Mars Exploration Program Landing Sites

CURRENT
MISSION
STATUS

NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

European Space Agency

Mars Global Surveyor

Mars Exploration Rovers

Mars Odyssey

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars Express

Prospective Landing Sites for Future (non-MSL) Missions

RFP for Future Mars Landing Sites (Nov. 16^th, 2010)

The Mars Exploration Program has issued, in November 2010, a Request for Proposal (round VI) for the Critical Data Products program. This RFP provides support to develop a number of scientifically high-priority landing sites on Mars that will form an initial list for future landed missions. Details of the RFPs are posted here.

Imaging Future Candidate Landing Sites (Oct. 28^th, 2010)

Call for Imaging of Candidate Future Landing Sites (Word)
(from the Mars Program Offices at NASA HQ and JPL)

Abstract Template for Submitting Imaging Requests (Word)

Call for Prospective Landing Sites for Future (non-MSL) Missions (Nov. 2^nd, 2009)

Call for Future Landing Sites (Word) Landing Site Abstract Template (Word)

2011 MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY

(Get Adobe Reader for PDFs)

Fifth MSL Landing Site Workshop
May 16 - May 17, 2011, Monrovia, CA, DoubleTree Hotel

Workshop Presentations (HTML)

MSL Landing Site Steering Committee Letter (Word)
(workshop summary letter to Meyer & Grotzinger; posted June 9, 2011)

Latest Quad Charts of Landing Sites (PPT)
(posted June 9, 2011)

Fourth MSL Landing Site Workshop
Sep. 27 - Sep. 29, 2010

Workshop Presentations

Workshop Summary Letter (Word)

Update on on MSL Landing Site Selection Process (Word)

Current Prospective MSL Landing Sites

Documents for MSL Landing Sites, 2011

(3/4/11) HRSC digital terrain models for the MSL candidate landing sites
(Klaus Gwinner's HRSC 50 m/pixel DEMs of the MSL landing sites) (HTML)

(1/5/11) Final Four Landing Sites for the Mars Science Laboratory
(2011 LPSC abstract, showing slightly shifted ellipses for the 2011 opportunity) (PDF)

Documents for MSL Landing Sites, 2010

(6/15/10) MSL Project Letter to MSL Landing Site Steering Committee
(accepting Committee's recommendation to not consider NE Syrtis or E Margaritifer) (PDF)

(5/11/10) MSL Landing Site Steering Committee Letter: Decision to not add a 5^th site
(discussing the science merits and landing site hazards of NE Syrtis & E Margaritifer) (Word)

Documents from Jan. 5^th 2010

Steering Committee Letter on 2 New Sites   (PDF)
(Grant & Golombek) Abstract Describing NE Syrtis   (PDF)
(Mustard and Ehlmann)

Ellipse Locations for 2 New Sites   (PPT)
(Grant & Golombek) Abstract Describing E Margaritifer   (PDF)
(Christensen et al.)

Call for New MSL Landing Sites (Aug. 22^nd, 2009)

Call for New MSL Sites (Word) Landing Site Abstract Template (Word)

Previously-Considered MSL Landing Sites (April, 2009)

Third MSL Landing Site Workshop
Sep. 15 - Sep. 17, 2008, Monrovia, California

Workshop Presentations
Final Notes from the Workshop (Word)
Steering Committe Letter on Current 7 Sites (Word)
Discussion Points and Science Criteria (Word)
MSL Landing Sites - Final 7 (Word)
Maps of Final 7 Sites (JPEG)

Landing Site Presentations and Memoranda

Final Four Candidate Landing Sites (March 2009) (PDF)
Golombek et al.
Landing Site Down-selection Meeting (JPL, Nov. 5) (PDF)
Watkins, Grotzinger, Vasavada
MSL Landing Sites: Gale, Reconsidered (PDF)
Edgett, Milliken, Grotzinger, Malin
Additional MSL Landing Site:
Opportunities and Constraints from the Project Side (PDF)
Watkins et al.
Candidate MSL Landing Site:
Southern Meridiani Phyllosilicate / Sulfate Contact (PDF)
Arvidson, Wiseman, and the CRISM Team

MSL Landing Sites Ellipses
(April, 2009)

HiRISE, CTX, & MOC Image Maps
Interactive Guide to Landing Site Images

JPEG

MSL Landing Site Image & Data Resources

HiRISE Stereo Anaglyphs
19 HiRISE Stereo Anaglyphs of MSL landing sites
(HiRISE Science Team)

CTX Stereo Anaglyphs
19 CTX Stereo Anaglyphs of MSL landing sites
(Malin Space Science Systems)

HiRISE MSL Images
Links to all HiRISE images of MSL landing sites
(HiRISE Science Team)

TES/THEMIS-Derived Composition
Bulk surface composition data and maps of landing sites
(Bandfield/Rogers, for JPL's Critical Data Products)

CRISM support for MSL landing site selection
Systematic set of derived CRISM analysis products provides
an objective framework for the evaluation and comparison of the
spectral signatures at each candidate site. CRISM prototype
TRR3 I/F data available.
(CRISM Science Team, for JPL's Critical Data Products)

THEMIS Images
Full-resolution landing site images from THEMIS
(THEMIS Science Team)

From the Public

Holden Crater Mawrth Vallis Eberswalde Crater Gale Crater
Perspective views of prospective landing sites, using Mars Express, MOLA, MDIM, & THEMIS data
(Steven Hobbs)

General MSL Documents

Previous Landing Site Workshops

First Landing Site Workshop
May 31 - June 2, 2006, Pasadena, California

Second Landing Site Workshop
Oct. 23 - Oct. 25, 2007, Pasadena, California

Workshop Presentations
Announcement (Word)
Assessment Summary of Science Criteria (PDF)
Top Priority Sites from Workshop (PDF)

Historical Landing Site Documents

Mars Landing Site Catalog (HTML)
NASA Reference Publication 1238, 1990
(Ronald Greeley and Peggy Ellen Thomas, editors)
PDF Version
Mars Surveyor 2001 Landing Site Workshop (PDF)
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, January 26-27, 1998
(Virginia Gulick, editor)