Mars Exploration Office Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California
TECHNOLOGIES FOR MARSEXPLORATION AND SAMPLE RETURN Carl F. Ruoff, Technology Manager Mars Exploration Office Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California ABSTRACT history, to understand how the planet evolved physically, and to locate potentially useful resources. A comprehensive program of robotic Mars exploration is The common thread among these is water: How much being undertaken inorder to address important scientific existed, when, where, and in what form? In addition to questions, to investigate whether or not life exists or ever remote sensing, answering these questions will require existed on Mars, and to pave the way for eventual human surface and subsurface sampling, in-situ analysis, and presence. The program, which is likely to include returning samples to Earth for analysis in terrestrial establishing robotic outposts, will require many technical laboratories. advances. This paper briefly describes key missions in the Mars exploration program, including robotic outposts, and As currently envisioned, the exploration strategy begins discusses near- and far-term technologies needed for theirwith a series of robotic missions which gradually implementation. evolve into the sustained presence of robotic outposts. The early missions will perform science investigations, INTRODUCTION acquire and returnsamples, and will provide engineering The first decades of the new Millennium will see a data on system and technology performance in the vigorous program of robotic Mars exploration, Martian environment. They will also establish undertaken both for compelling scientific reasons as communication and navigation capabilities and will well as to pave the way, over the long term, for human make it possible to select promising sites for additional missions and potential human habitation.
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