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Aurora programme to explore the solar system

* EADS Astrium to play key role in Aurora for implementation phase of ExoMars rover
* Mars Sample Return – baseline concept investigated by EADS Astrium

Berlin, ILA 2006, 16 May 2006

Aurora is an optional European Space Agency (ESA) framework programme for long-term exploration of the solar system. A preparatory phase was approved at the ESA Council of Ministers meeting in Edinburgh in 2001 and agreement on implementation of the first Aurora mission, ExoMars, was reached in Berlin in 2005.

As a leading player in the space industry, EADS Astrium is set to play a key role in Aurora. With its extensive experience in lander technology, interplanetary science missions, and ultra-clean assembly, the company has the necessary knowledge and expertise to make Aurora a success. Building on expertise from the Beagle 2 programme, EADS Astrium has conducted ESA definition studies for robotic missions, including the ExoMars rover and Mars Sample Return. EADS Astrium will participate extensively in the implementation phase of ExoMars and in the further definition on Mars Sample Return.

The Aurora programme is built around two themes designed to prepare for an eventual human mission:

* Development of necessary ‘human’ technologies (life support, propulsion, radiation protection etc), through use of the International Space Station facilities, rehearsal missions in Earth orbit and a manned mission to the moon (by 2025).
* Robotic exploration missions, beginning with ExoMars using an autonomous rover to search for signs of life below the Martian surface, and the first return to Earth of Martian soil samples.

ExoMars Rover

Europe’s first phase towards establishing a human presence on Mars will culminate with the flagship ExoMars mission expected to launch in 2011 or 2013. On-board the ExoMars spacecraft will be a Mars descent module carrying the ExoMars rover – a 150kg robotic vehicle that will traverse the Martian surface studying the Red Planet in unprecedented detail. EADS Astrium has led a study of the rover for ESA and, with its partner organisations throughout Europe and Canada, has established a team with a unique capability in planetary missions and rover design.

The EADS Astrium rover is designed to go where no other Martian vehicle has gone before, travelling several kilometres from the landing site, climbing steep slopes and journeying across difficult terrain. Due to the design configuration of its chassis and wheels, it is highly manoeuvrable and will be able to turn on the spot to avoid obstacles. Its all-terrain capability will enable the rover to collect samples from many diverse sites in a short period of time, thus maximising the mission’s scientific value.

The rover will be equipped with high-tech navigation software which can ‘see’ its surroundings in real time using a series of panoramic and navigation cameras, so it can negotiate difficult terrain without ground control. The sensor suite will also house hazard cameras which will allow the rover to recognise dangerous situations, automatically stop and call for help from ground control.

One of the key drivers of any Martian mission is power – not only to move the rover and enable it to perform its experiments, but also to keep it warm. For this reason it has a special power and thermal system design which ensures that it will continue to function in the coldest temperatures and even survive the extensive Martian dust storms.

The rover will be able to get into and out of craters and riverbeds – regions that the scientists particularly want to explore in detail, since they may contain the keys to some of Mars’ great mysteries. To attempt to answer whether life existed on Mars and other questions of major scientific interest, the rover will carry the Pasteur payload, a unique combination of instruments for studying the environment, surface and sub-surface of the Red Planet. It will also be able to drill down to a depth of 2m below the surface to collect uncontaminated samples for analysis.

Even with all these outstanding capabilities, the ExoMars rover is extremely compact due to the experience gained from Beagle 2 in packaging subsystems within minimal volume and mass limits.

In order not to contaminate the samples or the sites from which they are taken, the rover must be extremely clean. This requires scrupulous levels of contamination control throughout the programme and specific integration methods that must be followed. Sterilisation procedures have to be designed into all systems from the start and the whole vehicle must be kept clean inside a bio-shield until it lands on the Martian surface.
Mars Sample Return

Mars Sample Return (MSR) is the Aurora programme’s second flagship mission. Its aim is to return to Earth a small capsule containing around 500g of samples taken from the Martian surface. This challenging mission calls for a Mars orbiter, a descent module and an Earth Re-entry Capsules (ERC). The descent module will be equipped with a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) which will carry the samples into a low Mars orbit to rendezvous with the orbiter. MSR is the first robotic mission to include all the basic functions required to ultimately support a manned mission.

The baseline concept investigated by EADS Astrium in the initial definition study is to launch different elements of the mission on two separate Ariane 5 ESC-A launch vehicles. The first will launch an orbiter craft which, upon arrival at Mars, will first insert itself into a highly elliptical orbit around the planet and then gradually manoeuvre itself into a circular final operational orbit 600–700km above the surface. The second launch will send a spacecraft carrying the mission’s descent module, on a similar trajectory to Mars, to reach the planet after the orbiter. Upon arrival, the descent module (DM) will be spun up and released on a trajectory to enter the upper atmosphere at hypersonic velocity protected by a thermally insulated aeroshell. At M2.0 and an altitude of approximately 7.6km, a drogue chute will be deployed to reduce DM velocity. Once the terminal velocity of the parachute is attained, at an altitude of about 3.5km (or 1.5km above the 2km maximum altitude landing site), the parachute will be jettisoned and the remaining descent performed using a chemical propulsion system and

controlled by a radar altimeter with the descent module finally touching down at a velocity of 2m/s or under.

After landing, a number of solar arrays mounted on its upper surface of the lander platform will begin generating power. The payload instruments – a camera, an electromagnetic sounder and a drill – will be deployed and will operate during the daytime to collect the samples. At night the platform will switch to stand-by mode, allocating power resources to its thermal subsystem to ensure that all equipment and instruments stay within operating limits during the cold Martian night.

At the end of the six weeks of surface activity all the soil, rock and atmospheric samples will have been transferred to the two-stage Mars ascent vehicle which will be launched into a target orbit 150km ± 50km lower than that of the orbiter spacecraft. This will allow the orbiter to locate the ascent vehicle, perform rendezvous manoeuvres and finally capture it. The hermetically sealed container is then transferred to the Earth Re-entry Capsule (ERC) stowed on the orbiter.

The orbiter will then execute a powerful propulsive manoeuvre to propel a part of it into a trajectory that will bring it into the near-Earth environment 12 months later. As it approaches the Earth, subject to a positive verification of the integrity of the bio-seal, it will eject the ERC into the Earth’s atmosphere. In order to ensure against any possible contamination of the Earth from Martian material, the remaining orbiter section will perform an Earth-avoidance manoeuvre so that it does not enter the terrestrial atmosphere itself.

The hermetic seal and parachute-less design of the ERC will protect the samples from damage during its violent re-entry and descent through Earth’s atmosphere and prevent them from exposure to the Earth’s environment even under worst-case landing conditions.

Returning a complete set of samples of the Martian atmosphere, surface and subsurface will enable European scientists to carry out detailed mineralogical, geochemical and petrological analysis and will also provide invaluable information in the planning of future manned exploration missions.

EADS SPACE

EADS SPACE, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2005, EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.7 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. It has three main subsidiaries: EADS SPACE Transportation, for launchers and orbital infrastructure, EADS Astrium for satellites and ground segment and EADS SPACE Services to develop and deliver satellite services.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of €34,2 billion and employed a workforce of more than 113,000.

Contacts for the media
Rémi Roland
EADS SPACE (FR)
Tel.: +33 (0)1 42 24 27 34

Frédéric-Pierre Isoz
EADS SPACE (FR)
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 42 24 28 77

Jeremy Close
EADS SPACE (UK)
Tel.: +44 (0)1438 77 38 72

Mathias Pikelj
EADS SPACE (GER)
Tel.: +49 (0)7545 8 91 23