National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research & Technology Transfer 2008 Program Solicitations
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S5.01 Planetary Entry, Descent, Ascent, Rendezvous and Landing Technology
S5.02 Sample Collection, Processing, and Handling
S5.03 Surface and Subsurface Robotic Exploration
S5.04 Technologies for Low Mass Mars Ascent Vehicles (PAV)
NASA is pursuing technologies to enable robotic exploration of the Solar System including its planets, their moons, and small bodies. NASA has a development program that includes technologies for the atmospheric entry, descent, and landing, mobility systems, extreme environments technology, sample acquisition and preparation for in situ experiments, and in situ planetary science instruments. Robotic exploration missions that are planned include a Europa Jupiter System mission, Titan Saturn System mission, Venus In Situ Explorer, sample return from Comet or Asteroid and lunar south polar basin and continued Mars exploration missions launching every 26 months including a network lander mission, an Astrobiology Field Laboratory, a Mars Sample Return mission and other rover missions. Numerous new technologies will be required to enable such ambitious missions. The solicitation for in situ planetary instruments can be found in the in situ instruments section of this solicitation. See URL: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/index.cfm for mission information. See URL: http://marstech.jpl.nasa.gov/ for additional information on Mars Exploration technologies.
NASA seeks innovative sensor technologies to enhance success for entry, descent and landing (EDL) operations on missions to Mars. This call is not for sensor processing algorithms. Sensing technologies are desired which determine the entry point of the spacecraft in the Mars atmosphere; provide inputs to systems that control spacecraft trajectory, speed, and orientation to the surface; locate the spacecraft relative to the Martian surface; evaluate potential hazards at the landing site; and determine when the spacecraft has touched down. Appropriate sensing technologies for this topic should provide measurements of physical forces or properties that support some aspect of EDL operations. NASA also seeks to use measurements made during EDL to better characterize the Martian atmosphere, providing data for improving atmospheric modeling for future landers. Proposals are invited for innovative sensor technologies that improve the reliability of EDL operations.
Products or technologies are sought that can be made compatible with the environmental conditions of spaceflight and the rigors of landing on the Martian surface. Successful candidate sensor technologies can address this call by:
For a sample return mission, rendezvous technologies for capture of an Orbiting Sample (OS) with the return spacecraft:
For a sample return mission, monitoring local environmental (weather) conditions on the surface just prior to Planetary Ascent Vehicle (PAV) launch, via appropriate low-mass sensors.
Proposals should show an understanding of one or more relevant science needs, and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program.Robust systems for sample acquisition, handling and processing are critical to the next generation of robotic explorers for investigation of planetary bodies (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10432&page=R1). Limited spacecraft resources (power, volume, mass, computational capabilities, and telemetry bandwidth) demand innovative, integrated sampling systems that can survive and operate in challenging environments (extremes in temperature, pressure, gravity, vibration and thermal cycling). Relevant systems could be integrated on multiple platforms, however of primary interest are samplers that could be mounted on a mobile platform, such as a rover. For reference, current Mars-relevant rovers range in mass from 200 – 800 kg.
Sample Acquisition
Research should be conducted to develop compact, low-power, lightweight subsurface sampling systems that can obtain 1 cm diameter cores of consolidated material (e.g., rock, icy regolith) up to 10 cm below the surface. Systems should be capable of autonomously acquiring and ejecting samples reliably. Other sample types of interest are unconsolidated regolith, dust, and atmospheric gas.
Sample Manipulation (core management, sub-sampling/sorting)
Sample manipulation technologies are needed to enable handling and transfer of structured and unstructured samples from a sampling device to instruments and sample processing systems. Core and regolith samples may be variable in size and composition, so a sample manipulation system needs to be flexible enough to handle the sample variability. Core samples will be on the order of 1 cm diameter and up to 10 cm long. Soil and rock fragment samples will be of similar volumes.
System Robustness and Reliability
Consideration should be given to potential failure scenarios for integrated systems. For example, recovery and mitigation techniques for platform slip and borehole misalignment should be addressed. Significant attention should be given to the sensing and automation required for real-time control, fault diagnosis and recovery. In the case of rover-mounted subsurface sampling systems, the ability to release under load will be critical to mitigate risk of losing mobility if unexpected subsurface conditions are encountered.
Sample Integrity (encapsulation and contamination)
For a sample return mission, it is critical to find solutions for maintaining physical integrity of the sample during the surface mission (rover driving loads, diurnal temperature fluctuations) as well as the return to Earth (cruise, atmospheric entry and impact). Technologies are needed for characterizing state of sample in situ – physical integrity (e.g., cracked, crushed), sample volume, mass or temperature, as well as retention of volatiles in solid (core, regolith) samples, and retention of atmospheric gas samples.
Also of particular need are means of acquiring subsurface rock and regolith samples with minimum contamination. This contamination may include contaminants in the sampling tool itself, material from one location contaminating samples collected at another location (sample cross-contamination), or Earth-source microorganisms brought to the Martian surface prior to drilling ('clean' sampling from a 'dirty' surface). Consideration should be given to use of materials and processes compatible with 110-125°C dry heat sterilization. In situ sterilization may be explored, as well as innovative mechanical or system solutions – e.g., single-use sample “sleeves,” or fully-integrated sample acquisition and encapsulation systems.
For a sample return mission, sample transfer of a payload into a Planetary Ascent Vehicle (PAV)
Technologies are needed to enable access and sample acquisition at surface and subsurface sampling sites of scientific interest on Mars (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10432&page=R1). Mobility technology is needed to enable access to difficult-to-reach sites such as access through steep terrain. Many scientifically valuable sites are accessible only via terrain that is too steep for state-of-the-art planetary rovers to traverse. Sites include crater walls, canyons, and gullies. Tethered systems, non-wheeled systems, and marsupial systems are examples of mobility technologies that are of interest. Tether technology could enable new approaches for deployment, retrieval and mobility. Innovative marsupial systems could allow a pair of vehicles with different mobility characteristics to collaborate to enable access to challenging terrain. Single vehicle systems might utilize a 200 kg class rover and dual vehicle systems might utilize a 500-800 kg primary vehicle that provides long traverse to the vicinity of a challenging site and then deployment of a smaller 20-50 kg vehicle with steep mobility capability for access and sampling at the site.
Technologies to enable acquisition of subsurface samples are also needed. Technologies are needed to acquire core samples in the shallow subsurface to about 10cm and to enable subsurface sampling in multiple holes at least 1 - 3 meters deep through rock, regolith or ice compositions. Shallow subsurface sampling systems need to be low mass and deeper subsurface sampling solutions need to be integratable onto 500-800 kg stationary landers and mobile platforms. Consideration should be given for potential failure scenarios, such as platform slip and borehole misalignment for integrated systems, and the challenges of dry drilling into mixed media including icy mixtures of rock and regolith. Systems should ensure minimal contamination of samples from Earth-source contaminants and cross-contamination from samples at different locations or depths.
Innovative low-mass, low-power, and modular systems and subsystems are of particular interest. Technical feasibility should be demonstrated during Phase 1 and a full capability unit of at least TRL level 4-6 should be delivered in Phase 2. Specific areas of interest include the following:
Proposals should show an understanding of one or more relevant science needs, and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program.
NASA aims to design, build and test vehicles that will be launched from the surface of other planets and place a payload, Orbiting Sample (OS), into orbit (http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/futureMissions.html). We are seeking proposals for the development of innovative technologies to support future Payload Ascent Vehicles (PAVs) and associated sample operations. Technology innovations should either enhance vehicle capabilities (e.g., increased payload, launch success probability, mission success) or ease implementation in spaceborne missions (e.g., reduce size, weight, power, improve reliability, or lower cost). The areas of interest for this call are listed below.
Alternate propellants, thrusters and propulsion feed system technologies for the PAV:
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