Mission and vehicle concepts are discussed for obtaining surface and subsurface samples of Mars, acquired by a roving vehicle, and returning those samples to earth for detailed analyses in scientific laboratories. Mission options that were traded off in order to arrive at a baseline mission considered most worthy of further study comprised the following: (1) direct entry vs entry out of Mars orbit; (2) direct return from the Mars surface vs rendezvous in Mars orbit and return to earth from there; and (3) propulsive orbit injection and aeroballistic entry (similar to Viking) vs aerocapture into Mars orbit and aeromaneuvering entry. After a comparison of relative merits - based primarily on mass and cost estimates and secondarily on configurational constraints - a baseline mission was selected: out-of-orbit entry, return after Mars orbit rendezvous, and aerocapture/aeromaneuvering. Trajectory design is based on the 1996 launch opportunity. Launch mass requirements for eight mission options, a mission and vehicle description for the baseline mission, and the outline of a mission sequence of events are presented.
A Mars sample return mission using a rover for sample acquisition
1985-01-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Mars Rover Sample Return Mission
NTRS | 1988
Mars Rover Sample Return mission
AIAA | 1989
|Mars Rover Sample Return mission
NTRS | 1989
|Mars Rover Sample Return mission study
NTRS | 1989
|Mars Rover/Sample Return mission definition
NTRS | 1989
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