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	<title>mars - The Black Vault</title>
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		<title>NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2021 12:44:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[helicopter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ingenuity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=13959</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The below is NASA&#8217;s Press Release 21-039. It is archived here for reference: Monday, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/">NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe title="NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UKsPw2t8MFA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="High Resolution Version of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in Flight, Includes Takeoff and Landing" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KevTGEHxKd4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>The below is NASA&#8217;s Press Release 21-039. It is archived here for reference:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Monday, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at 6:46 a.m. EDT (3:46 a.m. PDT).</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">“Ingenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects achieving a space exploration goal once thought impossible,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. “The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/60th/x-15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X-15</a> was a pathfinder for the space shuttle. Mars Pathfinder and its Sojourner rover did the same for three generations of Mars rovers. We don’t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today’s results indicate the sky – at least on Mars – may not be the limit.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">The solar-powered helicopter first became airborne at 3:34 a.m. EDT (12:34 a.m. PDT) – 12:33 Local Mean Solar Time (Mars time) – a time the Ingenuity team determined would have optimal energy and flight conditions. Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 10 feet (3 meters) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight. Additional details on the test are expected in upcoming downlinks.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Ingenuity’s initial flight demonstration was autonomous – piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by the team at JPL. Because data must be sent to and returned from the Red Planet over hundreds of millions of miles using orbiting satellites and NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/deep_space_network/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deep Space Network</a>, Ingenuity cannot be flown with a joystick, and its flight was not observable from Earth in real time.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen announced the name for the Martian airfield on which the flight took place.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">“Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has succeeded in performing this amazing feat on another world,” Zurbuchen said. “While these two iconic moments in aviation history may be separated by time and 173 million miles of space, they now will forever be linked. As an homage to the two innovative bicycle makers from Dayton, this first of many airfields on other worlds will now be known as <strong>Wright Brothers Field</strong>, in recognition of the ingenuity and innovation that continue to propel exploration.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Ingenuity’s chief pilot, Håvard Grip, announced that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – the United Nations’ civil aviation agency – presented NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration with official ICAO designator IGY, call-sign INGENUITY.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">These details will be included officially in the next edition of ICAO’s publication <a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure-web.cisco.com%2F1zuRjtBmX0A-hrAEKF_qDnSVfJszxhnRAbh3kVVpJ2Bwc4Vvg1OJiDXuh1yE1hghiQVYYhVea0uYIKQ9tjpmKjtx93TYsdGNiisgFs1uVsb201MTfT1_Ka2SGklU5O9cCYPV3f7lPV7mmwTvRTaKn69vrNH8VEv2Mbt1YWHAxSyLMGUYD014ukj4n5vJLKVQwVEQaMHBdgbSvW3R-Io55LrgVZ0Zk3luNcb_4jcBNXIXBTlA_9qrS_rOSTKSSvsXdCrhAwlbyzsm5hMLb8qIt07v9r8vhtHjd40DC6PlR9RmK-SkZQkj7nmL4Z15pVL7P%2Fhttps%253A%252F%252Fstore.icao.int%252Fen%252Fdesignators-for-aircraft-operating-agencies-aeronautical-authorities-and-services-doc-8585&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cgrey.hautaluoma-1%40nasa.gov%7Cc65792190d62443ff25808d902d0a562%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637543917426185431%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=uKuCNLPDTJ8g2GyblLdEPiCyn9ea4Cd0l%2FK9VmWij7Y%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Designators for Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services</a>. The location of the flight has also been given the ceremonial location designation JZRO for Jezero Crater.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">As one of NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/main/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">technology demonstration projects</a>, the 19.3-inch-tall (49-centimeter-tall) Ingenuity Mars Helicopter contains no science instruments inside its tissue-box-size fuselage. Instead, the 4-pound (1.8-kg) rotorcraft is intended to demonstrate whether future exploration of the Red Planet could include an aerial perspective.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">This first flight was full of unknowns. The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight. The helicopter contains unique components, as well as off-the-shelf-commercial parts – many from the smartphone industry – that were tested in deep space for the first time with this mission.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">“The Mars Helicopter project has gone from ‘blue sky’ feasibility study to workable engineering concept to achieving the first flight on another world in a little over six years,” said Michael Watkins, director of JPL. “That this project has achieved such a historic first is testimony to the innovation and doggedness of our team here at JPL, as well as at NASA’s Langley and Ames Research Centers, and our industry partners. It’s a shining example of the kind of technology push that thrives at JPL and fits well with NASA’s exploration goals.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Parked about 211 feet (64.3 meters) away at <a href="https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24435" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Van Zyl Overlook</a> during Ingenuity’s historic first flight, the Perseverance rover not only acted as a communications relay between the helicopter and Earth, but also chronicled the flight operations with its cameras. The pictures from the rover’s <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/mastcam-z/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mastcam-Z</a> and <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/cameras/#NavCams-Engineering-Cameras" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Navcam</a> imagers will provide additional data on the helicopter’s flight.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">“We have been thinking for so long about having our Wright brothers moment on Mars, and here it is,” said MiMi Aung, project manager of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL. “We will take a moment to celebrate our success and then take a cue from Orville and Wilbur regarding what to do next. History shows they got back to work – to learn as much as they could about their new aircraft – and so will we.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Perseverance <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/touchdown-nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-safely-lands-on-red-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touched down</a> with Ingenuity attached to its belly on Feb. 18. Deployed to the surface of Jezero Crater on April 3, Ingenuity is currently on the 16th sol, or Martian day, of its 30-sol (31-Earth day) flight test window. Over the next three sols, the helicopter team will receive and analyze all data and imagery from the test and formulate a plan for the second experimental test flight, scheduled for no earlier than April 22. If the helicopter survives the second flight test, the Ingenuity team will consider how best to expand the flight profile.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/">NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">13959</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover Provides Front-Row Seat to Landing, First Audio Recording of Red Planet</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio-recording-of-red-planet/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio-recording-of-red-planet</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jpl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Perseverance]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=13161</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The following is NASA press release 21-021 released February 22, 2021. New video from NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover chronicles major milestones during the final minutes of its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) on the Red Planet on Feb. 18 as the spacecraft plummeted, parachuted, and rocketed toward the surface of Mars. A microphone on [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio-recording-of-red-planet/">NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover Provides Front-Row Seat to Landing, First Audio Recording of Red Planet</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe title="NASA Releases Perseverance Rover Landing Video" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bq5qaaY7RQE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>The following is NASA press release 21-021 released February 22, 2021.</p>
<p>New video from NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover chronicles major milestones during the final minutes of its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) on the Red Planet on Feb. 18 as the spacecraft plummeted, parachuted, and rocketed toward the surface of Mars. A microphone on the rover also has provided the first audio recording of sounds from Mars.</p>
<p>From the moment of parachute inflation, the camera system covers the entirety of the descent process, showing some of the rover’s intense ride to Mars’ <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8549/nasas-mars-2020-will-hunt-for-microscopic-fossils/">Jezero Crater</a>. The footage from high-definition cameras aboard the spacecraft starts 7 miles (11 kilometers) above the surface, showing the supersonic deployment of the most massive parachute ever sent to another world, and ends with the rover’s touchdown in the crater.</p>
<p>A microphone attached to the rover did not collect usable data during the descent, but the commercial off-the-shelf device survived the highly dynamic descent to the surface and obtained sounds from Jezero Crater on Feb. 20. About 10 seconds into the 60-second recording, a Martian breeze is audible for a few seconds, as are mechanical sounds of the rover operating on the surface.</p>
<p><iframe title="NASA&#039;s Perseverance Rover Microphone Captures Sounds from Mars" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iJf6ZW4hfSo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>“For those who wonder how you land on Mars – or why it is so difficult – or how cool it would be to do so – you need look no further,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. “Perseverance is just getting started, and already has provided some of the most iconic visuals in space exploration history. It reinforces the remarkable level of engineering and precision that is required to build and fly a vehicle to the Red Planet.”</p>
<p>Also released Monday was the mission’s first panorama of the rover’s landing location, taken by the two Navigation Cameras located on its mast. The six-wheeled robotic astrobiologist, the fifth rover the agency has landed on Mars, currently is undergoing an extensive checkout of all its systems and instruments.</p>
<p>“This video of Perseverance’s descent is the closest you can get to landing on Mars without putting on a pressure suit,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science. “It should become mandatory viewing for young women and men who not only want to explore other worlds and build the spacecraft that will take them there, but also want to be part of the diverse teams achieving all the audacious goals in our future.”</p>
<p>The world’s most intimate view of a Mars landing begins about 230 seconds after the spacecraft entered the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere at 12,500 mph (20,100 kph). The video opens in black, with the camera lens still covered within the parachute compartment. Within less than a second, the spacecraft’s parachute deploys and transforms from a compressed 18-by-26 inch (46-by-66 centimeter) cylinder of nylon, Technora, and Kevlar into a fully inflated 70.5-foot-wide (21.5-meter-wide) canopy – the largest ever sent to Mars. The tens of thousands of pounds of force that the parachute generates in such a short period stresses both the parachute and the vehicle.</p>
<p>“Now we finally have a front-row view to what we call ‘the seven minutes of terror’ while landing on Mars,” said Michael Watkins, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission for the agency. “From the explosive opening of the parachute to the landing rockets’ plume sending dust and debris flying at touchdown, it’s absolutely awe-inspiring.”</p>
<p>The video also captures the heat shield dropping away after protecting Perseverance from scorching temperatures during its entry into the Martian atmosphere. The downward view from the rover sways gently like a pendulum as the descent stage, with Perseverance attached, hangs from the back shell and parachute. The Martian landscape quickly pitches as the descent stage – the rover’s free-flying “jetpack,” which decelerates using rocket engines and then lowers the rover on cables to the surface – breaks free, its eight thrusters engaging to put distance between it and the now-discarded back shell and the parachute.</p>
<p>Then, 80 seconds and 7,000 feet (2,130 meters) later, the cameras capture the descent stage performing the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/videos/?v=458">sky crane maneuver</a> over the landing site – the plume of its rocket engines kicking up dust and small rocks that have likely been in place for billions of years.</p>
<p>“We put the EDL camera system onto the spacecraft not only for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of our spacecraft’s performance during entry, descent, and landing, but also because we wanted to take the public along for the ride of a lifetime – landing on the surface of Mars,” said Dave Gruel, lead engineer for Mars 2020 Perseverance’s EDL camera and microphone subsystem at JPL. “We know the public is fascinated with Mars exploration, so we added the EDL Cam microphone to the vehicle because we hoped it could enhance the experience, especially for visually-impaired space fans, and engage and inspire people around the world.”</p>
<p>The footage ends with Perseverance’s aluminum wheels making contact with the surface at 1.61 mph (2.6 kilometers per second), and then pyrotechnically fired blades sever the cables connecting it to the still-hovering descent stage. The descent stage then climbs and accelerates away in the preplanned flyaway maneuver.</p>
<p>“If this were an old Western movie, I’d say the descent stage was our hero riding slowly into the setting Sun, but the heroes are actually back here on Earth,” said Matt Wallace, Mars 2020 Perseverance deputy project manager at JPL. “I’ve been waiting 25 years for the opportunity to see a spacecraft land on Mars. It was worth the wait. Being able to share this with the world is a great moment for our team.”</p>
<p>Five commercial off-the-shelf cameras located on three different spacecraft components collected the imagery. Two cameras on the back shell, which encapsulated the rover on its journey, took pictures of the parachute inflating. A camera on the descent stage provided a downward view – including the top of the rover – while two on the rover chassis offered both upward and downward perspectives.</p>
<p>The rover team continues its initial inspection of Perseverance’s systems and its immediate surroundings. Monday, the team will check out five of the rover’s seven instruments and take the first weather observations with the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/meda/">Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer</a> instrument. In the coming days, a 360-degree panorama of Jezero by the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8663/nasas-perseverance-rover-will-look-at-mars-through-these-eyes/">Mastcam-Z</a> should be transmitted down, providing the highest resolution look at the road ahead.</p>
<p><strong>More About the Mission</strong></p>
<p>A key objective of Perseverance&#8217;s mission on Mars is <a href="https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/">astrobiology</a>, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.</p>
<p>Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.</p>
<p>The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/">Artemis</a> missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.</p>
<p>JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio-recording-of-red-planet/">NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover Provides Front-Row Seat to Landing, First Audio Recording of Red Planet</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">13161</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stargate Collection: Mars Exploration, May 22, 1984</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/stargate-collection-mars-exploration-may-22-1984/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=stargate-collection-mars-exploration-may-22-1984</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:12:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Mysteries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Remote Viewing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[remote viewing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stargate Collection]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=12920</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Background The following document was obtained by The Black Vault through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and was part of the “Stargate Collection” release. This document, titled &#8220;Mars Exploration,&#8221; dated May 22, 1984, records a remote viewing session conducted as part of the CIA’s Stargate Program. In the session, a remote viewer was provided [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/stargate-collection-mars-exploration-may-22-1984/">Stargate Collection: Mars Exploration, May 22, 1984</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Background</h3>
<p dir="auto">The following document was obtained by The Black Vault through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and was part of the “<a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/the-stargate-collection/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stargate Collection</a>” release.</p>
<p dir="auto">This document, titled &#8220;Mars Exploration,&#8221; dated May 22, 1984, records a remote viewing session conducted as part of the CIA’s Stargate Program. In the session, a remote viewer was provided with geographic coordinates and tasked with viewing the planet Mars at a time period approximately one million years B.C.</p>
<p dir="auto">The transcript describes large pyramid structures, megalithic architecture with smooth walls carved into canyons, deep channels, severe dust storms resulting from major geologic activity, and very tall, thin humanoid figures wearing fitted clothing. The viewer also perceived large structures apparently designed as shelters from storms.</p>
<p dir="auto">In December 2023, The Black Vault ran the document through an AI image generator (DALL-E as interpreted by ChatGPT 4), and between the two, these are four examples of what it came up with.</p>

<a href='https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA.jpg'><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="788" height="450" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-1024x585.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-300x171.jpg 300w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-150x86.jpg 150w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-450x257.jpg 450w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-1200x686.jpg 1200w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-768x439.jpg 768w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA-600x343.jpg 600w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtidNga8AA0uMA.jpg 1792w" sizes="(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px" /></a>
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<a href='https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP.jpg'><img decoding="async" width="788" height="450" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-1024x585.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-300x171.jpg 300w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-150x86.jpg 150w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-450x257.jpg 450w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-1200x686.jpg 1200w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-768x439.jpg 768w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP-600x343.jpg 600w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiLi4bIAAHEFP.jpg 1792w" sizes="(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px" /></a>
<a href='https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="788" height="450" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-1024x585.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-300x171.jpg 300w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-150x86.jpg 150w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-450x257.jpg 450w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-1200x686.jpg 1200w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-768x439.jpg 768w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW-600x343.jpg 600w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GBtiqFJaAAA-baW.jpg 1792w" sizes="(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px" /></a>
<p dir="auto">In March 2026, the transcript was revisited to create a series of cinematic AI videos using Grok Imagine. The below archives that result.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In a 1984 CIA remote viewing session document, the viewer attempted to see Mars approximately 1 million years B.C.</p>
<p>Based on the document, I had Grok feed itself imagery prompts to re-create it.</p>
<p>If nothing else, it&#8217;s awesome to see what AI thinks it describes.</p>
<p>More below&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/Bww0ck4fZz">pic.twitter.com/Bww0ck4fZz</a></p>
<p>— John Greenewald, Jr. (@theblackvault) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblackvault/status/2033934315185389704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3>Document Archive</h3>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" /> <a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/CIA-RDP96-00788R001900760001-9.pdf">Stargate Collection: Mars Exploration, May 22, 1984</a> [9 Pages, 0.5MB]</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12920</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>6 Things to Know About NASA’s Mars Helicopter on Its Way to Mars &#8211; January 21, 2021</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-mars-helicopter-on-its-way-to-mars-january-21-2021/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=6-things-to-know-about-nasas-mars-helicopter-on-its-way-to-mars-january-21-2021</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:36:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jpl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mars Helicopter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=12873</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The following article was published by NASA/JPL. It is archived here for reference and research purposes. by NASA/JPL Ingenuity, a technology experiment, is preparing to attempt the first powered, controlled flight on the Red Planet. When NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be carrying a small but mighty passenger: [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-mars-helicopter-on-its-way-to-mars-january-21-2021/">6 Things to Know About NASA’s Mars Helicopter on Its Way to Mars – January 21, 2021</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The following article was published by NASA/JPL. It is archived here for reference and research purposes.</p>
<hr />
<p>by NASA/JPL</p>
<figure id="attachment_12874" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12874" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-12874" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-300x176.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="176" srcset="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-300x176.jpg 300w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-600x352.jpg 600w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-1024x600.jpg 1024w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-150x88.jpg 150w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-450x264.jpg 450w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-1200x704.jpg 1200w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320-768x450.jpg 768w, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jpegPIA23720.width-1320.jpg 1320w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-12874" class="wp-caption-text">In this illustration, NASA&#8217;s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter stands on the Red Planet&#8217;s surface as NASA&#8217;s Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ingenuity, a technology experiment, is preparing to attempt the first powered, controlled flight on the Red Planet.</p>
<p>When NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, it will be carrying a small but mighty passenger: Ingenuity, the Mars Helicopter.</p>
<p>The helicopter, which weighs about 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) on Earth and has a fuselage about the size of a tissue box, started out six years ago as an implausible prospect. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California knew it was theoretically possible to fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere, but no one was sure whether they could build a vehicle powerful enough to fly, communicate, and survive autonomously with the extreme restrictions on its mass.</p>
<p>Then the team had to prove in Earthbound tests that it could fly in a Mars-like environment. Now that they’ve checked off those objectives, the team is preparing to test Ingenuity in the actual environment of Mars.</p>
<p>“Our Mars Helicopter team has been doing things that have never been done before – that no one at the outset could be sure could even be done,” said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity project manager at JPL “We faced many challenges along the way that could have stopped us in our tracks. We are thrilled that we are now so close to demonstrating – on Mars – what Ingenuity can really do.”</p>
<p>Ingenuity survived the intense vibrations of launch on July 30, 2020, and has passed its health checks as it waits to plunge with Perseverance through the Martian atmosphere. But the helicopter won’t attempt its first flight for more than a month after landing: Engineers for the rover and helicopter need time to make sure both robots are ready.</p>
<p>Here are the key things to know about Ingenuity as the anticipation builds:</p>
<p><strong>1. Ingenuity is an experimental flight test.</strong></p>
<p>The Mars Helicopter is what is known as a technology demonstration – a narrowly focused project that seeks to test a new capability for the first time. Previous groundbreaking technology demonstrations include the first Mars rover, Sojourner, and the Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats that flew by Mars.</p>
<p>The helicopter doesn’t carry science instruments and isn’t part of Perseverance’s science mission. Ingenuity’s objective is an engineering one: to demonstrate rotorcraft flight in Mars’ the extremely thin atmosphere, which has just around 1% of the density of our atmosphere on Earth.</p>
<p>Ingenuity will attempt up to five test flights within a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) demonstration window. Its pioneering aspirations are similar to those of the Wright brothers&#8217; Flyer, which achieved the first powered, controlled flight on Earth.</p>
<p><iframe title="NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: Attempting the First Powered Flight on Mars" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qwdfdE6ruMw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong>2. Mars won’t make it easy for Ingenuity to attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.</strong></p>
<p>Because the Mars atmosphere is so thin, Ingenuity is designed to be light, with rotor blades that are much larger and spin much faster than what would be required for a helicopter of Ingenuity’s mass on Earth.</p>
<p>The Red Planet also has beyond bone-chilling temperatures, with nights as cold as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius) at Jezero Crater, the rover and helicopter’s landing site. These temperatures will push the original design limits of the off-the-shelf parts used in Ingenuity. Tests on Earth at the predicted temperatures indicate Ingenuity’s parts should work as designed, but the team is looking forward to the real test on Mars.</p>
<p>“Mars isn’t exactly pulling out the welcome mat,” said Tim Canham, Ingenuity’s operations lead at JPL. “One of the first things Ingenuity has to do when it gets to Mars is just survive its first night.”</p>
<p><strong>3. Ingenuity relies on the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission for safe passage to Mars and for operations on the Red Planet’s surface.</strong></p>
<p>Ingenuity is nestled sideways under the belly of the Perseverance rover with a cover to protect it from debris kicked up during landing. Both the rover and the helicopter are safely ensconced inside a clamshell-like spacecraft entry capsule during the 293-million-mile (471-million-kilometer) journey to Mars. The power system on the Mars 2020 spacecraft periodically charges Ingenuity’s batteries on the way there.</p>
<p>To reach the Martian surface, Ingenuity rides along with Perseverance as it lands. The rover’s entry, descent, and landing system features a supersonic parachute, new “brains” for avoiding hazards autonomously, and components for the sky crane maneuver, which lowers the rover onto Mars from a descent vehicle. Only about 50% of the attempts to land on Mars, by any space agency, have been successful.</p>
<p>Once a suitable site to deploy the helicopter is found, the rover’s Mars Helicopter Delivery System will shed the landing cover, rotate the helicopter to a legs-down configuration, and gently drop Ingenuity on the surface in the first few months after landing. Throughout the helicopter’s commissioning and flight test campaign, the rover will assist with the communications back-and-forth from Earth. The rover team also plans to collect images of Ingenuity.</p>
<p><strong>4. Ingenuity is smart for a small robot.</strong></p>
<p>Delays are an inherent part of communicating with spacecraft across interplanetary distances, which means Ingenuity’s flight controllers at JPL won’t be able to control the helicopter with a joystick. In fact, they won’t be able to look at engineering data or images from each flight until well after the flight takes place.</p>
<p>So Ingenuity will make some of its own decisions based on parameters set by its engineers on Earth. The helicopter has a kind of programmable thermostat, for instance, that will keep it warm on Mars. During flight, Ingenuity will analyze sensor data and images of the terrain to ensure it stays on the flight path designed by project engineers.</p>
<p><strong>5. The Ingenuity team counts success one step at a time.</strong></p>
<p>Given Ingenuity’s experimental nature, the team has a long list of milestones the helicopter must reach before it can take off and land in the spring of 2021. The team will celebrate each milestone:</p>
<ul>
<li>Surviving the cruise to Mars and landing on the Red Planet</li>
<li>Safely deploying to the surface from Perseverance’s belly</li>
<li>Autonomously keeping warm through the intensely cold Martian nights</li>
<li>Autonomously charging itself with the solar panel atop its rotors</li>
<li>Successfully communicating to and from the helicopter via a subsystem known as the Mars Helicopter Base Station on the rover</li>
</ul>
<p>If the first experimental flight test on another planet succeeds, the Ingenuity team will attempt more test flights.</p>
<p><iframe title="NASA’s Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity (UHD Trailer)" width="788" height="443" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0RQWv1ybsjM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong>6. If Ingenuity succeeds, future Mars exploration could include an ambitious aerial dimension.</strong></p>
<p>Ingenuity is intended to demonstrate technologies and first-of-its-kind operations needed for flying in the Martian atmosphere. If successful, these technologies and the experience with flying a helicopter on another planet could enable other advanced robotic flying vehicles that might be part of future robotic and human missions to Mars. Possible uses of a future helicopter on Mars include offering a unique viewpoint not provided by current orbiters high overhead or by rovers and landers on the ground; high-definition images and reconnaissance for robots or humans; and access to terrain that is difficult for rovers to reach. A future helicopter could even help carry light but vital payloads from one site to another.</p>
<p><strong>More About the Project</strong></p>
<p>JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter technology demonstration for NASA. JPL also manages the Mars 2020 Perseverance project for NASA.</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-mars-helicopter-on-its-way-to-mars-january-21-2021/">6 Things to Know About NASA’s Mars Helicopter on Its Way to Mars – January 21, 2021</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12873</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Advanced Propulsion Options For The Mars Cargo Mission, September 1989</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/advanced-propulsion-options-for-the-mars-cargo-mission-september-1989/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=advanced-propulsion-options-for-the-mars-cargo-mission-september-1989</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:13:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advanced propulsion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jpl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=7223</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Background This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of a variety of advanced low thrust propulsion options for the cargo-delivery portion of a split-mission piloted Mars exploration scenario. The propulsion options considered were solar sails. 100-MWe class nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), 100-WEe class solar electric propulsion (SEP), magnetic sails (magsails), mass drivers, rail guns, [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/advanced-propulsion-options-for-the-mars-cargo-mission-september-1989/">Advanced Propulsion Options For The Mars Cargo Mission, September 1989</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Background</h3>
<p>This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of a variety of advanced low thrust propulsion options for the cargo-delivery portion of a split-mission piloted Mars exploration scenario. The propulsion options considered were solar sails. 100-MWe class nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), 100-WEe class solar electric propulsion (SEP), magnetic sails (magsails), mass drivers, rail guns, solar thermal rockets. beamed-energy (laser and microwave) propulsion systems, and tethers. The requirement was to transport 400 metric tons (MT) of cargo from a 500-km altitude low Earth orbit (LEO) to a 6000-km altitude Mars orbit (e.g., Phobos&#8217; orbit) for the 2014 opportunity. The primary figures of meri usedt in this study were total initial mass in low Earth orbit (IMLEO) and the Earth-to-Mars trip time.</p>
<h3>Document Archive</h3>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" /> <a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/jpl/r_D-6620.pdf">Advanced Propulsion Options For The Mars Cargo Mission, September 1989</a> [161 Pages, 13MB]</p>
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		</div><p class="embed_download"><a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/jpl/r_D-6620.pdf" download>Download [12.49 MB] </a></p></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/advanced-propulsion-options-for-the-mars-cargo-mission-september-1989/">Advanced Propulsion Options For The Mars Cargo Mission, September 1989</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7223</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Soviet Plans for a Manned Flight to Mars, May 1985</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/soviet-plans-for-a-manned-flight-to-mars-may-1985/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=soviet-plans-for-a-manned-flight-to-mars-may-1985</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2018 16:04:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manned]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soviet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=5656</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Background Excerpt from the document: &#8220;Soviet statements indicate that the Soviets are planning a manned Mars mission from which they hope to derive world acclaim and prestige. Because all the technologies needed for such a flight have not yet been perfected, the Soviets have not committed themselves to a launch date. Our strongest, current indicators of [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/soviet-plans-for-a-manned-flight-to-mars-may-1985/">Soviet Plans for a Manned Flight to Mars, May 1985</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Background</h3>
<p>Excerpt from the document:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em><strong>&#8220;Soviet statements indicate that the Soviets are planning a manned Mars mission from which they hope to derive world acclaim and prestige. Because all the technologies needed for such a flight have not yet been perfected, the Soviets have not committed themselves to a launch date. Our strongest, current indicators of Soviet plans for a manned mission to Mars are the long-duration stays in space by cosmonauts and the Soviet program to develop magnetoplasma dynamic thrusters for long duration space propulsion.&#8221;</strong></em></p>
<p>In March of 2018, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request to have this previously released record re-reviewed for further declassification.</p>
<p>What is interesting is that although nothing new was revealed, there continues to be numerous redacted pages.</p>
<h3>Declassified Document</h3>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" /> <a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/EOM-2018-00486.pdf">Soviet Plans for a Manned Flight to Mars, May 1985</a>, 2010 Release [16 Pages, 3.5MB]</p>
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		</div><p class="embed_download"><a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/EOM-2018-00486.pdf" download>Download [3.69 MB] </a></p></div><h4>Archived Versions</h4>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" /> <a href="https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/CIA-RDP88R01225R000200580005-0.pdf">Soviet Plans for a Manned Flight to Mars, May 1985</a>, 2010 Release [12 Pages, 0.8MB]</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/soviet-plans-for-a-manned-flight-to-mars-may-1985/">Soviet Plans for a Manned Flight to Mars, May 1985</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5656</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rover POV &#8211; NASA&#8217;s First Five Years of Curiosity Driving on Mars</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/rover-pov-nasas-first-five-years-curiosity-driving-mars/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=rover-pov-nasas-first-five-years-curiosity-driving-mars</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2017 14:15:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Curiosity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=4837</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Background Five years of images from the front left hazard avoidance camera (Hazcam) on NASA&#8217;s Curiosity Mars rover were used to create this time-lapse movie. The inset map shows the rover&#8217;s location in Mars&#8217; Gale Crater. Each image is labeled with the date it was taken, and its corresponding sol (Martian day), along with information [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/rover-pov-nasas-first-five-years-curiosity-driving-mars/">Rover POV – NASA’s First Five Years of Curiosity Driving on Mars</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Background</h3>
<p>Five years of images from the front left hazard avoidance camera (Hazcam) on NASA&#8217;s Curiosity Mars rover were used to create this time-lapse movie. The inset map shows the rover&#8217;s location in Mars&#8217; Gale Crater. Each image is labeled with the date it was taken, and its corresponding sol (Martian day), along with information about the rover&#8217;s location at the time.</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/rover-pov-nasas-first-five-years-curiosity-driving-mars/">Rover POV – NASA’s First Five Years of Curiosity Driving on Mars</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4837</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Science Team Outlines Goals For NASA&#8217;s 2020 Mars Rover</title>
		<link>https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/science-team-outlines-goals-for-nasas-2020-mars-rover/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=science-team-outlines-goals-for-nasas-2020-mars-rover</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Greenewald]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2015 19:29:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jpl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/?p=980</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON &#8212; The rover NASA will send to Mars in 2020 should look for signs of past life, collect samples for possible future return to Earth, and demonstrate technology for future human exploration of the Red Planet, according to a report provided to the agency. The 154-page document was prepared by the Mars 2020 Science [...]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/science-team-outlines-goals-for-nasas-2020-mars-rover/">Science Team Outlines Goals For NASA’s 2020 Mars Rover</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON &#8212; The rover NASA will send to Mars in 2020 should look for signs of past life, collect samples for possible future return to Earth, and demonstrate technology for future human exploration of the Red Planet, according to a report provided to the agency.</p>
<p>The 154-page document was prepared by the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team, which NASA appointed in January to outline scientific objectives for the mission. The team, composed of 19 scientists and engineers from universities and research organizations, proposed a mission concept that could accomplish several high-priority planetary science goals and be a major step in meeting President Obama&#8217;s challenge to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.</p>
<p>&#8220;Crafting the science and exploration goals is a crucial milestone in preparing for our next major Mars mission,&#8221; said John Grunsfeld, NASA&#8217;s associate administrator for science in Washington. &#8220;The objectives determined by NASA with the input from this team will become the basis later this year for soliciting proposals to provide instruments to be part of the science payload on this exciting step in Mars exploration.&#8221;</p>
<p>NASA will conduct an open competition for the payload and science instruments. They will be placed on a rover similar to Curiosity, which landed on Mars almost a year ago. Using Curiosity&#8217;s design will help minimize mission costs and risks and deliver a rover that can accomplish the mission objectives.</p>
<p>The 2020 mission proposed by the Science Definition Team would build upon the accomplishments of Curiosity and other Mars missions. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers, along with several orbiters, found evidence Mars has a watery history. Curiosity recently confirmed that past environmental conditions on Mars could have supported living microbes. According to the Science Definition Team, looking for signs of past life is the next logical step.</p>
<p>The team&#8217;s report details how the rover would use its instruments for visual, mineralogical and chemical analysis down to microscopic scale to understand the environment around its landing site and identify biosignatures, or features in the rocks and soil that could have been formed biologically.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Mars 2020 mission concept does not presume that life ever existed on Mars,&#8221; said Jack Mustard, chairman of the Science Definition Team and a professor at the Geological Sciences at Brown University in Providence, R.I. &#8220;However, given the recent Curiosity findings, past Martian life seems possible, and we should begin the difficult endeavor of seeking the signs of life. No matter what we learn, we would make significant progress in understanding the circumstances of early life existing on Earth and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.&#8221;</p>
<p>The measurements needed to explore a site on Mars to interpret ancient habitability and the potential for preserved biosignatures are identical to those needed to select and cache samples for future return to Earth. The Science Definition Team is proposing the rover collect and package as many as 31 samples of rock cores and soil for a later mission to bring back for more definitive analysis in laboratories on Earth. The science conducted by the rover&#8217;s instruments would expand our knowledge of Mars and provide the context needed to make wise decisions about whether to return the samples to Earth.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Mars 2020 mission will provide a unique capability to address the major questions of habitability and life in the solar system,&#8221; said Jim Green, director of NASA&#8217;s Planetary Science Division in Washington. &#8220;This mission represents a major step towards creating high-value sampling and interrogation methods, as part of a broader strategy for sample returns by planetary missions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Samples collected and analyzed by the rover will help inform future human exploration missions to Mars. The rover could make measurements and technology demonstrations to help designers of a human expedition understand any hazards posed by Martian dust and demonstrate how to collect carbon dioxide, which could be a resource for making oxygen and rocket fuel. Improved precision landing technology that enhances the scientific value of robotic missions also will be critical for eventual human exploration on the surface.</p>
<p>NASA&#8217;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages NASA&#8217;s Mars Exploration Program for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" alt="" /> <a href="https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/space/Mars2020FAQs.pdf">Mars 2020 &#8211; Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)</a> &#8211; [ 3 Pages, 0.1 MB ]</p>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" alt="" /> <a href="https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/space/SDT-Report%20Finalv6.pdf">Report of the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team</a> [ 154 Pages, 27.82 MB ]</p>
<p><img decoding="async" src="https://www.theblackvault.com/images/pdf.gif" alt="" /> <a href="https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/space/SDT_Appendices_Final_v6.pdf">Appendices to the Report of the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team</a> &#8211; [ 51 Pages, 3.48 MB ]</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/science-team-outlines-goals-for-nasas-2020-mars-rover/">Science Team Outlines Goals For NASA’s 2020 Mars Rover</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive">The Black Vault</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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