NCAS Final Project: Mars Rover Mission Winter 2015 NCAS Payden Butler

Abstract GRSLE – Gulley Recurring Slope Linea Explorer (Grizzly) The purpose of this mission is to determine the nature of the recurring slope lineae (RSL) observed on Mars by studying the phenomenon close up. The secondary phase of the mission will to be study the geology and composition of the canyon while descending the slopes after successfully completing the first phase. The general location for the mission is inside of Valles Marineris near Coprates Chasma. This is a location with 12 confirmed RSL sites, and many more likely candidate sites waiting for follow-up imaging by HiRise. (Chojnacki, 2014). After landing and descending the slopes toward the area of interest for observation of RSL, the rover will take soil and rock samples to determine the composition of the source of the RSL. If no RSL have yet formed, it will make follow up observations of previous RSL locations determined using orbiter imagery. After discovering the cause of RSL, it will continue to make its way toward the valley bottom while recording lots of data including atmospheric conditions, rock and soil composition, and numerous photographs.

Science Objectives

Study the flow and composition of RSL

Recurring slope lineae are seasonal dark spots that form on the slopes of crater rims, on the sides of canyons, and in other places. They can grow during the spring and summer months while fading during the colder seasons, and they tend to form on the relatively warm equatorial facing slopes. (Chojnacki, 2014). A leading theory on the formation of RSL is that they are caused by salty liquid water from underground aquafers or deposits. Salty water has a significantly lower range of freezing points compared to pure water, depending on the concentration of salts (McEwen, 2013). It has recently been found that Valles Marineris, and Coprates Chasma in particular are hotspots for RSL. (Chojnacki, 2014). The knowledge gained from this mission about RSL and possible sources of water will be useful in planning for future robotic, and eventually manned missions. Take samples from many layers of Martian history in the lowering process. The journey downward through the layers of the canyon could possibly aid in determining how the canyon formed. Since canyons have many layers that correspond to different times, a lot could be learned about the geology of the canyon and possibly the planet. The rover will carry a drill, a spectrometer, and other instruments to analyze the composition of various layers and soil samples. Monitor the Atmospheric Conditions

As the rover descends the slopes of the canyon, it will travel lower than any other lander or rover has been on the surface of the Red Planet. It would be useful to monitor how often, if at all, the combination of pressure and temperature is suitable for liquid water at the surface. If the rover is able to make sufficient downward progress, the pressure should increase to a level significantly above the triple point of water, which would make surface water possible within a small range of temperatures.

Landing Site Interior slopes of Valles Marineris near Coprates Chasma There are many reasons that this would make a scientifically useful landing site. The area near the base of the canyon is presumed to have had flowing water in the past (Wikipedia), and has been observed to have RSL, which are of great interest for finding liquid water on Mars. Using past satellite imagery and digital elevation data, a landing site near 12°59'6.47"S 60° 3'2.71"W was selected due to it being a wide gently sloping flat area, and its close proximity to slopes that are promising for RSL.

Timeline

The following timeline includes nearly all of the activities involved in the GRSLE mission, from planning to surface operations on Mars. The JPL Curiosity Mission timeline was a resource that was used extensively in the creation of this timeline. (JPL 1*, n.d.) Pre-Launch Activities

Mission objectives decided

Rover design created

A prototype is built and tested. Modifications made to fix problems encountered

Final rover is built

Five possible landing locations determined and then narrowed down to the chosen spot after receiving more data from satellites

Rocket scientists determine rocket to be used, the possible launch dates, and then calculate trajectory, the amount of fuel needed, and the arrival date and procedure

Emergency scenarios though out and planned for

Rocket scientists determine arrival procedures

Ship to launch site

Assemble at launch site Launch

To be launched using the new Space Launch System currently in development

Final checks of all systems

Area is secured and launch sequence begins

Rocket clears earth’s atmosphere

Burn to leave earth orbit and head towards Mars

Cruise

Operators periodically check on the health status of the spacecraft

Trajectory monitored

Course corrections if necessary to keep the spacecraft on track

At the end of the cruise phase, the spacecraft is prepared for entering Mars’ atmosphere Approach

Controllers complete final checks to make sure everything is in order for landing

They make sure that the trajectory is spot on

Start any instruments and/or programs that had been dormant that need to be used for landing Entry

Spacecraft enters atmosphere

Heat shield protects rover payload

Small rockets are used for guided descent along with computer navigation system for a precise landing

Descent

Parachute deploys

Powered decent, using small rockets to control spacecraft descent

Onboard computer system determines a safe landing spot

Rover separates from “sky crane” spacecraft and starts to be lowered

Landing

Rover lowered to the surface for soft landing

Sky crane disconnects from rover and flies away

Rover immediately monitors safety of the location and awaits commands

First Drive

Rover holds brakes on and runs automated checks to ensure it doesn’t need take any special precautions

Transmits location data, environment data, and pictures to controllers

Controllers analyze the data

They send the rover in a safe direction and perform tests of all the rover’s systems

Controllers send commands and rover moves

Autonomous onboard systems monitor for obstacles and make choices about going around or over them

Surface Operations

Rover makes its way down the slope using regenerative breaking and the nuclear generator for power (along with gravitational assistance)

Follows instructions from controllers and takes data while moving

Uses soil scoop, drill, and mechanical arm to analyze samples with spectrometer

Takes atmospheric data

Upon reaching RSL, takes samples and analyzes for water and mineral content

Personnel The following positions for a new Mars Rover mission have just opened. See below for information on job titles, descriptions, and requirements. Project Manager

Job Description:

Oversee the day to day operations of the various personnel and groups involved in the project

Ensure prompt and effective communication of important issues between teams

Stay up to date on any issues encountered and the progress of the various teams

Communicate effectively on a technical level with workgroups, and on a business level with superiors

Handle outside inquiries in a professional manner

Get to know each member of the project and have an open door policy for questions and concerns

Requirements:

BS in planetary geology, applied physics, mechanical or aeronautical engineering, or other related field

MS in Project Management or equivalent management experience on high budget project

Previous experience on a planetary or space exploration mission

Capable interpersonal leader

Demonstrated ability to lead oversee groups of project teams Lead Engineer

Job Description:

Oversee the daily operations of the engineering team

Work to resolve external issues to keep project engineers on track

Coordinate with the project manager and specialized project teams to ensure that all mission objectives are met in the most sensible manner

Make any final design decisions necessary

Resolve any conflicts that may arise

Ensure work is done to the highest standards while keeping on schedule

Requirements:

BS in Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer engineering or related Engineering discipline

Minimum of 8 years of project experience with advanced robotics

Ideal candidate will have previous experience with planetary robotic/spacecraft missions

Engineering leadership experience on significant projects

Ability to manage independent workgroups while keep the big picture in view Head of Rocket Science Team

Job Description:

Coordinate with project manager and engineering team to ensure launch requirements are met

Oversee team responsible for determining the launch dates and alternates, calculating the trajectory, the amount of fuel needed, the type of rocket that will be used to deliver the payload, and other necessities

Work with team and spacecraft designers to determine the arrival date and procedure, as well any extra fuel supply necessary for trajectory corrections

Make final decisions as needed

Evaluate all emergency spaceflight scenarios with team, and determine backup procedures

Determine orbital height and details of atmospheric entry to land in the correct location Requirements:

MS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Propulsion, or other related engineering discipline

Experience on the operations teams of a minimum of five launches

Prior leadership experience on a launch and spaceflight team

Advanced launch analysis skills

Strict attention to detail

Ability to think clearly and make good decisions under pressure

Head of Mars Science Team Job Description:

Coordinate day to day activities of the science team

Make the final decision on daily science objectives if team doesn’t come to a consensus

Work with team to determine which types of scientific instruments needed to meet mission objectives, and the specifications of each instrument

Coordinate with engineering team on design and placement of instruments

During rover ground operations phase: work with team to analyze data and make decisions on day to day scientific objectives

Coordinate with driver team to ensure objectives are met

Requirements:

MS in geology or planetary geology with a minimum of ten years of field experience Extensive knowledge of previous mars mission outcomes

Previously part of at least one lander/rover mission

History of contributions to the field

Leadership experience over a team of multidisciplinary scientists

Responsible for relaying daily objectives to robotic control team

Experience with image analysis Head of Robotic Control

Job Description:

Lead the team of rover “drivers”

Coordinate with Science Team to turn daily objectives into reality

Guide team in carrying out the day to day operation decisions for the rover and in deciding how to get there

Analyze path with team of drivers to choose the best route to objectives

Look ahead and plan for future obstacles

Prepare team of drivers for the ground mission by doing training with prototype rovers

Provide and channel feedback to engineering team during prototype testing

Responsible of monitoring the “health” of the rover and ensuring its safety Requirements:

BS in software engineering, mechanical engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience

Experience with advanced remote robotics

Previous leadership role for a robotics/programming team

Strict attention to detail

Outreach

The following is a plan for how to get the public aware of this new Mars Rover mission, and on top of that, to generate interest in the project and show its scientific value to the world. Which groups and organizations would best provide outreach for this mission?

Schools and universities

Invested organizations like Space.com, Astronomy Magazine, the Discovery Channel, etc.

Explore the feasibility of doing a corporate partnership with a company that is highly visible and involved in exploration/adventure like GoPro. For example, if GoPro were chosen, they would actually be included (slightly) in the mission, and NASA could help them build a space-proof camera to be used on at least a part the mission (if they fund the payload cost.) This would be mutually beneficial, providing exposure of the mission to the masses through their commercials and promotions, while helping the company promote their product in a novel way.

How would the internet promote this mission?

The team could make a YouTube video much like some of GoPro’s promotional videos (ex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLY7bjCTTE) It would be a video without narration, targeted at young people to get them excited or at least exposed to what is going on in planetary exploration, and what is in the works. The video would have an awesome tune and show various scenes at NASA with creative camera use. It could show scenes of the preparations, building process, launch compilation, shooting through space, reentry scenes, landing, and time lapses from previous rovers. It could hint at the future, showing video of the launch abort system testing, inside and outside the capsule, video of EFT-1, Exploration Mission 1, and short clips of NASA astronauts and personnel doing their jobs.

The mission should have a project website. The other outreach activities would be more focused on getting the word out and building interest in a flashy, appealing way. This website would be the place for the truly interested to come and learn about the actual science that will take place, the various phases of the project, what is currently happening with the project, and to view the promotional material.

There should be a mission Facebook page to send out updates, photos, and videos of mission progress.

Similarly, there should be a Twitter for interested parties to follow. What types of events would engage the public in this mission?

Tour a rover prototype (or a rover lookalike) around the big cities like New York, San Francisco, Denver and others after testing is complete. Place it in busy city squares as a way to expose people to the mission and generate interest. It would be enclosed in a protected area with information about it all along the outside.

Run a “See yourself on Mars” contest. Paint the rover, or parts of the rover with two signatures of random selected winners from each state and selected countries, so they are actually visible on the craft body in photos from Mars.

Conduct interviews about the mission with parties that are already interested in the cause, such as Space.com, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, the Discovery Channel, the tech journalists for NPR the New York Times, and others.

Run a contest for mission posters. Target graphic design students and professionals. Reward the best designer and runners up by publishing their posters to the social media sites and the project website in downloadable and printable format. Have some of them blown up and hung at NASA, and others sent out. Leave a lot of room for creativity, with possibilities being anything from infographics, to posters similar to those made for epic movies.

Announce adding high definition video capabilities to the rover. Videos of huge dust storms, dust devils, and rover operations would create a lot of interest, and give people a real feel for what it’s like to be on Mars.

What kinds of material would be distributed?

Posters from the design competition mentioned above

Infographics on the mission and various phases of it (Posted online)

Generally, most material would be posted online to keep things environmentally friendly, but the goal would be to generate a lot of traffic on mainstream, highly visible websites like YouTube and others.

SPECIFICATIONS

Overview:

Chassis

Power source

Instrument package

Robotic-Mechanical Arm

Computer Hardware w/ Autonomous On-board Control

Program Navigation

Communication Package

Chassis

Specification Descriptions The inspiration for much of the current rover was taken from the Curiosity and Mars Exploration Rover designs. (JPL 2*, n.d). All of the instruments used in this mission have been used in those previous missions, however this is not for lack of creativity. Although the instrument package mentioned below was used for the other rovers, it also happens to be a perfect fit for the GRSLY Mission. The goal of the mission is to find the cause of RSL on the steep slopes of Coprates Chasma. It is suspected that the source of such flows could be liquid water. (Chojnacki, 2014). The instrument package will allow mission scientists to determine the cause and composition of RSL, as well as search for any organics in the suspected water. Chassis

Aluminum alloy and composite chassis

Continuous track system instead of wheels o For this mission, tracks are advantageous because:

They maximize traction on steep terrain Although heavier than wheels, they lower the center of gravity of the rover,

which is desirable on steep terrain to avoid tipping They make the fate of the Spirit rover far less likely by distributing the weight

over a much larger surface area than wheels would, which allows the rover to navigate with a higher degree of safety in areas of unknown geologic composition

o Six separate tracks allow for the possibility of a single track failure without compromising the entire mission

o The increased energy needed to overcome the friction of the large contact area of tracks is offset by the fact that this rover is designed to go downhill, with the force of gravity helping it along

Power Source

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (Wikipedia, n.d.)

The rover makes use of a nuclear powered generator similar to the one used on the Curiosity rover

The generator is stored at the rear of the rover, while keeping a low profile for a reduced center of gravity

Generator is used both for power and to keep components above minimum operating temperatures

Regenerative Brakes

As the first of its kind, this downhill rover comes equipped with regenerative brakes to make use of the constant force of gravity trying to take the rover downhill too quickly. While there are backup brakes in case of emergencies, the regenerative brakes allow for an extra source of power while the rover moves.

Instrument Package

Mast Cameras – This stereo pair of cameras similar to the ones used on the MSL and the MER rovers, is used for high resolution images that can be combined for a 3D image to enhance daily mission planning. The mast is able to swivel, so operators can get photos in any direction. Close Up Observation Camera – This is a camera found on the rover’s “hand” used to study rocks and other things within reach of the robotic arm in high resolution detail Weather Station – The included weather station will monitor conditions of the canyon and for any time that the pressure and temperature combination exceeds the triple point of water Hazard Avoidance/Navigation Cameras – These will be used with the rover’s autonomous control system to ensure the rover doesn’t hit anything. Organics Lab – This suite of instruments enclosed in the rover body will be accessed via a hatch in the top of the rover. The robotic arm and hand will be able to deposit samples down a hatch to this group of instruments that can then analyze for any organic material. This will be especially important if liquid water is found to be the cause of RSL. At that point mission scientists will have the ability to immediately check for signs of life. X-Ray Spectrometer – Another vital tool located on the “hand” this spectrometer is held against rock and soil samples of interest and can determine the chemistry of the sample. Hydrogen Detector – This tool, similar to “DAN” on Curiosity, shoots neutrons and can detect hydrogen as a sign of water up to a meter beneath the surface. (JPL 2*, n.d.) It will be important when nearing areas of suspected RSL. This instrument is located inside of the body of the rover, but sticks out 2cm on the right rear panel. High Resolution video camera – One of the mast cameras also comes with the ability to take HD video at 24 fps, which will convey for the first time lifelike sights and sounds from the red planet Soil Composition Lab – This is another internal instrument, with a hatch for depositing samples next to that of the Organics lab. This is equivalent to the CheMin instrument on Curiosity. (JPL 2*, n.d.) Drill – The drill is located on the “hand” of the rover and is used to collect samples and investigate rocks of interest. Soil Scoop – The scoop is an extremely important part of the mission, because hopefully it will be the instrument that collects wet Martian dirt from one of the RSL to be analyzed Chemical Analysis Camera and Laser - The equivalent of Curiosity’s ChemCam, (JPL 2*, n.d.), this instrument will be used to vaporize rocks at a distance using a laser, and analyze the emitted spectra to determine composition.

Robotic Mechanical Arm

Swivel base – This allows the rover to do work at the front of the rover, but also along the majority of the rover’s right side

Two hollow titanium tubes make up the majority of the arm, and each section is controlled by a large servo.

At the end there is the “hand,” which is also operated by a servo. The hand has four sides that can be rotated to the appropriate position to make use of the appropriate instrument

Computer Hardware with Autonomous On-board Control

The brain of the rover will be similar to the setup with Curiosity. (JPL *2, n.d.) So it will actually have two brains. The two computers (which run the navigation algorithm mentioned below) will be inside the rover, for protection from the cold and from the high levels of radiation on Mars. The reason that there are two computers is for redundancy. The computer hardware is

especially tough and resistant to random changes from radiation, and the computers are the control system for all the other hardware and software on the rover.

Program Navigation

An already very important item that is of increased importance on the GRSLY Mission is the semi-autonomous navigation system. The system in this rover will be the most advanced of any rover developed so far. Since it is in the delicate situation of working in steep terrain, the complex navigation algorithms will use a multitude of sensor and camera data to calculate the appropriate route, the center of gravity, and its tipping point. And it needs to be able to do that all in advance, because there is no going back in steep terrain.

Communication Package

These instruments are the same three that were used in both Curiosity and the MER rovers. All of the information about them comes from the following reference. (JPL *2,n.d.) High Gain Antenna – the hexagonal dish at the right rear of the rover is on a swivel head that can move in order to get the best signal for direct communications with earth. It is for direct communication both ways. Low Gain Antenna – This antenna is used primarily for receiving signals directly from earth. UHF Antenna – This antenna is for data relay to the Mars orbiters, so larger amounts of data can be sent the relatively short distance to the satellites and relayed by the orbiters’ more powerful transmitters to earth.

References Chojnacki, M. (2014). Geologic Context Of Recurring Slope Lineae In Coprates Chasma. Retrieved from http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2014/pdf/2701.pdf Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1*, California Institute of Technology, (n.d.). Learn About Me: Curiosity. Retrieved from http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/learncuriosity/index-2.html Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2*, California Institute of Technology, (n.d.). Mission Timeline. Retrieved from http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/timeline/ McEwen, A. S. (2013, December 10). Recurring slope lineae in equatorial regions of Mars. Retrieved from http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~shane/publications/mcewen_etal_natgeo_2014.pdf Wikipedia. (n.d). Curiosity (rover). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_%28rover%29 Wikipedia. (n.d). Seasonal flows on warm Martian slopes. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_flows_on_warm_Martian_slopes Wikipedia. (n.d). Valles Marineris. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valles_Marineris