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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

A Phobos-Deimos Mission as an Element of the NASA Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0

NASA has conducted a series of mission studies over the past 25 years examining the eventual exploration of the surface of Mars by humans. The latest version of this evolutionary series of design reference missions/architectures - Design Reference Architecture 5 or DRA-5 - was completed in 2007. This paper examines the implications of including a human mission to explore the moons of Mars and teleoperate robots in various locations, but not to land the human crews on Mars, as an element of this reference architecture. Such a mission has been proposed several times during this same 25 year evolution leading up to the completion of DRA-5 primarily as a mission of testing the in-space vehicles and operations while surface vehicles and landers are under development. But such a precursor or test mission has never been explicitly included as an element of this Architecture. This paper will first summarize the key features of the DRA-5 to provide context for the remainder of the assessment. This will include a description of the in-space vehicles that would be the subject of a shakedown test during the Mars orbital mission. A decision tree will be used to illustrate the factors that will be analyzed, and the sequence in which they will be addressed, for this assessment. The factors that will be analyzed include the type of interplanetary transfer orbit (opposition class versus conjunction class), the type of parking orbit (circular versus elliptical), and the type of propulsion technology (high thrust chemical versus nuclear thermal rocket). The manner in which each of these factors impacts an individual mission will be described. In addition to the direct impact of these factors, additional considerations impacting crew health and overall programmatic outcomes will be discussed. Numerical results for each of the factors in the decision tree will be grouped with derived qualitative impacts from crew health and programmatic consideration. These quantitative and qualitative results will be summarized in a pros/cons table as a summary for this analysis.

Hoffman, Stephen J.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Precursor Asteroid Missions and Synergies to Human Exploration of Phobos and Deimos

U.S. President Obama stated on April 15, 2010 that the next goal for human spaceflight will be to send human beings to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025 and then on to the Martian system in the 2030s. Given this direction from the White House, NASA has been involved in studying various strategies for near-Earth object (NEO) exploration in order to follow U.S. space exploration policy. These missions would be the first human expeditions to interplanetary bodies beyond the Earth-Moon system and would prove useful for testing technologies required for human missions to Mars and its moons, as well as other Solar System destinations. Robotic precursor missions to NEOs would undoubtedly provide a great deal of technical and engineering data on spacecraft operations for future human space exploration while conducting in-depth scientific investigations of these primitive objects. In addition, the resulting scientific investigations would refine designs for future extraterrestrial resource extraction and utilization, which may play a vital role in leveraging potential resources from the Martian moons that in turn could enable robotic and human exploration of Mars.

Abell, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2018

Phase 1 Study for the Phobos L1 Operational Tether Experiment (PHLOTE)

NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program selected the PHLOTE mission proposal for a 2017 Phase 1 study. This PHLOTE study provides a credible example of an innovative mission architecture that can be used to enable many future missions throughout the solar system.One of the key Phase 1 deliverables identified in the PHLOTE proposal is this Study Report which is derived from the PHLOTE Concept of Operations (ConOps) Document developed during the study. The PHLOTE ConOps describes the PHLOTE mission and also provides a key systems engineering document to support future mission development.Since this report was produced as part of a NIAC feasibility study, it is intended to be publicly released at the completion of the NIAC study. Significant support was provided through the collaboration of NASA and PHLOTE team members from Space Technology And Research (STAR) Inc. and from the Clouds Architecture Office (Clouds AO). The NASA team was supported by summer and fall interns from five separate universities.

Kempton, Kevin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Study of the Curation Protocol by Sample Analysis Working Team (SAWT) in Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Project

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch a spacecraft in 2024 for a sample return mission from Phobos (Martian Moons eXploration: MMX). The major scientific goals of MMX are to constrain (1) the origin of Phobos and Deimos and (2) the evolution of the Mars-moon system [1]. The touchdown operations are planned to be performed twice at different landing sites on the Phobos surface to collect > 10 g of the surface materials [2]. After the return to the Earth, the Phobos samples will be collected from the individual sample canisters and introduced to the clean chamber installed at ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). The Sample Analysis Working Team (SAWT) of MMX designed the procedure of Phobos sample analysis mainly conducted by the initial analysis teams [3]. For the next step, the SAWT will define the procedure of the curation process (mostly non-destructive analysis) of the Phobos samples, which will be presented here. The protocols of the Phobos sample curation is illustrated in figure 1. First, the headspace gas from the sample container will be collected during the Quick Analysis phase. The Quick Analysis will be operated by the sampler and curation teams in ISAS/JAXA. The terrestrial leak and contamination from the sampling systems will be tested using a quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a gas sampling system. Second, the bulk Phobos sample will be observed in the clean chamber under purified-N2 gas with an ambient condition (Pre-basic Characterization). This phase will be operated by the curation team in ISAS/JAXA and the instrument team of the MMX mission. The consistency between the data from the instruments in the clean chamber and the spacecraft will then be evaluated. Subsequently, the curation will distribute the small amount of Phobos samples to the Initial analysis team of MMX to conduct the "Preliminary Examination". The objectives of the preliminary examination are to provide (1) feedback on the subsequent sample allocation process, (2) preliminary scientific results that will address parts of MMX mission goals, and (3) evaluation of the sampling system and terrestrial alteration on Phobos samples. Because multiple models are proposed for the origin of Phobos [1] (e.g., giant impact, the capture of asteroids), the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of Phobos must be assessed before the allocation of the samples to the individual initial analysis teams. Simultaneously, the curation team in JAXA will observe the individual grains and aliquots of the samples in the clean chamber (Basic Characterization).

R Fukai↗
NASA NTRS1992

Satellites of Mars - Geologic history

The small, irregularly shaped satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, provide the most detailed view of the geomorphic forms and processes important on small solar system bodies. The satellites appear to be very similar in composition, strongly resembling carbonaceous asteroids; however, recent groundbased spectra suggest that their surfaces have little bound or interlayer water. Despite their similar compositions, sizes and environments, Phobos and Deimos have radically different surface features. Phobos is densely covered by craters that are nearly lunar in appearance; Deimos' craters are subdued and largely filled in by debris. Phobos shows only local downslope movement of regolith; Deimos has it on a global scale. Phobos is criss-crossed by linear depressions; Deimos has none. Crater ejecta appear to be retained near their sources on Phobos while the ejecta are widespread on Deimos. The reasons for the differences between the satellites are not known; imaging of asteroids should tell us which, if either, satellite is typical of the many small bodies that populate the asteroid belt.

Thomas, P.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) for the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX)

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will focus on the exploration of the two Martian moons – Phobos and Deimos (Figure 1). The spacecraft will perform close-up remote sensing and observations of both moons and collect a sample from Phobos for Earth sample return. MMX has set the two mission goals: (1) determining the origin of the Martian moons and (2) observing processes in the circumplanetary environment of Mars, based on remote sensing, in-situ observations, and laboratory analyses of returned samples of Phobos regolith [1-2]. To fulfill the mission goals, MMX employs a double sampling approach: Coring and Pneumatic Samplers (Figure 2).The Coring Sampler (C-Sampler), a core soil tube deployed by a robotic arm, providing access to the building blocks of Phobos beneath the surface (>2 cm), and also collect a mixture of near surface material. The P-Sampler, on the other hand, would selectively sample the surface veneer and provides reference of surface component with the C-Sampler. The double sampling system not only enhances the scientific merits of MMX but also reduces risks associated with the sampling of Phobos. Without enough knowledge of the physical and chemical properties, and the geotechnical conditions of the surface of Phobos (e.g., compositions, temperature gradient/variation, porosity, grain size distribution), having two sampling systems that utilize entirely different sampling approaches is prudent.

Dylan Van Dyne↗