The Human Exploration of Mars: Why Mars? Why Humans?

Dr. Joel S. Levine Research Professor Department of Applied Science College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795 jslevine@wm.edu

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James B. Garvin (co-chair) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Joel S. Levine (co-chair) NASA Langley Research Center

David W. Beaty Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ariel D. Anbar Arizona State University

Mary Sue Bell NASA Johnson Space Center

R. Todd Clancy Space Science Institute

Charles S. Cockrell Open University, UK

Jack E. Connerney NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Gregory Delory University of Illinois, Chicago

Peter T. Doran University of California, Berkeley

Jay T. Dickson Brown University

Richard C. Elphic NASA Ames Research Center

Dean B. Eppler NASA Johnson Space Center

David C. Fernandez-Remolar INTA, Spain

John E. Gruener NASA Johnson Space Center

James W. Head Brown University

Mark Helper University of Texas

Jennifer Heldmann NASA Ames Research Center

Victoria Hipkin Canadian Space Agency

Melissa D. Lane Planetary Science Institute

Joseph Levy Brown University

Jeff Moersch University of Tennessee

Gain Gabriele Ori University d’Annunzio, Italy

Lewis Peach USRA

Francois Poulet IAS, CNRS, France

James W. Rice Arizona State University

Kelly J. Snook NASA Headquarters

Steven W. Squyres Cornell University

James R. Zimbelman NASM, Smithsonian Institution

MEPAG Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG) Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG) Team

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Human Exploration of Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet, 2010

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How to Capitalize on the Unique Attributes of Human Explorers

Unique attributes human explorers can bring to bear in comparison to robotic explorers:

• Cognition

– Rapidly recognize and respond to unexpected findings; sophisticated,

rapid pattern recognition (structural/morphological biosignatures)

• Dexterity

– Humans are capable of lifting rocks, hammering outcrops, selecting samples, etc. much better than robotic manipulation

• Adaptability

– Humans are able to react in real time to new and unexpected situations, problems, hazards and risks

• Efficiency

– Robotic manipulation require several sols to accomplish what humans can do in a matter of minutes

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Why Humans?

• Humans have unique capabilities for performing scientific measurements,

observations and sample collecting.

• Human attributes to exploration: intelligence, adaptability, agility,

dexterity, cognition, patience, problem solving in real-time, in situ

analyses. More science in less time!

• Humans are unique scientific explorers. Humans can obtain previously

unobtainable scientific measurements on the surface of Mars.

• Humans possess the abilities to adapt to new and unexpected situations

in new and strange environments

– They can make real-time decisions.

– They have strong recognition abilities and are intelligent.

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Why Humans? (Concluded)

• Humans can perform detailed and precise measurements of the surface,

subsurface and atmosphere while on the surface of Mars with state-of-the-art

scientific equipment and instrumentation brought from Earth.

• The increased laboratory ability on Mars that humans offer, allows for

dramatically more scientific return within the established sample return limits.

• The HEM-SAG envisions that the scientific exploration of Mars by humans will

be performed as a synergistic partnership between humans and robotic probes,

controlled by the human explorers on the surface of Mars.

– Robotic probes can explore terrains and features not suitable or too risky for

human exploration.

– Under human control, robotic probes can traverse great distances from the

human habitat covering distances/terrain too risky for human exploration and

return rock and dust samples to the habitat from great distances.

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Why Humans? Biology/Life

• Earth-based investigations into the purported evidence for life in Martian

meteorite ALH84001 have involved a great number of scientists utilizing

many sophisticated instruments and techniques but remain controversial.

• Evidence of life on Mars, both past and present may be quite subtle.

• The selection of relevant samples and sampling environments requires

the unique capabilities of humans (e.g., ingenuity, flexibility, efficiency)

to interpret available clues in real time and to strategically execute a plan

for investigation of hypotheses in situ (i.e., on Mars).

• Humans bring to planetary exploration the ability to quickly analyze and

assess samples before they degrade locally or on return. Samples should

still be returned to Earth because of the advanced analytical capabilities

of terrestrial laboratories, but the increased capabilities humans provide

on Mars, and the remarkable advances that have and will continue to be

made in lab instrument miniaturization mean more science reaped

without the restrictions of sample weight on return and a greater

likelihood of satisfying the goals and objectives of the mission.

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Why Humans? Biology/Life (Concluded)

• We believe that the human element is value added to all aspects of

the MEPAG Goals and Objectives.

• Technology development in the decades leading up to a human

mission to Mars will determine the best synergistic fit between

human and robotic exploration and perhaps technology challenges

will be overcome to shift the balance of physical activity toward

robotic assignment.

• However certain uniquely human attributes cannot be duplicated by

or relegated to robots or to operations remotely operated by humans

on a planet substantially separated in time and space from Earth.

• Only a human presence in mars mission surface operations

activities can facilitate and achieve the ambitious scientific goals

and objectives of MEPAG.

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58 Potential Exploration Sites on Mars

The three reference mission sites are indicated in red.

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Potential Mars Landing Sites for Human Exploration

1. MEPAG HEM-SAG , 2008: Planning for the Scientific Exploration

of Mars by Humans, 90 pages. Draft white paper for review posted

March 2008 by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group

(MEPAG) (http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/index.html).

2. Levine, J. S., J. B. Garvin and D. Beaty, 2010: Humans on Mars:

Why Mars? Why Humans? Planning for the Scientific Exploration

of Mars by Humans, Part 1. Journal of Cosmology, 12, 3627-3635

(http://journalofcosmology.com/Mars115.html).

3. Levine, J. S., J. B. Garvin and J. B. Head, 2010: Martian Geology

Investigations. Planning for the Scientific Exploration of Mars by

Humans, Part 2. Journal of Cosmology, 12, 3636-3646

(http://journalofcosmology.com/Mars116.html).

4. Analyses of 22 additional HEM-SAG Mars human landing sites:

http://geology.wm.edu/bailey/mars

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The Search for Extant Life: Potential Sites

The NRC (2007) suggests a number of high priority targets that are

based on evidence for present-day or geologically recent water near

the surface:

• The surface, interior, and margins of the polar caps

• Cold, warm, or hot springs or underground hydrothermal systems

• Source or outflow regions associated with near-surface aquifers

that might be responsible for the “gullies” that have been observed

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The Search for Past Life: Potential Sites

The NRC (2007) lists sites pertinent to geologically ancient

water (and, by association, the possibility of past life), including

the following:

• Source or outflow regions for the catastrophic flood channels

• Ancient highlands that formed at a time when surface water

might have been widespread (e.g., in the Noachian)

• Deposits of minerals that are associated with surface or

subsurface water or with ancient hydrothermal systems or

cold, warm, or hot springs

�

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Human Science Reference Mission to Address Biological Goals: Centauri Montes

As a demonstration of how HEM-SAG envisions carrying out the biological goals,

an HSRM was designed to the Centauri Montes region.

Why Centauri Montes?

• The Centauri Montes region has drawn attention from astrobiologists as a result of

the discovery by Malin et al. (2006) that a flow feature (gully) inside a crater wall has

apparently been active in the last decade, thereby providing the intriguing possibility

of episodic liquid water at or near the surface.

• This region has also been well documented for its concentration of young, volatile-

rich deposits and figures that feature prominently in recent MGCM simulations at

different obliquities, which indicates that the eastern-Hellas region should be

receiving significant amounts of water-ice from the south pole (Forget et al., 2006).

• Centauri Montes is also at the head of major Amazonian/Hesperian outflow

channels.

• The indicators of ice deposits and liquid water today, as well as the region being

associated with outflow channels, provide ample local targets for the search for

extant and extinct life.

• For geological investigations, this region has the attraction of all three primary

Martian epochs being represented in close proximity.

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Human Science Reference Mission to Address Biological Goals: Centauri Montes

How Do We Implement a Search for Extant Life Versus a Search for Fossil Life?

(Assessing the human of human explorers on the search for extant life)

• Very carefully. The search for extant biology must be an important scientific

goal/objective of human exploration. Humans have a great deal of experience in

carrying out aseptic sampling of extreme environments on Earth to carry forward in

this endeavour

• Human in in-situ analyses on Mars versus returning samples to Earth for analyses

(Mass of instrumentation/equipment transported from Earth to Mars for in situ

analyses on Mars versus amount of sample mass to be returned to Earth)

• Human habitat/work station: In situ sample analysis and cataloguing: Analyses that

cannot be performed on Earth, e.g., tests for extant life

• Samples include rocks, drill cores, surface/atmospheric dust, ice, atmospheric gas

• Sample conditioning and preservation essential

• Human habitat LAB instruments for multiple objectives: Geology,

Atmosphere/Climate and Biology/Life

• Emplacement of network stations for Geophysics, Atmosphere/Climate and even

Biology/Life essential beyond initial landing site (200-400 km radial from landing site)

to be operated during and after humans return to Earth

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Southeast Wall of an Unnamed Crater in the Centauri Montes Region

August 1999 September 2005

(MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-1619, 6 December 2006)

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Centauri Montes Region

MOLA Scene of Hellas Basin Showing Location of Centauri Montes Region

(Inside white square)

Viking Context Image of Active Gully Crater at Centauri Montes

(Inside red square)

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Exploration of the Rim and Interior of the Gullied Crater Near Centauri Montes

Crosses show geophysical sounding station

sites along the traverse (yellow).

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Comparison of Possible Traverses from Base Camp

50 km Radius from Base Camp 100 km Radius from Base Camp

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Centauri Montes Mission Site

Mission Landing Site and Traverses Geologic Traverse Plan

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Potential Mars Landing Sites for Human Exploration

1. MEPAG HEM-SAG , 2008: Planning for the Scientific Exploration

of Mars by Humans, 90 pages. Draft white paper for review posted

March 2008 by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group

(MEPAG) (http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/index.html).

2. Levine, J. S., J. B. Garvin and D. Beaty, 2010: Humans on Mars:

Why Mars? Why Humans? Planning for the Scientific Exploration

of Mars by Humans, Part 1. Journal of Cosmology, 12, 3627-3635

(http://journalofcosmology.com/Mars115.html).

3. Levine, J. S., J. B. Garvin and J. B. Head, 2010: Martian Geology

Investigations. Planning for the Scientific Exploration of Mars by

Humans, Part 2. Journal of Cosmology, 12, 3636-3646

(http://journalofcosmology.com/Mars116.html).

4. Analyses of 22 additional HEM-SAG Mars human landing sites:

http://geology.wm.edu/bailey/mars