Engineering topics
Miller, Sylvia L.
Publications and source records attributed to Miller, Sylvia L..
Mars Deep Drill - A Mission Concept for the Next Decade
In the not too distant future, NASA may consider sending a robotic mission to Mars to drill tens of meters below the surface to search for evidence of life. Mars science groups, including NASA's Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), have repeatedly concluded that in situ scientific analyses of samples from significant depths below the surface are important for understanding Mars in general and for searching for evidence of past or present life in particular. Furthermore, there are several ongoing technology developments for relevant drills, the readiness of which seem promising for use by the second decade of this century. By accessing and analyzing material from tens of meters below the surface, in situ science investigations may help answer some important questions about Mars, in particular about whether life ever existed there. Drilling is a proven technique for terrestrial applications that appears viable for accessing Martian subsurface samples and bringing them to the surface for analysis by a variety of instruments. An end-to-end mission concept for a Deep Drill mission has been developed and appears feasible for launch in the next decade.
Mars Deep Drill -- a mission concept for the next decade
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Mars Exploration Architecture
The architecture of NASA's program of robotic Mars exploration missions received an intense scrutiny during the summer months of 1998. We present here the results of that scrutiny, and describe a list of Mars exploration missions which are now being proposed by the nation's space agency. The heart of the new program architecture consists of missions which will return samples of Martian rocks and soil back to Earth for analysis. A primary scientific goal for these missions is to understand Mars as a possible abode of past or present life. The current level of sophistication for detecting markers of biological processes and fossil or extant life forms is much higher in Earth-based laboratories than possible with remotely deployed instrumentation, and will remain so for at least the next decade. Hence, bringing Martian samples back to Earth is considered the best way to search for the desired evidence. A Mars sample return mission takes approximately three years to complete. Transit from Earth to Mars requires almost a single year. After a lapse of time of almost a year at Mars, during which orbital and surface operations can take place, and the correct return launch energy constraints are met, a Mars-to-Earth return flight can be initiated. This return leg also takes approximately one year. Opportunities to launch these 3-year sample return missions occur about every 2 years. The figure depicts schedules for flights to and from Mars for Earth launches in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. Transits for less than 180 deg flight angle, measured from the sun, and more than 180 deg are both shown.