Mars Sample Return |
Mars Sample Return |
Apr 7 2006, 07:32 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 370 Joined: 12-September 05 From: France Member No.: 495 |
Next phase reached in definition of Mars Sample Return mission
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJAGNFGLE_index_0.html |
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Nov 8 2007, 01:31 AM
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#2
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Fascinating & ingenious; really doing more with less. Thanks, John!
Maybe the way to approach this is to design a mission based on what we know we can do, rather then what we hope to be able to develop. (This is not meant to limit technological advance, but instead to constrain the problem). For example, if we assume direct EDL and payload DTE return, this simplifies the mission requirements considerably in some ways but possibly complicates them in others (one being the ability to meet really tight launch windows from Mars to Earth). Just throwin' that out there... -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Nov 8 2007, 02:27 AM
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#3
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 99 Joined: 17-September 07 Member No.: 3901 |
...if we assume direct EDL and payload DTE return, this simplifies the mission requirements considerably in some ways but possibly complicates them in others.... Small-scale rocket engineering would blossom if NASA decided to build a direct-to-earth Mars ascent vehicle. And I'm a rocket technology person, so I should promote that, right? But the MAV would be multiple tons, not just because of the 40 percent higher velocity, but also to lift an interplanetary spacecraft instead of a sample canister. Solar power, pointing a high gain antenna to earth, midcourse corrections, earth entry capsule, etc. would all have to be launched off of Mars. In addition, the gigantic Mars lander needed to put such a beastly MAV down on Mars, is another whole unsolved problem. Over 10 years ago, JPL had preliminary design efforts for a DTE MAV because autonomous orbital rendezvous was understood to be an unsolved problem. In early 1997 I had a chance to talk with Donna Shirley, a manager on the rover team who later wrote a book, Managing Martians. I remember saying to her that anyone who solves the rendezvous problem would be making a far greater contribution (to MSR) than any rocket engineer ever could. Since then there has been progress on rendezvous, but no real money dedicated to MAV technology. No money for a team of miniature launch vehicle experts means there is no one around to recognize that it actually needs work. John W. |
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