NASA is planning on landing a very important piece of equipment on the surface of the red planet, and the scientific boffins have encountered a real head scratcher.
Without the ballast, 660 lbs of stabilising deadweight, NASA can’t land any robots on Mars safely, meaning the rovers roving the red planet will be doing it alone.
But it’s also 660 lbs of extra weight that serves no scientific purpose and is jettisoned from the landing device as it makes its descent.
So NASA wants you to come up with something to do with it. So start thinking.
(GIF: Reddit/EditingAndLayout)
The landing system ejects half of the ballast just before entering the Martian atmosphere, and the other half after it breaks through to shift the craft’s centre of gravity and ensure a safe landing.
In upcoming missions, NASA wants the deadweight to actually achieve something scientifically, so they’re opening submissions to the public. And they’ll even throw in more than €15,000 as prize money to sweeten the deal.
All you have to do is write up a proposal, include a few diagrams, and Bob’s your uncle – you could be directly responsible for something landing on Mars and furthering the cause of scientific exploration.
Check out the video explaining it all here, and upload your plans here by November 21st:
(H/T: The Mary Sue)
