MICE: A System of Compact Mobile Nuclear Reactor Probes to Explore the Deep Interior of Mars' North Polar Cap
- Paper number
IAC-06-A3.P.3.17
- Author
Dr. George Maise, Plus Ultra Technologies, Inc., United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Jesse Powell, Plus Ultra Technologies, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. James Powell, Plus Ultra Technologies, Inc., United States
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The interior of the North Polar Cap on Mars holds a detailed record over millions of years of the ancient geology and atmosphere meteorology of the planet, the past solar, cosmic ray, and meteorid activity affecting it, and possibly, if Mars ever evolved life, microfossils, and traces of biologic chemicals. The Polar Caps vast extent, thousands of square kilometers and kilometers thick, will require investigating its deep interior at thousands of locations, down to, and including, the bedrock at its base. The MICE (Mars Ice Cap Explorer) system is a network of mobile compact nuclear reactor probes that can travel for many kilometers inside the Polar Cap, obtaining data on its internal structure and composition at thousands of locations. It would measure the variations on atmosphere composition, both chemical and isotopic, over millions of years, the amount, composition, and nature of dust transported by winds, the rates and nature of the ancient solar, cosmic ray, and meteoroid activities, bedrock composition and stratigraphy, etc. along with a search for evidence of life. A detailed reference design for the MICE probe is described. Its pods are connected by a 2 meter tether. The lower pod (N-Pod) contains the MICE reactor, heat exchangers and power equipment; outer diameter is 60 cm with a 1.2 m length. The upper pod (I-Pod) contains the instrumentation, communication, and sample collection equipment with an OD of 60 cm. Directed hot water jets on the 2 pods create a melt water channel in the ice sheet, allowing the probe to move upwards or downwards, vertically or at an angle, as desired. The 500 kW MICE reactor enables a maximum travel rate of 200 meters per day. The MICE reactor uses conventional nuclear technology, including commercial Zr/UO2 cermet fuel, water coolant/moderator, and a 10 kW(e) steam power cycle for controls, instrumentation, etc. Its design and 3D Monte Carlo neutronic analyses of reactor criticality and burnup behavior are described. The N-Pod has a dry mass of 110 kg; water for the reactor is obtained from the Mars ice sheet. The instrumentation and communication systems for the I-Pod (50 kg) are described. A baseline MICE mission is described in which a network 6 MICE probes travel inside the Polar Cap, communicating with a surface lander that relays data in real time to scientists on Earth, who control the movement and data collection activities of the probes, subject to speed of light delays.
- Abstract document