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Different sizes of the landing ellipses from Viking Landers to the next NASA Mars 2020 rover overlaid on the Simud landing area proposed by Pajola et al. (2016a) for the ExoMars mission
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The selection of a landing site on a planetary body is a multistep process that involves both the fulfillment of several engineering constraints and the accomplishment of scientific requirements. In this chapter, we will show how the simultaneous production and exploitation of different GIS maps depicting these criteria are pivotal in the landing s...
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... Landing ellipses dimensions and orientation: They are dictated by the 58 spacecraft entry angle into the planet's atmosphere, the atmospheric density, its 59 drag, and the entry mass (Fig. 2). Given the unavoidable uncertainties in their 60 estimation, it is impossible to previously know exactly the spacecraft's final 61 landing point. For this reason, in order to predict the landing area, numerical Table 1 Summary of the ExoMars 2020 and the Mars 2020 surface/terrain engineering constraints as from the ExoMars landing site ...
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Developing a space rover with ability to explore robustly and autonomously the unknown outer space landscape like Moon and Mars has always been a major challenge, since the first roving remote-controlled robot, Lunokhod 1, landed on the moon. Path planning is one of important task when the rover travels a certain distance without the human control....
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... Selecting landing sites is a time-consuming task, sometimes taking more than four years [34] due to engineering and scientific requirements [35]. Existing data and that acquired during the transfer to Table 3. Seasons on Triton [40] Year Season 1820 Mild southern summer 1860 Equinox 1910 Cold southern winter 1950 Equinox 2000 Warm southern summer 2040 Equinox 2090 Cold southern winter Neptune can be used for preliminary decision-making, whilst higher-resolution data acquired during the Triton orbital phase can be used to refine any decisions. ...
... A priority concept similar to that used on the Europa Clipper [42] would parse through real-time images of Triton and send back to Earth only the ones that are relevant in the next step of manual analysis, enabling much faster detection of key features such as geysers. Maps including different engineering cartographic data, geographical information system (GIS) maps, can be generated and used for representation and evaluation of constraints to find safe landing spots that fulfil scientific and engineering requirements [35]. ...
The Arcanum mission is a proposed L-class mother-daughter spacecraft configuration for the Neptunian system, the mass and volume of which have been maximised to highlight the wide-ranging science the next generation of launch vehicles will enable. The spacecraft is designed to address a long-neglected but high-value region of the outer Solar System, showing that current advances make such a mission more feasible than ever before. This paper adds to a series on Arcanum and specifically provides progress on the study of areas identified as critical weaknesses by the 2013–2022 decadal survey and areas relevant to the recently published Voyage 2050 recommendations to the European Space Agency (ESA).
... There have been numerous research efforts on planetary 3D SLAM techniques, in which the terrain perceptions and mapping results mainly depend on a sensor selection and a sensor fusion. In an early stage, the monocular SLAM frameworks were presented, Over the last few decades, planetary remote sensing data has been used to build global 3D terrain maps for landing site selection and path planning [25][26][27] and to assess the availability and distribution of in situ resources [28][29][30][31]. The remotely sensed data can also be utilized to locate the planetary infrastructure and base, meeting ISRU and civil engineering conditions to support a permanent and sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars (Figure 1a) [32][33][34]. ...
With the recent discovery of water-ice and lava tubes on the Moon and Mars along with the development of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology, the recent planetary exploration has focused on rover (or lander)-based surface missions toward the base construction for long-term human exploration and habitation. However, a 3D terrain map, mostly based on orbiters’ terrain images, has insufficient resolutions for construction purposes. In this regard, this paper introduces the visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based robotic mapping method employing a stereo camera system on a rover. In the method, S-PTAM is utilized as a base framework, with which the disparity map from the self-supervised deep learning is combined to enhance the mapping capabilities under homogeneous and unstructured environments of planetary terrains. The overall performance of the proposed method was evaluated in the emulated planetary terrain and validated with potential results.
... High-resolution ground-based images of the Martian surface are only available from several existing landing sites, and high-resolution orbital images such as those from the HiRISE only cover a small portion of the surface. Thus, thermal emission data obtained from orbiters such as the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) (Christensen, 1986) and the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) (Nowicki & Christensen, 2007) were also used to study rock abundances on the Martian surface (Pajola et al., 2019). The resulting rock-abundance maps provide global coverage, although the map resolution is low (e.g., 1 pixel/degree for the IRTM data). ...
This paper presents our efforts to characterize the candidate landing region (109°–133°E, 23°–30°N) for Tianwen‐1, China's first mission to Mars, in terms of engineering safety and scientific significance. Topographic analysis reveals that the region has a low elevation around −4,230 m, and 98% of the region have slopes smaller than 8°. The geomorphological mapping and analysis show that the region has an average crater density of about 28 craters (≥200 m in diameter) per 100 square kilometers, with several clusters of high crater densities distributed around the center of the region. There are also pitted cones distributed mainly in the southern part of the region, with a density of approximately 6.6 cones per 100 square kilometers in specific local areas. The region has rock abundances ranging from 1% to 23%, with local clusters of low and high rock abundances. The region comprises four main geological units, including a lowland unit formed in the Late Hesperian and a volcanic unit formed in the Amazonian and Hesperian period. Their specific surface ages are estimated through the analysis of crater size‐frequency distribution. Combining the engineering constraints on surface slopes, crater density, cone density, and rock abundance, a hazard map of the candidate landing region is generated for landing site evaluation and safety assessment. Based on the results, we further discuss the potential scientific outcomes from the exploration in this region. The findings will be helpful for the mission planning and maximization of the scientific return from Tianwen‐1, and complement existing Martian scientific research.
... The cold-gas propulsion is used to achieve a separation distance (1) and then wing deployment begins (2,3). pressurize the wing within 3 seconds [32]. Telescopic booms developed by Oxford Space Systems [TRL 6] will expand to provide full structural support for the wing structure within about 10 seconds followed by disposal of gas generator and boom deployer. ...
Exploration of terrestrial planets such as Mars are conducted using orbiters, landers and rovers. Cameras and instruments onboard orbiters have enabled global mapping of Mars at low spatial resolution. Landers and rovers such as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) carry state-of-the-art instruments to characterize small localized areas. This leaves a critical gap in exploration capabilities: mapping regions in the hundreds of kilometers range. In this paper, we extend our work on CubeSat-sized sailplanes with detailed design studies of different aircraft configurations and payloads, identifying generalized design principles for autonomous sailplane-based surface reconnaissance and science applications. We further analyze potential wing deployment technologies, including conventional inflatables with hardened membranes, use of composite inflatables, and quick-setting foam. We perform detailed modeling of the Martian atmosphere and possible flight patterns at Jerezo crater using the Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) to provide realistic atmospheric conditions at the landing site for NASA's 2020 rover. We revisit the feasibility of the Mars Sailplane concept, comparing it to previously proposed solutions, and identifying pathways to build laboratory prototypes for high-altitude Earth based testing. Finally, our work will analyze the implications of this technology for exploring other planetary bodies with atmospheres, including Venus and Titan.
... The cold-gas propulsion is used to achieve a separation distance (1) and then wing deployment begins (2,3). pressurize the wing within 3 seconds [32]. Telescopic booms developed by Oxford Space Systems [TRL 6] will expand to provide full structural support for the wing structure within about 10 seconds followed by disposal of gas generator and boom deployer. ...
Exploration of terrestrial planets such as Mars are conducted using orbiters, landers and rovers. Cameras and instruments onboard orbiters have enabled global mapping of Mars at low spatial resolution. Landers and rovers such as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) carry state-of-the-art instruments to characterize small localized areas. This leaves a critical gap in exploration capabilities: mapping regions in the hundreds of kilometers range. A high science return/low cost solution is to deploy one or more sailplanes in the Martian atmosphere as secondary payloads deployed during Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) of a MSL-class vehicle. These are packaged into 12U/24kg CubeSats, occupying some of the 190 kg of available ballasts. Sailplanes extend inflatable-wings to soar without power limitations by exploiting atmospheric features such as thermal updrafts for static soaring, and wind gradients for dynamic soaring. Such flight patterns have been proven effective on Earth, and demonstrated similarities between Earth and Mars show strong potential for a long lasting airborne science platform on Mars. The maneuverability of sailplanes offer distinct advantages over other exploration vehicles: they provide continuous reconnaissance of areas of interest from multiple viewpoints and altitudes with dedicated science instruments, achieving higher pixel-scale resolutions than orbital assets and enabling exploration capabilities over rugged terrain such as Valles Marineris, steep crater walls and the Martian highlands that remain inaccessible for the foreseeable future due to current EDL technology limitations. In this paper, we extend our work on CubeSat-sized sailplanes with detailed design studies of different aircraft configurations and payloads, identifying generalized design principles for autonomous sailplane-based surface reconnaissance and science applications. We further analyze potential wing deployment technologies, including conventional inflatables with hardened membranes, use of composite inflatables, and quick-setting foam. We perform detailed modeling of the Martian atmosphere and possible flight patterns at Jerezo crater using the Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) to provide realistic atmospheric conditions at the landing site for NASA's 2020 rover. We revisit the feasibility of the Mars Sailplane concept, comparing it to previously proposed solutions, and identifying pathways to build laboratory prototypes for high-altitude Earth based testing. Finally, our work will analyze the implications of this technology for exploring other planetary bodies with atmospheres, including Venus and Titan.
In the future, lunar exploration will focus on long-term scientific exploration, identification and utilization of resources, and construction of lunar surface infrastructure, all within a framework of increasing international cooperation. Therefore, China has proposed to establish an international lunar research station (ILRS) in the lunar south polar region. The scientific and engineering suitability of the landing site is a critical element for scientific research station that will operate over years. Compared to previous landed missions, the detection and exploration of volatiles and their role in the history and evolution of the Moon and Solar System is a major new theme. Using multiple datasets, we (1) evaluate the breadth of scientific goals that can be achieved for two potential landing areas (Amundsen crater and Malapert crater) with accessible permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), and (2) examine exploration constraints posed by terrain, temperature, and illumination conditions. Based on this, we determined the landing sites and potential high value exploration areas for each landing area, as well as the science missions that could be performed. Our ILRS siting strategy, which focuses more on scientific constraints than engineering constraints, will provide guidance for possible future ILRS siting areas.
In planetary construction, the semiautonomous teleoperation of robots is expected to perform complex tasks for site preparation and infrastructure emplacement. A highly detailed 3D map is essential for construction planning and management. However, the planetary surface imposes mapping restrictions due to rugged and homogeneous terrains. Additionally, changes in illumination conditions cause the mapping result (or 3D point-cloud map) to have inconsistent color properties that hamper the understanding of the topographic properties of a worksite. Therefore, this paper proposes a robotic construction mapping approach robust to illumination-variant environments. The proposed approach leverages a deep learning-based low-light image enhancement (LLIE) method to improve the mapping capabilities of the visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based robotic mapping method. In the experiment, the robotic mapping system in the emulated planetary worksite collected terrain images during the daytime from noon to late afternoon. Two sets of point-cloud maps, which were created from original and enhanced terrain images, were examined for comparison purposes. The experiment results showed that the LLIE method in the robotic mapping method significantly enhanced the brightness, preserving the inherent colors of the original terrain images. The visibility and the overall accuracy of the point-cloud map were consequently increased.
A multidisciplinary study of an ancient area of Mars (Early to Late Noachian) located in Arabia Terra is presented, centred at 6°1′N, 354°54′ E and including the 55 km size Vernal crater. By means of different spatial scale imagery datasets and digital terrain models (MOLA, THEMIS, HRSC, CTX, CaSSIS and HiRISE), we prepare a high-resolution geological map of the study site. We highlight the different bedrock stratigraphy inside the Vernal crater which is of particular exobiological interest given the presence of putative ancient hot springs, as well as identifying multiple transverse aeolian ridges, inverted fracture networks and paleochannels, mounds, and a 58 m fresh crater located just outside Vernal crater rim. Within all low-latitude regions of Mars, the studied site presents the highest values (up to 16.0 wt%) of water equivalent hydrogen, hence suggesting that there is a widespread presence of in situ subsurface (at maximum depths of 1–2 m) natural resources, such as water ice and/or hydrated minerals. The equatorial location of the area results in the maximum surface temperature and the highest mean solar flux gatherable on the surface of the planet throughout the year. The interesting scientific case, coupled with the presence of in situ exploitable resources and the thorough accomplishment of all landing/roving engineering safety requirements, make the Vernal crater area a strong landing site candidate for future human exploration of Mars.
