WASHINGTON — NASA has refined its technique for future robotic exploration of Mars, advocating for a daily cadence of smaller missions to reply key questions upfront of human missions.
NASA launched Dec. 11 its “Expanding the Horizons of Mars Science” plan, which outlines a technique for the following 20 years that requires flying low-cost missions at each launch alternative whereas taking extra benefit of economic and worldwide partnerships.
NASA launched a draft version of that plan in March 2023 and the ultimate model is “not dramatically completely different,” Eric Ianson, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, stated at a facet assembly throughout the annual American Geophysical Union convention to debate the plan. “Beforehand, we had introduced a 25-or-so-page PowerPoint package deal and now we’re rolling out a 154-page written doc.”
The plan focuses on a “science-driven robotic Mars program” separate from Mars Pattern Return, which is going through a separate agency review on methods to cut back its value and schedule anticipated to wrap up earlier than the top of the 12 months. It additionally doesn’t embrace any future human missions to the planet.
What the doc does supply is a technique of future robotic missions that may deal with key science questions on Mars, together with any proof of previous or current life, whereas additionally laying the scientific groundwork for future crewed missions.
The technique has three “co-equal” science themes, stated Becky McCauley Rench, program scientist in NASA’s planetary science division and co-lead of the research. One, referred to as “exploring the potential for Martian life,” is concentrated on searching for any proof of life on Mars. “Did life ever come up on Mars, and if that’s the case, does it exist at present?” she stated. “If life by no means developed, why not?”
A second theme, “supporting the human exploration of Mars,” is wanting on the “synergistic observations” that could possibly be made with robotic missions forward of the primary crewed missions, together with key information gaps to fill. “How can we put together to maximise that treasured human time on the floor and the sources in reference to the export neighborhood right here on Earth?” she stated.
The third theme, referred to as “revealing Mars as a dynamic planetary system,” consists of different science subjects, with an emphasis on comparative planetology. “We need to be taught as a lot about Mars as we find out about Earth,” she stated.
To carry out the science in these three themes, the plan advocates a daily sequence of mission, specializing in smaller spacecraft. “This program is taking a look at altering the paradigm of how we take into consideration Mars missions,” Ianson stated. “Each alternative there’s when a launch window opens up, can we ship one thing up?”
“We need to try this with lower-cost missions which are science pushed and has the potential of offering versatile, speedy response to discoveries,” stated McCauley Rench, “not essentially taking 10 years between excited about a mission and really seeing it launch.”
These smaller missions, with projected prices of $100 million to $300 million every, would give attention to particular scientific questions with a single instrument or small suite of devices. NASA proposes to reinforce them with much less frequent however bigger missions with extra complicated devices. An instance would by the Mars Life Explorer lander idea included within the planetary science decadal survey.
The plan additionally consists of flying payloads as “missions of alternative” on missions by different house companies and even industrial missions. Additionally included is revitalizing what Ianson referred to as “important and growing older infrastructure” at Mars reminiscent of communications relays and the high-resolution imagery presently offered by the almost 20-year-old Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Infrastructure is one space the place industrial partnerships might contribute to the plan. NASA awarded studies in May to nine companies to look at the feasibility of economic techniques to ship payloads to Mars and to supply communications and imagery companies.
Ianson stated the research had been promising. “There actually is a few benefit right here and we predict there’s something that merited additional research and additional work,” he stated, reminiscent of the best way to construction any public-private partnerships to hold out such missions.
One subject with industrial Mars missions, he stated, would be the enterprise case for corporations performing such missions. A easy fee-for-service mannequin, the place NASA pays just for the companies as soon as offered, “might be not a very workable resolution,” he stated, primarily based on the outcomes of the research. “There in all probability must be some stage of funding by way of a public-private partnership on the NASA facet up entrance.”
The company is taking preliminary steps to implement the technique. NASA’s 2025 price range proposal included $40 million to spend money on Mars robotic exploration applied sciences. NASA is allocating $30 million of that to inner efforts, selecting 25 tasks out of 90 proposals acquired from company facilities. The remaining $10 million could also be supplied to trade and academia for “revolutionary robotic mobility applied sciences,” Ianson stated.
The plan itself doesn’t embrace any particular mission plans or price range necessities, and Ianson emphasised its flexibility. “Clearly, we might like to do every thing within the plan. Nonetheless, that’s not real looking underneath difficult price range circumstances and competing priorities,” he stated. “I have a look at this plan much less as a roadmap however extra as a menu of choices to select from, primarily based on the provision of price range and probably the most urgent must help Mars science.”
