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. The program exploration, to refine and optimize mission and system will be strongly international in character. designs, to locate potential resources, and to begin the process of selecting landing sites for eventual MARS EXPLORATION human missions. Martian robotic outposts will provide more intensive scientific investigation The and will begin to put in place the infrastructure Common needed by both robots and humans, including ResultingKnowledge power and communication systems, shelters, and facilities for using indigenous resources. Understand the Potential for Life Elsewhere In addition to being scientifically compelling, in the Universe Mars missions must be good investments, Understandthe Relationship employing innovative new technologies that To Earth’s ‘Iimate Change Processes might prove useful on Earth, and mustbe engaging to the public. They must also be Understandthe Solid Planet: accomplished within tightly constrained budgets How It Evolved and Its and must neither put the terrestrial biosphere at Resources for Future Exploration risk nor contaminate Mars with terrestrial biogenic material, since such contamination would call into question scientific findings Figure I. Mars Exploration Scientific Objectives indicative of past or present Martian life. The program’s principal scientific objectives, as shown Mars exploration, including returning samples to Earth in figure 1, are to look for evidence of past or present and constructing robotic outposts, will require advances life, to understand Martian weather processes and in a number of areas including sample acquisition, Copyright 0 1999 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. The U.S. Government has a royalty-free license to exercise all rights under the copyright claimed herein for Governmental purposes. All other rights are reserved by the copyright owner. 1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics AIAA 99-4447 preservation, and containment aswell as robotics, studyand will naturally depend upon results of earlier instrumentation, control, and vehicles for Earth re-entry. missions as well as evolving priorities. This paper describes some of the requiredtechnologies Mars or Missions as well as technologies that would be significantly enhancing. It closes with suggestions on potentially Mars Survevor '01 useful technologies for future missions. The '01 Mars Surveyor mission, which includes both This paper represents a snapshot of an extraordinary, an orbiter and a lander, is now in the implementation dynamic work in progress. It is based on review phase. The lander includes a manipulator arm similar to Launch Dates: 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 19962007 20051998 2003 2001 Geology 8 Water, Elemental Geology 8 Retrieval 8 Return Retrieval 8 Return Geophysics Voiatiles Composition 8 Mineralogy to Earthof '03 and to Earth of '07 and 8 ClimateMineralogy Global '05 Samples '09 Samples Global Climate Surveyor Orbiter Lander Analyze Surface Sample Evalua- Sample Evalua- Sample Evalua- Sample EValUa- Technologies; Subsurface ice Conditlons tion,Collection 8 tion, Collection 8 tion, Collection 8 tion, Collection 8 Microrover Transfer to OrbitTransfer to Orbit Transfer to OrbitTransfer to Orbit Lander :MicfpprbbeS: Interaction with Solar Environment -~-~---+ SciencdTech Figure 2 Mars Exploration Roadmp presentation materials and daily interactions with the Mars Surveyor '98 Polar Lander MVACS arm as individuals at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory who are well as a rover (Marie Curie). The rover is nearly actively implementing the NASA portion of the Mars identical physically and operationally to Sojourner, the exploration program. Mars Pathfinder rover, but with significantly improved navigation accuracy achievedby upgrading MISSION PLANS accelerometers and gyro circuitry. Instead of using The current form of the overall Mars exploration roadmap ramps, Marie Curie will be deployed by the robotic is shown in figure 2. Under the Mars Surveyor Program, arm. The arm will also be used to supply Martian soil NASA is in the process of implementing missions with to lander-mounted experiments. launches scheduled in '01, '03, and '05. These missions In addition to investigating geology, mineralogy, are being closely coordinated with the ESNASI Mars elemental composition, and the radiation environment, Express, CNES Sample Return Orbiter and NetLander, Mars '01 will include HEDS (Human Exploration and and the ESABNSC Beagle Lander missions to derive Development of Space) experiments. These experiments maximum programmatic and scientific benefit. Missions are designed tocharacterize Martian dust andto assess for launch opportunities beginning in '07 are still under 2 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics AIAA 99-4447 potential hazards to humans, the compatibility of the docking block and contact sensor to verify position, Martian environment with engineering materials and deposit its samples in a canister within the MAV systems, and the feasibility of producing propellant fairing. Samples will also be gathered by a lander- from the Martian atmosphere. mounted drill, supplied by ASI, the Italian Space Agency. The drill will deposit its samples directly into Mars SamDle Return the MAV. The Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which When the samples have been deposited, the rover will launches landers in '03 and '05 and an orbiter in '05, move to a safe location, whereupon the MAV will be will return Martian samples to Earth for analysis. A launched, carrying the filled canister into orbit. Once in orbit the canister will be hermetically sealed and jettisoned from the MAV. Samples from the '03 launch will be placed in orbit as soon as sample acquisition is complete, remaining in orbit until rendezvous and retrieval in '07 by the CNES-supplied Sample Return Orbiter, which will be launched in '05. Samples from the '05 lander launch will be also immediately be placed in orbit for retrieval once sampling is complete. Under guidance from on-board LIDAR and eachcanister's homing beacon, the SRO will rendezvous with and retrieve each canister in turn, stowing them in separate 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Earth Entry Vehicles (EEVs) for return to Earth in '08. The MSR mission ends with the EEVs' landing. Figure 3. '03 "05 MSR Mission Timeline mission timeline is shown in figure 3. In addition to ground support and operations, other major elements of the MSR mission include the Landers and Rovers with their manipulators, drills, and instruments, and the solid-fuel Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). Additional major elements are the Sample Transfer Chain (STC), the Earth Entry Vehicles (EEVs), and the French-supplied Sample Return Orbiter (SRO), which carries the sample capture system, and the EEVs. Finally, there is also an extensive planetary protection element that is addressing new approaches to cleaning and sterilizing the flight hardware as well as sample containment and operations strategies that will minimize the probability of sample contamination. Figure 4. MSR Lander with MAV in Launch Position Several of these elements represent significant advances over current practice and will be described briefly below. The landed samples will be handled under a mission Each lander willcarry a surface rover (Athena) witha structure separate from MSR. The sample-handling comprehensive sampling and analysis suite as well as a mission will involve appropriate health and security MAV. The landed system with the MAV and rover is agencies to assure there is no biological hazard. Landed shown in figure 4. Upon landing, the rover will descend sample handling will involve acquiring the canisters in the deployment ramps and, underdirection of terrestrial