InSight mission Options

[Paolo]

the GEMS Discovery finalist has been renamed InSight and now has its own website: http://insight.jpl.nasa.gov/

[antipode]

Any word on a launch vehicle? An Atlas V seems kind of overkill.

NASA just bought 3 Delta II launches after most people though it was all over for that vehicle.
I believe there are still 2 left, so I guess its possible that InSight might find a ride on a DII.

[SFJCody]

Following on from the earlier active seismic experiment suggestion, would the following idea have any merit whatsoever?


By the time InSight has landed on Mars the Falcon Heavy should have started operations. Falcon Heavy has a TMI capability of approx 17 tonnes
(mininum energy). Let's say that you want something better than minimum energy (as the aim is to maximize the velocity with which the impactor spacecraft intercepts Mars) and restrict the spacecraft to a mere 10 tonnes. Maybe a shorter direct flight would be best to set this up, maybe something more intricate involving multiple Venus & Earth 'gravity assists' would be preferable. Anyway, the capability exists, what about the spacecraft? I suppose it must be the opposite of most EDL designs. By this I mean that the aim is not to safely decelerate your vehicle but to smash into the ground with as much of the velocity you entered the atmosphere with as possible. Rather than a wide gumdrop shape you would want a sleek aerodynamic cylindrical shape like a rocket. You would want to enter the atmosphere perpendicular to the surface of the planet. You would favour high altitude regions over low altitude ones. Lastly, you would want a vehicle that is as dense as can be achieved. I suggest making the impactor out of depleted uranium because it's much cheaper than tungsten. So, a ten tonne metal cylinder hitting the surface of Mars at tens of km/s. Should make a nice bang!

For a twofer, the spacecraft could be targeted to mid-latitude areas suspected of having ice within metres of the surface and the resultant impact crater could be examined by HiRISE.