Martian Cave Probe?, Designs for the DEEP Search for Life |
Martian Cave Probe?, Designs for the DEEP Search for Life |
Nov 14 2007, 12:18 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1229 Joined: 24-December 05 From: The blue one in between the yellow and red ones. Member No.: 618 |
Does anyone consider it worthwhile to speculate on how we might explore Martian caves or lava tubes for the traces of life - past or present? I have not yet run across any 'official' proposals for "spelunker probes", so perhaps we could have some fun and get in on the ground floor with some feasible early designs. With the engineering and scientific expertise we have at UMSF we should be able to whittle down the possible features for such a rover to a practical core. If the planned surface scrapers and drillers don't turn up conclusive evidence to answer The Big Question, can we justify a search of the Martian Underground?
I can envisage a RTG-powered rover that enters a cave, or rappels down a skylight opening, leaving a base communication stage outside connected to it with a fiber-optic umbilical cable. Some form of laser or other illumination - in the visible and/or infrared - would presumably be required. How many of the MSL instruments could be included? What novel instruments would be appropriate? What is the optimal size and mobility design? 'Do we yet have 'hot' prospects for accessible caves? How should we choose the best candidates? We can leave this to some JPL bright spark to develop, or we can dive right in. Any takers? -------------------- My Grandpa goes to Mars every day and all I get are these lousy T-shirts!
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Nov 22 2007, 07:25 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1229 Joined: 24-December 05 From: The blue one in between the yellow and red ones. Member No.: 618 |
Scouting is good. Expensive is bad. But good and bad are subjective, and infinitely malleable, so you always have to specify: "Compared to what?"
Scouting from orbit can be very cheap compared to scouting close to the ground, so if possible we scout from orbit. We should be able to see openings to the Underworld bigger than a breadbox, but what else can we scout? Probably not detailed isotopic composition of gases at the opening. For that we need to get closer; a surface rover takes too long to scout more than one opening, and why not send it into the opening? A flyer could visit multiple openings, but how will it fare down low in Mars' atmospheric roller coaster? (I don't like to even think about a balloon!) If we don't scout up any marked gaseous clues, does that rule out life in the caves? What if Martian beasties don't belch out methane? What can subsurface radar tell you about micro-organisms clinging to the walls of a cave? Scouting is good, but it's not necessarily cheap or easy, nor can it guarantee success. We can select more promising caves on the basis of elevation, probable depth and extent, proximity to geothermal warmth, etc., but in the end we still have to roll the dice and send Shelob on her mission of exploration. -------------------- My Grandpa goes to Mars every day and all I get are these lousy T-shirts!
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