Challenge: Creating a Mars Cargo Landing System (CMLS)

Major Randy Carlson, PhDAir Force Scientist

27 September 2013

Graphic by NASA

Outline

• Air Force science• Your challenge of creating a Mars Cargo

Landing System (CMLS)• Background & why challenge is important– Mars– Mars exploration including current cargo landing

systems– Plans for future human exploration of Mars

• Your challenge again

Air Force Scientist OpportunitiesGraphics by USAF

Your ChallengeThe Mars Madness Foundation has challenged citizen scientists and engineers to create a Mars Cargo Landing System (MCLS) to deliver 40,000 kg in materials to the Martian surface from a low Mars orbit. The Foundation is committed to helping improve the technology available to both government and private enterprises as they pursue their quest to settle Mars and Challenge entries that are approved by the foundation will be added to a data bank of potential solutions to shared with these organizations. All teams with approved designs will be awarded a certificate of appreciation for their contributions to the Mars Landing Community.

Your ideas could be used by NASA and private enterprises to successfully get humans to Mars!

Mars Cargo Landing System (MCLS) Engineering Specifications

1. The MCLS should carry cargo/personnel from a low Martian Orbit (~1600 km) to the surface of the Gale Crater.

2. The MCLS should include a cargo transport system, a cushioning/impact system, and a braking system.

3. Any MCLS design must allow for cargo to be landed near other containers that have already been delivered.

4. The MCLS should safely absorb the force of impact so that fragile technical equipment is not damaged.

What do you know about Mars?

Why send robots there?

Graphic by NASA

Mars Facts• Size: Approximately half diameter of Earth• Mass: 0.1 that of Earth• Surface gravity: 0.4 that of Earth• Distance from Sun: 1.5 Astronomical Units• 6-10 months to get to Mars using standard propulsion when

Mars/Earth align every ~2 years• Some water exists (polar ice caps); evidence shows possible past

liquid water & thicker atmosphere• Surface is red due to iron oxide dust• Atmosphere is almost entirely CO2

• Mean surface pressure is only 0.6% of that of EarthMars’ thin atmosphere makes landing robots and humans

on the red planet difficult. Your challenge is to create a Mars Cargo Landing System (CMLS) despite this difficulty.

Graphic by NASA

• Second largest mountain in Solar System

• Valcano• About three

times as tall as Mount Everest on Earth

What robots have we sent to Mars in the past?

Graphic by NASA

Highlights of Mars Robotic Exploration• 1971: NASA’s Mariner 9: 1st satellite to orbit• 1971: Russia’s Mars 2: 1st lander (crashed)• 1976: NASA’s Viking Program: landers & orbiters• 1997: NASA’s Sojourner: 1st rover• 2004: NASA Spirit & Opportunity Rovers (92.5

Earth-day primary mission)– Spirit got stuck 2009; out of service 2010– Opportunity is still going strong!

• 2008: NASA’s Phoenix lander• 2012: NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity

Rover)Humans, led by the United States, have sent more robots

to Mars (44) than to any other planet or solar system body.

Curiosity landed in Gale Crater. Your challenge is to also land cargo/personnel in Gale Crater.

Gale Crater

• Spirit and Opportunity Rovers are 185 kg• Curiosity Rover is 900 kg (2000 lbs, 1 ton, ½ car mass)

The most massive lander is 900 kilograms. We did this pushing current engineering. New techniques must be

developed to land more mass. We need your help!

Sojourner (1997)

Spirit & Opportunity

(2004)

Curiosity (2012)

Graphic by NASA

Video of NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover

landing in 2004

Graphic by NASA

Video of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory

(Curiosity Rover) landing in 2012

Graphic by NASA

NASA Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover)

• NASA: “7 minutes of terror” & unofficial “50% chance of success”

What landing techniques did you see in the two

videos to slow down the rovers?

Graphic by NASA

Existing Mars Cargo Landing Techniques• Cargo transport system

– Casing with heat shield– Steering thrusters– Radar data collection to fine tune entry path & landing site– Rover suspension system (sky crane)

• Cushioning/impact system– Airbags

• Braking system– Aeroshell for aerobreaking– Supersonic Parachute– Breaking thrusters for powered descentExisting techniques can be used to land 900 kg. Your

challenge is to land 40,000 kg using new, innovative techniques.

Why send humans to Mars?

When do you predict we’ll send humans there?

We’ve sent robots to Mars. The idea of sending humans to Mars as a next step continues to be considered.

Graphic by NASA

NASA’s Plan for Sending Humans to Mars

• Goal of leading international mission of 4-6 astronauts in early 2030s

• 2033 is particularly good year due to extra good planetary alignments & minimal solar radiation

• Mission timeline– 6 months to get to Mars– 18 months on planet– 6 months for return total of 30 months or 2.5 years

• Mission will most likely require ~2 other missions for equipment placement ahead of humans

• Returning from Mars means astronauts have to take off from Martian surfaceWith hard work & motivation you could become an astronaut by 2033 and be the first human on Mars!

Commercial Organizations’ Plans for Sending Humans to Mars

• Inspiration Mars in Jan 2018– Funded mostly by Dennis Tito (entrepreneur; 1st space tourist at

$20 million)– One American man / one woman (preferably married)– Fly by only so 1.5 year mission

• Mars One in 2023– Funded as reality TV show & by donations– 1-way, international mission of 4 in 2023 with others later– Equipment placements (2,500 kg at a time) starting in 2016 &

continuing while humans set up permanent presence– Over 200,000 people from around world applied

Commercial organizations want to get humans to Mars sooner than NASA.

What do you think about the idea of a one-way trip

to Mars?

Why haven’t we sent humans there yet?

Graphic by NASA

Challenges of Landing Humans on Mars

• Surviving 2.5 years in close quarters in space– Solar radiation shielding– Psychological difficulty

• Mars’ thin atmosphere provides inadequate breaking to land 40,000 kg, which is NASA’s estimated amount of cargo needed for their mission– Again, currently we can only land 900 kg– For comparison, Apollo Moon lander was 15,000 kg

The challenge you’re going to concentrate on is landing 40,000 kg on Mars using innovative techniques to land

despite its thin atmosphere.

What NASA is Doing About These Challenges

• Sending astronauts to the International Space Station• Exploring new propulsion techniques & looking at

combining propulsion techniques• Before Mars, NASA plans to send humans to asteroid first

– Ideally, this will be done by bringing small asteroid to vicinity of our Moon

– Even though asteroids don’t have atmospheres, their gravity is much, much less than Mars’

• Soliciting help on landing problemScientifically, humans need to go to Mars. Although our

robots have been very successful, a human can accomplishment in hours what a rover does in years.

Your ChallengeThe Mars Madness Foundation has challenged citizen scientists and engineers to create a Mars Cargo Landing System (MCLS) to deliver 40,000 kg in materials to the Martian surface from a low Mars orbit. The Foundation is committed to helping improve the technology available to both government and private enterprises as they pursue their quest to settle Mars and Challenge entries that are approved by the foundation will be added to a data bank of potential solutions to shared with these organizations. All teams with approved designs will be awarded a certificate of appreciation for their contributions to the Mars Landing Community.

Your ideas could be used by NASA and private enterprises to successfully get humans to Mars!

Mars Cargo Landing System (MCLS) Engineering Specifications

1. The MCLS should carry cargo/personnel from a low Martian Orbit (~1600 km) to the surface of the Gale Crater.

2. The MCLS should include a cargo transport system, a cushioning/impact system, and a braking system.

3. Any MCLS design must allow for cargo to be landed near other containers that have already been delivered.

4. The MCLS should safely absorb the force of impact so that fragile technical equipment is not damaged.