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Mars Scout: Micromissions to Investigate Martian EnvironmentsEnvironments can be local, regional, or global. They can include one or more geological, morphological, climatological, and biological types. An environment also represents all the interactions that take place in the identified boundaries. Current planned missions to Mars in the Surveyor Program assume a good knowledge of the Martian environment that we do not have because it cannot be obtained only from orbit. There is a missing step between orbital data and the complex Surveyor missions to be landed that needs to be filled. The Ames/IRSPS Scout Mission Concept originally proposed in February 1999 filled this gap by landing a series of small (less than 10 kgs. each) scout missions. The Mars Environment Scout Mission Concept is being developed to explore the possibility of sending a series of small, simple, and inexpensive stations to the surface of Mars. The objective(s) would be to document either: (a) the environmental diversity of Mars, (b) a specific Martian environment, and/or (c) a region of interest. This type of mission will provide critical information about environments that is currently not available, and could also be used as precursors helping the design, preparation, and planning of more complex future missions to come.
Document ID
20010023070
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cabrol, N. A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Ori, G. G.
(International Research School of Planetary Sciences Pescara, Italy)
Grin, E. A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Sims, M. H.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Marinangeli, L.
(International Research School of Planetary Sciences Pescara, Italy)
McKay, C.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Marshall, J.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Thomas, H.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Rabbette, M.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Landheim, R.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 2000
Publication Information
Publication: Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration
Issue: Part 1
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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