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Mars Sample Return
Rakhir
post Apr 7 2006, 07:32 AM
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Next phase reached in definition of Mars Sample Return mission

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJAGNFGLE_index_0.html
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John Whitehead
post Oct 16 2007, 03:25 AM
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Thanks to monitorlizard for pointing out the Sep24 MEPAG meeting notes with Alan Stern. To summarize the key points that I noticed regarding MSR:

1. The notion is that skipping one Mars launch opportunity next decade would save enough money to develop and launch MSR in 2020.

2. Planning for science, mission architecture, and curation (sample handling in Houston) are proceeding.

My analysis:

MSR needs two large spacecraft: a lander that carries the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), and an orbiter that carries the Earth Return Vehicle (ERV). Either of these alone is most likely a heavier and more expensive spacecraft than the one single science spacecraft that would be sacrificed in order to pay for MSR. It doesn't appear to compute financially.

Maybe it will be affordable if the 2009 MSL lander works like a charm, and is just copied without new lander development. Then the challenge is back to building a very small MAV, and likely also a new ERV that is small enough to send to Mars orbit in the first place.

All this says that aggressive innovation in down-sizing propulsion technology is needed. Meanwhile, mission architecture studies (number 2 above) can easily have big errors in the estimates of mission mass (and cost) in the absence of the rocket technology.

We have to hope that the science community will appreciate the need for high-risk rocket technology work. There's essentially nothing out there that can be bought and modified or adtapted in order to successfully launch off of Mars.

John W.
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Posts in this topic
- Rakhir   Mars Sample Return   Apr 7 2006, 07:32 AM
- - RNeuhaus   A very good article :Returning To Sample Mars, At ...   Sep 5 2006, 04:50 PM
- - ljk4-1   Sample return has been highlighted as a key priori...   Sep 21 2006, 05:08 PM
- - climber   Isn't it a coïncidence! Mark Adler is talk...   Sep 21 2006, 05:30 PM
- - spdf   Funding a Mars sample return mission is not a good...   Oct 13 2006, 09:51 AM
|- - climber   QUOTE (spdf @ Oct 13 2006, 11:51 AM) Fund...   Oct 13 2006, 12:23 PM
- - RNeuhaus   First watch how the russians will be doing by retu...   Oct 13 2006, 07:14 PM
|- - Zvezdichko   QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 13 2006, 07:14 PM) ...   Jan 22 2007, 03:53 PM
- - PhilHorzempa   Recent written comments by Alan Stern indicate tha...   Jul 2 2007, 08:07 PM
- - hendric   On the surface that sounds like a good idea, only ...   Jul 2 2007, 08:40 PM
|- - Analyst   QUOTE (hendric @ Jul 2 2007, 08:40 PM) It...   Jul 3 2007, 09:15 AM
- - dvandorn   It all comes down to what you really want out of a...   Jul 3 2007, 03:11 PM
- - helvick   I don't think it can be done easily but I don...   Jul 3 2007, 08:35 PM
- - antipode   Drifting a bit OT here, but its obvious to all tha...   Jul 3 2007, 11:21 PM
- - Phil Stooke   Antipode, funny you should mention that, as I am n...   Jul 4 2007, 12:22 AM
|- - gndonald   QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ Jul 4 2007, 08:22 AM...   Jul 26 2007, 12:17 PM
- - nprev   Sounds like one of the old Soviet manned Mars miss...   Jul 4 2007, 05:51 AM
- - dvandorn   Such a mission has a lot to be said for it. For o...   Jul 4 2007, 04:24 PM
|- - tty   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Jul 4 2007, 06:24 PM) S...   Jul 5 2007, 02:11 PM
||- - gpurcell   QUOTE (tty @ Jul 5 2007, 02:11 PM) Anothe...   Jul 5 2007, 02:57 PM
|- - mchan   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Jul 4 2007, 09:24 AM) S...   Jul 5 2007, 11:13 PM
- - helvick   One fairly big problem that I see with the idea th...   Jul 4 2007, 05:32 PM
- - dvandorn   Well, it depends... the PIs have to get their resu...   Jul 6 2007, 03:54 AM
- - centsworth_II   Publish or perish?   Jul 6 2007, 05:27 AM
- - dvandorn   Literally! -the other Doug   Jul 6 2007, 06:06 AM
- - lyford   RE: Mars Sample Return   Jul 6 2007, 03:23 PM
- - AlexBlackwell   Mars Mission May Be Moved Up By Frank Morring, Jr....   Jul 6 2007, 11:40 PM
|- - ustrax   Didn't know where to put this... "Let...   Jul 26 2007, 10:44 AM
|- - JRehling   [...]   Jul 26 2007, 08:56 PM
- - Phil Stooke   gndonald: "Was this by any chance the 'M...   Jul 26 2007, 06:07 PM
- - nprev   I get your point, JR. In all fairness, though, the...   Jul 26 2007, 09:26 PM
- - Pavel   I think you missed the "far into the future...   Jul 26 2007, 09:42 PM
|- - JRehling   [...]   Jul 27 2007, 09:01 PM
|- - Jim from NSF.com   QUOTE (JRehling @ Jul 27 2007, 05:01 PM) ...   Jul 29 2007, 02:42 PM
|- - JRehling   [...]   Aug 9 2007, 04:37 AM
- - Pavel   Mars is also special because it the easiest extrat...   Jul 27 2007, 10:26 PM
- - spdf   A question here: If you have a ~30-40 kg small sat...   Aug 1 2007, 03:55 AM
|- - ElkGroveDan   QUOTE (spdf @ Jul 31 2007, 07:55 PM) A qu...   Aug 1 2007, 04:16 AM
- - helvick   You can find some of my back of the envelope calcu...   Aug 1 2007, 06:40 AM
|- - nprev   QUOTE (helvick @ Jul 31 2007, 11:40 PM) A...   Aug 5 2007, 01:45 AM
- - monitorlizard   I'm probably going to get my head handed to me...   Aug 17 2007, 08:01 AM
- - djellison   Well - yes - carnage indeed. Instead of a 5kg lit...   Aug 17 2007, 08:29 AM
- - monitorlizard   Thanks, Doug. I knew I was going to be defeated o...   Aug 17 2007, 09:03 AM
- - djellison   It's not 'defeated' - I mean, there...   Aug 17 2007, 09:11 AM
- - Cugel   Of course the points Doug mentions are valid and p...   Aug 17 2007, 09:27 AM
- - djellison   I think a sample cache cannister would have a smal...   Aug 17 2007, 09:36 AM
- - Cugel   A cube-sat? Hmmm, I believe at Delft University (H...   Aug 17 2007, 02:05 PM
- - djellison   Cubesats are a well established and popular platfo...   Aug 17 2007, 02:28 PM
- - Cugel   So I guess the 'cannister' could look some...   Aug 18 2007, 01:08 PM
- - nprev   This may be WAY off base, but has anyone considere...   Aug 19 2007, 04:09 AM
|- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (nprev @ Aug 18 2007, 09:09 PM) eve...   Oct 18 2007, 08:37 PM
- - The Messenger   Good question. Solid fuels have a great track reco...   Aug 19 2007, 05:37 AM
|- - tty   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Aug 19 2007, 07:37...   Aug 19 2007, 07:01 PM
- - djellison   Or the CONTOUR kick stage Doug   Aug 19 2007, 07:48 PM
- - Jim from NSF.com   Or the two HS-376's on PAM's of STS 41-B ...   Aug 20 2007, 11:36 AM
- - nprev   Hmm. Doug & Jim, if you had to shoot from the ...   Aug 21 2007, 02:52 AM
- - John Whitehead   Here are some comments about "how to get off ...   Sep 19 2007, 12:07 AM
|- - Jim from NSF.com   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Sep 18 2007, 08:0...   Oct 16 2007, 11:09 AM
- - monitorlizard   mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/Announcements/Stern_MEPAG_Summa...   Oct 14 2007, 02:15 PM
- - John Whitehead   Thanks to monitorlizard for pointing out the Sep24...   Oct 16 2007, 03:25 AM
- - monitorlizard   "There's essentially nothing out there th...   Oct 16 2007, 12:34 PM
- - monitorlizard   Rats! I see I'm off by a factor of ten in...   Oct 16 2007, 01:07 PM
- - John Whitehead   "Jim from NSF.com" noted earlier today t...   Oct 16 2007, 11:50 PM
- - nprev   It seems that for sake of economy and simplicity a...   Oct 17 2007, 12:16 AM
- - monitorlizard   I concede now that I was way off with the ASAT ide...   Oct 17 2007, 12:00 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (monitorlizard @ Oct 17 2007, 01:00...   Oct 17 2007, 01:10 PM
- - John Whitehead   You're right, nprev, that a solid first stage ...   Oct 17 2007, 06:51 PM
|- - Jim from NSF.com   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Oct 17 2007, 02:5...   Oct 18 2007, 12:34 AM
||- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (Jim from NSF.com @ Oct 18 2007, 12...   Oct 19 2007, 01:10 AM
|- - nprev   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Oct 17 2007, 11:5...   Oct 18 2007, 01:21 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (nprev @ Oct 18 2007, 01:21 AM) Joh...   Oct 18 2007, 01:41 AM
|- - tty   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Oct 18 2007, 03:4...   Oct 18 2007, 08:35 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (tty @ Oct 18 2007, 08:35 AM) That ...   Oct 18 2007, 11:42 PM
- - nprev   Thanks, John. Hmm...sounds like a real challenge ...   Oct 18 2007, 01:51 AM
- - hendric   There are some hybrid rockets, that have a solid f...   Oct 18 2007, 09:44 PM
- - nprev   Hate to even bring this up, but it sure seems like...   Oct 19 2007, 12:59 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (nprev @ Oct 19 2007, 12:59 AM) Hat...   Oct 19 2007, 01:26 AM
|- - JRehling   [...]   Oct 19 2007, 05:30 AM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (nprev @ Oct 19 2007, 01:59 AM) a h...   Oct 19 2007, 07:27 AM
|- - Mark Adler   QUOTE (djellison @ Oct 19 2007, 12:27 AM)...   Nov 4 2007, 11:52 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (Mark Adler @ Nov 4 2007, 11:52 PM)...   Nov 5 2007, 07:59 AM
- - ElkGroveDan   And wouldn't you know it, I bet there isn...   Nov 5 2007, 02:19 AM
- - dvandorn   I dunno, Dan -- the last MSR concept I saw (back i...   Nov 5 2007, 07:04 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Nov 5 2007, 07:04 AM) ....   Nov 8 2007, 01:54 AM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Nov 7 2007, 08:54...   Nov 8 2007, 08:09 AM
|- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Nov 8 2007, 12:09 AM) T...   Nov 8 2007, 02:44 PM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Nov 8 2007, 08:09 AM) ....   Nov 8 2007, 08:04 PM
- - PhilCo126   Well, don't want to start any debates but reme...   Nov 5 2007, 11:12 AM
|- - ElkGroveDan   QUOTE (PhilCo126 @ Nov 5 2007, 03:12 AM) ...   Nov 5 2007, 03:11 PM
- - PhilCo126   Indeed an awkard looking spacecraft and this ...   Nov 5 2007, 07:46 PM
- - nprev   Might be worth considering & contrasting US ...   Nov 6 2007, 02:08 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (nprev @ Nov 6 2007, 02:08 AM) Migh...   Nov 7 2007, 11:09 PM
|- - AndyG   QUOTE (John Whitehead @ Nov 7 2007, 11:09...   Nov 8 2007, 09:43 AM
|- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (AndyG @ Nov 8 2007, 01:43 AM) I...   Nov 8 2007, 02:28 PM
- - nprev   Fascinating & ingenious; really doing more wit...   Nov 8 2007, 01:31 AM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (nprev @ Nov 8 2007, 01:31 AM) ...i...   Nov 8 2007, 02:27 AM
- - algorimancer   There's been discussion elsewhere of the conce...   Nov 8 2007, 02:28 PM
|- - John Whitehead   QUOTE (algorimancer @ Nov 8 2007, 02:28 P...   Nov 8 2007, 08:27 PM
- - nprev   Understood. KISS has to be the guiding principle h...   Nov 9 2007, 03:05 AM
- - mcaplinger   QUOTE (nprev @ Nov 8 2007, 07:05 PM) KISS...   Nov 9 2007, 04:53 AM
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