Pascal Lee

SETI Institute

We report finding near Mars' equator what we interpret as a modern relict glacier. The feature is a light-toned deposit, composed like many of sulfate salts, but presenting here morphologic traits characteristic of glaciers, in particular linear, splaying, circular, and tic-tac-toe crevasse fields, moraine bands, thrust planes, and foliation. The s...

Exploration of Mars is underway by use of a rover and helicopter; a hybrid concept for these two vehicles is presented in this paper. LILI (Long-term Ice-field Levitating Investigator) is a novel hybrid aerial/ground mobility concept vehicle proposed for exploration of the Martian polar regions. LILI entails combining episodic rotary-wing flight wi...

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstrator. The hope is that Ingenuity will one day lead to future generations of ever-more capable rotorcraft and other aerial vehicles for Mars exploration and other planetary science missions. This future potentiality is already being reflected in the Titan Dragonfly New Frontiers mission award. Th...

Noctis Landing, a proposed human Landing Site and Exploration Zone in West Valles Marineris, Mars, presents hydrated minerals attesting to a complex aqueous history and opportunities for future human exploration.

Noctis Landing is a proposed Landing Site/ Exploration Zone for human missions to Mars. This study identifies several mineral and water-related spectral signatures in data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)’s Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM).

Noctis Landing is a proposed Landing Site/ Exploration Zone for human missions to Mars. This study identifies several mineral and water-related spectral signatures in data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)’s Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM).

Solar wind interactions with the surfaces of asteroids and small moons eject atoms and molecules from the uppermost several nanometers of regolith grains through a process called sputtering. A small fraction of the sputtered species, called secondary ions, leave the surface in an ionized state, and these are diagnostic of the surface composition. D...

We identify a series of specific robotic precursor measurements required to fill NASA’s Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) for planning future human missions to the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. NASA is currently developing space exploration architectures and systems for an Evolvable Mars Campaign that will enable the human Journey To Mars, si...

The Haughton-Mars Project Research Station (HMPRS) on Devon Island, High Arctic, is a field research facility dedicated to supporting analog field research in planetary science and exploration. The upcoming HMP-2016 field campaign will the HMP’s 20th.

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) is a challenging mission to capture and bring back either an entire asteroid (Option A) or a large boulder from the surface of an asteroid (Option B) to a cislunar orbit. Options A and B have a range of risks; one of them relates to the unknown strength of the asteroid or boulder. This paper describes methods...

Between April 2009 and July 2011, the NASA Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) led the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition (NWPDX), a multi-staged long-distance crewed rover traverse along the Northwest Passage in the Arctic. In April 2009, the HMP Okarian rover was driven 496 km over sea ice along the Northwest Passage, from Kugluktuk to Cambridge Bay, Nun...

Looking for organics, biomarkers and signs of past or extant life on Mars will require sample acquisition there below the desiccated and irradiated surface. A decade of evolutionary development of integrated automated drilling and sample handling at analog sites and in test chambers has made it possible to go deeper through hard rocks and ice layer...

PADME is a proposed NASA Discovery mission to investigate the origin of two remarkable and enigmatic small bodies, Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of Mars.

This study examines mineral assemblages produced by impact-induced hydrothermal systems at three giant impacts to gain an understanding of the fluid chemistry.

Solar wind, magnetospheric ions and micrometeorites impact the surface of airless bodies in the solar system and deposit energy in the surface material. Excitation and momentum transfer processes lead to sputtering or desorption of molecules and atoms, thereby creating a dynamic exosphere about an otherwise airless body. Ion mass spectrometry of ej...

Exploring and interrogating the shallow subsurface of Mars from the surface will require some form of excavation and penetration, with drilling being the most mature approach. The latest LITA drill, designed for use at the Atacama Desert Chilean analog site, was recently tested at the same Arctic site (Haughton Crater) as have a series of past NASA...

A new, plasma drilling technology is under development for deep subsurface access, exploration, and sampling for science and ISRU on the Moon, asteroids, Mars, and its moons.

PADME is a proposed rapid low-cost NASA Mars orbiter mission that will address longstanding unknowns about Mars’ two moons and the circum-martian environment.

The latest LITA drill did not demonstrate a capability of penetrating hard rock or ice-consolidated material at the Drill Hill test site.

A new plasma drilling technology is under development that will enable deep subsurface access for science and ISRU on the Moon, asteroids, Mars, and its moons.

ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of thin sections from the Haughton impact structure, a Mars analog.

The search for life (or the examination of the reasons for its absence) is one of the most compelling scientific activities to be undertaken in diverse environments on Mars. We describe the study of the microbiology of the Haughton impact crater in the Canadian Arctic, from a simulated Mars lander (the FMARS). Impacts events have had a profound inf...

MISSION: MARS is a non-fiction children's book on the human exploration of Mars. It takes young readers on a training mission to become Future Mars Explorers. The book is illustrated with numerous diagrams and pictures in color, and draws from research conducted by the author at NASA. MISSION: MARS is endorsed by the Mars Institute and by the SETI...

successful efforts to determine the ages of impact events are based on the isotope geochronology of crystalline or glassy impact melts. Studies of impact sites on Earth show that many form without significant melt production, meaning that traditional geochronologic approaches can yield unsatisfying results. We describe here an alternative approach...

Automated 1-m rotary-percussive drills and sample transfer could fly on a planetary mission soon. These have been tested in the lab and at analog field sites.

Mars Science Lab rover simulation study. Objectives: test MSL mission scientists, understand the local geology, and evaluate simulations in planetary exploration.

Deep drilling will be an important activity in future Mars exploration. Our study identifies two promising concepts: (1) coiled tubing drilling, and (2) mole drilling.

The paper provides the current understanding of the dust particle dynamics near the surface and in the circummatrian space of the Martian moons based on existing models developed for airless and non-magnetized bodies. In particular we discuss the response of the regolith of the Martian moons to exposure to radiation, the dynamics of charged dust on...

A robotic multiple landings/sample return mission to Phobos and Deimos will fill several key knowledge gaps in science and engineering in preparation for future human missions to Mars orbit and to the martian surface.

This paper describes the results of a recent (July-August 2010 and July 2011) planetary surface traverse planning experiment. The purpose of this experiment was to gather data relevant to robotically repositioning surface assets used for planetary surface exploration. This is a scenario currently being considered for future human exploration missio...

In the summer of 2011, we used three geotechnical instruments to assess the ground conditions in planetary analog sites on the Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic. The instruments included Percussive Cone Penetrometer (PCP) developed by Honeybee Robotics, and the two off the shelf instruments: Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP), and the Static Cone Pen...

During the 2011 summer field campaign of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project at the Haughton impact crater site on Devon Island in the high Arctic, field tests were conducted of the use of a robotic arm system integrated to Humvees serving as analog pressurized vehicles for the human exploration of near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, and Mars. The goal of t...

The analysis of sulphur isotopic compositions in three sets of surface sulphate samples from the soil zone in the Haughton impact structure shows that they are distinct. They include surface gypsum crusts remobilized from the pre-impact gypsum bedrock (mean δ34S +31‰), efflorescent copiapite and fibroferrite associated with hydrothermal marcasite (...

Existing geophysical datasets have been updated and are used as constraints to create a model of the substructure of the Haughton Crater impact structure.

As opposed to the traditionally used Ar40/Ar39 and U-Pb chronometers, the (U-Th)/He system is reset at lower temperatures, making it promising for dating impacts. Using this technique, we find an age for Haughton Impact Structure of 21.4 +/- 1.2 Ma.

Robotic rovers can be used as advance scouts to signifi cantly improve scientifi c and technical return of planetary surface exploration. Robotic scouting, or "robotic recon," involves using a robot to collect ground-level data prior to human fi eld activity. The data collected and knowledge acquired through recon can be used to refi ne traverse pl...

The nature and origin of the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are outstanding unknowns. Solving this mystery is considered the single most important science goal to be addressed in their exploration [1]. When considered in the broader and longer-term context of the human exploration of Mars, human missions to Phobos and Deimos offer exciting i...

As robotic and human missions to Phobos and Deimos are planned, surface mechanical and dynamical properties have become increasingly important to understand. Their low-gravity environments make surface interactions and proximity operations planning similar to the situation of NEA robotic missions, although there are fundamental differences due to i...

Hamilton Sundstrand has collaborated with NASA's Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) over the past decade in order to develop a better understanding of the design requirements for, and challenges facing, Extravehicular Activity (EVA) systems for planetary exploration. Each summer, mock-up systems emphasizing specific aspects of EVA system design have been...

Amor is a Discovery-class spacecraft that will rendezvous with, land on, and explore a remarkable triple asteroid system: C-type near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 2001 SN263.

In the summer of 2010, we conducted a simulation of a robotic follow-up mission with a robot at Haughton Crater and mission control at NASA Ames. The test improved our understanding of how robots can help increase productivity and complement human crews.

We performed a simulated EVA experiment and a robotic follow-up using Lidar, GPR, Panoramic, and Micro-Imaging cameras and XRF to re-explore the sites with the main objective of providing metric observations to quantify in situ subsurface ice presence.

Sulfur isotopic measurements on Mars are likely to be limited to sulfates due to oxidation of sulfides. We show that evidence for life can be determined from sulfate data alone, using an analogue for a robotic traverse.

Analog field studies at the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) on Devon Island suggest that productive planetary field science can be conducted by humans from within the confines of a highly mobile, well-equipped, and well-instrumented pressurized vehicle.

Small bodies are considered as one of the most primitive remnants of our solar system formation; understanding their formation and evolution provides direct insights into the evolution of our solar system evolution. To date, there have only been a few missions to these small bodies, namely comets and asteroids. Small bodies are now considered targe...

Robotic reconnaissance (“recon”) has the potential to significantly improve scientific and technical return from lunar surface exploration. In particular, robotic recon can be used to improve traverse planning, reduce operational risk, and increase crew productivity. To study how robotic recon can benefit human exploration, we recently conducted a...

The future of space exploration will be increasingly surface-based and extended-duration. Planetary rovers, both manned and autonomous, will play vital roles in transporting instruments, astronauts, and equipment across rugged and unfamiliar surfaces. To enable this vision, it is advisable to deploy prototype rover vehicles in analog environments o...

The Amor mission will rendezvous and land at the triple Near-Earth Asteroid system (153591) 2001 SN263 and execute detailed, in-situ science investigations. The spacecraft reaches 2001 SN263 by using a two-year DeltaVEGA (DeltaV-Earth Gravity Assist) trajectory with a relatively low launch C3 of 33.5 km2/s2. Rendezvous will enable reconnaissance ac...

In August 2009 YAP Films (Toronto) received permission from all entities involved to create a documentary film illustrating what it might be like to be on the surface of Mars in a space suit during a dust storm or in a dust devil. The science consultants on this project utilized this opportunity to collect data which could be helpful to assess the...

New measurements of permeability from 14 samples of impact breccia in meteorite impact craters all indicate values of 1 mD or lower. These values are low and suggest that fluid flow through impact craters, evidenced by hydrothermal systems in numerous craters, is predominantly through fracture systems. Mineral precipitation by circulating fluids wo...

The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest relatively ice-free area on the Antarctic continent. The perennially ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and extensive areas of exposed soil are subject to low temperatures, limited precipitation and salt accumulation. The dry valleys thus represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits. T...

Snow samples were collected during a 496 km simulated lunar traverse to detect the dispersal of human-associated microbes. Results indicate that contamination occurred at a very low level during the mission.

In the 23-km-diameter Haughton impact structure, Canadian High Arctic, in sulfate-rich bedrock, widespread hydrothermal sulfide mineralization occurred in breccias formed during the impact. The sulfides exhibit extreme sulfur isotopic fractionation relative to the original sulfate, requiring microbial sulfate reduction by thermophiles throughout th...

With the prospect of humans returning to Moon by the end of the next decade, considerable attention is being paid to technologies required to transport astronauts to the lunar surface and then to be able to carry out surface science. Recent and ongoing initiatives have focused on scientific questions to be asked. In contrast, few studies have addre...

Hall is a proposed NASA-led New Frontiers-class international robotic lander and sample return mission to explore and return samples from the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos.

Field test results in a relevant planetary analog site are presented for 2009 tests of a conceptual planetary sampling rotary-percussive drill.

Determining the diversity of geologic materials in a complex impact structure using tools in the Mars Science Laboratory payload including ChemCam (LIBS and Remote Imager), CheMin (XRD), and APXS (XRF) and the MAHLI and MastCam cameras.

Abstract— Field studies and analytical scanning electron microscopy indicate that a hydrothermal system was created by the interaction of water with hot, impact-generated rocks following formation of the 24 km diameter, 23 Ma Haughton impact structure. Hydrothermal alteration is recognized in two settings: within polymict impact breccias overlying...

Abstract— The well-preserved state and excellent exposure at the 39 Ma Haughton impact structure, 23 km in diameter, allows a clearer picture to be made of the nature and distribution of hydrothermal deposits within mid-size complex impact craters. A moderate- to low-temperature hydrothermal system was generated at Haughton by the interaction of gr...

Abstract— Detailed field mapping has revealed the presence of a series of intra-crater sedimentary deposits within the interior of the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic. Coarse-grained, well-sorted, pale gray lithic sandstones (reworked impact melt breccias) unconformably overlie pristine impact melt breccias and attest...

Abstract— This study serves as a proof-of-concept for the technique of using visible-near infrared (VNIR), short-wavelength infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) spectroscopic observations to map impact-exposed subsurface lithologies and stratigraphy on Earth or Mars. The topmost layer, three subsurface layers and undisturbed outcrops of the...

Abstract— The Haughton impact structure has been the focus of systematic, multi-disciplinary field and laboratory research activities over the past several years. Regional geological mapping has refined the sedimentary target stratigraphy and constrained the thickness of the sedimentary sequence at the time of impact to ˜1880 m. New 40Ar–39Ar dates...

We are studying how "robotic follow-up" can improve future planetary exploration. Robotic follow-up, which we define as augmenting human field work with subsequent robot activity, is a field exploration technique designed to increase human productivity and science return. To better understand the benefits, requirements, limitations and risks associ...

The DRATS 2009 field exercise provided operational experience that will help define science requirements for a science support room for future lunar surface operations. Lessons learned emphasize the continued collaboration between science, engineering, and operations.

By 2020, NASA plans to return to the Moon with a new series of regularly spaced surface missions. Crewed missions will initially be "extended sortie" (e.g., 1-2 weeks). During the first few years of the lunar campaign, humans will be on the Moon less than 10% of the time. During the 90% of time between crew visits, robots could perform tasks under...

The 39 +/- 2 Ma Haughton impact structure on Devon Island comprises a thick target succession of sedimentary rocks, mainly carbonates. The carbonates contain pre-impact organic matter, including fossil biological markers. Haughton is located in an area where no major thermal event has affected the sedimentary succession after heating caused by impa...

Initial results from a field test for several Mars Science Laboratory instruments at the Haughton impact structure.

Pressurized rovers will be key science "instruments" in the future humanexploration of the Moon and Mars. Lessons from long-range vehicular field traverses conducted at the Haughton-Mars Project site, Devon Island, HighArctic, are presented.

A July 2008 field test effort updated and tested DAME drilling automation in a relevant planetary analog environment (a palaeo-hydrothermal chimney in permafrost inside Haughton Crater). Cores and cuttings were successfully retrieved and archived.

This is a study of the Raman signature of calcite and dolomite in shocked carbonate clasts within the Haughton impact melt rocks. The impact shock effects are observed with Raman analyses in dolomite, while the calcite structure remains intact.

Permeability data is reported for impact breccias from the Haughton and other craters. Values are consistently low.

Surface science operations on the Moon will require merging lessons from Apollo with new operation concepts that take advantage of the Constellation Lunar Architecture. We will present science operations for two prototype lunar rovers.