A Micromission for Mars Sample Return

B. Parkinson; S. Kemble (2004), JBIS, 57, 256-261

Refcode: 2004.57.256
Keywords: Microspacecraft, Mars, Moon, sample return

Abstract:
In 1970 the Russian Luna 16 returned just 100 gm of lunar regolith from the Sea of Fertility using a robot spacecraft. Return of 200 gm of surface and sub-surface fines from Mars to Earth for detailed examination would make a major contribution to understanding the geology of that planet. Surface sample return missions have been seen as complex and expensive, demanding a heavy launch vehicle. However, the use of micro- spacecraft technology and a severely focussed mission objective could minimize the size and cost of such a mission. This paper describes an initial feasibility assessment of a minimum Mars Sample Return mission using a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle and a Mars orbit rendezvous strategy. The vehicle design could also be adapted to perform an earlier Lunar Sample Return (e.g. from the polar Aitken Basin), allowing new operational technologies to be demonstrated and providing additional scientific return.