Current Issue: Wednesday, January 21, 2004





OSU has hand in Mars missions


By Arlyne Farris
Following the successful launch of the first solar-powered rover, Ohio State researchers and NASA are prepared to launch Opportunity - the second rover - this Saturday.

Identical rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are designed to map the landing site of the Red Planet. The rovers, each about the size of a riding lawnmower, are launched into space and travel 305 million miles over the course of seven months. They will collect data on opposite sides of Mars for three months.

"The rover takes panoramic photographs, and I analyze the data," said Rongxing Li, professor of civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science. Li is the leader of the space exploration team at OSU.

NASA chose Li to participate in the Mars Exploration Rover mission in May 2002.

"I have been working on a subject called remote localization since 1998," Li said. "For this mission, I overlook the tasks of rover positioning and mapping."

During the mission's operational period between January and April, research associate Kaichang Di said scientists hope to gather information about the history and climate of Mars.

"The three basic elements of the Mars exploration are for evidence for past and present life, elucidating the evolution of the solid planet and determining the climate history," Di said.

The rover mission could detect life on Mars, said Charles Serafy, graduate student in geodetic science.

"The mission is important in furthering our overall understanding of the Red Planet," Serafy said. "Also on board the rover are tests that could point to the feasibility that life existed or exists there."

The history of the Red Planet may influence the future of human life, said Fengliang Xu, graduate student in geodetic science.

"By searching for traces of life there, we can understand the past of the earth and foresee the future of our mankind," Xu said.

The team of OSU researchers have become well known around the world because of their accomplishments. Li said this project will greatly affect OSU and its outstanding reputation.

"This is a very high-profile project," Li said. "The quality of research and education of OSU will improve and be looked very highly upon in this country."

The success of the mission will encourage OSU to participate in future missions, Di said.

"The success of the MER mission provides a unique opportunity for the OSU team to contribute to the amazing Mars exploration program. It will provide a base for OSU to participate in the future Mars exploration missions," Di said.

The twin rovers used in this mission are more powerful than others used in previous missions, said Jue Wang, graduate student in geodetic science.

"If this mission succeeds, people can acquire more information about Mars," Wang said. "We can imagine where the Red Planet comes from and if it is possible for life to be there."

Spirit and Opportunity are estimated to produce information that is far more accurate than the information obtained from experiments in the past. With new equipment, the team of OSU scientists will be able to gather detailed information and pinpoint precise locations on the surface of Mars.

"The Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997 needed improvement," Li said. "We are hoping for more accurate evidence with the two new rovers."

While examining the geology of Mars, scientists will be searching for water, which could indicate life on the Red Planet.

"We have great hope that we will find water on Mars with the new equipment we have," Li said.

The twin rovers are more powerful than Sojourner, the rover used in the 1997 mission, Di said.

"Through this mission, unprecedentedly detailed information of soils, rocks and the environment will be collected and analyzed, which will be used to reveal traces of water," Di said.

Scientists plan to gradually move toward sample return missions and a manned mission, Li said.

"I would like to be involved in future missions to meet the demands that data faces in the future," Li said.

A mapping software program created at OSU and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California combines images reflected from Mars Global Surveyor satellite to make a final map for the rover.

"We also have created a specialized software that we run at OSU and transfers data to the lab, and they use the software to crunch numbers," Li said.

In the future, Li plans to continue working with graduate students who have an interest in space exploration.

"I would like to work with more graduate students who will be involved in space and planetary exploration," Li said.

President Bush's interests in space exploration could enable Li to further his research of Mars.

"The Bush administration opens an avenue that a space exploration with Mars can support," Li said. "We would be able to do more research for future landing missions and humans landing on Mars with financial support. It would provide a lot of possibilities for the future."