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NASA NTRS2024

Lessons Learned in Designing A Proposed Ultraviolet Sterilization System for Space

This paper presents a number of lessons learned while designing a proposed sterilization system for Mars Sample Return. This sterilization system is needed to inactivate any potentially hazardous Mars material on the exterior surface of the vessel containing sealed sample tubes filled with Mars rock cores, regolith and atmosphere. These returned samples would provide information on the geologic history of Mars, the evolution of its climate and the potential for ancient life. Mars Sample Return is categorized at Planetary Protection Category V Restricted Earth Return, so it is required to protect the Earth–Moon system from the biological impact of returning samples from Mars to Earth. This article reviews lessons learned in the development of a particular engineering implementation to support the protection of the Earth–Moon biosphere: the use of in situ ultraviolet LED illumination. The details of the biological efficacy of this approach or the policy-related impacts are outside of the scope of this manuscript. The lessons learned presented here include establishing design requirements for the system, the selection of a light source, optical design options, contamination control and approaches to thermal and power management.

Planetary Protection↗
NASA NTRS2013

Possible Detection of Nitrates on Mars by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument

Planetary models suggest that nitrogen was abundant in the early Martian atmosphere as dinitrogen (N2). However, it has been lost by sputtering and photochemical loss to space [1, 2], impact erosion [3], and chemical oxidation to nitrates [4]. Nitrates, produced early in Mars history, are later decomposed back into N2 by the current impact flux [5], making possible a nitrogen cycle on Mars. It is estimated that a layer of about 3 m of pure NaNO3 should be distributed globally on Mars [5]. Nitrates are a fundamental source for nitrogen to terrestrial microorganisms. Therefore, the detection of soil nitrates is important to assess habitability in the Martian environment. The only previous mission that was designed to search for soil nitrates was the Phoenix mission but was unable to detect evolved N-containing species by TEGA and the MECA WCL [6]. Nitrates have been tentatively identified in the Nakhla meteorite [7]. The purpose of this work is to determine if nitrates were detected in first solid sample (Rocknest) in Gale Crater examined by the SAM instrument.

Navarro-Gonzalez, R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Search for Nitrates on Mars by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument

Planetary models suggest that nitrogen was abundant in the early Martian atmosphere as N2 but it was lost by sputtering and photochemical loss to space, impact erosion, and chemical oxidation to nitrates. A nitrogen cycle may exist on Mars where nitrates, produced early in Mars' history, may have been later decomposed back into N2 by the current impact flux. Nitrates are a fundamental source of nitrogen for terrestrial microorganisms, and they have evolved metabolic pathways to perform both oxidation and reduction to drive a complete biological nitrogen cycle. Therefore, the characterization of nitrogen in Martian soils is important to assess habitability of the Martian environment, particularly with respect to the presence of nitrates. The only previous mission that was designed to search for soil nitrates was the Phoenix mission but N-containing species were not detected by TEGA or the MECA WCL. Nitrates have been tentatively identified in Nakhla meteorites, and if nitrogen was oxidized on Mars, this has important implications for the habitability potential of Mars. Here we report the results from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard the Curiosity rover during the first year of surface operations in Gale Crater. Samples from the Rocknest aeolian deposit and sedimentary rocks (John Klein) were heated to approx 835degC under helium flow and the evolved gases were analyzed by MS and GC-MS. Two and possibly three peaks may be associated with the release of m/z 30 at temperatures ranging from 180degC to 500degC. M/z 30 has been tentatively identified as NO; other plausible contributions include CH2O and an isotopologue of CO, 12C18O. NO, CH2O, and CO may be reaction products of reagents (MTBSTFA/DMF) carried from Earth for the wet chemical derivatization experiments with SAM and/or derived from indigenous soil nitrogenated organics. Laboratory analyses indicate that it is also possible that <550degC evolved NO is produced via reaction of HCl with nitrates arising from the decomposition of perchlorates. All sources of m/z 30 whether it be martian or terrestrial will be considered and their implications for Mars will be discussed.

Navarro-Gonzalez, Rafael↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Sample Return: Risk Management & Sample Safety Assessment

Returning samples from Mars has long been a major planetary science objective due to the high scientific value and transformative potential of the resulting data. An exciting dimension of this objective is the potential for the detection of ancient microbiological life, and the possibility of improving our understanding of the evolution of habitable environments on Mars and the development of life on Earth. To ensure that returned samples meet stringent planetary protection requirements and do not expose Earth to potential biohazards, the joint NASA/ESA Sample Receiving Project (SRP) assembled the Sample Safety Assessment Protocol Tiger Team (SSAP-TT). Members were recruited with the specific goal of creating a multi-disciplinary and internationally distributed team of experts in their respective fields across the federal government, academia, and private industry. This team was chartered with reassessing previous sample safety assessment strategies, defining what constitutes a biological hazard, developing a protocol to test for potential biohazards, and establishing a statistical framework to determine if samples are “safe” for release. The team developed a three-step protocol, supported by a Bayesian statistical framework, to assess whether returned samples contain potential biohazards that could present a risk to Earth’s biosphere. Initial conclusions indicated that an effective and comprehensive safety assessment protocol is feasible using modern techniques and does not require an excessive amount of sample consumption or traditional microbiological detection methodology. Herein, we will present an overview of the MSR SRP, the proposed safety assessment protocol, and how aspects of this novel approach can be applied to biological assessment in healthcare product manufacturing practices.

Alvin L Smith↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

State of the Art Thermal Protection Systems at NASA for Outer Planet Probes and TPS Developments in Support of Mars Sample Return Mission

In the recent NASA Planetary Science Decadal Survey (2023-2032) the committee recommended that the highest scientific priority of NASA’s robotic exploration efforts this decade should be completion of Mars Sample Return (MSR) and recommended to prioritize the Uranus Orbiter and Probe as the highest-priority new flagship missions for the next decade while Saturn Probe is one of the themes still under consideration for New Frontiers. This short course presentation will discuss relevant environments for outer planet missions and TPS materials under development at NASA and their readiness to meet mission needs. In addition the presentation will discuss the status of thermal protection system for the MSR Earth Entry System that brings the Martian samples safely through the Earth’s atmosphere.

Thermal Protection Systems↗
NASA NTRS2006

Stardust Sample: Investigator's Guidebook

In January 2006, the Stardust spacecraft returned the first in situ collection of samples from a comet, and the first samples of contemporary interstellar dust. Stardust is the first US sample return mission from a planetary body since Apollo, and the first ever from beyond the moon. This handbook is a basic reference source for allocation procedures and policies for Stardust samples. These samples consist of particles and particle residues in aerogel collectors, in aluminum foil, and in spacecraft components. Contamination control samples and unflown collection media are also available for allocation.

Allen, Carl↗
NASA NTRS1991

Magnetic effects of large-scale impacts on airless planetary bodies

The analysis of lunar orbital and sample data combined with laboratory measurements of impact-produced plasmas suggest that large-scale impacts on planetary surfaces may have had significant magnetic effects. These effects may potentially explain part of all lunar crustal magnetization and, by extension, may be responsible for producing paleomagnetism on other airless silicate bodies in the solar system. Theoretical studies are presented of the magnetic field and remanent magnetization effects of basin-scale impacts on the Moon. The specific case of a Moon exposed to the solar wind plasma flow and its embedded magnetic field is investigated. It is shown that maximum compressed field amplitudes occur antipodal to the impact point in agreement with the observed tendency for orbital magnetic anomalies to be concentrated antipodal to young large lunar basins. Generalization of these results to include magnetic effects of impacts on other airless or nearly airless bodies in the solar system is presented.

Hood, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Adaptive Sensing of Time Series with Application to Remote Exploration

We address the problem of adaptive informationoptimal data collection in time series. Here a remote sensor or explorer agent throttles its sampling rate in order to track anomalous events while obeying constraints on time and power. This problem is challenging because the agent has limited visibility -- all collected datapoints lie in the past, but its resource allocation decisions require predicting far into the future. Our solution is to continually fit a Gaussian process model to the latest data and optimize the sampling plan on line to maximize information gain. We compare the performance characteristics of stationary and nonstationary Gaussian process models. We also describe an application based on geologic analysis during planetary rover exploration. Here adaptive sampling can improve coverage of localized anomalies and potentially benefit mission science yield of long autonomous traverses.

artificial intelligence↗
NASA NTRS2023

Fluid Inclusions in Extraterrestrial Samples: Failures, Successes, Possibilities, and A Note of Caution

Over the past half century the search for life in the solar system and beyond has become a major research focus, with much effort devoted to finding evidence for liquid H2O and reduced carbon-bearing (organic) species in extraterrestrial samples. The most direct and convincing evidence for the presence of water and organic molecules is provided by fluid inclusions (FI)trapped in minerals that formed on the parent bodies. Beginning in the 1970s, reports of FI in extraterrestrial samples generated much enthusiasm within the planetary sciences community. However, many of the reported FI were determined to be artifacts of sample preparation, or incomplete characterization of features that appear to be FI, or were inconsistent with the inferred PT history of the meteorite sample. An early report of aqueous (and hydrocarbon-bearing) FI in stony meteorites and the subsequent follow-up study that showed that most or all of the “FI” contained water used during cutting and polishing of the samples led to a general unwillingness to believe later reports of FI in meteorites. One of the first confirmed occurrences of extraterrestrial aqueous (liquid) fluid inclusions in a meteorite was reported by Zolensky et al. (1999; Science), who described aqueous inclusions in halite in the Monahans and later the Zag meteorites. These meteorite falls were collected shortly after landing on earth and were prepared without using water or other fluids that could introduce artifacts. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of water in FI in these same samples was later measured, showing that the fluids represent various degrees of water-rock interaction on the parent body .In more recent years, careful studies of FI trapped in extraterrestrial samples combining synchrotron X-ray computed tomography to locate FI in samples followed by cryo-TOF-SIMS analysis of the FI have identified the presence of molecular fragments suggesting the presence of H2O and various organic molecules in the fluids. Challenges associated with studying FI in extraterrestrial samples include the limited abundance of potential host phases for FI, such as carbonates and phosphates, the often poor optical quality of the host phases, and the small size of the FI, with few as large as 5 microns and most less than 1-2 microns in maximum dimension

Robert Bodnar↗
NASA NTRS2021

Development of the Sample Fetch Rover Locomotion Subsystem

A novel system for planetary surface mobility is being designed in response to the challenging requirements of the Sample Fetch Rover (SFR) mission, part of the NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return campaign (MSR). The rover will retrieve tubes with rock and soil samples, previously acquired and cached by NASA’s Perseverance rover in depots on the Martian surface. SFR will have to acquire, transport and deliver the tubes to a lander in a tight time window. This will require significant mobility capabilities, unprecedented for Mars rovers. The highly time-constrained traverse needs, together with the strictly limited mass and volume imposed by the accommodation on the lander, have pushed the design of the SFR locomotion to seek innovative solutions. In response to that, a four-wheel drive system is being developed, integrated with a deployable pitch-averaging suspension. This will be the first time that four-wheel locomotion is used on Mars and on robotic planetary rovers in general. The system, relying on high-efficiency drive actuators designed to operate in Mars environment, shows potential for terrain and obstacle negotiation performance comparable with that of larger vehicles. The implementation also takes advantage of the superelastic Spring-Tyre technology currently being developed by NASA Glenn Research Center, which, thanks to its traction and obstacle compliance properties, will allow SFR to navigate difficult ground and achieve its mission objectives.

Rehmatullah, Faizan↗
NASA NTRS1997

Studies of Magmatic Inclusions in the Basaltic Martian Meteorites Shergotty, Zagami, EETA 79001 and QUE 94201

Currently there are 12 meteorites thought by planetary scientists to be martian samples, delivered to the Earth after violent impacts on that planet's surface. Of these 12 specimens, 4 are basaltic: Shergotty, Zagami, EETA 79001 and QUE 94201. Basalts are particularly important rocks to planetary geologists- they are the most common rocks found on the surfaces of the terrestrial planets, representing volcanic activity of their parent worlds. In addition, because they are generated by partial melting of the mantle and/or lower crust, they can serve as guide posts to the composition and internal processes of a planet. Consequently these four meteorites can serve as 'ground-truth' representatives of the predominant volcanic surface rocks of Mars, and offer researchers a glimpse of the magmatic history of that planet. Unfortunately, unraveling the parentage of a basaltic rock is not always straightforward. While many basalts are simple, unaltered partial melts of the mantle, others have undergone secondary processes which change the original parental chemistry, such as assimilation of other crustal rocks, mixing with other magmas, accumulation, re-equilibration between mineral species after crystallization, loss of late-stage magmatic fluids and alteration by metamorphic or metasomatic processes. Fortunately, magmatic inclusions can trap the evolving magmatic liquid, isolating it from many of these secondary processes and offering a direct look at the magma during different stages of development. These inclusions form when major or minor phases grow skeletally, surrounding small amounts of the parental magma within pockets in the growing crystal. The inclusion as a whole (usually consisting of glass with enclosed crystals) continues to represent the composition of the parental magma at the time the melt pocket closed, even when the rock as a whole evolves under changing conditions. The four basaltic martian meteorites contain several distinct generations of melt inclusions; those found within early-forming pigeonite, intermediate and late-forming Ti, Fe-oxides and sulfides, and intermediate to late-forming phosphates. In this summer' s study we have made a detailed study of all of the various forms of inclusions found within the 4 basaltic martian meteorites listed above. Glasses and minerals within the inclusions were analyzed using the Camera SX-100 Electron Microprobe in Building 31. The mineralogy and textural context of the inclusions will then be used to explore the crystallization history of these specimens, and to investigate any differences in crystallization history or parental magma compositions between these rocks. In this manner, the magmatic inclusions provide a road map backwards toward the 'parental' compositions for the basaltic martian meteorites and provide significant insight into the igneous processes found within the crust of Mars.

Harvey, Ralph P.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Mars Sample Return Using Commercial Capabilities: ERV Trajectory and Capture Requirements

Mars Sample Return was presented as the highest priority planetary science mission of the next decade [1]. Lemke et al. [2] present a Mars Sample Return mission concept in which the sample is returned directly from the surface of Mars to an Earth orbit. The sample is recovered in Earth Orbit instead of being transferred between spacecraft in Mars Orbit. This paper provides the details of this sample recovery in Earth orbit and presents as such a sub-element of the overall Mars sample return concept given in [2]. We start from the assumption that a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), initially landed on Mars using a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule, has successfully delivered the sample, already contained within an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV), to a parking orbit around Mars. From the parking orbit, the ERV imparts sufficient Delta-V to inject itself into an earthbound trajectory and to be captured into an Earth orbit eventually. We take into account launch window and Delta-V considerations as well as the additional constraint of increased safety margins imposed by planetary protection regulations. We focus on how to overcome two distinct challenges of the sample return that are driven by the issues of planetary protection: (1) the design of an ERV trajectory meeting all the requirements including the need to avoid contamination of Earth's atmosphere; (2) the concept of operations for retrieving the Martian samples in Earth orbit in a safe way. We present an approach to retrieve the samples through a rendezvous between the ERV and a second SpaceX Dragon capsule. The ERV executes a trajectory that brings it from low Mars orbit (LMO) to a Moon-trailing Earth orbit at high inclination with respect to the Earth-Moon plane. After a first burn at Trans-Earth Injection (TEI), the trajectory uses a second burn at perigee during an Earth flyby maneuver to capture the ERV in Earth orbit. The ERV then uses a non-propulsive Moon flyby to come to a near-circular Moon-trailing orbit. To perform the Earth Orbit Rendezvous (EOR), a second Dragon capsule is then launched from Earth and a similar lunar flyby is performed to rendezvous with the ERV. The requirements for rendezvous, close proximity operations and capture of the sample canister are described. A concept of operations for sample retrieval is presented along with design specifications of the ERV, the required modifications to the Dragon capsule, as well as the hardware, software, sensors, actuators, and capture mechanisms used. In our concept, a container is mounted to the front hatch of Dragon, capable of accommodating the sample canister and sealing it from the rest of the capsule. The sample canister is captured using a robotic arm with a magnetic grappling mechanism. Dragon then performs a propulsive maneuver to return to Earth for a controlled re-entry while the ERV (sans sample container) is left in the Moon trailing orbit. Contingency cases and related mitigation strategies are also discussed, including the advantages and disadvantages of performing the ERV rendezvous with a crew.

Faber, Nicolas F.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Mission-Enabling UV Laser for Mass Spectrometry (UVMS) with Continuously Selectable Output for In Situ Planetary Exploration

Ultra-compact, ns-class spaceflight-compatible UV lasers are finding increasing application in laser desorption, excitation, and ionization analytical applications on planetary missions, such as the detection and characterization of potential molecular biosignatures on Mars or icy moon surfaces. A short pulsed, solid state, UV laser is under development with selectable pulse energy capabilities for optimized sample ion production at a planetary surface.

Coyle, D. Barry↗
NASA NTRS2006

Miniature Gas Chromatograph (GC): Penning Ionization Electron Spectroscopy (PIES) Instrument for the Trace Analyses of Extraterrestrial Environments

In situ exploration of the solar system to identify its early chemistry as preserved in icy bodies and to look for compelling evidence of astrobiology will require new technology for chemical analysis. Chemical measurements in space flight environments highlight the need for a high level of positive identification of chemical compounds, since re-measurement by alternative techniques for confirmation will not be feasible. It also may not be possible to anticipate all chemical species that are observed, and important species may be present only at trace levels where they can be masked by complex chemical backgrounds. Up to now, the only techniques providing independent sample identification of GC separated components across a wide range of chemical species have been Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS). We describe here the development of a versatile and robust miniature GC detector based on Penning Ionization Electron Spectroscopy (PIES), for use with miniature GC systems being developed for planetary missions. PIES identifies the sample molecule through spectra related to its ionization potential. The combination of miniature GC technology with the primary identification capabilities of PIES provides an analytical approach ideal for planetary analyses.

Kojiro, Daniel R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Project Hyreus: Mars sample return mission utilizing in situ propellant production

Project Hyreus is an unmanned Mars sample return mission that utilizes propellants manufactured in situ from the Martian atmosphere for the return voyage. A key goal of the mission is to demonstrate the considerable benefits of using indigenous resources and to test the viability of this approach as a precursor to manned Mars missions. The techniques, materials, and equipment used in Project Hyreus represent those that are currently available or that could be developed and readied in time for the proposed launch date in 2003. Project Hyreus includes such features as a Mars-orbiting satellite equipped with ground-penetrating radar, a large rover capable of sample gathering and detailed surface investigations, and a planetary science array to perform on-site research before samples are returned to Earth. Project Hyreus calls for the Mars Landing Vehicle to land in the Mangala Valles region of Mars, where it will remain for approximately 1.5 years. Methane and oxygen propellant for the Earth return voyage will be produced using carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and a small supply of hydrogen brought from Earth. This process is key to returning a large Martian sample to Earth with a single Earth launch.

Abrego, Anita↗
NASA NTRS1993

Project Hyreus: Mars Sample Return Mission Utilizing in Situ Propellant Production

Project Hyreus is an unmanned Mars sample return mission that utilizes propellants manufactured in situ from the Martian atmosphere for the return voyage. A key goal of the mission is to demonstrate the considerable benefits of using indigenous resources and to test the viability of this approach as a precursor to manned Mars missions. The techniques, materials, and equipment used in Project Hyreus represent those that are currently available or that could be developed and readied in time for the proposed launch date in 2003. Project Hyreus includes such features as a Mars-orbiting satellite equipped with ground-penetrating radar, a large rover capable of sample gathering and detailed surface investigations, and a planetary science array to perform on-site research before samples are returned to Earth. Project Hyreus calls for the Mars Landing Vehicle to land in the Mangala Valles region of Mars, where it will remain for approximately 1.5 years. Methane and oxygen propellant for the Earth return voyage will be produced using carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and a small supply of hydrogen brought from Earth. This process is key to returning a large Martian sample to Earth with a single Earth launch.

Bruckner, A. P.↗