We studied a Mars sample return (MSR) mission that lands a SpaceX Dragon Capsule on Mars carrying sample collection hardware (an arm, drill, or small rover) and a spacecraft stack consisting of a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) that collectively carry the sample container from Mars back to Earth orbit

Stoker, Carol R.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Low Cost Mars Sample Return Utilizing Dragon Lander Project 
CIF funded in 2012 
 
Abstract 
We studied a Mars sample return (MSR) mission that lands a SpaceX Dragon Capsule on 
Mars carrying sample collection hardware (an arm, drill, or small rover) and a spacecraft 
stack consisting of a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) that 
collectively carry the sample container from Mars back to Earth orbit.  
Detailed Description 
The Dragon capsule is a human rated entry vehicle built by SpaceX to deliver crew and 
cargo to the Space Station. For Earth orbital operations, retropropulsion thrusters (Super 
Draco) perform both the launch abort and the precision soft landing functions necessary 
to qualify it for crew transport to/from LEO. Plans are in place to flight test both 
capabilities. For Mars landing operations, the Super Draco thrusters were designed with 
deep throttling capability to accommodate the reduced gravity field. We have shown that 
a Dragon Capsule with minimal modification can be landed on Mars with substantial 
performance margin by using a lifting entry and supersonic retropropulsive landing 
(Lemke and Gonzales(2014) Mars Sample Return Using Commercial Capabilities: 
Propulsive Entry, Descent, and Landing, IEEE Aerospace Conf. Big Sky MT).  
 
The Dragon capsule can deliver a useful payload in the 2000 kg range. This mass 
allocation is available to accommodate both the MAV and ERV as well as sample 
collection system. Thus, both the MAV and the ERV may be considered small spacecraft. 
We studied an MSR architecture consisting of a Dragon lander, launched by a Falcon 
Heavy, that carries to Mars an Ascent Vehicle and sample collection hardware, and an 
Earth Return Vehicle. After acquiring and packaging the samples in a return capsule, the 
MAV ascends from Mars to achieve trans-earth injection of the ERV and return capsule. 
Our study considered the trade between chemical and electric propulsion for the ERV, 
and showed that a chemical propulsion system was required. The ERV captures at Earth 
into a high orbit, with perigee selected for a long orbit lifetime and apogee selected to 
minimize propellant requirements. A Dragon Rider capsule, that may be automated or 
crewed, launches from Earth to retrieve the sample container, package it for planetary 
protection, and return to Earth. This plan accomplishes the sample return in one Mars 
mission opportunity (as opposed to three for the DS architecture). A. Gonzales, Mars 
Sample Return Using Commercial Capabilities: Propulsive Entry, Descent, and Landing 
 
Benefits to NASA funded missions 
Mars Sample Return has been a planned mission for over 3 decades.  It was 
recommended as the highest priority objective by the 2010 Decadal Survey of Planetary 
Science.  However, the mission has high cost if done using a more conventional 
approach.  With the studied approach, the cost of the sample return mission is likely to be 
lower. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140012996 2019-08-31T16:50:11+00:00Z


Low Cost Mars Sample Return Utilizing Dragon Lander Project

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