The 2009 Mars Telecom Orbier Mission
The 2009 Mars Telecom Orbiter Mission1,2 Stephen F. Franklina, John P. Slonski, Jr.a, Stuart Kerridgea, Gary Noreena, Joseph E. Riedela, Tom Komareka, Dorothy Stosica, Caroline Rachoa, Bernard Edwardsb, Don Borosonc a-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; Pasadena, Ca. 91109; b-NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 20771 USA c-MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Ma, 02420 Abstract—This paper provides an overview of the Mars Mission and flight system requirements have been written. Telecom Orbiter (MTO) mission, and is an update to the The flight system requirements define the flight system paper presented at last year’s conference. Launched in performance and functionality to the competing system 2009, MTO will provide Mars-to-Earth relay services for contract proposers. NASA missions arriving at Mars between 2010 and 2020, enabling far higher science data return and lowering the A Rendezvous and Autonomous Navigation (RAN) telecom and operations costs for these missions. MTO demonstration has been added. An orbiting sample canister carries an optical communications payload, which will will be released and tracked by the ground using on-board demonstrate downlink bit rates from 1 Mbps up to and cameras. The spacecraft will then rendezvous with the possibly exceeding 30 Mbps. MTO will also demonstrate canister using its autonomous navigation capability, coming the ability to autonomously navigate, and to search for and to within ten meters of (but not capturing) the canister. This rendezvous with an orbiting sample, in preparation for operation demonstrates capabilities that the proposed NASA NASA’s proposed Mars Sample Return Mission. A to-be- Mars Sample Return orbiter will require to capture the Mars defined science instrument will also be carried.
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