Comments on: The return of Mars Sample Return? http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-return-of-mars-sample-return Because sometimes the most important orbit is the Beltway... Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:35:41 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 By: Aberwys http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-389513 Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:26:50 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-389513 Drill, baby, drill!

]]> By: Fred Willett http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388973 Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:30:18 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388973 Don’t new programs usually get announced as part of the budget process?
But here NASA has suddenly “found” the money for this elsewhere in the budget. Well maybe.
It sounds to me like NASA just wanted to get this mission “on the books” ahead of the comming budget cuts.
Maybe it’s just something to trade to protect other programs. Who knows.
When the real budget comes out post cliff we’ll see. I won’t believe it’s a real program till then.

]]> By: E.P. Grondine http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388808 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:21:10 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388808 Roving up (or down) Valles Marineris with HD camera. Call the mission “Powell”.

A light ball rover might be useful for this, I don’t know how the development is going. Low launch cost as well, providing communication link in orbit exists.

]]> By: Robert G. Oler http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388795 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:34:07 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388795 A chunk of concrete acting as a satellite would not surprise me. They exhibited something that looked like one of the Hamsats by Surrey…Wingo had some interesting (and probably accurate) comments on it.

But the US launches “mass simulators” a lot and it wouldnt surprise me if they did the same thing. When you control the news to your people then everytime it comes over the beloved homeland it can sing the praises of Dear or Benevolent Leader (which is the new guy?)

The satellite that they paraded around seemed “ambitious” to me.

and the folks in South Korea are so paranoid that they would probably believe that the North has just launched the equivalent of a KH 11..as their Russian more or less built launcher is stalled.

Still listening but so far nothing. I routinely pick up one of the old Explorers that sometimes come on with this…and they are very weak so I should hear it. Had a darn near overhead pass nothing where I am listening.

No matter what they put on the rocket, the rocket is an impressive achievement. North Korea is a horrible state but some people there worked pretty hard to make it happen and I bet they didnt get much for it, maybe an extra slice of bread…

Robert G. Oler WB5MZO

]]> By: Ben Russell-Gough http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388737 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:26:25 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388737 I’m betting that it was an inert shell – They couldn’t put a satellite together (either lack of resources or lack of skills), so they launched an inert shell and are going to claim that it broke down after a few orbits due to either thermal effects or unspecified “foreign interference”.

]]> By: Neil Shipley http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388709 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:32:04 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388709 Yep, been to Mars, done that sampling stuff. Let’s see a mission to Europa, interesting active moon, or alternatively, a manned Mars mission.

]]> By: Robert G. Oler http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388675 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:13:47 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388675 Jim Nobles. I did a little keyboarding on this..particularly after I looked at the Falcon heavy mission profile for the USAF…

My notions would require some modification to at least 1 Falcon second stage (the one on the heavy) but these are things that they might find useful anyway.

In my theory the Falcon 9 1.1 would launch with the “stack” of Mars probes in a modest satellite carrier that on one end had some form of docking system…the Heavy would launch and put a second stage into orbit almost full with little payload except (and one would have to keep the masses from adding up to quickly here)

1. a modest to large solar array on the “trunk”, some deep space com systems maybe even some SES propulsion and
2. a rendezvous docking system.

It docks with the Falcon 9 “mass” and the probes which are launched more or less “sleeping” then start getting keep alive stuff from the Heavy second stage (HSS).

the heavy second stage burns into solar transfer orbit, unfurls its large arrays/antennas etc and transits to Mars perhaps using SES devices to “push along”

The vehicle would be on an impact course until it released the “lander(s)” then it would change into an orbit profile and go into orbit

it could then release whatever it needed to or hold onto whatever needed to be held onto, and that might include an earth return stage…in the meantime it acts as a real comm platform

The masses add up quickly here but it might be doable

RGO

]]> By: Bennett In Vermont http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388670 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:02:36 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388670 I would much rather see a rover mission (or anything) to Europa.

]]> By: vulture4 http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388632 Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:34:34 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388632 Let’s see… North Korea has the satellite, South Korea has Hundai and Samsung. But hey, we need a moon race with China to prove we lead the world.

Regarding Mars sample return, given the improvements in in situ instruments, I’m not sure it’s the best use of our dollars. Mars is a huge planet, with a land area the same as earth’s land area. Sample return can bring back only a tiny fraction of what faster, more autonomous rovers could examine.

]]> By: Robert G. Oler http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/12/12/the-return-of-mars-sample-return/#comment-388630 Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:19:46 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=6078#comment-388630 When the thing came over Santa Fe it was quiet on all the frequencies that I was listening on from 136 to 500 mhz…nothing . I dont have X band up so if it was doing something there I am out of luck. Should have looked on HF but would have to do it manually the PC controlled rig isnt up and going.

They probably tried “to much” Of a satellite…It looked like they were doing some gravity gradient stuff and that takes a little finise in terms of deployment RGO

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