WASHINGTON — NASA scientists are starting to finalize the robotic machines they’ll need to pull off a series of extremely complex maneuvers on Mars. <br /> <br /> <br />Here are the details: <br /> <br /> <br />NASA revealed on Tuesday, December 14 that it’s already testing the complex set of hardware that would be required to bring back sample tubes from Mars. <br /> <br /> <br />The first part of the Mars side of the mission would be a lander that can support the mission’s heavy rover, robotic arm, rocket and rocket tosser. <br /> <br /> <br />This lander would be too heavy for retro jets, so it would require piston-powered legs to absorb a lot of shock when landing. <br /> <br /> <br />The rover would then have to be smart enough to find and pick up all the sample tubes that previous rovers left at various spots on their trail. <br /> <br /> <br />After that, the rover needs to find the lander, where a robotic arm will place the samples inside the rocket that will blast them into space. <br /> <br /> <br />The rocket itself will need to adapt to any uneven terrain that the lander might have landed on, so it comes with a tossing mechanism that will toss it nose-up into the air just before the rocket fires. <br /> <br /> <br />Up in Mars orbit, an orbiter would use complex mechanics to seal the tubes in clean containers, then sterilizing the seals and placing the containers into an Earth-entry capsule before the return trip to Earth. <br /> <br /> <br />The NASA team has conducted 23 tests this year, changing the rocket’s mass and center of gravity along the way. <br /> <br /> <br />
