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NASA NTRS2024

The Planetary Protection Strategy of Mars Sample Return’s Earth Return Orbiter Mission

The Mars Sample Return campaign aims to use three flight missions and one ground element to safely bring rock cores, regolith and atmospheric samples from the surface of Mars to Earth to answer key questions about the geologic and climate history of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. Since its landing in Jezero Crater in 2021, the first mission, NASA’s Mars 2020, has collected a number of samples on the crater floor and on the delta using the Perseverance rover. Subsequent missions would recover the sealed sample tubes, launch them into Mars orbit, and transport them back to Earth. The ground element would be a high-containment facility that would isolate and protect the samples during initial sample characterization, which would include sample safety assessments and time-sensitive scientific investigations. These elements are currently in the planning and design stages of development, and represent an international effort of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and many industry partners. The work presented here provides an overview of the planetary protection strategy of the third flight mission, the ESA-led Earth Return Orbiter, which hosts the NASA-provided Capture, Containment, and Return System. The orbiter would detect and capture the container with up to 30 sealed tubes previously put in Martian orbit, contain them in redundant containers to ensure that no potentially hazardous Mars particles are released, and return them to Earth through an entry vehicle. Both NASA and ESA policies comply with the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty by planning to protect Earth’s biosphere from any potential adverse effects from material returned from solar system bodies beyond the Earth-Moon system. In the conduct of Mars Sample Return, the two agencies have mutually agreed to apply approaches consistent with their own planetary protection standards to the campaign elements they each provide.

Mars Sample Return↗
NASA NTRS2023

The Planetary Protection Strategy of Mars Sample Return’s Earth Return Orbiter Mission

The Mars Sample Return campaign aims to use three flight missions and one ground element to safely bring rock cores, regolith and atmospheric samples from the surface of Mars to Earth to answer key questions about the geologic and climate history of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. Since its landing in Jezero Crater in 2021, the first mission, NASA’s Mars 2020, has collected a number of samples on the crater floor and on the delta using the Perseverance rover. Subsequent missions would recover the sealed sample tubes, launch them into Mars orbit, and transport them back to Earth. The ground element would be a high-containment facility that would isolate and protect the samples during initial sample characterization, which would include sample safety assessments and time-sensitive scientific investigations. These elements are currently in the planning and design stages of development, and represent an international effort of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and many industry partners. The work presented here provides an overview of the planetary protection strategy of the third flight mission, the ESA-led Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), which hosts the NASA-provided Capture, Containment, and Return System (CCRS). ERO-CCRS would capture the container with up to 30 sealed tubes previously put in Martian orbit, contain them in redundant containers to ensure that no potentially hazardous Mars particles are released, and return them to Earth through an entry vehicle. Both NASA and ESA policies comply with the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty by planning to protect Earth’s biosphere from any potential adverse effects from material returned from solar system bodies beyond the Earth-Moon system. In the conduct of Mars Sample Return, the two agencies have agreed to apply approaches consistent with their own planetary protection standards to the campaign elements each provides.

Mars Sample Return↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mars Rover Sample Return mission delivery and return challenges

The Mars Rover Sample Return mission is a robotic exploration mission culminating in the return of atmospheric and surface samples from Mars to Earth. To accomplish this complex mission requires sophisticated autonomous systems for many time-critical operations associated with the delivery and return phases, since the round trip light times preclude Earth-based control of these operations. In addition, there are significant engineering and technology challenges to be addressed to meet the mission science and exploration objectives.

Cohen, Aaron↗
NASA NTRS2000

Mission Design Overview for Mars 2003/2005 Sample Return Mission

In May 2003, a new and exciting chapter in Mars exploration will begin with the launch of the first of three spacecraft that will collectively contribute toward the goal of delivering samples from the Red Planet to Earth. This mission is called Mars Sample Return (MSR) and will utilize both the 2003 and 2005 launch opportunities with an expected sample return in October 2008. NASA and CNES are major partners in this mission. The baseline mission mode selected for MSR is Mars orbit rendezvous (MOR), analogous in concept to the lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) mode used for Apollo in the 1960s. Specifically, MSR will employ two NASA-provided landers of nearly identical design and one CNES-provided orbiter carrying a NASA payload of rendezvous sensors, orbital capture mechanisms, and an Earth entry vehicle (EEV). The high-level concept is that the landers will launch surface samples into Mars orbit, and the orbiter will retrieve the samples in orbit and then carry them back to Earth. The first element to depart for Mars will be one of the two landers. Currently, it is proposed that an intermediate class launch vehicle, such as the Boeing Delta 3 or Lockheed Martin Atlas 3A, will launch this 1800-kg lander from Cape Canaveral during the May 2003 opportunity. The lander will utilize a Type-1 transfer trajectory with an arrival at Mars in mid-December 2003. Landing will be aided by precision approach navigation and a guided hypersonic entry to achieve a touchdown accuracy of 10 km or better. Although the exact landing site has not yet been determined, it is estimated that lander resource constraints will limit the site to between 15 degrees north and south latitudes. Following touchdown, the lander will deploy a six-wheeled, 60-kg rover carrying an extensive suite of instruments designed to aid in the analysis of the local terrain and collection of core samples from selected rocks. The surface mission is currently designed around a concept called the surface traverse. Each traverse will involve the rover exploring a selected area of terrain up to 100 meters from the lander, the collection of rock core samples, and the delivery of the samples from the traverse back to a sample canister on the lander. Planning estimates indicate that up to three traverses may be possible during the expected 90-sol lifetime of the lander. The canister that will receive the samples from the rover will be attached to the top stage of a small solid-fueled rocket mounted to the deck of the lander. This rocket is called the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and consists of three stages weighing a total of about 140 kg. After the conclusion of the surface mission, the MAV will lift-off and insert the sample canister into a near-circular orbit with an altitude of about 600 km and inclination of 45 degrees. The sample canister will wait in this orbit until it is retrieved by the orbiter sometime in early 2007. In August 2005, the second lander and a CNES-provided orbiter weighing 2700 kg will depart for Mars. Currently, it is proposed that a single Ariane 5 provided by CNES will launch both of these two elements onto a Type-2 transfer trajectory. Although the orbiter and lander will be launched together, they will separate shortly after injection and will fly to Mars as two independent spacecraft. However, both spacecraft will perform a maneuver between 10 and 15 days after launch so that their arrival times at Mars differ by between 12 and 24 hours. This scheme will reduce the operational complexity at the encounter date. A set of four 60-kg surface probes will ride piggyback on the orbiter to Mars. These CNES-provided probes are called Netlanders and will serve as surface stations for scientific investigations independent of the Mars Sample Return goals. Starting approximately one month prior to arrival at Mars, the orbiter will begin to release the Netlanders one at a time. Each release cycle will take several days, and will include time for precision navigation to execute one or two maneuvers that will target the Netlanders to their proper landing site. All four deployment cycles will be completed prior to 10 days before arrival. Both the orbiter and lander will arrive in late-July 2006. Upon arrival, the lander will perform a precision landing and surface mission similar in concept to the one that was executed during the 2003 opportunity. Although the landing site for the 2005 opportunity has not been selected, it is expected to be different from the 2003 site to enhance the diversity of the collected samples. The orbiter's arrival at Mars will be highlighted by the first use of aerocapture to insert a spacecraft into a capture orbit around another planet. The choice of aerocapture, as opposed to a propulsive orbit insertion, was considered mission enabling due to a reduction of over 2000 m/s in mission AV. Aerocapture will be targeted to produce a 250 km x 1400 km capture orbit with an inclination of 45 degrees. Current analysis indicates that achieving this goal will require approximately six minutes of flight deep in the atmosphere with a targeted periapsis of approach of about 43 km. After factoring into account the penalty for carrying a heat shield to survive aerocapture, the net savings compared to a propulsive orbital insertion amounts to several hundred kilograms.

Lee, Wayne J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mars Orbit Rendezvous Strategy for the Mars 2003/2005 Sample Return Mission

The primary objective of the Mars 2003/2005 Sample Return Project is to return Martian surface materials to Earth from two different sites by the year 2008. The baseline mission plan relies heavily on the use of a Mars orbit rendezvous strategy similar to the lunar orbit rendezvous scheme used for the Apollo missions. The 2003 mission consists of a single spacecraft comprised of a Lander, Rover, and Mars ascent vehicle (MAV). The 2003 mission will be launched on a Delta-III-class launch vehicle in May/June 2003 and arrive at Mars in December 2003/January 2004. The Lander deploys the Rover to collect surface samples from several sites and return them to the Lander where they are transferred to a sample canister onboard the MAV. The MAV is launched into a low Mars orbit (targeted for 600 km circular, 45 deg inclination) and releases the sample canister to await retrieval by an Orbiter launched in 2005. (The sample canister is a passive vehicle with no maneuvering capability.) The duration of Mars surface operations is at most about 90 days. The 2005 mission consists of two separate spacecraft: a Lander/Rover/MAV spacecraft identical to that used for the 2003 mission and an Orbiter carrying an Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV). Both spacecraft will be launched on a single Ariane-5 in August 2005 and arrive at Mars in July/August 2006. A second sample canister is delivered to Mars orbit using the same scenario as was used for the 2003 mission. The Orbiter uses aerocapture for insertion into Mars orbit (targeted for 250 x 1400 km, 45 deg inclination). During its approximately one-year stay at Mars, the Orbiter will search for and attempt to rendezvous first with the 2003 sample canister and then with the 2005 sample canister. After retrieval, each sample canister is transferred to the EEV. The Orbiter departs Mars in July 2007 and returns to Earth in October 2008 on a trajectory targeted for landing at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). After deploying the EEV, the Orbiter performs a deflection maneuver to avoid reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

DAmario, Louis A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The Mars Observer database

Mars Observer will study the surface, atmosphere, and climate of Mars in a systematic way over an entire Martian year. The observations of the surface will provide a database that will be invaluable to the planning of a future Mars sample return mission. Mars Observer is planned for a September 1992 launch from the Space Shuttle, using an upper-stage. After the one year transit the spacecraft is injected into orbit about Mars and the orbit adjusted to a near-circular, sun-synchronous low-altitude, polar orbit. During the Martian year in this mapping orbit the instruments gather both geoscience data and climatological data by repetitive global mapping. The scientific objectives of the mission are to: (1) determine the global elemental and mineralogical character of the surface material; (2) define globally the topography and gravitational field; (3) establish the nature of the magnetic field; (4) determine the time and space distribution, abundance, sources, and sinks of volatile material and dust over a seasonal cycle; and (5) explore the structure and aspects of the circulation of the atmosphere. The science investigations and instruments for Mars Observer have been chosen with these objectives in mind. These instruments, the principal investigator or team leader and the objectives are discussed.

Albee, Arden L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Status of robotic mission studies for the Space Exploration Initiative - 1991

Results of studies of robotic missions to the moon and Mars planned under the U.S. Space Exploration Initiative are summarized. First, an overall strategy for small robotic missions to accomplish the information gathering required by human missions is reviewed, and the principal robotic mission requirements are discussed. The discussion covers the following studies: the Lunar Observer, the Mars Environmental Survey mission, Mars Sample Return missions using microtechnology, and payloads.

Bourke, Roger D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Automated Mars surface sample return mission concepts for achievement of essential scientific objectives

Mission concepts were investigated for automated return to Earth of a Mars surface sample adequate for detailed analyses in scientific laboratories. The minimum sample mass sufficient to meet scientific requirements was determined. Types of materials and supporting measurements for essential analyses are reported. A baseline trajectory profile was selected for its low energy requirements and relatively simple implementation, and trajectory profile design data were developed for 1979 and 1981 launch opportunities. Efficient spacecraft systems were conceived by utilizing existing technology where possible. Systems concepts emphasized the 1979 launch opportunity, and the applicability of results to other opportunities was assessed. It was shown that the baseline missions (return through Mars parking orbit) and some comparison missions (return after sample transfer in Mars orbit) can be accomplished by using a single Titan III E/Centaur as the launch vehicle. All missions investigated can be accomplished by use of Space Shuttle/Centaur vehicles.

Weaver, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Mars Rover Sample Return mission study

The Mars Rover/Sample Return mission is examined as a precursor to a manned mission to Mars. The value of precursor missions is noted, using the Apollo lunar program as an example. The scientific objectives of the Mars Rover/Sample Return mission are listed and the basic mission plans are described. Consideration is given to the options for mission design, launch configurations, rover construction, and entry and lander design. Also, the potential for international cooperation on the Mars Rover/Sample Return mission is discussed.

Bourke, Roger D.↗