Exploring Mars by a European Small Mars Mission (ESMM)

Abstract

Three independent small Mars Mission concepts had been developed in Finland, Sweden and Germany. The high degree of commonality resulted in a unified small mission concept for a combined orbiter and lander mission which will carry an overall payload mass of up to 45 kg including the lander to Mars. The baseline scenario is a launch in 2009. Two different alternatives have been analyzed with a launch by Ariane ASAP 5 and a direct injection into Mars transfer orbit by a small dedicated launcher (Rockot). A trade-off between the different scenarios favors the direct launch which reduces the overall mission duration and complexity and would provide more volume. The estimated total cost of the mission including the payload is below 100 M€. The key objective of the mission is to perform simultaneous measurements from the orbit and on ground of the Martian atmosphere, the magnetic field, and the radiation environment. The orbiter payload with an overall mass up to 25 kg consists of a very high-resolution and wide-angle camera instrument, a microwave sounder, a plasma package including a magnetometer, and a dosimeter. The telecommunication system is equipped with an ultra-stable oscillator for radio science investigations. The orbiter experiments thus combine new atmospheric science, detailed geophysical and surface observations, and measurements of the space environment around Mars, something that will not be provided by any other present or planned mission. A small landing device is foreseen to carry payloads down to the Martian ground for in-situ measurements of the Martian environment and its lower atmosphere. The baseline payload package consists of sensors to measure the magnetic field, charged particles and UV radiation, and thermal radiation. A suite of atmospheric sensors shall measure pressure, temperature, humidity, wind and atmospheric optical depth. A small panoramic camera will image the surrounding landing site. Due to the simple needs of the payloads and the absence of high power consuming devices, a relatively long lifetime of the small Mars station is envisaged, to get daily measurements for at least one Martian year. The landing device weighs about 20 kg overall including the entry, descent and landing systems and would serve as a technical demonstrator for several phases in landing. The mass of the surface module is about 5 kg. Once developed, this light-weight lander could be used whenever a Mars probe allows an additional mass of 20 kg. Thus, a network of small atmospheric and environmental surface stations on Mars could eventually be established.