Modified Dragon Capsule Could Be Used For Mars Sample Return Mission. In his column for SPACE (3/8), Leonard David wrote on how Ames Research Center engineers have come up with a way to use a “souped-up” SpaceX Dragon capsule, called Red Dragon, for a Mars sample return mission “by the early 2020s.” This was part of an internal study that was presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2014 Aerospace Conference. Lawrence Lemke, a senior engineer in Ames’ Mission Design Division said, “Initially, we were skeptical. ... The history of spaceflight is full of suggestions to utilize a spacecraft designed for operation in the near-Earth environment for operation in a deep-space environment. It usually turns out to be a terrible idea after you dig into the engineering details.” However, after years of review, the team found that a Red Dragon capsule could land “roughly 2 metric tons of useful payload on Mars,” making a sample return possible. Lemke said, “This potentially lowers the risk and cost of a sample-return mission.” Ames’ Andrew Gonzales added, “The significance of the work is that it opens the door to the efficient achievement of an important planetary science objective at a lower complexity level and, by extension, at potentially lower cost than previously considered.” David noted that the team was not commissioned by anyone nor does NASA endorse the proposal.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:29:25 +0000