Space Exploration

1
British National Space Centre

• Space Exploration
• The UK Science and Technology Objectives
• Dr David Parker
• Director of Space Science
• Washington
• November 2004

2
The UK Space Science Community

• 10 university space hardware groups and two
  national laboratories (the Rutherford Appleton
  Laboratory and the UK Astronomy Technology
  Centre)
• A further 31 Universities with Space-related
  undergraduate courses
• Over 100 large and small industrial companies
  involved in the ESA programme

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Exploration

• The UK Science Focus

4
Goal Focus on Mars and its relationship to life
on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe

• In its Strategic Plan 2003-2008 PPARC identified
  Does life exist elsewhere? as one of the nine
  big science challenges for the next decade
• interconnected with exo-planet science (Darwin
  mission)
• search for pre-biotic chemicals throughput the
  Solar System (Rosetta, Huygens)

• Image taken by Europes Mars Express of Ophir
  Chasma, a northern part of the Valles Marineris
  canyon. ESA/DLR/G.Neukum

5
Aurora Science Goals

• Science associated with long duration human
  missions
• Science associated with Mars as a planet with
  both similarities and dissimilarities with Earth
• Science associated with Mars as a potential
  location for life (past and present)

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Mars as a member of the Solar System

• High Level Questions
• Can we trace the history of the Solar System back
  to its formation 4.5 billion years ago ?
• Can we understand the relationship between the
  Sun and its planets over time ?
• Can we explain the distribution of mass and
  material types and relate them to models of Solar
  System formation ?
• Can we compare this history with that of other
  solar systems, and generalise our models for
  different types of star ?
• How does this relate to our observations of
  exo-planets ?

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Mars as an accessible, fractionated, rocky planet

• What is the history of Mars ?
• Why does it have no dynamo, but high local
  magnetic anomalies ?
• Why is its density distribution different from
  Earth ?
• Does it have a liquid, solid or mixed
  solid/liquid core ?
• What is the origin of the North/South dichotomy ?
• Does it or did it have tectonic behaviour ?
• Does it still have volcanism or hydrothermal
  activity ?
• How have nutrients for life been circulated
  through the planets life

8
Mars as a planet with an atmosphere and
cryosphere/hydrosphere

• What is the current form of its atmosphere ? What
  is the origin of the methane ? What other trace
  gases are present ?
• How does the atmosphere change with the seasons ?
  How has it changed over time ?
• How does the atmosphere interact with the solar
  wind and the geology of the planet ?
• What is the structure, history and variability of
  the cryosphere ?
• What is the current distribution of water ? Is
  any in liquid form (e.g. sub-surface?)
• When was liquid water present? In what form? Why
  and how did it appear ? Why and how did it
  disappear ?
• When and how did intermediate episodes of
  flooding and fluvial erosion ?

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Mars as a potential cradle of life

• Given that in the past, conditions on Mars, the
  Earth and Venus were more comparable than they
  are today, how and why have the three planets
  evolved to todays differing conditions ?
• How wide is the habitable zone ?
• Given that life emerged early in the history of
  the Earth, could it have emerged on Mars ?
• Did it ?
• If not, why not ?
• How does the knowledge gained inter-relate to our
  search for life on exo-planets ?

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UK Science Themes
Linked to terrestrial biology
interaction with biochemistry, microbiology
Signatures of Life how does life show its
presence ?
Linked to life in other solar systems
Environments for Life What is the habitable zone
in our Solar System ?
Limits of Life What are the extremes That life
can exist in ?
Is, or was, there life on Mars?
Platforms for life Explore the atmosphere,
cryosphere, hydrosphere
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Where is the UK Scientific Expertise ?

• The UK has experimentalists, theoreticians and
  instrument designers

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Technology for Exploration

• UK Technology Priorities in Planetary Exploration

13
UK Technology Priorities Participants
14
Priorities Miniaturised Instrumentation In
situ exploration

• miniature mass spectrometers
• lab on a chip sensor which uses anti-bodies to
  identify complex carbon chemistry e.g.
  micro-biology
• X-ray spectrometers
• UV sensors
• Miniature stereo cameras

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Example 2 Autonomous Robotics and Software

• The Exo-Mars Rover
• UK strengths in
• Systems design (leading Phase A definition)
• Analysis of rover mechanics
• Miniature instruments
• Aerobots
• Software and operations environment
• Planetary protection

• The environment of Mars robotic missions is
• Remote
• Hazardous
• Non-deterministic
• An outstanding test-bed for advanced software

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UK Interests - Platform and Operations
Technologies

• Electric propulsion
• Large solar electric interplanetary missions in
  the inner solar system,
• Solar electric missions to Mars, Jupiters moons
  and NEOs,
• Nuclear electric interplanetary nuclear electric
  missions to the outer solar system.
• Design for the space environment
• Planetary protection including sample handling
• Radiation, thermal, etc tolerance of miniaturised
  instruments and systems,
• Materials and structures resilience to space and
  planetary environments,
• Characterisation of orbital, planetary and deep
  space environments.
• Deep Space communications
• Inter- agency orbiter, lander and
  communications relay networking,
• Seamless coverage during hazardous operations (eg
  EDL),
• Efficient data collection, storage and timely
  delivery to the point of use.
• Renewable energy sources
• Fuel cells, hydrogen storage and manufacture,
  batteries.

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Summary of UK Priorities (1/2)

• Science
• Planetology, with links to Earth system science
• Astrobiology, with links to terrestrial biology
  and exo-planet science
• Atmospheric science, with links to terrestrial
  science
• Technology
• Instrumentation corresponding to the science
• EDLS
• Robotic surface mobility
• Software operational infrastructure
• Propulsion (chemical electric)

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Mission Priorities

• The UK will focus on high return Mars robotic
  missions
• Exobiology
• Sample Return
• And technology demonstrators leading to these
  missions