David W. Beaty

Human exploration of Mars, Design Reference Architecture 5.0

This paper provides a summary of the 2007 Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0 (DRA 5.0) [1], which is the latest in a series of NASA Mars reference missions. It provides a vision of one potential approach to human Mars exploration, including how Constellation systems could be used. The strategy and example implementation concepts that are described here should not be viewed as constituting a formal plan for the human exploration of Mars, but rather provide a common framework for future planning of systems concepts, technology development, and operational testing as well as potential Mars robotic missions, research that is conducted on the International Space Station, and future potential lunar exploration missions. This summary of the Mars DRA 5.0 provides an overview of the overall mission approach, surface strategy and exploration goals, as well as the key systems and challenges for the first three concepts for human missions to Mars.1,2

Mars Sedimentary Geology: Key Concepts and Outstanding Questions

Processes that operate at planetary surfaces have the potential to record a history of planetary evolution in the form of sedimentary rocks. This is important because our experience on Earth shows that sediments and sedimentary rocks are the dominant archive of high-resolution proxies of present and past tectonic, climatic, and biological processes. Our understanding of the evolution of Earth’s very ancient climate and paleobiological records derives from detailed examination of the mineralogical, textural, and geochemical signatures preserved in the sedimentary rock record. Sedimentary rocks were first recognized on Mars less than a decade ago (Malin and Edgett, 2000). Recent interpretations of data collected by the Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft have confirmed the surprising abundance of these sedimentary rocks, the past role of water on the martian surface, and the similarity—in some cases—to sedimentary rocks formed on Earth. Thick sulfaterich deposits invite comparison to terrestrial evaporites (Grotzinger et al., 2005). In other cases, clay-rich strata are interpreted as the terminal deposits of source-to-sink systems with well-developed fluvial networks in the upper reaches of watersheds that date back to a much wetter period in Mars’ earliest history (Ehlmann et al., 2008; Metz et al., 2009). However, these Earth-like depositional systems contrast with other deposits that may be unique in the Solar System: for example, vast terrains as large as Earth’s continents covered by thick veneers of strata that may derive entirely from settling out of wind-transported dust (Bridges et al., 2010). Whatever their origin, it is now clear that the sedimentary rocks of Mars represent a new frontier for research. Mars science is in its golden era of exploration—the past decade of orbiter and landed missions has produced an extraordinary amount of new data relevant to the analysis of sediments and sedimentary rocks, and robust international programs exist for future missions. To help stimulate discussion of these data, the First International Conference on Mars Sedimentology and Stratigraphy was convened in El Paso, Texas, in April 2010. The contents of this white paper represent the most significant findings of the conference, with additional information provided by the coauthors, and focus on seven key questions for future investigation by the sedimentary geology community.

Planning for Mars Returned Sample Science: Final Report of the MSR End-to-End International Science Analysis Group (E2E-iSAG)

Returning samples from Mars to Earth for scientific analysis has been, and continues to be, among the highest priority objectives of planetary science. Partly for this reason, the 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey placed high priority on a proposed 2018 rover mission that would conduct careful in situ science and use that scientific information to select and cache samples that could be returned to Earth by a potential future mission. In order to ensure that the potential contributions of the 2018 rover to the proposed MSR Campaign are properly planned, this study was undertaken to consider the science of the MSR Campaign concept from end to end. This white paper is the principal output of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) End-to-End International Science Analysis Group (E2E-iSAG): a group chartered by MEPAG (Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group).

Key Scientific Questions and Key Investigations from the First International Conference on Martian Phyllosilicates

Minerals and their occurrences can tell us about the chemistry, pressure, and temperatures of past environments on Mars and thus allow inferences about the potential for habitability. Thanks to recent space exploration, a new vision is emerging wherein Mars hosted environmental conditions of potential astrobiological relevance. This epoch is identified by the presence of phyllosilicate-bearing deposits, which are generally contained in very ancient basement rocks. In October 2008, over 100 planetary scientists representing 11 countries met in Paris to assess and discuss the relevance of martian phyllosilicates. The conference was structured to promote the discussion and debate of key scientific questions and key essential investigations. The purpose of this report is to document the current state of knowledge related to martian phyllosilicates and to ascertain which questions remain to be addressed: What are the basic characteristics of the phyllosilicate minerals on Mars? What are the genetic mechanisms by which phyllosilicate minerals have formed on Mars? What is the relationship between the phyllosilicate minerals observed in martian meteorites and those detected from orbit? What are the implications of phyllosilicate-bearing rocks for the development of prebiotic chemistry and the preservation of biosignatures? The most promising investigations to address these questions are presented.

Two Rovers to the Same Site on Mars, 2018: Possibilities for Cooperative Science

Within the framework of the proposed joint NASA/ ESA 2018 mission to Mars, the 2-Rover International Science Analysis Group (2R-iSAG) committee was convened by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) to evaluate the potential for incremental science return through the simultaneous operation at the same landing site of two rovers, specifically, ESA’s ExoMars and a NASA-sourced rover concept designated here as MAX-C (Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher). The group was asked to consider collaborative science opportunities from two perspectives: (1) no change to either rover and (2) some change allowed. As presently planned and envisioned, the ExoMars and MAX-C rovers would have complementary scientific objectives and payloads. Initiated in 2002 and currently approved for launch in 2018, ESA’s ExoMars has the following scientific objectives: (1) to search for signs of past and present life and (2) to characterize the subsurface in terms of its physical structure, the presence of water/ice, and its geochemistry. The payload selected to achieve these goals is centered on the ability to obtain samples from the subsurface with a 2 m drill. The payload comprises panoramic and high-resolution cameras and a close-up imager (microscope) as well as a ground-penetrating radar to characterize the surface and subsurface environment and to choose relevant sites for drilling. Infrared spectroscopy would provide downhole mineralogy, while the mineralogy of the drilled materials would be obtained by IR/Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Laser desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry would determine the composition of organic molecules, including any chiral preference in molecular structure. A life marker chip is designed to detect and identify markers of fossil or extant life. The currently proposed objectives of MAX-C are to cache suitable samples from well-characterized sites that might contain evidence of past life and prebiotic chemistry in preparation for a possible future Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. The emphasis is on detailed site evaluation to determine the potential for past habitability and preservation of physical and chemical biosignatures. The strawman payload (which has not been selected) is therefore likely to include instrumentation for surface characterization, for example: an abrading tool; a 5 cm drill; a panoramic camera and near-IR spectrometer; a set of armmounted instruments capable of interrogating the abraded surfaces by creating co-registered 2-D maps of visual texture, major element geochemistry, mineralogy, and organic geochemistry; and a rock core acquisition, encapsulation, and caching system. The value of collaborative activity can only be judged with respect to a stated scientific objective. To this end, the previously stated objectives of ExoMars and MAX-C as independent entities have been analyzed for significant common aspects. We conclude that these two rovers have two crucial shared objectives that could, in fact, form the basis of highly significant collaborative exploration activity. We therefore propose the following set of shared scientific objectives for a 2018 dual rover mission that consists of both a shared component and an independent component.

Planning Considerations for a Mars Sample Receiving Facility: Summary and Interpretation of Three Design Studies

It has been widely understood for many years that an essential component of a Mars Sample Return mission is a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF). The purpose of such a facility would be to take delivery of the flight hardware that lands on Earth, open the spacecraft and extract the sample container and samples, and conduct an agreed-upon test protocol, while ensuring strict containment and contamination control of the samples while in the SRF. Any samples that are found to be non-hazardous (or are rendered non-hazardous by sterilization) would then be transferred to long-term curation. Although the general concept of an SRF is relatively straightforward, there has been considerable discussion about implementation planning. The Mars Exploration Program carried out an analysis of the attributes of an SRF to establish its scope, including minimum size and functionality, budgetary requirements (capital cost, operating costs, cost profile), and development schedule. The approach was to arrange for three independent design studies, each led by an architectural design firm, and compare the results. While there were many design elements in common identified by each study team, there were significant differences in the way human operators were to interact with the systems. In aggregate, the design studies provided insight into the attributes of a future SRF and the complex factors to consider for future programmatic planning.

Mars Deep Drill - A Mission Concept for the Next Decade

In the not too distant future, NASA may consider sending a robotic mission to Mars to drill tens of meters below the surface to search for evidence of life. Mars science groups, including NASAs Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), have repeatedly concluded that in situ scientific analyses of samples from significant depths below the surface are important for understanding Mars in general and for searching for evidence of past or present life in particular. Furthermore, there are several ongoing technology developments for relevant drills, the readiness of which seem promising for use by the second decade of this century. By accessing and analyzing material from tens of meters below the surface, in situ science investigations may help answer some important questions about Mars, in particular about whether life ever existed there. Drilling is a proven technique for terrestrial applications that appears viable for accessing Martian subsurface samples and bringing them to the surface for analysis by a variety of instruments. An end-to-end mission concept for a Deep Drill mission has been developed and appears feasible for launch in the next decade.

Conference summary: life detection in extraterrestrial samples.

In February 2012, a conference was convened at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, on the subject of life detection in extraterrestrial samples (program and abstracts available at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/ lifedetection2012). The aim of the conference was to explore the kinds of tools, methods, and approaches necessary for detecting evidence of life in extraterrestrial samples, including those that arrive on Earth by natural processes and those that are deliberately returned by engineered missions. Samples that might be returned from Mars by a future mission were a primary topic of interest. Presentations and discussions at the conference drew upon diverse fields of research, including meteorite studies, modern and ancient terrestrial analog studies, studies of samples returned by past lunar and comet sample return missions, studies of modern traces of life on Earth, and studies of the facilities needed to conduct this kind of research. The conference program was organized with extensive discussion sessions. This report summarizes the results of the conference. The topic of life detection was examined from two different but partially overlapping perspectives: the ‘‘science perspective’’ arising from the desire to know whether life ever arose on Mars and the ‘‘planetary protection perspective’’ arising from the need to protect our own planet from contamination by any potentially harmful living extraterrestrial organisms that may be contained in returned samples. The former relates to detection of any kind of evidence of either ancient or present-day life, whereas the latter is concerned with evidence of present-day viable organisms. A review of the topic of life detection is timely given the scope of recent advances in life-detection studies on Earth, the publication of the National Research Council’s Planetary Science Decadal Survey (which identified seeking the signs of life via Mars sample return (MSR) as its highest priority in the flagship class of missions; National Research Council, 2011), as well as the strategic emphasis within both NASA and ESA on life detection. One of the primary approaches to life detection is via the study of extraterrestrial samples, although other astrobiological approaches also exist. In the case of a potential MSR campaign, significant forward planning is required to ensure best possible practices are implemented throughout the campaign (iMARS Working Group, 2008; MEPAG E2E-iSAG, 2012): from the design and operation of a sample collection rover to containment and preservation of samples in transit, and appropriate handling and analysis of the samples after they have returned to Earth. The array of planned or possible life-detection strategies and measurements has implications for virtually every aspect of a sample return campaign. Thus, it is critical to understand these strategies and measurements well in advance to avoid compromising the fundamental scientific objectives and planetary protection requirements of an MSR campaign. Much of the discussion summarized below assumed MSR would be a robotic endeavor. However, the mission may ultimately involve humans rather than robots. In that case, some aspects of laboratory analyses and sample handling may need to be reassessed. The conference was also an introduction to a subsequent planetary protection workshop dealing specifically with the planetary protection test protocol.

The NASA Mars 2020 Rover Mission and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Abstract The NASA Mars 2020 rover mission will explore an astrobiologically relevant martian site to investigate regional geology, evaluate past habitability, seek signs of ancient life, and assemble a returnable cache of samples. The spacecraft is based on successful heritage design of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, but includes a new scientific payload and other advanced capabilities. The Mars 2020 science payload features the first two Raman spectrometers on Mars, the first microfocus X-ray fluorescence instrument, the first ground-penetrating radar, an infrared spectrometer, an upgraded microscopic and stereo context cameras and weather station, and a demonstration unit for oxygen production on Mars. The instrument suite combines visible and multispectral imaging with coordinated measurements of chemistry and mineralogy, from the submillimeter to the regional scale. Using the data acquired by the science instruments as a guide, the team will collect core samples of rock and regolith selected to represent the geologic diversity of the landing site and maximize the potential for future Earth-based analyses to answer fundamental questions in astrobiology and planetary science. These samples will be drilled, hermetically sealed, and cached on the martian surface for possible retrieval and return to Earth by future missions. The Mars 2020 spacecraft is designed and built according to an unprecedented set of biological, organic, and inorganic cleanliness requirements to maximize the scientific value of this sample suite. Here, we present the scientific vision for the Mars 2020 mission, provide an overview of the analytic capabilities of the science payload, and discuss how Mars 2020 seeks to further our understanding of habitability, biosignatures, and possibility of life beyond Earth.

Developing an Updated, Integrated Understanding of Mars

More than 650 scientists from 21 countries gathered in mid‐July at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to debate and examine the status of our exploration of the Red Planet. Since the Seventh International Conference on Mars in 2007, seven Mars missions— Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit/Opportunity), Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phoenix, and Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)—have been returning data, augmented by telescopic observations, studies of Martian meteorites, laboratory work, and modeling studies.