Running head: Scoping It Out Technical Report 1

Research

Brennan. T. Ibata

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars

Scoping It Out Technical Report 2

Research

Throughout the history of NASA Mars has always been a curious place, with many

missions being sent there and many more to come. All of the missions to Mars center around four

main goals, to find if there was once life on Mars, to characterize the climate of Mars, to explore

the geology of Mars, and finally and most recently, to prepare for human exploration to Mars.

This new mission, run by NASA, is tasked with taking measurements of the environment in the

Harold crater, a future spot where a Martian research base could be built. The rover will be sent

to the Martian surface to answer four main questions. This mission’s main goal is to gather data

about the environment in the crater so that the researchers can build a more effective Martian

base. The primary organization benefiting from this data will be NASA which will use the

regolith composition, radiation strength/type, atmospheric trends, and will test self-cleaning solar

panels as well as test a water configure-omiter data to build a base. All of the tests to get the data

run by the rover inside of the landing zone Harold crater. This mission will be split up into three

stages Landing, Operation, and Shutdown, the mission is scheduled to last for two years however

it may be extended if NASA wants more data.

Research

Past missions

Mariner 4. Its goal was to take images of the Martian surface to learn more about the

topography of the planet. This mission took the first pictures of the planet. (Mariner 3&4, n.d.)

Mariner 6/7. This mission goal was to take more detained images of the surface as well

as to take measurements of the composition of the upper Martian atmosphere. It took

measurements of the density, composition, pressure and temperature of the upper Martian

atmosphere. (Mariner 6&7, n.d.)

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Mariner 8/9. This mission goal was to continue the atmospheric studies started by 6/7 as

well as to map the rest of the surface of the planet using high powered cameras. It took the first

photos of the canyons and volcanoes on Mars. The mission mapped 100% of the surface.

(Mariner, n.d.)

Viking 1/2. This mission goal was to take measurements of the atmospheric composition

and test for biological material in the regolith as well as to take pictures from the surface of the

planet. It found strange chemical activity in the soil however found no evidence of biological

life. (Viking, n.d.)

Pathfinder. This mission goal was to test the effectiveness of this cheaper way of

delivering a payload to the surface. This mission was the first to test the Airbag landing method

and to continue the study the geology and atmosphere of Mars. The most important discovery of

which was the rounded pebbles that suggest past water presence on Mars. (Pathfinder, n.d.)

Mars global surveyor. This mission goal was to study the geological features on Mars

and the distribution of certain aspects like volcanoes, canyons, and ice. It was also sent to study

the characteristics of the magnetic field as well as monitor the global weather. It made a more

detailed map of the planet and found patters with the time and location that dust storms occur. It

also found that there isn’t one magnetic field but rather has localized field in the crust. (Global

Surveyor, 2010)

Spirit and Opportunity. This mission goal was to study the geological composition of

the rocks on the surface and to look for evidence of water in the past. Using the advanced

spectrometers on the rover it found evidence that there may have been water in the past that

could have supported microbial life. (Spirit and Opportunity, n.d.)

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Phoenix Lander. This mission’s goal was to find evidence of frozen water in the surface

of the planet using its various tests to search for it. This mission also was tasked with monitoring

the atmosphere and tracking the formation of dust storms and clouds. It discovered actual frozen

water along with calcium carbonate that suggests that there also may be thawed water on the

surface. It also tracked the weather throughout the entire mission which helped scientists uncover

more patters with the formation of the dust storms. (Phoenix, n.d.)

Present missions

2001 Mars Odyssey. This mission’s goal is to make a complete global map of the

Martian surface, to find the abundance of hydrogen in shallow surface, to get high spatial and

spectral resolution images of the surface mineralogy, to map the mineral concentrations on the

surface and to Characterize the Martian near-space radiation environment as related to radiation-

induced risk to human explorers. This mission produced a detailed map of the surface that

allowed future missions to be better prepared. It also serves as a relay for all rovers currently

operating. (Mars Odyssey, n.d.)

Mars Express. This mission’s goal is to produce a high resolution map of the plane’ts

physical features along with a high detailed map of mineral concentrations. It will also determine

the effect of the atmosphere on the surface and the interaction between the atmosphere and the

solar winds. It found evidence of hydrated minerals that only form with water, possible methane

in atmosphere, glacial landforms and recent evidence of volcanism. (Mars Express, n.d.)

Curiosity Rover. This mission’s goal is to study all aspects of Mars, it monitors the

atmosphere and takes measurements of the pressure composition and temperature. It also

samples the surface and analyses the samples looking for traces of past water or current frozen

water. Mainly the rover was tasked with seeing if Mars could support life. The rover has found

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nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon which are the building blocks for life. along

with this it tracked methane levels rising which may point to some biological life. (Howell, n.d.)

Mars reconnaissance orbiter. This mission’s goal is to take detailed images of the

surface to spot dangers for other spacecraft. It also is tasked with scanning the surface for water

along with tracking surface minerals and tracking how dust and water move in the atmosphere.

This craft has mapped the surface extensively and has helped a lot in determining future landing

spots for missions. (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, n.d.)

MAVEN. This mission’s goal is to track the atmosphere and discover more about the

climate change that lead to Mars’ current barren state. This mission is tracking and discovering

how fast gases are being lost to space and with this inferring what happened to the atmosphere in

the past. (MAVEN, n.d.)

Future missions

ExoMars Orbiter/Schiaperelli. This mission’s goal is to search for critical gases such as

methane that point to biological life. This mission will also serve as a relay for the rover that will

be sent in 2020. The decent module Schiaparelli was primarily tasked with providing the ESA

with the technology for landing on Mars. (ExoMars Trace Gas, 2017)

ExoMars rover. This mission’s goal is to take samples of the Martian soil and test for

preserved organic material for the early history of the planet. (ExoMars Mission, 2016)

InSight Lander. This mission’s goal is to preform seismic tests in order to understand

more about the formation or Mars and to retrieve data about the tectonic activity of Mars.

(InSight, n.d.)

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Mars 2020 rover. This mission’s goal is to continue to study the geology of the planet

and test for biological chemicals. It will also be used to demonstrate tech that enable the

production of propellant and oxygen. It will take measurements to better determine how humans

will survive on Mars. (Mars 2020 Rover, n.d.)

Scientific Purpose

Each Mars mission was sent to discover more about the planet with a lot of them sent to

answer the question, “Was (is) there life or water on Mars”. The scientific purpose of this

mission is to prepare for a human settlement in the Henry crater. This will be done through

sending a rover to the planet with the task of answering these four key questions:

Question 1

What is the composition, size, and shape of the Martian regolith in the Henry crater area? This

data will help scientists determine how to secure the Martian base to the ground and will also

help them determine if they can use the regolith as possible protection from the radiation.

How it relates to the MEP. This mission question relates the MEP goal of characterizing

the geology of Mars. this is because with this question the scientists are searching and measuring

the properties of the Martian regolith in the proposed Martian base site.

Question 2

What is the strength and type of radiation that is hitting the ground? This data will give the

scientists insight in to the strength and type of radiation that will be hitting the future Mars base.

This will allow them to better design the base to protect the astronauts against the radiation.

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How it relates to the MEP. This question relates to the MEP goal of characterizing the

climate of Mars. this is because with this question the researchers are attempting to characterize

the behavior of the radiation when it reaches the Martian surface. The radiation, on Mars, is a

major factor in the climate of the area.

Question 3

What are the weather patterns in the area, it will track the strength/frequency of the dust storms,

pressure, and the temperature variations in the area? This info will also be used to build a more

effective base.

How it relates to the MEP. This question also relates the MEP goal of characterizing the

climate of Mars. With this question the scientists are planning to track the climate near the

Martian surface for 1 year to better understand the patters that are displayed and what they must

prepare for with a future base.

Question 4

What is the effectiveness of the automatic solar panel cleaners? Does the (hypothetical) water

configure-omiter function efficiently and what is the amount of water produced by the water

configure-omiter? This will test the new technologies that will be used on the maned Mars

mission.

How it relates to the MEP. This question also relates the MEP goal of preparing for

human exploration. It does this because it is the testing of new technology on Mars that, if

successful, will lead to the implementation of it in a manned base on Mars.

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Mission statement

Mission Objective

This mission is being designed to gather data about a location for a future Mars base as well as to

test new technologies that will be included on the base. The data that the mission collects about

this area will help the researchers and scientists not only learn more about the Martian

environment but also help them learn more about the environment near the surface so that they

can design a more efficient base that will be better suited for the environment.

Mission Users

NASA’s research team will be the primary beneficiary of this mission with the information most

directly affecting them. This is because NASA will be using the information collected from this

mission to design a base for astronauts to survive on Mars. The information will, however, be

public so all research collaborations both public and private will have access to the data collected

by this mission. This will allow for separate spinoff tech from other companies and this

information might also lead to more questions and consequently another mission.

Mission Subject

In this mission there will be three things that will be observed and then there will be two

different technologies that will be tested on the Martian surface. The first thing that will be

measured will be the composition, size, shape and basic properties of the martial regolith in the

area where the base might be built. As well as recording the primary composition of the rocks the

rover will be testing for concentrations of water, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sulfur

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in the rocks. These chemicals are the ones that are needed to support life so it is critical to find if

this area contains these and in what concentration so that the scientists lean more about the past

of Mars. It will also be measuring the average size of the regolith at different depths and will

make a map of the variations in the size across the possible area for the base. the second thing

that the rover will be measuring will be the strength and type of radiation that is hitting the

ground.

The rover will use its various instruments to monitor the strength of the radiation across

the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The rover will continually track the levels of radiation that

are coming to the ground and make a graph of the fluctuations in the strength throughout the

entirety of its operation. The third thing that the rover will be measuring is the general climate of

the area. the rover will measure things like the temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed.

However, it will also measure things such as the amount of airborne regolith, methane, and H2O.

The rover will constantly monitor the climate of Mars and will, like the radiation, make a graph

of the fluctuations into the values. The two technologies that will be tested are the self-cleaning

solar panels which will power the rover and the water configure-omiter. The self-cleaning solar

panels will act as the main source of power for the mission, throughout the duration of which, the

power production from them will be monitored for severe drops in the efficiency of the panels.

The second thing that will be tested is the water configure-omiter, a device which extracts CO2

and methane from the air, breaks them up into their elements, and recombines them to create

H2O. This device will be tested and the rate of production will be monitored to see if it produces

enough water for 2-3 astronauts.

Landing site

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When choosing the area for the rover to land NASA is also choosing the area were to build a

base. The area where this craft will land shall be Henry crater, a crater near the equator of the

planet. This landing zone was chosen for a multitude of reason the first of which being that this

area has warmer temperatures compared to the poles, this warmer temperature allows for less

stress on the material of a future base and therefore will be easier to insulate. (Fig. 1)

The second reason this area was chosen

was because, according to the Mars Odyssey mission, there is an abundance of frozen water in

this area compared to other areas near the equator. (Fig. 2)

NASA wants to land in an area with more

frozen water because these areas have the highest chance of supporting biological life, which is

what the manned base will attempt to do. The final reason why this area was chosen is because of

its topography. This area in the crater is flat which allows for the easy creation of a Martian base.

(Fig. 3)

Fig. 1 Thermal Map of Mars (Thermal

mission, n.d.)

Fig. 2 Map of Frozen Water Concentrations

Red=less H20 Blue=More H20 (Taylor,

2012)

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Con-Ops

This mission will last two Martian years and will launch in the window of July-

September 2020. The shutdown window of the mission will be from June-July 2023 however the

mission may be extended if NASA choses to do so. This mission duration was chosen because

this time will allow for the rover to track the weather patterns for a length of time that will allow

for the identification of certain patters in the fixations. There will be three major phases to this

mission entre/landing, operations, shutdown of the mission.

Entre/landing. The decent of the rover through the Martian atmosphere with the drogue

chute and the final lowering of the rover using the sky crane system that the curiosity rover used.

Order of landing events.

1. Deployment of the main drogue chute

2. Release of the heat shield

3. Engagement of the decent thrusters

Fig. 3 Topographic map of Henry Crater

(Bennet, n.d.)

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4. Lowering of the rover

5. Touchdown and release

Operation. This stage is the general operations of the rover and will include the running

of the three primary instruments and the testing of the two technologies. The first major event in

this stage is the deployment of each instrument (rock/regolith analysis, radiation measurement,

atmospheric measurement, self-cleaning solar panels, and the water configure-omiter)

The order of activation of the systems.

1. Antenna deployment

2. Solar panel activation

3. Atmospheric analysis system

4. Radiation analysis system

5. Rock/regolith analysis system

6. Water configure-omiter system

Shutdown. This is the end of the mission where all the instruments are shut down and the

rover is disabled. The shutdown of the rover and loss of coms with the rover

Mission Constraints

In this mission the main constraint that the scientists will be working toward is getting the rover

build before the launch window in 2020. Finishing the rover in this time is critical because if

they miss the launch window they will have to wait another two years for the next one. Another

constraint considered is the cost of the rocket and the rover, this mission was given a budget of

2.5 billion and NASA needs to make it work within this budget so they don’t go over the budget

by investing money in only technology that was critical to the mission goals.

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Conclusion

This mission will operate under the jurisdiction of NASA with the results benefiting them

the most. The data about the composition of the regolith, radiation strength, atmospheric patterns,

and data from the new technologies will be used to create a Martian base that is perfectly suited

for the environment in the crater. The rover will be launched to Henry crater in 2020 and will

arrive at Henry crater, this location is perfect because its temperature is nice and it has a

percentage of frozen water that is more likely to support biological life. The data from this rover

will mean a lot for the construction of a Martian base and will serve as a stepping stone for the

eventual colonization of Mars. the data from this rover wont only be used for the Martian base,

this data that it collects will also give scientists more insight into the watery past of the planet.

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Scope Summary Page

Need: NASA want to build a Mars base in the future

Goal: to gather data about the environment of Harold creator and to test out two new

technologies on the Martian surface.

Objective: mission will gather data about the planet over a 2-year period that will give

insight to the Martian environment which will allow the scientists to build a more

effective base.

Mission Case: To gather data about the planet and use it to build a Mars base which will

allow for the experimentation on the surface of Mars.

Operational Concept: Launch of a rover and decent system, landing of the rover on the

planet, taking measurements of the planet, surveying the landing area, and testing the new

technologies for two years, shutdown of the rover.

Assumptions: The technology required for the mission is available by the 2020 and the

rover and rocket can be constructed on time.

Constraints: Complete the construction of the rover and its systems before 2020

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References

Bennett, K. (n.d.). Henry Crater Topography. Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

http://www.kbennett.me/

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli Mission. (2017, March 28). Retrieved February 24,

2018, from http://exploration.esa.int/Mars/46124-mission-overview/

ExoMars Mission (2020). (2016, May 2). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

http://exploration.esa.int/Mars/48088-mission-overview/

Howell, E. (n.d.). Mars Curiosity: Facts and Information. Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://www.space.com/17963-Mars-curiosity.html

Mariner 3 & 4 | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/mariner34/

Mariner 6 & 7 | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/mariner67/

Mariner 8 & 9 | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/mariner89/

Mars Express mission facts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_mission_fac

ts

Mars Global Surveyor. (2010, January 28). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/mgs/science/objectives.html

Mars Pathfinder | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/pathfinder/

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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018,

from https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/present/2005/

MAVEN | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/present/maven/

Nealson, J. (n.d.). Viking 1. Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/viking-1/

Objectives - Mars Odyssey. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/odyssey/mission/science/objectives/

Overview - Mars 2020 Rover. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/Mars2020/mission/overview/

Overview | InSight. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/insight/mission/overview/

Phoenix | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/past/phoenix/

Spirit and Opportunity | Mars Exploration Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

https://Mars.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/present/2003/

Taylor, G. (2012, July 31). How Much Water is Inside Mars? Retrieved February 24, 2018, from

http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/July12/water-inside-Mars.html

Thermal mission spectrometer. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from http://tes.asu.edu/

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Press Release Page

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NASA JPL has proposed a new Mars rover to be constructed and launched before 2020.

Recently NASA has proposed to launch a new rover mission to Mars. This rover serves to solve

this problem by gathering information about Harold crater (landing site) and to test out the new

tech on Mars. The data from this mission will be gathered over 2 years and will be used to help

NASA know the dangers of mas to they can design a base that is resistant to the harsh

environment. This rover will measure the composition of the Martian surface, radiation levels at

the surface, atmospheric trends (temperature, pressure, wind speed), and will test the Self-

cleaning solar panels as well as the water configure-omiter (makes water out of methane and

CO2). Building a base on Mars will allow scientists to have an area where they are able to

conduct numerous biological, geological and chemical experiments that can’t be done with

rovers. This mission will launch a rocker in July-September of 2020 and will arrive at Mars near

may of 2021. It will survey the planetary environment and test the new tech for 2 years. The

launch of this mission will give NASA not only information about how build a base that will

protect astronauts on Mars but will also give them more data about the atmospheric patters as

well has given them more information about the past presence of water on the surface of the

planet.

For media inquiries, please contact Mission Director Brennan T. Ibata at (757) 555-1212

or email bibata@aol.com.

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