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The Mars exploration rover: an in situ science mission to Mars
In this paper the concept for a mobile vehicle system which performs an in situ science mission to Mars is described. This rover mission with its requirements for driving, positioning at science selected targets, and remote and in situ measurement will utilize the technologies for hazard avoidance and autonomous navigation supported by ground operation tools which use rover-based imagery for position estimation and motion planning.
Pods: a Powder Delivery System for Mars In-situ Organic, Mineralogic and Isotopic Analysis Instruments
Many Mars in situ instruments require fine-grained high-fidelity samples of rocks or soil. Included are instruments for the determination of mineralogy as well as organic and isotopic chemistry. Powder can be obtained as a primary objective of a sample collection system (e.g., by collecting powder as a surface is abraded by a rotary abrasion tool (RAT)), or as a secondary objective (e.g, by collecting drill powder as a core is drilled). In the latter case, a properly designed system could be used to monitor drilling in real time as well as to deliver powder to analytical instruments which would perform complementary analyses to those later performed on the intact core. In addition, once a core or other sample is collected, a system that could transfer intelligently collected subsamples of power from the intact core to a suite of analytical instruments would be highly desirable. We have conceptualized, developed and tested a breadboard Powder Delivery System (PoDS) intended to satisfy the collection, processing and distribution requirements of powder samples for Mars in-situ mineralogic, organic and isotopic measurement instruments.
Mars Network: An Infrastructure to Support the In Situ Exploration of Mars
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In-Situ Mosaic Production at JPL/MIPL
Multimission Image Processing Lab (MIPL) at JPL is responsible for (among other things) the ground-based operational image processing of all the recent in-situ Mars missions: (1) Mars Pathfinder (2) Mars Polar Lander (3) Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) (4) Phoenix (5) Mars Science Lab (MSL) Mosaics are probably the most visible products from MIPL (1) Generated for virtually every rover position at which a panorama is taken (2) Provide better environmental context than single images (3) Valuable to operations and science personnel (4) Arguably the signature products for public engagement
Oxygen Generator System Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor Flight
The 2001 Lander to Mars will carry the first ever In situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) payload to Mars. This payload, the Mars In-situ Propellant production Precursor (MIP), will demonstrate a variety of technologies that will be required for future ISRU Mars indigenous material processing plant designs. One of those technologies is that of extracting oxygen from the predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, a prerequisite for future sample return and human missions to Mars. The Oxygen Generator Subsystem (OGS) portion of the MIP will demonstrate this and is the focus of this paper. The primary objective of the OGS is to demonstrate the production of oxygen from Mars atmospheric gases. Secondary objectives are to measure the performance and reliability of oxygen generation hardware in actual mission environments over an extended time. Major constraints on the OGS design came from several sources. The Lander provides power to the system from solar power that is harnessed by photovoltaic arrays. This limited OGS to daytime only operations (six to eight hours) and a maximum power of 15W. The reliance on solar power necessitated thermal cycling of the OGS between Mars ambient and OGS operating temperatures. The Lander also limited the total mass of the MIP payload to 7.5 kg with a correspondingly small volume, and the OGS was one of six experiments in the MIP Mass and volume were to be minimized. Another constraint was cost. Mission funding, as always, was tight. Cost was to be minimized. In short the OGS design had to be low power (<15 Watts), low mass (1 kg), low volume, low cost, and be capable of cyclical operations for an extended stay on Mars. After extensive research, a zirconia based solid oxide electrolyzer design was selected.
Oxygen Generator System Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor Flight
The 2001 Lander to Mars will carry the first ever ISRU payload to Mars. This payload, the Mars In-situ Propellant production Precursor (MIP), will demonstrate a variety of technologies that will be required for future ISRU Mars indigenous material processing plant designs. One of those technologies is that of extracting oxygen from the predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, a prerequisite for future sample return and human missions to Mars. The Oxygen Generator Subsystem (OGS) portion of the MIP will demonstrate this and is the focus of this paper. The primary objective of the OGS is to demonstrate the production of oxygen from Mars atmospheric gases. Secondary objectives are to measure the performance and reliability of oxygen generation hardware in actual mission environments over an extended time. Major constraints on the OGS design came from several sources. The Lander provides power to the system from solar power that is harnessed by photovoltaic arrays. This limited OGS to daytime only operations (six to eight hours) and a maximum power of 15W. The reliance on solar power necessitated thermal cycling of the OGS between Mars ambient and OGS operating temperatures. The Lander also limited the total mass of the MIP payload to 7.5 kg with a correspondingly small volume, and the OGS was one of six experiments in the MIP. Mass and volume were to be minimized. Another constraint was cost. Mission funding, as always, was tight. Cost was to be minimized. In short the OGS design had to be low power (<15 Watts), low mass (1 kg), low volume, low cost, and be capable of cyclical operations for an extended stay on Mars. After extensive research, a zirconia based solid oxide electrolyzer design was selected.
On Performance of Mars In-situ Protocols
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Don't Forget About... (Factoring in Everything for Successful Mars Exploration): In Situ Resource Utilization
Using In Situ Resources means reduced transportation requirements from Earth and a larger source of materials than might otherwise be available. Of the many in situ resources available on Mars, perhaps the most valuable is water. One facet of NASA's current Mars Exploration Program is a search for the locations and quantities of water in various forms: Subsurface liquid water aquafers; Surface and subsurface water ice and icy soils - Lineated Valley Fill (LVF), Lobate Debris Aprons (LDAs), Concentric Crater Fill (CCF); Hydrated minerals - Chlorides, Phyllosilicates, Sulfates, etc.; "Average regolith." Access to massive quantities of water could change surface mission concepts of operation and drive site selection. Availability of massive quantities of water could enable or change current assumptions for: Propellant manufacturing; Radiation protection;- "Relaxed" requirements for a closed loop ECLSS (Environmental Control and Life Support System); Crop growth; Improved crew amenities, such as more frequent showers and laundry.
Terrain Generation from Stereo Imagery in the JPL/MIPL Pipeline
Multimission Image Processing Lab (MIPL) at JPL is responsible for (among other things) the ground-based operational image processing of all the recent in-situ Mars missions. Terrains and meshes are probably the most important products from MIPL for in-situ operations
Mars Propellant Production with Ionic Liquids Project
This project seeks to develop a single vessel for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and electrolysis for in situ Mars propellant production by eliminating several steps of CO2 processing, two cryocoolers, a high temperature reactor, a recycle pump, and a water condenser; thus greatly reducing mass, volume, and power.
Mars In-Situ Resource Utilization Technology Evaluation
We have examined the technologies required to enable Mars Tn-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) because our understanding of Mars resources has changed significantly in the last five years as a result of recent robotic missions to the red planet [1-4]. Two major developments, (1) confirmation of the presence of near-surface water in the form of ice in very large amounts at high latitudes by the Phoenix Lander and (2) the likely existence of water at lower latitudes in the form of hydrates or ice in the top one meter of the regolith, have the potential to change ISRU technology selection. A brief technology assessment was performed for the most promising Mars atmospheric gas processing techniques: Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) and Methanation (aka Sabatier), as well as an overview of soil.processing technology to extract water from Martian soil.
Novel Mars In-situ Wind & Wind-Blown Particle Measurement Instruments
Mars Sonic Anemometer We have developed the Mars Sonic Anemometer: an in-situ wind measuring instrument. It uses transducers to transmit ‘chirps’ through a volume of atmosphere and measures wind direction, speed, and temperature based on the chirp travel times when received by a paired transducer (fig 1). This method can rapidly take multiple samples of wind (~20 Hz) and can measure gentler wind speeds (~0.05 m/s) than current planetary weather stations (~1Hz and ~2m/s) and is more durable than recent Mars wind sensors. The Sonic Anemometer opens new avenues of research into Mars surface-to-atmosphere exchange (e.g., of heat, momentum or trace gases). It also can be recast as a hydrogen ortho-para sensor for a giant planet descent probe or as an infrasound detector for Earth or Venus. The performance of the sensor at Mars-like conditions of 6mbar of CO2 was validated at the Danish Mars Wind Tunnel.
Experimental Alteration of Basalt to Support Interpretation of Remote Sensing and In Situ Meausrements from Mars
Major occurrences of hydrous alteration minerals on Mars have been found in Noachian impact craters formed in basaltic targets and detected using visible/near infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy. Until recently phyllosilicates were detected only in craters in the southern hemisphere [1, 2]. However, it has been reported that at least nine craters in the northern plains apparently excavated thick layers of lava and sediment to expose phyllosilicates [3] as well. The MER (Mars Exploration Rovers) rovers previously reported results of in situ measurement indicating the presence of alteration minerals on Mars [4,5] and it was recently reported that the Mars Curiosity rover has detected alteration phases in situ at Yellowknife Bay in Gale crater as well [6,7]. An important discovery for Mars geochronology is that the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument on Curiosity detected phyllosilicates indicating that phyllosilicate formation on Mars extended beyond the Noachian Epoch [8]. These discoveries indicate that Mars was globally altered by water in the past but does not constrain formation conditions for alteration phase occurrences, which have important implications for the evolution of the surface and the biological potential on Mars. Understanding the alteration assemblages produced by a range of conditions is vital for the interpretation of phyllosilicate spectral signatures as well as in situ measurements and to decipher the environment and evolution of early Mars. The martian surface has been intensely altered by meteorite impacts whose effects include brecciation and melting of target materials as well as the initiation of hydrothermal circulation in a hydrous target [9,10,11,12]. Impact effects may facilitate aqueous alteration of a basaltic target because the rate of silicate dissolution is a function of the degree of crystallinity, surface area, and temperature. The resultant alteration mineralogies from shocked basaltic target material are a function of the original mineral assemblage in the parent rocks, the chemistry of fluids that interacted with the rocks, and physico-chemical conditions (pH, temperatures, and pressure) during the time of mineral formation. Understanding the alteration assemblages produced by a range of conditions is vital for the interpretation of phyllosilicate spectral signatures and to decipher the environment and evolution of early Mars, and especially for identifying habitable niches in which life could be initiated and sustained. No experimentally controlled and well characterized analog materials that simulate martian shock metamorphism and alteration conditions currently exist for calibrating either remote sensing or in situ measurements of Mars. A series of experiments was initiated to assess the effects of systematic changes in the physico-chemical conditions on Mars analog materials thereby providing samples to ground-truth Mars remote sensing observations from CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) and in situ measurements from Opportunity's Mössbauer and Curiosity's CHEMIN (Chemistry and Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction/XRay Fluorescence) instruments. Results of initial experimental runs as analysed by SEM-EDS (Secondary Electron Microscopy -Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis are reported here and lay the foundation for comparison with shocked and altered samples that will be characterized in the next phase of this work.
Software Reuse in the Planetary Context: The JPL/MIPL Mars Program Suite
Reuse greatly reduces development costs. Savings can be invested in new/improved capabilities Or returned to sponsor Worth the extra time to "do it right" Operator training greatly reduced. MIPL MER personnel can step into MSL easily because the programs are familiar. Application programs much easier to write. Can assume core capabilities exist already. Multimission Instrument (Image) Processing Lab at MIPL Responsible for the ground-based instrument data processing for (among other things) all recent in-situ Mars missions: Mars Pathfinder Mars Polar Lander (MPL) Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Phoenix Mars Science Lab (MSL) Responsibilities for in-situ missions Reconstruction of instrument data from telemetry Systematic creation of Reduced Data Records (RDRs) for images Creation of special products for operations, science, and public outreach In the critical path for operations MIPL products required for planning the next Sol s activities
Construction of Power Receiving Rectenna Using Mars- In-Situ Materials; A Low Energy Materials Processing Approach
It is highly desirable to have a non-nuclear power rich option for the human exploration of Mars. Utilizing a Solar Electric Propulsion, SEP, / Power Beaming architecture for a non-nuclear power option for a human Mars base potentially avoids the weather and dust sensitivities of the surface photovoltaic option. Further from Mars areosynchronous orbit near year round power can be provided. Mission analysis, however, concludes that ultra high (245 GHz) frequencies or laser transmission technologies are required for Mars landed mass competitiveness with the surface photovoltaic option if the receiving rectifying antenna "rectenna" is transported from Earth. It is suggested in this paper that producing rectenna in situ on Mars surface might make a more conventional 5.8 GHz system competitive with surface PV. The premium of a competitive, robust, continuous base power might make the development of a 10 plus MWe class SEP for human Mars mission a more attractive non-nuclear option.
Miniature Variable Pressure - Scanning Electron Microscopy (MVP-SEM)
Variable Pressure (or Environmental) Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) is one of the most powerful methods for characterizing the sub-micron topography and chemical composition of uncoated samples. Terrestrially, VP-SEM is extensively used to non-destructively study geologic and manufactured materials with high spatial resolution (tens of nanometers) and large depth-of-field. An SEM offers a geologist a first survey of microscopic mineral phases via secondary electron imaging (SEI), which provides a topographic look at a sample, as well as backscattered electron (BEI) imaging, which contrasts the phases present based on their geochemistry (atomic number). A VP-SEM utilizes a gas in the sample chamber as a charge dissipation and signal amplification method, allowing analysis of a sample without preparation in the form of a conductive coating. A miniaturized VP-SEM operating in-situ on a lander or rover would be able to use the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere (e.g., Nier et al., 1976; Williams 2016) as an imaging medium for this purpose. Adaptation of a VP-SEM for in-situ Mars surface studies will provide a new imaging capability (via SEI) that is at least an order of magnitude higher resolution than the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the Mars Science Laboratory (Williams et al., 2015), and equal to or better than the achieved resolution of the Atomic Force Microscope on the Phoenix Mars lander (Pike et al., 2011). In addition, the MVP-SEM is capable of BSI and simultaneous chemical analysis of the imaged region. In this sense, the MVP-SEM can be regarded as an instrument suite that will provide a new set of information not achievable by any other instrument. The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) was designed, built, and benchtop tested by a team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Jacobs Space Exploration Group, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc. (AP-Tech), and Creare LLC, working with a team of technical and science collaborators. Benchtop testing was successful, proving concept feasibility. To date, the MVP-SEM has achieved an imaging resolution of <100 nm in the lab, and with continued optimization, even better performance (~50 nm resolution) is possible. Use in-situ on the lunar or other planetary surfaces would require some redesign to optimize instrument performance, but such an instrument would be equally useful.
Variable Pressure - Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM)
Variable Pressure (or Environmental) Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) is one of the most powerful methods for characterizing the sub-micron topography and chemical composition of uncoated samples. Terrestrially, VP-SEM is extensively used to non-destructively study geologic and manufactured materials with high spatial resolution (tens of nanometers) and large depth-of-field. An SEM offers a geologist a first survey of microscopic mineral phases via secondary electron imaging (SEI), which provides a topographic look at a sample, as well as backscattered electron (BEI) imaging, which contrasts the phases present based on their geochemistry (atomic number). A VP-SEM utilizes a gas in the sample chamber as a charge dissipation and signal amplification method, allowing analysis of a sample without preparation in the form of a conductive coating. A miniaturized VP-SEM operating in-situ on a lander or rover would be able to use the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere (e.g., Nier et al., 1976; Williams 2016) as an imaging medium for this purpose. Adaptation of a VP-SEM for in-situ Mars surface studies will provide a new imaging capability (via SEI) that is at least an order of magnitude higher resolution than the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the Mars Science Laboratory (Williams et al., 2015), and equal to or better than the achieved resolution of the Atomic Force Microscope on the Phoenix Mars lander (Pike et al., 2011). In addition, the MVP-SEM is capable of BSI and simultaneous chemical analysis of the imaged region. In this sense, the MVP-SEM can be regarded as an instrument suite that will provide a new set of information not achievable by any other instrument. The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) was designed, built, and benchtop tested by a team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Jacobs Space Exploration Group, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc. (AP-Tech), and Creare LLC, working with a team of technical and science collaborators. Benchtop testing was successful, proving concept feasibility. To date, the MVP-SEM has achieved an imaging resolution of <100 nm in the lab, and with continued optimization, even better performance (~50 nm resolution) is possible. Use in-situ on the lunar or other planetary surfaces would require some redesign to optimize instrument performance, but such an instrument would be equally useful.