Researchers at the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) are proposing tiny probes which could be sent into regions that other landing craft cannot reach. The researchers estimate that adding a few of the two pound probes to an existing mission could double or triple the number of landers deployed while adding less than five percent to the mission cost.
At the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Rebecca M.E. Williams, senior scientist at PSI presented the idea to piggyback the probes onto existing spacecraft and deposit them at their target location using remotely controlled hang gliders. The probes would target “scientifically compelling” sites which cannot be reached by traditional landers or that are too far from other sites of interest to make a landing economically reasonable.
“Instead of a traditional parachute, MARSDROP pops out a steerable parawing that enables targeted delivery of a microprobe. Using terrain-relative video navigation, a pinpoint landing within tens of meters would be achievable. This MARSDROP capability opens up a number of very interesting, previously unreachable, sites for surface-based investigations. In addition, MARSDROP can help lay the groundwork for future human exploration of Mars by characterizing biohazards like Martian dust and assessing the availability of key resources, such as water from which oxygen and rocket propellant can be made,” said Williams in a statement.
“What is particularly exciting about this new approach is the possibility of landing in new locations like the canyons in Valles Marineris or at modern geologically-active sites such as south polar geysers or locations with inferred seasonal release of surface water flows. This provides the opportunity to tackle a range of science questions that aren’t possible in the near-term with existing landing site restrictions. With MARSDROP we can exploit the excess mass capability on the cruise-stage vehicle to enhance the science return from each mission,” Williams added.
Williams is now collaborating with other researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Aerospace Corp to develope the technology. The probes would be contained in a 12 inch capsule and weigh about two pounds. The researchers are currently exploring payload options which include cameras, microscopes that would provide insight into the geology of the surface, instruments to monitor surface change and detect organics and minerals and weather and seismic monitoring instruments.
A more complete description of the MARSDROP system can be found on the PSI website.
According to the researchers, the same system could be easily applied to targets with atmosphere’s thicker than that of Mars including Venus and Saturn’s moon Titan.
According to current plans, NASA’s next rover would leave for the Red Planet in 2020 and at some point in the 2030s the agency hopes to land the first people there. As these dates draw closer, the urgency to create technologies that will assist with the goal is increasing.
A few days ago, the space agency announced a $2.25 million competition to design the best, 3D printable, space habitat.
Earlier this month, NASA announced the “Journey to Mars Challenge” with three $5,000 awards for technologies that will help people to live on Mars.
A sneak peak at other interesting technologies on NASA’s drawing boards can be found at the NASA Technology Development Program website NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts website. Information about NASA technologies which are now directly benefiting people on Earth can be found at the NASA Spinoff homepage.
