Low-cost Mars surface exploration using the SHIELD lander concept
Abstract
A new lander technology, the Small High Impact Energy Landing Device concept (SHIELD), is under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)1. To reduce cost, SHIELD does not include conventional EDL system such as heatshields for entry, parachutes for descent, and thrusters/airbags/skycranes for landing. Instead, SHIELD employs an impact attenuation system engineered to reduce impact acceleration loads to < 1000 g1. To further reduce cost, SHIELD can be launched as a secondary payload on a conventional large launch vehicle or as a primary payload on a small launch vehicle—thus reducing launch costs by up to an order of magnitude. The cost target for a SHIELD lander concept is <50M per lander or <200 million for up to three SHIELDs, a transit stage, and launch2.
For existing compatible or ruggedized payloads, SHIELD would provide access to the surface and subsurface of Mars at substantially lower cost and with a substantially greater frequency of opportunities2. In particular, SHIELD could enable low-cost subsurface investigations. Example mission concepts are methane detection using a tunable laser spectrometer (TLS) or subsurface water detection using transient electromagnetic sounder such as the TH2OR instrument that is being developed at JPL. SHIELD has the capability to deliver up to 5 kg of science payload to the surface of Mars2.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.P44B..06B
- Keywords:
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- 1829 Groundwater hydrology;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 5215 Origin of life;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: ASTROBIOLOGY;
- 6225 Mars;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS;
- 6297 Instruments and techniques;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS