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The proposed mission would place a 2.4 m telescope in orbit around Mars with two focal plane instruments to obtain the highest resolution images and spectral maps of the surface to date (3-10x better than current). This investigation would make major contributions to all of the Mars Program Goals: life, climate, geology and preparation for human presence.
Space biology BLEO research is inherently driven by the differences between the LEO and BLEO environments, which can be broadly characterized by the five-hazard “RIDGE” paradigm (Radiation, Isolation, Distance, Gravity, Environment, e.g., similar to Figure 2 in (1)). Thus, the envisioned goals over the next decade will include using the cislunar and lunar surface environments to (A) characterize deep-space environments including biological effects of radiation and other stressors, (B) gain experience from isolation of very small groups in very small enclosures, (C) learn to compensate for distance from Earth via in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and bioregenerative life support, (D) gain assurance that all aspects of deep-space exploration can proceed in altered or artificial gravity environments, (E) develop essential adaptation scenarios for the built (e.g., low pressure) and external (e.g., temperature extremes, dust) environments.
The Apollo 15 mission was the fourth manned lunar landing and the northernmost location yet visited. The landing site on the southeastern edge of the Imbrium Basin afforded the opportunity of studying several unique lunar features, the Apennine Mountains, Hadley Rille, and the Imbrium Basin fill. Detailed geological study of the data returned from the mission provided new insight into the structure and history of the Basin. A third Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package was deployed during the mission containing seven experiments: Passive Seismometer (PSE), Heat Flow (HFE), Surface Magnetometer (LSM), Suprathermal Ion Detector (SIDE), Cold Cathode Gauge (CCGE), Solar Wind Spectrometer (SWS), and a Dust Detector. We have been able to triangulate on the sources of moonquakes and to observe simultaneous nighttime and daytime changes in the moon's magnetic field, solar wind flux, and the neutral and ionized components of the moon's tenuous atmosphere.
If Europa is to be of primary exobiological interest, namely as a habitat for extant life, it is obvious that: (i) a hydrosphere must prevail beneath the cryosphere for a long time, (ii) internal energy sources must be present in a sufficient state of activity, and (iii) a reasonable technical means must be available for assessing if indeed life does exist in the hypothesized hydrosphere. This discussion focuses on technological issues, because the compounding evidence about Europa indicates that the first two are highly likely to be true. We present a consideration of time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (TOF MS) conducted in-situ on the cryosphere surface of Europa during a landed robotic mission. We assert that this is a reasonable technical means not only for exploring the composition of the cryosphere itself, but also for locating any biomolecular indicators of extant life brought to the surface through cryosphere activity. We also describe a MALDI (MAtrix Laser Desorption and Ionization) TOF MS system that we are constructing as a proof-of-concept prototype for conducting TOF MS measurements on Europa.
NASA's long term plan for Mars sample collection and return requires a highly streamlined approach for spectrally characterizing a landing site, documenting the mineralogical make-up of the site and guiding the collections of samples which represent the diversity of the site. Ideally, image data should be acquired at hundreds of VIS and IR wavelengths, in order to separately distinguish numerous anticipated species, using principal component analysis and linear unmixing. Cameras with bore-sighted point spectrometers can acquire spectra of isolated scene elements, but it requires 10(exp 2) to 10(exp 2) successive motions and precise relative pointing knowledge in order to create a single data cube which qualifies as a spectral map. These and other competing science objectives have to be accomplished within very short lander/rover operational lifetime (a few sols). True, 2-D imaging spectroscopy greatly speeds up the data acquisition process, since the spectra of all pixels in the scene are collected at once. This task can be accomplished with cameras that use electronically tunable acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) as the optical tuning element. AOTFs made from TeO2 are now a mature technology, and operate at wavelengths from near-UV to about 5 microns. Because of incremental improvements in the last few years, present generation devices are rugged, radiation-hard and operate at temperatures down to at least 150K so they can be safely integrated into the ambient temperature optics of in-situ instruments such as planetary or small-body landers. They have been used for ground-based astronomy, and were also baselined for the ST-4 Champollion IR comet lander experiment (CIRCLE), prior to cancellation of the ST-4 mission last year. AIMS (for Acousto-optic Imaging spectrometer), is a prototype lander instrument which is being built at GSFC with support by the NASA OSS Advanced Technologies and Mission Studies, Mars Instrument Definition and Development Program (MIDP). AIMS is capable of tunable spectroscopic imaging of surface mineralogy, ices and dust between 0.5 and 2.4 microns, at a resolving power (lambda/delta lambda) which is typically several hundred. The design spatial resolution, similar to IMP and SSI, will allow mapping at scales down to about 1 cm.
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A compact acousto-optic imaging spectrometer (AIMS) is being developed as a prototype instrument for a Mars lander, tunable from 0.5 to 2.3 microns. We describe the design of AIMS and its spectral imaging capabilities.
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The presentation slides include: Introduction: lunar mission definition, Problem: requirements/methodology, Concept: thermal switching options, Analysis: system evaluation, Plans: dual-radiator LHP (loop heat pipe) test bed, and Conclusions: from this study.
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Exploration near the lunar South Pole has substantial scientific promise for expanding our understanding of the Moon beyond what has been accomplished by Apollo and other lunar missions. An obvious difference from the Apollo experience is that the polar location for Artemis will guarantee the Sun is going to be low above the horizon. A great deal of excellent work has been, and is being, done on the availability of light (“yes/no”) for exploration purposes [e.g., 1-4]. However, we raise the additional consideration of the qualitative effects of low solar elevation on crew traverses, crew observations, and other science measurements [see also 5, though ground rules of that study presumed higher Sun]. We emphasize that our view is that these issues are unlikely to be mission objective-threatening, particularly if adequately considered in advance.
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