Mars Exploration and Surveillance Assets

Mars is a planet with great latent potential, including many resources and evidence of water, which has great significance because it is closer and more hospitable than many others. The data indicating such potential has been growing steadily, which only encourages further surveying of what resources exist there. Despite numerous missions with similar purposes, it is imperative to the exploration of Mars that more missions are completed to broaden knowledge and uncover what could be available for future manned expeditions to the planet. The Request for Proposal (RFP) given by the AIAA specifies that the mission designed will launch one or more assets within proximity to Mars to meet at least one of three objectives. These include: an atmospheric composition and density profile; geographic survey; and/or identification and quantification of potential surface and sub-surface resources. Team M.E.S.A. chose to create a terrain and elevation profile of the Martian surface from a satellite as the primary objective. A secondary objective chosen was identifying and quantifying resources on Mars from both the satellite and probes. The Mars Exploration and Surveillance Assets (M.E.S.A.) have been designed to build upon the understanding of the Martian surface and sub-surface through the deployment of the V.I.T.A.L. satellite and M.I.N.I. probes. The primary objective is to create a detailed geographic and resource profile of Mars with as much coverage as possible. This data will be critical in exploration missions in the future, whether unmanned or manned, for selecting landing sites and locating the resources needed. This mission has five key phases. The first phase involves launching the aforementioned assets aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. Upon reaching LEO, the satellite will separate from the rocket and begin its trajectory toward Mars. The second phase will be six months of travel between planets, where the satellite will be in low power. After arriving within the vicinity of Mars, the third phase begins with the satellite entering a low-polar orbit to begin collecting data. This data will be used in the fourth phase to launch the M.I.N.I. probes to points of interest. Finally, the fifth phase will allow for the data collected from arriving on Mars to be transmitted back to Earth until E.O.L. or the mission is completed. The satellite’s overall goal is to map as much of Mars’ surface as possible using high-resolution and thermal imaging as well as spectrometry. The M.I.N.I. probes, launched from the satellite, will land at specified coordinates to confirm the surface composition and additionally identify sub-surface resources. The resulting data from the mission will be communicated to Earth using the Deep Space Network along with X-band and UHF communication systems on the satellite and probes. This mission’s scale in terms of design presents numerous challenges. The risk of launch failure will be mitigated through pre-flight testing and launching before the launch window to allow for multiple attempts. The satellite and probes will have backup barriers, computing units, and communication systems in case of hardware failure. The harsh environment, including dust storms and radiation, will be managed through radiation-hardened materials and protective layers. Overall, M.E.S.A.’s mission aims to significantly improve the understanding of Mars with invaluable data for missions in the future. Not only could it contribute to the goal of manned missions to Mars but change how exploration spacecraft are designed. The mission plan is to launch a satellite (V.I.T.A.L.) and the probes attached to it on a Falcon Heavy rocket. V.I.T.A.L. will disconnect from the rocket in LEO and will continue toward Mars. Once there, V.I.T.A.L. will orbit above the Martian surface until primary data collection is complete. This will include the terrain and elevation profile along with the first stage of resource identification. The data will then be used to locate points of interest for the deployment of probes to collect further data on Mars’ resources until their E.O.L. or the mission’s end. The scientific area here aims to collect data that will be of great value to future exploration, such as ideal locations for landing and resources. The satellite will record the geography of Mars, including the terrain and elevation, and the composition of the surface. To accomplish this, Mars will be mapped using high-resolution cameras along with thermal imaging and spectrometry. The probes will be used in further analysis of the surface resources as well as identifying sub-surface resources below the surface. To achieve this mission, the team designed a satellite able to launch probes to specific points on Mars based on data collected in the mission. The satellite will focus on communicating with both Earth and the probes while maintaining orbit, avoiding any collisions, and withstanding the harsh environment. The probes will be capable of surviving the dust storms and climate as well as maintaining operations for as long as possible, much like the satellite. The V.I.T.A.L. satellite aims to insert itself into a low polar orbit around Mars, around 300 km above the surface, to collect its data. The probes launched from the satellite will be sent to areas of geographic notability and/or richness in resources. The RFP requires that the mission designed will deploy assets to Mars with the ability to cover at least 75% of the planet for data. These assets used must be launched and collect the required data by at least December 31st, 2033, and not exceed a budget of $1 billion USD in the entire mission. Moreover, the design is intended to remain operational and continue its data collection until the late 2030s. To complete the data collection before 2033, the plan is to have the assets in Mars’ orbit by June 2033 to allow for at least six months of data collection. For the best energy efficiency, Mars and Earth need to be properly aligned, which only occurs every twenty-six months. This leads to a smaller launch window, assuming the spacecraft is prepared by 2030, but a duration of four to five months is calculated to be achievable if launched in March 2031.