"This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples collected from the Mars surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech" (ScitechDaily, Will SpaceX’s Innovation Save NASA’s Mars Mission?)
Collecting samples from Mars and returning them to Earth is the most complex mission in history. The system must operate independently and solve many problems on Mars. And making that kind of mission is a big challenge for researchers. This thing requires innovations in software and hardware.
This mission would be the biggest thing since the Apollo program. The sample collection requires advanced automatization. The sample collection using automatized vehicles is one of the steps for a safe manned mission. There are many risks in manned missions to other planets. And there are many secrets on Mars.
Even if there are no active lifeforms things like carbon monoxide pockets and sand devils (sand tornadoes) can risk the mission. The sand devil can form static electricity that can damage communication and computer systems. Accidents, like tripping on Martian hills are a big risk. And that makes the Mars mission very challenging. The problem is that the Mars craft travels to Earth over two years.
The journey to Mars takes over a year. And the return takes the same time. The main problem is radiation which can cause cancer. And one solution to control radiation is the liquid hydrogen layer that can absorb radiation.
The automatized Mars mission is the pathfinder for other missions. Like taking samples from Jupiter and Saturn's icy moons. But things like nuclear thermal propulsion are a little bit too slow for manned missions to the outer solar system. Nuclear thermal propulsion opens the road to the inner solar system and the inner asteroid belt.
The innovations about the interconnecting multiple robots make it possible to bring samples from Mars to Earth. The system consists the rover vehicles, and helicopters allow the system to collect samples from craters and places that are hard for vehicles.
The orbiting satellites follow the mission and help the communication between vehicles. The networked AI-controlled systems can offer next-generation survivability for systems that operate over long distances.
https://scitechdaily.com/will-spacexs-innovation-save-nasas-mars-mission/
Comments
Post a Comment