imaging system capable of mapping the lunar surface at up to 50 cm per pixel.
Mars Odyssey
THEMIS
Mars Odyssey is a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 2001. Its primary objectives include mapping the planet’s surface composition and detecting both surficial and buried water ice. Its Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) is a camera system for acquiring infrared and visible images, critical for determining surface properties and composition. CPSE members serve as co-investigators on the THEMIS instrument team.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
HiRISE
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a NASA spacecraft active in the martian orbit since 2006. Its main objectives are observations of surface geology, presence of water, and climate, as well as supporting current and future landing missions. One of MRO’s key instruments is the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), which captures detailed images of the Martian surface at up to 30 cm per pixel. CPSE members serve on the HiRISE science team.
Past Missions
Mars Pathfinder
Mars Pathfinder was an American robotic spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1997. It delivered both a stationary lander, the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and Sojourner, the first rover to explore the Martian surface. Current members of CPSE contributed to the mission as part of its science team.
Mars Global Surveyor (TES)
Mars Global Surveyor was a NASA mission that studied the Martian atmosphere, ionosphere, and surface from 1997 to 2006. Scientists who are now members of CPSE served on the mission’s Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) team, which investigated and mapped the mineral composition of the Martian surface.
Voyager 2 (ISS)
Voyager 2 is a NASA spacecraft launched in 1977 that conducted flybys of all four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. On November 5, 2018, it crossed into interstellar space and is expected to pass near another star in about 40,000 years. CPSE members contributed to the mission through their involvement with the Imaging Science System (ISS), which captured images of the planets’ atmospheres and the surfaces of their moons.
Galileo (SSI)
The Galileo spacecraft was a NASA mission to the planet Jupiter, launched in 1989. It was the first spacecraft to orbit an outer planet. CPSE members participated as scientists in the Solid-State Imager (SSI) camera of the orbiter, which took high resolution images of Jupiter’s atmosphere, rings, and its Moons’ surfaces.
MER Rovers
The two NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity, landed on the Martain surface at separate locations in January 2004. The twin rovers were designed to investigate a wide variety of rocks and soils and to search for evidence of past water activity on Mars. CPSE members served as co-investigators on the MER missions.
Dawn
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft was the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies. Launched in 2007, it explored the giant asteroid Vesta (2011–2012) and the dwarf planet Ceres (2015–2018), both located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. CPSE members served as co-investigators on the mission, including leading the surface composition working group.
Chandrayaan-1 (Mini-SAR instrument) ISRO
Chandrayaan-1 was the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) first lunar orbiter, active from 2008 to 2009. The mission focused on studying the Moon’s surface chemistry and detecting the presence of water ice. NASA contributed the Mini-SAR instrument, a synthetic-aperture radar system designed to search for ice deposits. CPSE members served on the Mini-SAR science team.
Deep Space 2
Deep Space 2, or “Mars Microprobe”, was an ambitious NASA mission to the Martian north pole, consisting of two miniature space probes. Whereas the probes were mainly a technology demonstration mission, they carried scientific instruments to study the Martian atmosphere, soil characteristics, and presence of water ice. Both probes did not survive the landing sequence. CPSE members were participating as science team members.
Future Missions
Dragonfly (DraGNS) (launch in 2028, arrival in 2034)
Dragonfly is an ambitious NASA mission designed to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. The rotorcraft lander will fly through Titan’s dense atmosphere and investigate its surface, geology, and chemical environment. CPSE members are part of the science team for the DraGNS instrument, which will analyze the elemental composition of Titan’s surface materials.