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Mars Tumbleweed : FY2003 Conceptual Design Assessment

Author
Keys, Jennifer P.
Published
August 08, 2005.
Physical Description
1 electronic document
Additional Creators
Flick, John J., Hajos, Gregory a., Stillwagen, Frederic H., Owens, Rachel, Strickland, Christopher V., Calhoun, Philip C., Wisniewski, Michael, Antol, Jeffrey, and Krizan, Shawn A.
Online Version

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Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
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Summary
NASA LaRC is studying concepts for a new type of Mars exploration vehicle that would be propelled by the wind. Known as the Mars Tumbleweed, it would derive mobility through use of the Martian surface winds. Tumbleweeds could conceivably travel greater distances, cover larger areas of the surface, and provide access to areas inaccessible by conventional vehicles. They would be lightweight and relatively inexpensive, allowing a multiple vehicle network to be deployed on a single mission. Tumbleweeds would be equipped with sensors for conducting science and serve as scouts searching broad areas to identify specific locations for follow-on investigation by other explorers. An extensive assessment of LaRC Tumbleweed concepts was conducted in FY03, including refinement of science mission scenarios, definition of supporting subsystems (structures, power, communications), testing in wind tunnels, and development of a dynamic simulation capability.
Other Subject(s)
Collection
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
Note
Document ID: 20050217091.
L-19067.
NASA/TM-2005-213527.
Terms of Use and Reproduction
No Copyright.
View MARC record | catkey: 15962675