MARS SAMPLE RETURN (MRS) MISSION REPORT
Pauli E. Laine
[email protected]
Scoping elements
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Need: Sample material from Mars for thorough investigation on Earth.
Goal: Bring selected sample material from Mars to Earth.
Objective(s): Eleven candidate scientific objectives for MSR were recently identified by
MEPAG ND-SAG (2008). Most important is to assess the evidence for prebiotic processes,
past life, and/or extant life on Mars.
Mission: Land on Mars, get samples and return them to Earth.
Constraints: Launch windows, separate 2020 Mars rover mission.
Budget: Estimated double of large rover mission.
Schedule: Mars rover launch 2020, orbiter launch 2021, MSR launch 2021, sample return
2023.
Authority & Responsibility: International cooperation. NASA: Mars 2020 rover, ESA 2021
orbiter, NASA/ESA 2021 MRS, NASA sample receiving.
Assumptions: Mars rover 2020 mission
High-level Concept of Operations
1. Major phases
Mars Sample Return mission’s major phases:
• Mars 2020 rover launch, landing and operations (inc. sample collection)
• Mars Orbiter launch, orbit operations, sample container capture, Trans-Earth
injection and Earth entry
• Mars Lander launch, landing, sample receiving from the rover and Mars
Ascent Vehicle launch.
2. Design Reference Mission
We use iMARS Working Group’s Design Reference Mission (Figure 1) as an example for our
mission. In Figure 1 are included all other components but the Mars 2020 Rover mission.
Figure 1 Reference Mission
3. Operation timelines
Operation timelines (Figure 3) are tied to three separate launch windows: Mars 2020 Rover, Mars
Orbiter and Mars Sample Return Lander. Mars 2020 Rover’s timeline is illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Mars 2020 Rover timeline (JPL)
Figure 3 Mission timeline
4. End-to-end communications strategy
Mars 2020 mission rely on NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), an international network of
antennas that provide the communication links between the scientists and engineers on Earth to the
missions in space and on Mars. Same network and communication links are used with Orbiter and
Lander missions as well. Figure 4 illustrates am example of end-to-end communication.
Figure 4 Example of end-to-end communication
5. Command and data architecture
Each mission has its own C&DH architecture. Mars 2020 Rover and Mars Sample Return Lander;
and Mars Sample Return Ascent Vehicle and Mars Orbiter architectures are connected.
6. Operational facilities
Mission’s operational facilities include control and mission centers and stations. For return mission
there are also sample receiving and curation facilities.
7. Critical events
Mission’s critical events include:
• Launches: If one launch fails, the whole mission fails
• Rover and lander entry and descent phases
• Orbiter’s capture burn and aerobraking
• Mars Ascent Vehicle’s launch
• Mars Ascent Vehicle’s sample container capture
• Earth entry phase
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Sample handling
High-level Architecture
Figure 5 illustrates some of the main architecture components.
Figure 5 High-level architecture
Product Breakdown Structure
Figure 6 illustrates some parts of the mission’s Product Breakdown Structure (PBS).
Figure 6 Part of the mission’s Product Breakdown Structure
Work Breakdown Structure
Figure 7 illustrates some parts of the mission’s Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Figure 7. Work Breakdown Strucure
References
iMARS Working Group (2008). Preliminary Planning for an International Mars Sample Return
Mission. http://mpag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/MARS_FinalReport.pdf
Mars 2020 Rover Mission. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mars2020
MEPAG ND-SAG (2008). Science Priorities for Mars Sample Return, Unpublished white paper, 73
p, posted March 2008 by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) at
http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/index.html
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook