| Robotic Mars Direct Dave Dietzler 2008 |
| A manned Mars Direct mission as described by Robert Zubrin in his book "The Case for Mars" seems incredibly dangerous. While industry is growing on the Moon and in Earth orbit, we could continue to explore Mars with robots. With the anticipated Ares launch vehicle we could send an Earth Return Vehicle with a small cargo of LH2 as described by Zubrin that uses martian atmospheric CO2 to make methane and LOX for return flight to Earth. The robots won't be returning to Earth but hundreds of kilograms of rock and soil samples would be rocketed back to Earth. The HAB module would not require stocks of consumables, water and life support systems. It would carry several large robotic rovers that get their methane and LOX fuel for fuel cells from the ERV. They might even mine for some water to make hydrogen for fuel cells and sample return rocket fuel. The capacity of the AI rovers would be way beyond Spirit and Opportunity or Phoenix. They could travel for hundreds of miles collecting interesting samples and perhaps locate ore bodies for future colonization of Mars. Given the presence of super-oxides in martian regolith and the intensity of UV radiation on Mars it is unlikely that life now exists on Mars, but perhaps we will find microfossils of long extinct bacteria This might require close examination of samples from Mars by scientists on Earth with optical and electron microscopes. Humans would not have to endure 180 day flight to Mars, dangerous aerobraking maneuvers and re-entry, solar flares, 540 days on Mars and another 180 days in a cramped ERV module. In my humble opinion, we should give up our excitement about manned flights to Mars and look at an advanced robotic mission or missions to Mars derived from the manned Mars Direct scenario. The cost would be a lot lower too. So picture a HAB sized module that is basically a garage for AI rovers, perhaps two on the bottom deck and two on the top deck that are lowered to the bottom deck and exit ramp by a lift or elevator system. These rovers will have stereo cameras, radar, communication dishes, various tools on mechanical arms like shovels and rock picker-uppers and rock abrasion tools as well as lasers and spectrometers for analyziing rocks at a distance. They should be able to dig several meters into the martian regolith. They should also have drills that can bore holes into the ground and insert radiation spectrometers and take deep, several meters, core samples. The big rovers will have four wheel drive and four wheel steering as well as four wheel independent suspensions. They will be built to crawl over rough terrain and climb steep slopes. While humans on days long sorties would need food, water, oxygen, sleep, relaxation time, spacesuits, airlocks; toilet, shower and laundry facilities, the robots will not need any of this waste of payload mass and time. They could be operated 24/7 by crews around the world linkied up to Mars via the internet. The rovers would be equipeed with radar and sensitive night vision cameras that see by starlight for Mars nightime operations. Perhaps they will spot nightime glows of radioactive or phosphorescent minerals. Or the cameras could point towards the sky in search of martian auroras as solar wind particles impinge upon the rarified maritan upper atmosphere. Naviagtion could be done with onbaord inertial navigation systems enhanced by a constellation of Mars orbiting GPS microsatellites rocketed to Mars much earlier. Robots are the true first pioneer explorers of space. They will prevent needless human hardship and possible loss of life. Men and women will go to Mars when large spaceship yards exist in Earth orbit. Perhaps we will build fleets of ships to Mars from ETs. See: Spaceships |
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