Mars Human Reference Missions for Atmosphere and Climate: report from HEM-SAG Climate group

Paper number

IAC-08.A5.2.2

Author

Dr. Victoria Hipkin, Canadian Space Agency, Canada

Coauthor

Dr. R. Todd Clancy, Space Science Institute, United States

Coauthor

Dr. Gregory T Delory, University of California at Berkeley, United States

Coauthor

Dr. David C Fernandez-Remolar, Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA), Spain

Coauthor

Dr. James Garvin, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, United States

Coauthor

Dr. Joel S Levine, NASA, United States

Coauthor

Dr. David Beaty, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States

Year

2008

Abstract

To allow current lunar architecture development to feed forward towards the exploration of Mars by humans as outlined in the NASA Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), the NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), formed a Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG) in March 2007. The goal of HEM-SAG is to develop the scientific goals and objectives for the scientific exploration of Mars by humans. The HEM-SAG was one of several parallel NASA humans to Mars scientific, engineering and mission architecture studies going on in 2007 to support NASA’s planning for the VSE. 

Consensus results from HEM-SAG based on science objectives only favoured a program of an initial three long-stay (500 sols) missions at three different Mars surface locations. Under HEM-SAG, 2006 MEPAG Goal II (Climate) objectives were refocussed to look at relevance to the 2030 timeframe, site dependency and human-enabled operations.

Three areas of science priority are discussed with essentially different surface operations characteristics: generic atmospheric boundary layer and trace gas investigations, access to the polar cap climate record, and study of the early evolution of Mars using the geological record.

Reference mission activities are presented for comment and input from the community.  Generic atmospheric investigations are proposed for all sites to provide essential environmental characterization and operational input to surface operations planning. The polar cap reference mission presents science objectives for deep drilling (>1km) and considers the constraints of polar night.

Abstract document

IAC-08.A5.2.2.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.A5.2.2.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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