Mars Surface Exploration
Encyclopedia
Mars Surface Exploration (MSE) is a systems engineering tool for the design of rover
missions originally developed in 2003 by the Space Systems Engineering graduate class at MIT. It has since been further enhanced by the MIT Space Systems Laboratory with the support of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL). The tool is intended to help designers during pre-phase A rover mission design. MSE enables designers to model and analyze very rapidly a wide range of design options for a mission whose science goals have been defined. The emphasis is on breadth rather than on in-depth modeling of specific designs. Other rover modeling tools exist at NASA’s and ESA’s concurrent engineering facilities that take the approach of interconnecting sophisticated software design environments to conduct detailed analyses of a particular mission. MSE's approach complements in-depth modeling techniques which, in return, assist in the validation of MSE's models at various points of the design space.
and ExoMars
) to Mars Sample Return-type missions and Lunar missions.
Rover (space exploration)
A rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other astronomical body. Some rovers have been designed to transport members of a human spaceflight crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots...
missions originally developed in 2003 by the Space Systems Engineering graduate class at MIT. It has since been further enhanced by the MIT Space Systems Laboratory with the support of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
(JPL). The tool is intended to help designers during pre-phase A rover mission design. MSE enables designers to model and analyze very rapidly a wide range of design options for a mission whose science goals have been defined. The emphasis is on breadth rather than on in-depth modeling of specific designs. Other rover modeling tools exist at NASA’s and ESA’s concurrent engineering facilities that take the approach of interconnecting sophisticated software design environments to conduct detailed analyses of a particular mission. MSE's approach complements in-depth modeling techniques which, in return, assist in the validation of MSE's models at various points of the design space.
Analyses
MSE has been used to analyze various types of missions ranging from traditional rover missions (e.g. Mars Science LaboratoryMars Science Laboratory
The Mars Science Laboratory is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission with the aim to land and operate a rover named Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The MSL was launched November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST and is scheduled to land on Mars at Gale Crater between August 6 and 20, 2012...
and ExoMars
ExoMars
ExoMars is a European-led robotic mission to Mars currently under development by the European Space Agency with collaboration by NASA...
) to Mars Sample Return-type missions and Lunar missions.
See also
- Exploration of MarsExploration of MarsThe exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s...
- Sojourner
- Mars Exploration Rovers
- Mars Science LaboratoryMars Science LaboratoryThe Mars Science Laboratory is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission with the aim to land and operate a rover named Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The MSL was launched November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST and is scheduled to land on Mars at Gale Crater between August 6 and 20, 2012...
- ExoMarsExoMarsExoMars is a European-led robotic mission to Mars currently under development by the European Space Agency with collaboration by NASA...
- Rover Mission Analysis and Design (RoMAD)
External links
- MIT Space Systems Laboratory
- Other research at the MIT Space Systems Laboratory EMFF