好奇心号巡视器及其特点分析

"火星科学实验室"(Mars Science Laboratory,MSL)是NASA于2011年11月26日发射的火星探测器,其上的好奇心号(Curiosity)巡视器已经于2012年8月6日着陆火星;其主要科学目标包括研究火星存在生命的可能性、火星气候特征、火星地质过程,并为将来的载人着陆作准备;经过多次论证,其着陆区为盖尔撞击坑(Gale Crater)。与过去的火星巡视器相比,它携带了更加先进的科学仪器,能够精确分析采集样品的化学成分、光谱特征等;在科学工作小组的指导下,其运行模式包括行走、勘查、接近目标、接触目标与样品分析;通过上述工作,"火星科学实验室"将对火星生命及可居住性进行全面探测。     

火星EDL导航、制导与控制技术综述与展望

以成功着陆火星探测器的导航、制导与控制系统为典型代表,系统地总结了火星E DL导航、制导与控制技术的历史与现状,对各种已有技术的优缺点进行了对比分析,并以未 来的火星采样返回、载人登陆和火星基地任务为潜在工程应用目标,对下一代高精度火星ED L导航、制导与控制技术进行了比较全面的分析和展望。

     

一种三元结构的火星采样返回任务方案分析

介绍了目前国外提出的一种三元结构的火星采样返回任务方案,整个方案分3次发射,分别发射漫游车、着陆器和轨道器,每次发射间隔为4年,最终目的是将火星样品带回地球。该方案的优势在于,通过3次发射分别完成漫游车巡视勘察、着陆器现场探测、轨道器数据中继和在轨探测,最终综合完成火星采样返回,能够极大地缓解项目进度和资金压力,充分利用每次发射窗口分步骤完成探测任务。文章重点对方案涉及的关键技术进行了分析,包括样品获取与封装、行星保护、精准着陆、漫游车的危险规避能力和移动性、火星上升器、交会与样品捕获、地球再入器技术等;对方案的前景和优势进行了探讨,并给出几点启示,如精准着陆或成为今后行星探测着陆方式的新趋势,火星采样返回任务将是人类火星探测的里程碑,今后的深空探测任务趋向国际合作模式等。     

The Mawrth Vallis region of Mars: A potential landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission

The primary objective of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2011, is to characterize the habitability of a site on Mars through detailed analyses of the composition and geological context of surface materials. Within the framework of established mission goals, we have evaluated the value of a possible landing site in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars that is targeted directly on some of the most geologically and astrobiologically enticing materials in the Solar System. The area around Mawrth Vallis contains a vast (>1?×?10? km2) deposit of phyllosilicate-rich, ancient, layered rocks. A thick (>150?m) stratigraphic section that exhibits spectral evidence for nontronite, montmorillonite, amorphous silica, kaolinite, saponite, other smectite clay minerals, ferrous mica, and sulfate minerals indicates a rich geological history that may have included multiple aqueous environments. Because phyllosilicates are strong indicators of ancient aqueous activity, and the preservation potential of biosignatures within sedimentary clay deposits is high, martian phyllosilicate deposits are desirable astrobiological targets. The proposed MSL landing site at Mawrth Vallis is located directly on the largest and most phyllosilicate-rich deposit on Mars and is therefore an excellent place to explore for evidence of life or habitability.     

Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration (AROMA)

Automation and Robotics (A&R) systems are a key technology for Mars exploration. All over the world initiatives in this field aim at developing new A&R systems and technologies for planetary surface exploration. From December 2000 to February 2002 Kayser-Threde GmbH, Munich, Germany lead a study called AROMA (Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration) under ESA contract in order to define a reference architecture of A&R elements in support of a human Mars exploration program. One of the goals of this effort is to initiate new developments and to maintain the competitiveness of European industry within this field.     

A concept for NASA's Mars 2016 astrobiology field laboratory

The Mars Program Plan includes an integrated and coordinated set of future candidate missions and investigations that meet fundamental science objectives of NASA and the Mars Exploration Program (MEP). At the time this paper was written, these possible future missions are planned in a manner consistent with a projected budget profile for the Mars Program in the next decade (2007-2016). As with all future missions, the funding profile depends on a number of factors that include the exact cost of each mission as well as potential changes to the overall NASA budget. In the current version of the Mars Program Plan, the Astrobiology Field Laboratory (AFL) exists as a candidate project to determine whether there were (or are) habitable zones and life, and how the development of these zones may be related to the overall evolution of the planet. The AFL concept is a surface exploration mission equipped with a major in situ laboratory capable of making significant advancements toward the Mars Program's life-related scientific goals and the overarching Vision for Space Exploration. We have developed several concepts for the AFL that fit within known budget and engineering constraints projected for the 2016 and 2018 Mars mission launch opportunities. The AFL mission architecture proposed here assumes maximum heritage from the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Candidate payload elements for this concept were identified from a set of recommendations put forth by the Astrobiology Field Laboratory Science Steering Group (AFL SSG) in 2004, for the express purpose of identifying overall rover mass and power requirements for such a mission. The conceptual payload includes a Precision Sample Handling and Processing System that would replace and augment the functionality and capabilities provided by the Sample Acquisition Sample Processing and Handling system that is currently part of the 2009 MSL platform.     

The European space exploration programme: current status of ESA's plans for Moon and Mars exploration

After a large consultation with the scientific and industrial communities in Europe, the Aurora Space Exploration Programme was unanimously approved at the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at ministerial level in Edinburgh in 2001. This marked the start of the programme's preparation phase that was due to finish by the end of 2004. Aurora features technology development robotic and crewed rehearsal missions aimed at preparing a human mission to Mars by 2033. Due to the evolving context, both international and European, ESA has undertaken a review of the goals and approach of its exploration programme. While maintaining the main robotic missions that had been conceived during Aurora, the European Space Exploration Programme that is currently being proposed to the Aurora participating states and other ESA Member States has a reviewed approach and will feature a greater synergy with other ESA programmes. The paper will present the process that led to the revision of ESA's plans in the field of exploration and will give the current status of the programme.     

Mitigation of the impact of terrestrial contamination on organic measurements from the Mars Science Laboratory

The objective of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which is planned to follow the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix lander to the surface of Mars, is to explore and assess quantitatively a site on Mars as a potential habitat for present or past life. Specific goals include an assessment of the past or present biological potential of the target environment and a characterization of its geology and geochemistry. Included in the 10 investigations of the MSL rover is the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite, which is designed to obtain trace organic measurements, measure water and other volatiles, and measure several light isotopes with experiment sequences designed for both atmospheric and solid-phase samples. SAM integrates a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, and a tunable laser spectrometer supported by sample manipulation tools both within and external to the suite. The sub-part-per-billion sensitivity of the suite for trace species, particularly organic molecules, along with a mobile platform that will contain many kilograms of organic materials, presents a considerable challenge due to the potential for terrestrial contamination to mask the signal of martian organics. We describe the effort presently underway to understand and mitigate, wherever possible within the resource constraints of the mission, terrestrial contamination in MSL and SAM measurements.     

火星探测的主要科学问题

在太阳系的行星中,火星与地球之间存在最多的相似之处,因此,火星是一颗承载人类最多梦想的星球。火星有水和生命存在的问题,激发了人类火星探索的好奇心,成为人类持续探测火星的推动力。火星的起源和演化与太阳系形成过程的关系,火星与类地行星的共性和特性,是当代行星科学研究的重要内容。为了人类社会的可持续发展,火星可否改造成为适宜人类居住的绿色星球——这些是人类在火星探测中必须面对的重大科学问题。只有这些重大科学问题被一一解答,我们才能清晰地去思考地球和人类自身的未来！     

Preservation of martian organic and environmental records: final report of the Mars biosignature working group

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has an instrument package capable of making measurements of past and present environmental conditions. The data generated may tell us if Mars is, or ever was, able to support life. However, the knowledge of Mars' past history and the geological processes most likely to preserve a record of that history remain sparse and, in some instances, ambiguous. Physical, chemical, and geological processes relevant to biosignature preservation on Earth, especially under conditions early in its history when microbial life predominated, are also imperfectly known. Here, we present the report of a working group chartered by the Co-Chairs of NASA's MSL Project Science Group, John P. Grotzinger and Michael A. Meyer, to review and evaluate potential for biosignature formation and preservation on Mars. Orbital images confirm that layered rocks achieved kilometer-scale thicknesses in some regions of ancient Mars. Clearly, interplays of sedimentation and erosional processes govern present-day exposures, and our understanding of these processes is incomplete. MSL can document and evaluate patterns of stratigraphic development as well as the sources of layered materials and their subsequent diagenesis. It can also document other potential biosignature repositories such as hydrothermal environments. These capabilities offer an unprecedented opportunity to decipher key aspects of the environmental evolution of Mars' early surface and aspects of the diagenetic processes that have operated since that time. Considering the MSL instrument payload package, we identified the following classes of biosignatures as within the MSL detection window: organism morphologies (cells, body fossils, casts), biofabrics (including microbial mats), diagnostic organic molecules, isotopic signatures, evidence of biomineralization and bioalteration, spatial patterns in chemistry, and biogenic gases. Of these, biogenic organic molecules and biogenic atmospheric gases are considered the most definitive and most readily detectable by MSL.     

火星表面辐射环境分析

火星表面没有全球性磁场保护,存在较强的辐射环境。文章基于Mars-GRAM模型和MCD模型的火星大气数据、“海盗号”（Viking Lander 1/2）及“探路者号”（Pathfinder）等测量得到的火星土壤数据、银河宇宙射线环境（CREME 96模型）以及太阳宇宙射线环境（1989年10月太阳事件）,采用基于GEANT4的粒子输运方法,分析得到了火星表面辐射环境;并与“好奇号”火星车辐射评价探测器（Radiation Assessment Detector,RAD）实测值进行了比较。结果显示：次级伽马光子和中子通量分析值与实测值偏差不超过50%,辐射剂量分析值与实测值偏差不超过5%。火星表面辐射环境可用于分析航天员在不同位置处遭遇的人体剂量,作为载人火星任务着陆点数据参考。     

The Mars Sample Return Project.

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Project is underway. A 2003 mission to be launched on a Delta III Class vehicle and a 2005 mission launched on an Ariane 5 will culminate in carefully selected Mars samples arriving on Earth in 2008. NASA is the lead agency and will provide the Mars landed elements, namely, landers, rovers, and Mars ascent vehicles (MAVs). The French Space Agency CNES is the largest international partner and will provide for the joint NASA/CNES 2005 Mission the Ariane 5 launch and the Earth Return Mars Orbiter that will capture the sample canisters from the Mars parking orbits the MAVs place them in. The sample canisters will be returned to Earth aboard the CNES Orbiter in the Earth Entry Vehicles provided by NASA. Other national space agencies are also expected to participate in substantial roles. Italy is planning to provide a drill that will operate from the Landers to provide subsurface samples. Other experiments in addition to the MSR payload will also be carried on the Landers. This paper will present the current status of the design of the MSR missions and flight articles.     

Roadmap to a human Mars mission

We propose a new roadmap for the preparation of the first human mission to Mars. This proposal is based on the work of ISECG and several recent recommendations on human Mars mission architectures. A table is proposed to compare the possible benefits of different preparatory missions. Particular attention is paid to the possibility of qualifying important systems thanks to a heavy Mars sample return mission. It is shown that this mission is mandatory for the qualification of Mars aerocapture at scale-1, EDL systems at scale 1 and Mars ascent. Moreover, it is a good opportunity to test many other systems, such as the heavy launcher and the transportation systems for the trips beyond LEO. These tests were not mentioned in the last ISECG report. This strategy is facilitated in the case of the simplified Mars mission scenarios that have recently been presented because it is suggested that relatively small vehicles with small crew sizes are used in order to optimize the payload mass fraction of the landing vehicles and to avoid the LEO assembly. An important finding of the study is that a human mission to the surface of the Moon is not required for the qualification of the systems of a human mission to Mars. Since affordability is a key criterion, two important missions are proposed in the roadmap. The first is a heavy Mars sample return mission and the second is a manned mission to a high Earth orbit or eventually to the vicinity of the Moon. It is shown that both missions are complementary and sufficient to qualify all the critical systems of the Mars mission.     

Phoenix--the first Mars Scout mission

NASA has initiated the first of a new series of missions to augment the current Mars Program. In addition to the systematic series of planned, directed missions currently comprising the Mars Program plan, NASA has started a series of Mars Scout missions that are low cost, price fixed, Principal [correction of Principle] Investigator-led projects. These missions are intended to provide an avenue for rapid response to discoveries made as a result of the primary Mars missions, as well as allow more risky technologies and approaches to be applied in the investigation of Mars. The first in this new series is the Phoenix mission which was selected as part of a highly competitive process. Phoenix will use the Mars 2001 Lander that was discontinued in 2000 and apply a new set of science objectives and mission objectives and will validate this soft lander architecture for future applications. This paper will provide an overview of both the Program and the Project.     

论航天火星探测

回顾了 2 0世纪航天火星探测的历史和成就 ,论述了火星探测器飞行轨道的特点 ,展望了 2 1世纪初期航天火星探测的前景     

一种共轴双旋翼式火星飞行器设计及其试验验证

针对火星飞行器探测需求,提出了一种共轴双旋翼式火星飞行器,基于计算流体力学方法优选了桨叶翼型、平面形状和扭转角等结构参数,基于叶素动量理论建立了旋翼气动力学模型,利用数值模拟方法选择了旋翼转速、旋翼间距和桨叶安装角等飞行参数,设计了原理样机"火星飞鸟-I"的结构与控制系统。构建了火星大气环境模拟器和重力补偿与运动约束装置,开展了模拟火星环境下旋翼式飞行器地面飞行试验,验证了共轴双旋翼式火星飞行器的推进性能,展望了旋翼式火星飞行器技术的发展方向。研究成果对我国开展的火星探测工程具有重要借鉴价值。     

火星探测器推进系统初步设想

火星探测是深空探测的重要内容之一,全面了解和掌握火星探测器的特点对进行火星探测具有重要意义.本文分析了国外火星探测器推进系统的系统组成和工作原理,介绍了我国火星探测器推进系统的初步设计方案,结合工程应用现状,提出了火星探测器推进系统的关键技术.     

Regional and seasonal limitations for Mars intrinsic ecopoiesis

Mars ecopoiesis is a human controlled process consisting in changes needed for anaerobic life to be established on planet surface. The daily minimum temperature on present day Mars is well below the water freezing point, due to the low thermal inertia of the surface. A simple time-dependent model to evaluate the ground temperature is developed here. It takes into account the incident solar radiation, the greenhouse effect and surface thermal inertia. The model is applied to two modified Martian atmospheres. Increasing surface thermal inertia seems to be necessary for Mars intrinsic ecopoiesis. This can be done either by removing the regolith layer covering the bedrock or by regolith compression. The Northern hemisphere of the terraformed Mars appears to be more hospitable than the Southern hemisphere, because the amplitude of the daily temperature excursion there is lower and the freezing temperature appears at higher latitudes. A regional (and seasonal) terraforming of Mars is suggested.     

火星车有风热平衡试验环境模拟技术

为了保证火星车在火星表面能够正常工作,需要在地面模拟火星表面的有风热环境,包括风速、风向、气体温度、气体成分和压力等,完成火星车在火星表面有风热环境下的热平衡试验。针对火星表面有风热环境特点,开展低压风速模拟、低压风速测量、压力控制、温度控制等研究,利用现有的KM3E真空容器,在其内部增加特殊设计的风扇、导流装置、压力控制系统、气体温度控制系统、火星车姿态调整系统等,使KM3E具备火星表面有风热环境模拟条件。该模拟技术成功应用于火星车有风热平衡试验,充分验证了火星车热控系统设计,为火星车热分析模型提供了重要参考。     

火星进入气体辐射加热研究进展

针对飞行器进入火星大气时气体辐射加热对防热设计带来不确定性，在简述火星探测和气体辐射研究的发展历程的基础上，对火星进入气体辐射加热研究的进展进行综述。首先，针对火星大气环境描述了气体辐射加热的概念和问题由来。其次，重点综述了近年来火星进入气体辐射加热基础模型的数值和试验研究进展，其中包括：热化学非平衡气体动力学、气体辐射特性和辐射传输的计算模型与方法等数值研究；地面测试设备、试验技术和模拟火星大气环境的气体辐射测量与验证等试验研究。再次，综述了流动辐射耦合和后体气体辐射加热等火星进入器设计方面开展的研究。最后，对未来火星进入气体辐射加热研究进行了展望，提出了研究建议。