Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Gamber, T..
SCIM (sample collection for the investigation of Mars) proposes to return Martian dust and atmospheric samples to Earth. The collection will occur during a high-speed pass of Mars. We discuss the engineering challenges that the Martian atmosphere imposes on this type of experiment, and how we are proceeding to meet them. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
The Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars (SCIM) mission is designed to: (1) make a 40 km pass through the Martian atmosphere; (2) collect dust and atmospheric gas; and (3) return the samples to Earth for analysis. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
Sample Collecton for Investigation of Mars is a Mars Scout mission concept currently under study. SCIM seeks to return samples of Martian dust and atmosphere to Earth without assuming the substantial risk and cost of and landing on and launching from the Martian surface.
The purpose of the study was to determine technical feasibiltiy of a long duration 2001 aerobot mission in the Martian atmosphere, to formulate a baseline concept, to identify pre-project technology requirements and to develop a preliminary cost, schedule and plan.
The Mars Aerial Platform (MAP) mission is a conceptual design for a low-cost, Discovery-class mission whose purpose would be to generate tens of thousands of very-high-resolution (20 cm/pixel) pictures of the martian surface, map the global circulation of the martian atmosphere, and examine the surface and subsurface with ground-penetrating radar, infrared spectroscopy, neutron spectroscopy, and other remote sensing techniques. The data would be acquired by instruments that are carried by balloons flying at a nominal altitude of about 7 km over the martian surface. Because new balloon and microspacecraft technology is now available, the balloon probes could be quite long-lived, lasting hundreds or even thousands of days, producing an immense science harvest in the process. Together with the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) surface network science mission, MAP would revolutionize our knowledge of the Red Planet.
This paper discusses the driving mission requirements on the VRM spacecraft, the resulting design, and the spacecraft performance capabilities. The spacecraft design is driven by fine pointing requirements for radar mapping resolution, by extremes of thermal environment in the Venus orbit, and by high instrument power requirements. The spacecraft design emphasized use of as much existing hardware and software as possible to meet the cost constraints. Existing design was used where hardware was not already available. The VRM spacecraft utilizes the spare Voyager High Gain Antenna (HGA) and equipment bus, the Galileo computers and power conditioning equipment, and Mariner Medium Gain Antenna (MGA). Further cost savings were possible by using the HGA for both radar mapping at S-band frequency and high rate data playback at X-band frequency. The use of the Star 48 B solid rocket motor for VOI reduced propulsion system cost and complexity. The design tradeoffs that led to the VRM spacecraft configuration and the performance capabilities of the spacecraft are summarized for each subsystem.