Strategies to collect dust from Mars atmosphere are discussed. The mission concept is based on the fact that in the vicinity of the martian perihelion, great dust storms obstruct the atmosphere completely, throwing particles up to 60 km altitude. In the first approach the probe can gather dust from an elliptical orbit around Mars, and it stays in orbit for 2 years waiting for the storms and for the return-window opportunity toward Earth. In the second approach the dust catcher is a fly-by spacecraft, which skims the upper martian atmosphere with high navigation accuracy. The first option has definite advantages in spite of the larger propulsion required.


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    Title :

    Mars Dust Sample Return Mission


    Contributors:
    O. Grosjean (author)

    Publication date :

    1984


    Size :

    41 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




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