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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Flow-Measurement Probes Fabricated And Assembled

As an alternative to conventional tubing instrumentation for measuring airflow, designers and technicians at the NASA Glenn Research Center have been fabricating packaging components and assembling a set of unique probes using commercial-off-the-shelf microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) integrated circuits (computer chips). Using MEMS as an alternative has some compelling advantages over standard measurement devices. Sensor technologies have matured through high-production usage in industries such as automotive and aircraft manufacturers. Currently, MEMS are the choice in applications such as tire pressure monitors, altimeters, pneumatic controls, cable leak detectors, and consumer appliances. Conventional instrumentation uses tubing buried in the model aerodynamic surfaces or wind tunnel walls. The measurements are made when pressure is introduced at the tube opening. The pressure then must travel the tubing for lengths ranging from 20 to hundreds of feet before reaching an electronic signal conditioner. This condition causes a considerable amount of damping and requires measurements to be made only after the test rig has reached steady-state operation. The electronic MEMS pressure sensor is able to take readings continuously under dynamic states in nearly real time. The use of stainless steel tubing for pressure measurements requires many tubes to be cleaned, cut to length, carefully installed, and delicately deburred and spliced for use. A cluster of a few hundred 1/16-in.- (0.0625-in.-) diameter tubes (not uncommon in research testing facilities) can be several inches in diameter and may weigh enough to require two men to handle. Replacing hard tubing with electronic chips can eliminate much of the bulk. Each sensor would fit on the tip of the 1/16-in. tubing with room to spare. The P592 piezoresistive silicon pressure sensor (Lucas NovaSensor, Fremont, CA) was chosen for this project because of its cost, availability, and tolerance to extreme ambient conditions. The chip is 1 mm square by 0.6 mm thick (0.039 by 0.023 in.) with 0.12-mm (0.005-in.) wire connection tabs. Three MEMS chips were used to build the first type of flow-angularity probe. This MEMS probe will be demonstrated as an alternative to a standard tube type "Cobra Probe" now used routinely in wind tunnel and aeronautical hardware applications. The response time and accuracy would allow the probe to be translated on an actuator across a flow field, yielding precision dynamic measurements not possible with conventional instrumentation. The low profile, the minimal power requirement, the rugged construction, and the moderate cost all contribute to making MEMS sensors the enticing choice instrument in future research measurement needs. The MEMS probe efforts are a continuation of work initiated by Brian Willis, without whose foresight and efforts this project would never have been realized. This task was funded through cooperation with the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Redding, Chip↗
NASA NTRS1997

Smoldering News From STS-77 Endeavour

The Microgravity Smoldering Combustion (MSC) experiment lifted off aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour for its second flight in May 1996, as part of the STS-77 mission. This experiment is part of a series of studies focused on the smolder characteristics of porous combustible materials in a microgravity environment. Smoldering is a nonflaming form of combustion that takes place in the interior of combustible materials. Common examples of smoldering are nonflaming embers, charcoal briquettes, and cigarettes. The objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of the controlling mechanisms of smoldering in microgravity and normal Earth gravity (1g). As with other forms of combustion, gravity affects the availability of air and transport of heat, and therefore, the rate of combustion. The results of the microgravity experiments will be compared with identical ones carried out in 1g. In addition, they will be used to verify present theories of smolder combustion and will provide new insights into the process of smoldering combustion, enhancing our fundamental understanding of this frequently encountered combustion process and guiding improvements in fire safety practices. Two smoldering combustion tests with polyurethane foam were successfully accomplished during the STS-77 mission. The tests investigated smoldering combustion in a quiescent (no-flow) enriched oxygen environment, and in an air environment with a 2-mm/sec airflow through the fuel sample. The primary data from the tests are the ignition characteristics, spread rate, smolder reaction temperature, and products of combustion (solid and gas). On both the first mission on STS-69 and the second mission on STS-77, a smolder front propagated the length of the forced-flow samples, with the spread rate between the corresponding upward and downward 1g smolder rates. Neither of the quiescent cases propagated combustion (the first case was due in part to a problem with the experiment electronics). These results show a dramatic difference from the normal gravity results, where smolder propagation is very rapid and complete for both of these conditions. The experiment was conceived by Prof. A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello at the University of California-Berkeley. The MSC hardware was designed and built at the NASA Lewis Research Center by a team of civil servants and contractors from NYMA, Inc., and Aerospace Design & Fabrication, Inc. (ADF). The hardware consists of two sealed aluminum combustion chambers (each being a half a cylinder). The chambers hold the MSC test section, data acquisition electronics, power distribution electronics, and instrumentation. The hardware is fitted into a 5-ft(sup 3) Get-Away-Special (GAS) canister that is mounted in the shuttle cargo bay. The test section consists of a quartz cylinder that contains the polyurethane foam sample and an igniter. This igniter, which is an electrically heated wire sandwiched between two porous ceramic disks, is mounted in contact with the end of the foam sample. An array of 12 thermocouples placed axially and radially along the foam sample provide temperature histories, which are used to determine the rate of smolder propagation, and the characteristics of the reaction.

Koudelka, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Multistage Electrophoretic Separators

A multistage electrophoresis apparatus has been invented for use in the separation of cells, protein molecules, and other particles and solutes in concentrated aqueous solutions and suspensions. The design exploits free electrophoresis but overcomes the deficiencies of prior free-electrophoretic separators by incorporating a combination of published advances in mathematical modeling of convection, sedimentation, electro-osmotic flow, and the sedimentation and aggregation of droplets. In comparison with other electrophoretic separators, these apparatuses are easier to use and are better suited to separation in relatively large quantities characterized in the art as preparative (in contradistinction to smaller quantities characterized in the art as analytical). In a multistage electrophoretic separator according to the invention, an applied vertical steady electric field draws the electrically charged particles of interest from within a cuvette to within a collection cavity that has been moved into position of the cuvette. There are multiple collection cavities arranged in a circle; each is aligned with the cuvette for a prescribed short time. The multistage, short-migration-path character of the invention solves, possibly for the first time, the fluid-instability problems associated with free electrophoresis. The figure shows a prototype multistage electrophoretic separator that includes four sample stations and five collection stages per sample. At each sample station, an aqueous solution or suspension containing charged species to be separated is loaded into a cuvette, which is machined into a top plate. The apparatus includes a lower plate, into which 20 collection cavities have been milled. Each cavity is filled with an electrophoresis buffer solution. For the collection of an electrophoretic fraction, the lower plate is rotated to move a designated collection cavity into alignment with the opening of the cuvette. An electric field is then applied between a non-gassing electrode in the collection cavity and an electrolyte compartment, which is separated from the cuvette by a semipermeable membrane. The electrolyte is refreshed by circulation by use of a peristaltic pump. In subsequent steps, the lower plate is rotated to collect other electrophoretic fractions. Later, the collected fractions are removed from the collection cavities through ports that have threaded plugs. The base of the apparatus contains power supplies and a computer interface. The design includes provisions for monitoring and feedback control of cavity position, electric field, and temperature. The operation of the apparatus can easily be automated, as demonstrated by use of software that has already been written for this purpose.

Thomas, Nathan↗
NASA NTRS2019

Measurement and Analysis of Terminal Shock Oscillation and Buffet Forcing Functions on a Launch Vehicle Payload Fairing

The buffet loads on a launch vehicle payload shroud can be impacted by the unsteadiness associated with a terminal shock at high subsonic speeds. At these conditions, flow accelerates to supersonic speeds on the nose of the payload fairing and is terminated by a normal shock on the cylindrical section downstream of the nose cone/cylinder shoulder. The location of the terminal shock and associated separated boundary layer is affected by the freestream Mach number, Reynolds number, and the pitch/yaw of the launch vehicle. Furthermore, even when the freestream conditions and vehicle attitude are constant, this terminal shock oscillates on the surface of the vehicle. The time-varying surface pressure associated with the terminal shock results in unsteady aerodynamic loads that may interact with vehicle structural dynamic modes and the guidance and control of the vehicle. Buffet testing of a 3-percent scale rigid buffet model of a launch vehicle cargo configuration with a tangent-ogive payload shroud was conducted in 2012 and in 2016. Initial buffet forcing functions (BFFs) utilized a coarse pressure sensor distribution on the vehicle surface in which a single longitudinal station with eight sensors observed the terminal shock environment at Mach 0.90. An examination of these circumferential pressures reveal large impulse-like pressure fluctuations and an asymmetry in pressure when the vehicle is at a nonzeroangle of attack that result in high BFFs. Revisions to the shock integration region were made based on computational fluid dynamics and shadowgraph video of shock motion to better represent the BFFs and reduce the high loads resulting from this environment. To more clearly understand this terminal shock environment, a second wind tunnel test was conducted with a dense distribution of 256 sensors at the terminal shock location. These sensor arrays presents a unique opportunity to observe the unsteady terminal shock environment and to characterize the impact of various integration schemes on the BFFs. This paper presents a summary of the development of BFFs for this terminal shock and a detailed analyses of shock region pressure coefficients, coherence, BFFs, shock location time histories, and power spectral density to help guide development of BFFs for other launch vehicle test and analysis programs.

Piatak, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Hybrid Active/Passive Control of Sound Radiation from Panels with Constrained Layer Damping and Model Predictive Feedback Control

There has been considerable interest over the past several years in applying feedback control methods to problems of structural acoustics. One problem of particular interest is the control of sound radiation from aircraft panels excited on one side by a turbulent boundary layer (TBL). TBL excitation appears as many uncorrelated sources acting on the panel, which makes it difficult to find a single reference signal that is coherent with the excitation. Feedback methods have no need for a reference signal, and are thus suited to this problem. Some important considerations for the structural acoustics problem include the fact that the required controller bandwidth can easily extend to several hundred Hertz, so a digital controller would have to operate at a few kilohertz. In addition, aircraft panel structures have a reasonably high modal density over this frequency range. A model based controller must therefore handle the modally dense system, or have some way to reduce the bandwidth of the problem. Further complicating the problem is the fact that the stiffness and dynamic properties of an aircraft panel can vary considerably during flight due to altitude changes resulting in significant resonant frequency shifts. These considerations make the tradeoff between robustness to changes in the system being controlled and controller performance especially important. Recent papers concerning the design and implementation of robust controllers for structural acoustic problems highlight the need to consider both performance and robustness when designing the controller. While robust control methods such as H1 can be used to balance performance and robustness, their implementation is not easy and requires assumptions about the types of uncertainties in the plant being controlled. Achieving a useful controller design may require many tradeoff studies of different types of parametric uncertainties in the system. Another approach to achieving robustness to plant changes is to make the controller adaptive. For example, a mathematical model of the plant could be periodically updated as the plant changes, and the feedback gains recomputed from the updated model. To be practical, this approach requires a simple plant model that can be updated quickly with reasonable computational requirements. A recent paper by the authors discussed one way to simplify a feedback controller, by reducing the number of actuators and sensors needed for good performance. The work was done on a tensioned aircraft-style panel excited on one side by TBL flow in a low speed wind tunnel. Actuation was provided by a piezoelectric (PZT) actuator mounted on the center of the panel. For sensing, the responses of four accelerometers, positioned to approximate the response of the first radiation mode of the panel, were summed and fed back through the controller. This single input-single output topology was found to have nearly the same noise reduction performance as a controller with fifteen accelerometers and three PZT patches. This paper extends the previous results by looking at how constrained layer damping (CLD) on a panel can be used to enhance the performance of the feedback controller thus providing a more robust and efficient hybrid active/passive system. The eventual goal is to use the CLD to reduce sound radiation at high frequencies, then implement a very simple, reduced order, low sample rate adaptive controller to attenuate sound radiation at low frequencies. Additionally this added damping smoothes phase transitions over the bandwidth which promotes robustness to natural frequency shifts. Experiments were conducted in a transmission loss facility on a clamped-clamped aluminum panel driven on one side by a loudspeaker. A generalized predictive control (GPC) algorithm, which is suited to online adaptation of its parameters, was used in single input-single output and multiple input-single output configurations. Because this was a preliminary look at the potential constrained layer damping for adaptive control, static feedback control with no online adaptation was used. Two configurations of CLD in addition to a bare panel configuration were studied. For each CLD configuration, two sensor arrangements for the feedback controller were compared. The first arrangement used fifteen accelerometers on the panel to estimate the responses of the first six radiation modes of the panel. The second sensor arrangement was simpler, using the summed responses of only four accelerometers to approximate the response of the first radiation mode of the panel. In all cases a PZT patch was mounted at the center of the panel for control input. The performance of the controller was quantified using the responses of the fifteen accelerometers on the panel to estimate radiated sound power. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the GPC algorithm and the experimental setup. The experimental results are discussed next, comparing the CLD and sensor configurations, followed by discussion and conclusions.

Cabell, Randolph H.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Software Testbed for Developing and Evaluating Integrated Autonomous Subsystems

To implement fault tolerant autonomy in future space systems, it will be necessary to integrate planning, adaptive control, and state estimation subsystems. However, integrating these subsystems is difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. This paper describes Intelliface/ADAPT, a software testbed that helps researchers develop and test alternative strategies for integrating planning, execution, and diagnosis subsystems more quickly and easily. The testbed's architecture, graphical data displays, and implementations of the integrated subsystems support easy plug and play of alternate components to support research and development in fault-tolerant control of autonomous vehicles and operations support systems. Intelliface/ADAPT controls NASA's Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT), which comprises batteries, electrical loads (fans, pumps, and lights), relays, circuit breakers, invertors, and sensors. During plan execution, an experimentor can inject faults into the ADAPT testbed by tripping circuit breakers, changing fan speed settings, and closing valves to restrict fluid flow. The diagnostic subsystem, based on NASA's Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE), detects and isolates these faults to determine the new state of the plant, ADAPT. Intelliface/ADAPT then updates its model of the ADAPT system's resources and determines whether the current plan can be executed using the reduced resources. If not, the planning subsystem generates a new plan that reschedules tasks, reconfigures ADAPT, and reassigns the use of ADAPT resources as needed to work around the fault. The resource model, planning domain model, and planning goals are expressed using NASA's Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML). Parts of the ANML model are generated automatically, and other parts are constructed by hand using the Planning Model Integrated Development Environment, a visual Eclipse-based IDE that accelerates ANML model development. Because native ANML planners are currently under development and not yet sufficiently capable, the ANML model is translated into the New Domain Definition Language (NDDL) and sent to NASA's EUROPA planning system for plan generation. The adaptive controller executes the new plan, using augmented, hierarchical finite state machines to select and sequence actions based on the state of the ADAPT system. Real-time sensor data, commands, and plans are displayed in information-dense arrays of timelines and graphs that zoom and scroll in unison. A dynamic schematic display uses color to show the real-time fault state and utilization of the system components and resources. An execution manager coordinates the activities of the other subsystems. The subsystems are integrated using the Internet Communications Engine (ICE). an object-oriented toolkit for building distributed applications.

Testbed↗
NASA NTRS1997

Predictive Modeling in Plasma Reactor and Process Design

Research continues toward the improvement and increased understanding of high-density plasma tools. Such reactor systems are lauded for their independent control of ion flux and energy enabling high etch rates with low ion damage and for their improved ion velocity anisotropy resulting from thin collisionless sheaths and low neutral pressures. Still, with the transition to 300 mm processing, achieving etch uniformity and high etch rates concurrently may be a formidable task for such large diameter wafers for which computational modeling can play an important role in successful reactor and process design. The inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor is the focus of the present investigation. The present work attempts to understand the fundamental physical phenomena of such systems through computational modeling. Simulations will be presented using both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques and the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for argon and chlorine discharges. ICP reactors generally operate at pressures on the order of 1 to 10 mTorr. At such low pressures, rarefaction can be significant to the degree that the constitutive relations used in typical CFD techniques become invalid and a particle simulation must be employed. This work will assess the extent to which CFD can be applied and evaluate the degree to which accuracy is lost in prediction of the phenomenon of interest; i.e., etch rate. If the CFD approach is found reasonably accurate and bench-marked with DSMC and experimental results, it has the potential to serve as a design tool due to the rapid time relative to DSMC. The continuum CFD simulation solves the governing equations for plasma flow using a finite difference technique with an implicit Gauss-Seidel Line Relaxation method for time marching toward a converged solution. The equation set consists of mass conservation for each species, separate energy equations for the electrons and heavy species, and momentum equations for the gas. The sheath is modeled by imposing the Bohm velocity to the ions near the walls. The DSMC method simulates each constituent of the gas as a separate species which would be analogous in CFD to employing separate species mass, momentum, and energy equations. All particles including electrons are moved and allowed to collide with one another with the stipulation that the electrons remain tied to the ions consistent with the concept of ambipolar diffusion. The velocities of the electrons are allowed to be modified during collisions and are not confined to a Maxwellian distribution. These benefits come at a price in terms of computational time and memory. The DSMC and CFD are made as consistent as possible by using similar chemistry and power deposition models. Although the comparison of CFD and DSMC is interesting, the main goal of this work is the increased understanding of high-density plasma flowfields that can then direct improvements in both techniques. This work is unique in the level of the physical models employed in both the DSMC and CFD for high-density plasma reactor applications. For example, the electrons are simulated in the present DSMC work which has not been done before for low temperature plasma processing problems. In the CFD approach, for the first time, the charged particle transport (discharge physics) has been self-consistently coupled to the gas flow and heat transfer.

Hash, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Investigation of Condensing Ice Heat Exchangers for MTSA Technology Development

Metabolic heat regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption (MTSA) technology is being developed for thermal, carbon dioxide (CO2) and humidity control for a Portable Life Support Subsystem (PLSS). Metabolically-produced CO2 present in the ventilation gas of a PLSS is collected using a CO2selective adsorbent via temperature swing adsorption. The temperature swing is initiated through cooling to well below metabolic temperatures. Cooling is achieved with a sublimation heat exchanger using water or liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) expanded below sublimation temperature when exposed to low pressure or vacuum. Subsequent super heated vapor, as well as additional coolant, is used to further cool the astronaut. The temperature swing on the adsorbent is then completed by warming the adsorbent with a separate condensing ice heat exchanger (CIHX) using metabolic heat from moist ventilation gas. The condensed humidity in the ventilation gas is recycled at the habitat. The water condensation from the ventilation gas is a significant heat transfer mechanism for the warming of the adsorbent bed because it represents as much as half of the energy potential in the moist ventilation gas. Designing a heat exchanger to efficiently transfer this energy to the adsorbent bed and allow the collection of the water is a challenge since the CIHX will operate in a temperature range from 210K to 280K. The ventilation gas moisture will first freeze and then thaw, sometimes existing in three phases simultaneously. A NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase 1 contract was performed to investigate condensing and icing as applied to MTSA to enable higher fidelity modeling and assess the impact of geometry variables on CIHX performance for future CIHX design optimization. Specifically, a design tool was created using analytical relations to explore the complex, interdependent design space of a condensing ice heat exchanger. Numerous variables were identified as having nontrivial contributions to performance such as hydraulic diameter, heat exchanger effectiveness, ventilation gas mass flow rate and surface roughness. Using this tool, four test articles were designed and manufactured to map to a full MTSA subassembly (the adsorbent bed, the sublimation heat exchanger for cooling and the condensing ice heat exchanger for warming). The design mapping considered impacts due to CIHX geometry as well as subassembly impacts such as thermal mass and thermal resistance through the adsorbent bed. The test articles were tested at simulated PLSS ventilation loop temperature, moisture content and subambient pressure. Ice accumulation and melting were observed. Data and test observations were analyzed to identify drivers of the condensing ice heat exchanger performance. This paper will discuss the analytical models, the test article designs, and testing procedures. Testing issues will be discussed to better describe data and share lessons learned. Data analysis and subsequent conclusions will be presented.

Padilla, Sebastian↗
NASA NTRS1998

Ma'adim Vallis Estuarine Delta in Elysium Basin and Its Relevance as a Landing Site for Exobiology Exploration on Mars

The debouche of Ma'adim Vallis in the Elysium Basin generated a transitional transported sediment structure, which planimetric shape is controlled by the enclosing topography of a deep reentrant gulf of the Basin into the highland. We defined it as an estuarine delta. The location and the importance of this estuarine delta is supported by the theoretical model of graded profile constructed for Ma'adim Vallis, and by two approaches: (i) the reconstruction of Ma'adim Vallis downstream course from Gusev to Elysium Basin, and (ii) the survey of the sediment deposit in the alleged estuary. The longitudinal graded profile of Ma'adim Vallis finds its base-level in the Elysium Basin, at a about 1000 m elevation, which is in agreement with the observed Basin shoreline. This model is supported by observational evidence of flow between the northern rim of Gusev crater, and the Elysium Basin shoreline. This downstream course of Ma'adim Vallis can be divided into three hydrogeologic regions. into three hydrogeologic regions. (a) The first region is a flooded plain (Zephiria Mensae), consisting in chaotic terrain formed by highland rocks, and disintegrated lava of the western flank of Apollinaris. Morphologic indicators of the flood process are: (1) the sediment deposit over the Gusev crater northern rim that reflects the overspilling of the crater-lake water through a 40-km wide gap provided by an ancient impact crater, (2) the tear-drop shaped feature on the northeastern flank of Apollinaris Patera, and (3) the chaotic terrain that suggest the emergence of ground water generated by the seepage of the crater lake through high-permeable broken rampart material. This underground water circulation sustained by the hydrostatic pressure of the crater-lake has likely generated a hydrothermal system in the volcanic environment of Apollinaris Patera. The stratigraphy of the flooded area is identified as Hesperian age, with occurrences of Noachian hilly individual features, and as Amazonian flooded plain and chaotic material, (b) The second region is located on the western flank of Apollinaris Patera. It is surrounded by relics of deep valleys that suggest a former downstream course of Ma'adim Vallis. The geologic setting of this region (Lucus Planum) is interpreted to be an Amazonian formation composed by the middle and lower members of the Medusae Formation., c) The third region corresponds to the convergence of the west and east branches of Ma'adirn Vallis into a deep re-entrant wide gulf that penetrates about 100 km into the highland. This topographic depression is delineated by the 1000 in elevation contour. This gulf has formed an estuarine configuration centered at 3S/190W within the Elysium Basin. This configuration has favored the formation of a estuarine sedimentary delta, because of topographically controlled lateral migration. This estuarine structure is strongly dominated by the incoming supply of Ma'adim Vallis fluvial sediment extracted from Zephiria Mensae and Lucus Planum. The obtuse-angle geometry of the estuary increases the sedimentation rate, which is higher than in the course of the channel. The sediment deposition process is governed by the estuarine water circulation. The inflowing loaded fluvial water enters the estuary as a bottom current, and mixes with the relatively less-loaded water of the receiving basin. When they mixed. the inflowing fluvial material, and the landward basin circulating water generate an accumulation of highly-diversified estuarine deposit stratification. This accumulation of material is mostly centered in the transitional zone of the delta. The sediment trapping efficiency of the estuary is function of the energy balance between the inflowing fluvial water, and the ingoing basin current. The submergence of the delta by the rising of the water-level increases the estuary water-depth, and consequently the sediment entrapment is favored. The locus of sediment accumulation moves landward in the zone of inflowing fluvial water. This results in the rising of the channel base-level, thus in the increase of the length of the longitudinal graded-profile. The sediment deposit facies of the zone A shows a generally smooth surface. The longitudinal deposit is bordered by alluvial terraces that reflect the variations of the channel level. The waning of the Elysium Basin caused the erosion of the Basin estuarine zone by small channels, this episode being characterized by dissected tear-drop shaped mesa-like morphologies in the delta. Our estuarine delta model predicts a lithostratigraphic depositional sequence associated with the water submergence and the transgression of Elysium Basin. The thickness of the estuarine sediment corresponds to the Elysium Basin levels changes relatively to the bed floor of the estuary, The depositional sequence of Ma'adim Vallis are described: (1) a pro-current filled region (A), where fluvial are longitudinally accumulated by the inflowing water, (2) inverse current from Elysium Basin (B), where fluvial and lacustrine sediments are accumulated, and (3) zone of current equilibrium (C), where the sediments are distributed as a shoreline at the boundary of the estuarine delta. The estuary sedimentology dynamics collects and keeps the record of the geologic unit material crossed by Ma'adim Vallis, and those of the lakebed deposit of Elysium Basin. The predicted mixed stratigraphic sequence from fluvial and lacustrine sediment makes this site an exceptional environment to concentrate potential multi-origin biologic records. We envision four possible strategies to explore this sedimentologic record: (1) longitudinal surface and subsurface traverses in region A to investigate outcrop levees, (2) exploration of the mesa walls in region B, (3) deep drilling hole lodging of the sequential deposits in the zones A and B, and (4) surface and subsurface exploration of the shoreline delta. The expected results for each of these strategies are: (1) in the deepest layers of region A are predicted frequent and abundant coarse material, sandy lenses lamination grading downward from sand to cobbles. Volcanic debris from the Noachian crustal Plateau unit material, hydrothermal altered rocks, carbonates, Hesperian and possibly Amazonian volcanic material, from Apollinaris Patera, altered rocks and carbonates from Zephiria Mensae are expected. As a favorable environment for inception of life, possible biological records are expected in transported rock, (2) At the surface, and subsurface (<=100 m), large deposits sandy to silted material from Elysium paleolake basin mixed with fine-grained sediments from Ma'adim Vallis are expected mostly in the upstream part of region B, (3) on the shoreline of the estuarine delta, abundant fine material from Elysium paleolake basin (evaporites, carbonates), mostly Amazonian in age are expected. The Ma'adini estuary is a favorable landing site for all the above mentioned science aspects, and .for its location. The site lies near the equator, which is favorable for the rover solar power supply, and at 1000m elevation, which is a favorable configuration for the descent system braking. Another advantage is the extent of the area of high scientific interest (33,000 sq km), which provides a good ellipse, and potential long study traverses.

Grin, E. A.↗