Mars Sample Return |
Mars Sample Return |
Mar 31 2024, 10:45 PM
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#541
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Member Group: Members Posts: 222 Joined: 14-January 22 Member No.: 9140 |
I would add that docking in Mars orbit is something new. That would make Mars EDL and Mars orbit docking new.
Agreed, almost nothing here seems truly new, but some aspects, like ERO, are operations that have been accomplished before, but have new parameters in this case. Rather than say that there are four completely original actions required here, it's more like six or seven that have been done before but have some new element or factor here. Is ERO from Mars orbit really harder than from an asteroid? Seems like no – just a little. And given that two sample returns to Earth have had technical issues, it highlights that none of this is without significant risk. It really seems like it's all quite doable – just a lot of new and newish risks in a sequence that has to be pretty infallible or those Perseverance samples end up somewhere we'd never get them back. |
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Apr 1 2024, 05:59 AM
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#542
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Member Group: Members Posts: 235 Joined: 28-October 12 Member No.: 6732 |
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Apr 13 2024, 02:50 AM
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#543
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2074 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
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Yesterday, 05:35 PM
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#544
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 99 Joined: 17-September 07 Member No.: 3901 |
About 15 minutes into the news conference, NASA Associate Administrator for Science Nicky Fox mentioned that one way to reduce MSR cost would be a smaller MAV. About time.
On the other hand, in subsequent Q&A she said no time for technology breakthroughs, must rely on high-heritage technologies. They plan to solicit new mission ideas from industry and NASA centers (as has been done multiple times over multiple past decades). About a half hour after the start of the news conference, the Washington Post reporter pointed out the seeming contradiction between "whole new approach" and "heritage technology." (submitted here about halfway through the news conference) |
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Yesterday, 08:56 PM
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#545
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Member Group: Members Posts: 222 Joined: 14-January 22 Member No.: 9140 |
About a half hour after the start of the news conference, the Washington Post reporter pointed out the seeming contradiction between "whole new approach" and "heritage technology." It would seem clear from the context that "whole new" means applicable technologies new to this specific mission plan and "heritage" means applicable technologies established previously in the history of spaceflight. So there's no contradiction, but it remains open if the intersection between the two sets might be the empty set. The Washington Post writeup (behind a firewall for non-subscribers) doesn't mention this question, but quotes Bill Nelson as saying that: 1) A previously-projected cost increase from ~$4B to ~$10B is unacceptable. 2) A previously-projected delay to a 2040 return is unacceptable. Further quotations from Nicky Fox, Scott Hubbard, and Bethany Ehlmann play out the dialectic that a cheaper outside-the-box solution that doesn't increase risk is desirable; desiring that doesn't mean that such a solution exists; but they are seeking such a solution now. |
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Today, 04:33 AM
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#546
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Member Group: Members Posts: 235 Joined: 28-October 12 Member No.: 6732 |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 16th April 2024 - 01:27 PM |
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