L’SPACE Mission Concept Summer 2020

Team 4: Q.U.A.T.T.R.O.S

Preliminary Design Review Document

Descent, Lander, and Payload Experiment Criteria

Table of Contents---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1

1. Introduction and Summary--------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

1.1. Team Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
1.2. Mission Overview--------------------------------------------------------------------------------6
1.2.1. Mission Statement-------------------------------------------------------------------6
1.2.2. Mission Requirements--------------------------------------------------------------6
1.2.3. Mission Success Criteria---------------------------------------------------------10
1.2.4. Concept of Operations------------------------------------------------------------11
1.2.5. Major Milestones Schedule------------------------------------------------------12
1.3. Descent and Lander Summary-------------------------------------------------------------14
1.4. Payload and Science Summary------------------------------------------------------------19
2. Evolution of Project---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23
2.1. Evolution of Descent and Lander----------------------------------------------------------23
2.2. Evolution of Payload--------------------------------------------------------------------------25
2.3. Evolution of Mission Experiment Implementation Plan-------------------------------26
3. Descent and Lander Design----------------------------------------------------------------------------27
3.1. Selection, Design, and Verification--------------------------------------------------------27
3.1.1. System Overview-------------------------------------------------------------------27
3.1.2. Subsystem Overview--------------------------------------------------------------29
3.1.3. Dimensioned CAD Drawing of Entire Assembly----------------------------30
3.1.4. Manufacturing and Testing Plans-----------------------------------------------32
3.1.5. Validation and Verification Plans------------------------------------------------33
3.1.6. FMEA and Risk Mitigation--------------------------------------------------------34
3.1.7. Performance Characteristics and Predictions-------------------------------38
3.1.8. Confidence and Maturity of Design--------------------------------------------39
3.2. Recovery/Redundancy System-------------------------------------------------------------39

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 3.3. Payload Integration----------------------------------------------------------------------------40
4. Payload Design and Science Experiments---------------------------------------------------------42
4.1. Selection, Design, and Verification--------------------------------------------------------42
4.1.1. System Overview - N^2 Chart---------------------------------------------------42
4.1.2. Subsystem Overview--------------------------------------------------------------43
4.1.3. Precision of Instrumentation, Repeatability of Measurement, and
Recovery System---------------------------------------------------------------------------45
4.1.4. Validation and Verification Plan-------------------------------------------------47
4.1.5. FMEA and Risk Mitigation--------------------------------------------------------48
4.1.6. Performance Characteristics----------------------------------------------------51
4.2. Science Value-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------52
4.2.1. Science Payload Objectives-----------------------------------------------------52
4.2.2. Creativity/Originality and Uniqueness/Significance------------------------52
4.2.3. Payload Success Criteria---------------------------------------------------------54
4.2.4. Experimental Logic, Approach, and Method of Investigation-----------54
4.2.5. Testing and Measurements------------------------------------------------------54
4.2.6. Expected Data & Analysis--------------------------------------------------------55
5. Safety---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------56
5.1. Personnel Safety-------------------------------------------------------------------------------56
5.1.1. Designated Safety Officer--------------------------------------------------------56
5.1.2. List of Personnel Hazards--------------------------------------------------------56
5.1.3. Personnel Hazard Mitigation-----------------------------------------------------56
5.2. Lander/Payload Safety-----------------------------------------------------------------------58
5.2.1. Environmental Hazards-----------------------------------------------------------58
5.2.2. Environmental Hazard Mitigation-----------------------------------------------58
6. Activity Plan-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------61
6.1. Budget--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------61
6.2. Schedule-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------64
6.3. Outreach Summary----------------------------------------------------------------------------66
6.4. Program Management Approach----------------------------------------------------------66
7. Conclusion Summary-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------70
8. References--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------70

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1. Introduction and Summary
1.1. Team Introduction

The preliminary mission design contained in this document was developed by a team
of 12 undergraduate students participating in the L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy
from May 2020 to July of the same year. The team was mentored by Antonio Acuna. A
short introduction is given for each team member below.

Nicholas Jones
Project Manager – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Nicholas is a rising senior studying aerospace engineering with minors in astronomy,
computer science, and mathematics. He currently works on the university’s RockSat-X
team as the project lead, formerly serving on the electrical team and as the electrical team
lead. He is currently employed as an undergraduate researcher with the Hume Center for
National Security and Technology where he has worked on attitude determination and
control system test hardware. He is interested in project management, systems
engineering, and mission planning.

Mario R. Diaz, Jr.

Deputy Project Manager – Northern Virginia Community College/George Mason University
– Fairfax, Virginia
Mario is a graduate who holds three Associate Degrees from Northern Virginia
Community College in computer science, engineering (mechanical) and also electrical
engineering. He is currently in the process of transferring to George Mason University to
continue with a Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical and electrical engineering with a possible
minor in computer science. He continues to serve as the vice president of the Mathematics
club at NVCC and also as an active member of the Computer Science club. Mario is a
student member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association
for Computing Machinery (ACM) and also the National Society of Professional Engineers
(NSPE). In the Summer of 2019, Mario successfully completed a NASA program known as
NCAS. As part of this program, Mario had the opportunity to visit the Langley Research
Center - on a 4-day stay - where he was exposed to several projects that NASA considers
developing in the present, as well as in the future.

Mukunda Bastola
Lead Engineer– Old Dominion University – Norfolk, VA
Mukunda Bastola is in his last semester before graduating from Old Dominion
University. Mukunda is majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in aerospace
engineering. He was working as a mentor at ODU, a member of the ODU Makerspace,
and has worked as a tutor since his freshman year for Northern Virginia Community
College. Additionally, he has volunteered in the Materials Lab at ODU as assistant to a
Ph.D. student. Mukunda is a lead design engineer for his senior design course in ODU,
which focuses on Smart Lab: a new innovative approach to accessing labs remotely. He is
actively looking for an entry level position in the field of design and project management.

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Sydney Pinto
Lead Admin – Liberty University – Lynchburg, VA
Sydney is a rising senior at Liberty University in their commercial/corporate aviation
program with a minor in unmanned aerial systems. She graduated in 2019 from Guilford
Technical Community College with an Associates Degree in aviation management and an
Associates Degree in commercial pilot. She has a private pilot's license and is currently
working on other aviation ratings. In February of 2020 she attended the Virginia Aviation
Business Associates (VABA) where she met with various NASA representatives and
learned about upcoming projects and recent breakthroughs. This is where her interest in
NASA and their projects began. Her future aspirations is to become a cargo pilot for
FedEx or Amazon.

Liliana Farabaugh
Lead Science – West Virginia University – Morgantown, WV
Liliana is a junior mathematics major at West Virginia University. She is a member of
the West Virginia University Experimental Rocketry Club and will be serving as the
outreach officer for the upcoming school year. In the fall of 2019, Liliana built a rocket to fly
to obtain her Level 1 High Power Motor Certificate. Liliana attended a training class at
NASA IV&V on how to lead a high school experimental rocketry team. She is interested in
astronomy, cosmology, orbital mechanics, spacecraft and space exploration.

Jack Fox
Safety Officer – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Jack is a rising sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering, with minors in computer
science and mathematics. He is a member of Virginia Tech’s Design Build Fly team, and
will be serving as their CAD lead for the upcoming year. Jack is employed as a Teaching
Assistant in the MIT BeaverWorks Summer Institute CubeSat program. He is interested in
manufacturing processes, computer design and space exploration.

Chris Hong
Administrator – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Chris is a rising sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in mechanical engineering and
minoring in economics with another possible minor in physics. He has worked as a peer
tutor and has also worked on design projects including building a quadcopter and solar
powered charge bank. He is interested in spacecraft, space exploration, and astronomy.

Thomas Argiro
Engineer – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Thomas is a rising senior double majoring in aerospace engineering and ocean
engineering. Additionally, he has a completed bachelor’s degree in applied physics from
Bridgewater College. He has worked as a mentor to a high school First robotics team for
three years. Thomas is interested in space travel and exploration.

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Nathan Rand
Engineer – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Nathan is a rising Freshman at Virginia Tech planning on studying aerospace
engineering along with a potential minor in computer science and astronomy. He has
worked on teams through NASA programs previously to design various space missions,
focusing specifically on EDL technology and EDL concepts of operations. He has also
taught himself various programming languages, both object-oriented and those directed
towards web development. He is proficient in Java, Python, Javascript, Git, Npm, CSS,
Webpack and HTML. He is interested in programming, mission design, spacecraft design,
web development, and astrophysics.

David Shank
Engineer – Thomas Nelson Community College – Rescue, VA
David is a sophomore engineering major at Thomas Nelson Community College,
graduating in December 2020. David intends to continue at Old Dominion University for a
bachelor’s in electrical engineering, expecting to graduate in December 2022. After a
career in the United States Navy as an electrician’s mate and as an electronics technician,
he then continued using his skills and knowledge in the shipyards as a civilian to build,
troubleshoot, and refurbish shipboard systems and equipment. David has interned for
NASA’s Balloon Research and Development Lab, and currently for NASA’s Near Earth
Network as part of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium STEM Takes Flight program. In
his off time, David is vice-president of the science club at Thomas Nelson, has participated
in NCAS, enjoys classic sci-fi films, and learning about history and older trades such as
blacksmithing, woodworking, and leatherworking.

Nick Carper
Scientist – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Nick is a rising senior majoring in computational modeling and data analytics (CMDA)
and a minor in economics. This is Nick’s first NASA program he is participating in, however
he has always been interested in NASA as well as space exploration. He has expertise in
several programming languages and statistical analysis. Nick is interested in space
exploration, astronomy, and data analysis.

Ashlei Davis
Scientist – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
Ashlei is a rising freshman at the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. She is planning
on majoring in mechanical engineering with a focus on robotics and mechatronics. During
the 2019-2020 school year, Ashlei served as the Team Captain and Branding and Imaging
Chair of FIRST Robotics team 339, as the President of the CFHS Technology Student
Association, and the Vice President of the CFHS Science National Honor Society. Over
the summer of 2019 Ashlei participated in the Residential Governor’s School Mentorship in
Engineering at NASA Langley where she worked under Dr. Glenn Hrinda of the Vehicle
Analysis Branch. Ashlei is interested in robotics, space exploration, and astronomy.

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 1.2. Mission Overview
1.2.1. Mission Statement

This document serves to describe the preliminary design of an exploration mission to

the Columbia Hills region of the Gusev Crater on Mars, which will be realized through the
development and construction of the Monitor lander. Building onto investigations
previously conducted in the region by the Spirit rover, this new small lander mission will
characterize and investigate the evolution of surface outcrops and soil with the goal to
improve understanding of surface lithology in the Columbia Hills region. By conducting
investigations through multiple Martian seasons, the seasonal and long-term processes
affecting the evolution of the surface lithology can be studied and understood. This mission
responds to proposed investigations from the landing site workshops for the Perseverance
rover mission while fulfilling the design requirements of a new class of exploration mission
currently being developed by NASA. By designing this mission within the constraints of the
new “large” mission class under consideration, the designed system can capture strategic,
focused science with smaller size, lower cost, and potentially enables integration into a
more frequent mission schedule for Mars exploration missions as the nation looks to
human exploration of Mars.

1.2.2. Mission Requirements

In order to fulfill the science objectives of this mission, the designed system shall be
based on the fulfillment of the following top level requirements:

● The system shall investigate the evolution of surface rocks and soil in the Columbia
Hills region of the Gusev crater on Mars.
● The system shall survive the Martian environment for 5 Martian years.
● The system shall send data and receive commands from a ground station on Earth
● The system shall survive the entry, descent, and landing operations
● The system shall maintain components at required temperatures for operation and
survival
● The system shall maintain adequate power for mission operations and survival

These requirements capture the core science that will be accomplished by the mission
under design. By designing the mission to survive in the Martian environment for an
extended period, the seasonal and temporal processes that shape the Martian surface in
the Columbia Hills region can be studied for longer periods of time and possibly over a
larger number of cycles to improve understanding. Communications with the designed
system will enable collection of science data for analysis on Earth as well as permit
commanding of the science instruments and subsystems for necessary control actions.
Requirements for system survival are emplaced in order to drive the engineering design
and ensure that necessary considerations are made for the integrated system design.

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 In addition, because the mission is being designed to fulfill the qualifications of a new
mission class currently under consideration by NASA, the mission shall fulfill the following
additional requirements [1]:

● The system shall not exceed 180 kg in mass, excepting the hardware and support
systems necessary for entry, descent, and landing operations.
● The hardware and support systems necessary for entry, descent, and landing shall
not exceed 72 kg in mass.
● The system shall fit within a 61 cm by 71 cm by 96 cm volume before deployment
from the primary spacecraft to which it is attached as a secondary payload
● The total mission costs will not exceed $100 million USD

In addition to the above requirements, because Mars is currently and will likely in the
future be a prime location for the study of potential extraterrestrial life, the designed
mission shall adhere to the following additional requirement:

● The system shall comply with all applicable planetary protection requirements as
outlined in NASA Procedural Requirements document NPR 8020.12D [2].

The above mission requirements were used to generate level two and three
requirements, categorized by subsystem: payload, power, communications, structure,
thermal, command and control, and entry, descent, and landing (EDL). The payload
requirements are given below, and focus on defining what the implementation of the
science mission will accomplish.

● The payload shall determine the chemical composition of the soil / outcrop under
investigation
● The payload shall make measurements of the wind velocity
● The payload shall make measurements of the ambient temperature
● The payload shall produce images of the surrounding environment
● The payload shall produce images of the soil / outcrop samples under investigation
● The payload shall not exceed 25 W of power
● The payload shall not exceed 12 kg of mass

The first three payload objectives define the main lines of investigation for the lander,
namely the study of the chemical composition of the Martian surface material as well as
monitoring the local environment to better understand the relationship between them.
Image production will be critical to the lander operation in order to provide insight into the
local environment and its evolution, as well as assist in science operations by providing a
visual reference for manipulation of the science instrument. Power and mass requirements
constrain the resources permitted to the payload system to ensure successful integration
with the rest of the payload.
The requirements of the lander power system are listed below, and are used to inform
the design for both power generation and storage capacity, as well as additional

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functionality to ensure proper operation of the power-consuming systems of the lander
over the course of mission operations.

● The power system shall provide 139 W of power

● The power system shall store 1.173 kWh of power
● The batteries shall be able to meet or exceed a 20-30% capacity minimum for a
minimum of five years
● The power system shall regulate the charging and discharging of the batteries to
minimize battery degradation
● The power system shall produce 130 W + 5%
● The power system shall not exceed 18 kg of mass

The lander communications systems provides the necessary hardware to enable

communications back to Earth, and is designed to interface with the provided local
communications system that acts as a relay for mission data and commands. The system
will be designed to meet the following list of requirements

● The communications system shall send data and receive commands from a ground
station on Earth
● The communications system shall interface with the provided communications
package for data communication to Earth
● The communications system shall not exceed 5 W of power usage
● The communications system shall send / receive data / commands to and from the
local communications package at a rate up to 2 Mb/s
● The communications system shall be able to maintain contact with the local
communications package at a range of at least 250 m
● The communications system shall use the UHF band (300MHz - 3GHz)
● The communications system shall receive data for transmit from the payload
subsystem
● The communications system shall not exceed 2 kg of mass

The structural system design details the necessary support structures, static and
dynamic, required to enable mission operations. Structure design is also informed by the
harsh loading experience during the EDL process as well as the environmental factors
applied by operating in the Mars environment.

● The structural system shall be able to manipulate the APXS to within 2 cm of the
sample under investigation
● The lander shall be able to withstand a minimum of 0-150Hz to 0-2000Hz frequency
response and 1000 Hz amplitude of vibration
● The lander and landing components shall be able to withstand a maximum
deceleration of 98 m/s2 during descent
● The lander shall be able to withstand a final landing of 98 m/s2

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 ● The lander shall manipulate the APXS from the hull to an outer radius of 1 m from
the lander
● The materials used in the lander and components shall be selected to have a
minimal sublimation in the Martian atmosphere
● The structural system shall not exceed 7.5 kg of mass

In order to implement top-level requirements related to maintaining the necessary

temperature ranges for the lander and each of its components, a thermal management
system will be implemented. Requirements for this system are derived from the ambient
conditions of the Martian environment in addition to the individual needs of each
subsystem

● The thermal system shall monitor component temperatures

● The thermal system shall not exceed 30 W of power
● The thermal system shall maintain the communications system at 35 ℃
● The thermal system shall maintain the power system at 20 ℃
● The thermal system shall maintain the command and control system within a range
of -30 - 65 ℃
● The thermal system shall not exceed 1 kg of mass

The command and control system will be used to coordinate surface operations
between APXS instrument manipulation, data collection, and transmission, in addition to
operating other subsystems such as the thermal and power systems. The command and
control system requirements are listed below.

● The command and control system shall monitor all subsystems for proper operation
● The command and control system shall control data transfer between subsystems
● The command and control system shall give directional commands to EDL system
during landing
● The command and control system shall not exceed 10 W of power
● The command and control system shall direct the payload system during data
collection
● The command and control system shall execute commands received through the
communications system
● The command and control system shall not exceed 5 kg of mass

The EDL system is instrumental to successfully landing the rest of the lander systems
on the Martian surface, with the survival of the lander systems driving the EDL system
requirements, listed below.

● The EDL system shall be able to determine its landing location and report to the
Earth ground station
● The EDL system shall not exceed an internal temperature of 20 ℃ during descent
● The landing impact shall not exceed an acceleration of 98 m/s2

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 ● The EDL system shall not deploy parachutes outside of design parameters
● The EDL system shall account for dust storms for determining design parameters
● The lander shall land within a predetermined ellipse in the Columbia Hills region
● The landing ellipse will be chosen such that it contains terrain safe for landing
operations
● The landing location shall be selected to minimize possible sources of shadow
● The landing location shall be selected to maximize clearance for radio
communications with the local communication package

1.2.3. Mission Success Criteria

For this mission to be considered successful, a minimum science return that satisfies
the mission objectives must be obtained. Therefore, the designed system must, at
minimum, utilize the APXS instrument to make observations of at least one sample of
Martian soil or exposed outcrop over the period of two years in the Columbia Hills region
of Gusev crater, with at least two measurements being taken during each Martian season.
The observations made must also be transmitted to the Earth ground station for analysis
and distribution to the scientific community. Successful completion of these criteria ensure
that the collected observations can be utilized in answering the inquiries that drive this
mission, as the evolution of the observed Martian surface can be correlated to changing
conditions with seasons and other temporal cycles. Reduction in sample frequency
correlates to decreased resolution on how temporal processes affect the Martian surface.
Degradation of measurement frequency beyond two each season would severely limit the
ability of researchers to understand the effects of seasonal processes and could
completely eliminate the ability to gain insight into shorter time scale processes. A
measurement frequency of once per Martian season could be considered a partial
success, but the usefulness of the data would be greatly reduced.

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1.2.4. Concept of Operations

Figure 1. Concept of Operations

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1.2.5. Major Milestones Schedule

Figure 2. Mission Schedule

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1. Concept Development (1 – 6 months): 5/12/2020 - 6/12/2020
2. Securing Funding (1 – 12 months): 5/12/2020 - 11/20/2020
3. Merit and Feasibility Reviews: 9/2020
4. Design (1 – 6 months): 6/12/2020 - 12/12/2020
5. Development and Submittal of Proposal (3 – 4 months): 10/10/2020 - 2/10/2021
6. Selection and Manifesting (1 – 36 months): 6/12/2020 - 10/15/2022
7. Mission Coordination (9 – 18 months): 7/1/2020 - 6/12/2021
8. Licensing (4 – 6 months): 4/15/2021 - 10/10/2021
9. Flight-Specific Documentation Development (10 – 12 months): 10/2/2021 - 3/20/2022
10. Ground Station Design, Development, and Testing (2 – 12 months): 3/20/2022 -
12/13/2022
11. Mission Readiness Reviews (half - day): 10/1/2022
12. Mission Personnel: 10/5/2022 - 10/12/2022
13. Launch (1 day): 10/15/2022
14. Mission Operations (up to 5 years): 10/15/2022 - 20XX

PDR Breakdown:
Project Schedule: 6/17/2020
Section 1: 6/24/2020
● Team Introduction
● Mission Overview
● Descent and Lander Summary
● Payload and Science Summary
● Major Milestones Schedule
Section 6: 7/1/2020
● Budget
● Mission Schedule
● Outreach Program
Section 5: 7/8/2020
● Safety
● Hazard Mitigation
● List of Potential Hazards
Section 2: 7/19/2020
● Evolution of Descent and Lander
● Evolution of Payload
● Evolution of Mission Experiment Implementation Plan
Section 3: 7/19/2020
● Selection, Design, and Verification
● Recovery/Redundancy System
● Payload Integration
Section 4: 7/19/2020
● Selection, Design, and Verification
● Science Value
Final PDR: 7/23/2020

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 The Milestone Schedule outlines the process from the beginning to the end of our
projected mission to Phase E. The mission will begin with concept development which lies
within Pre-Phase A. Here is where the team will brainstorm a mission and develop a goal.
This phase hosts the MCR review and a final proposal. Phase A begins the choosing of
what the mission needs in order to be successful from equipment to man power to
leadership. The SRR and SDR occur right before funding is secured. The PDR begins
Phase B with the development of a final design and a formal review. Manifesting,
Coordination and SIR occurs in Phase C right before the final pieces are put into place. A
readiness review of the mission occurs in Phase D after the flight specifics and licensing
has been conducted. Phase E begins the start of the mission with the last steps before the
launch.

1.3. Descent and Lander Summary

The Monitor lander will be designed to follow the requirements of the large mission
concept where the total mission costs will not exceed $100M USD.The system shall not
exceed 180 kg in mass, excepting the EDL system and the EDL system shall not exceed
72 kg in mass. Likewise, the system shall fit within a 61 cm x 71 cm x 96 cm volume
during launch, transit, and before release from the primary spacecraft. Based on project
budget and system requirement, the engineering team decided to use the rocket system
method for safe Mars landing as it was more focused in terms of accurate landing in the
intended zone. This method uses a more active control to increase the accuracy of the
landing location. It seems this system is more complicated to implement but enables
landing accuracy and that is important for any NASA Mars landing mission.
The final mass budget distribution for all the subsystem is shown in the table below:

Table 1: Mass budget

Components (Sub-system) Mass (kg)

Payload 12 kg

Power 18 kg

Communication 2.075 kg

Structural 7.5 kg

Thermal 1.0 kg

Command & Control 5.0 kg

EDL 58 kg
(15:rocket+11:parachute+30:aeroshell)

Total 103.575 kg

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 The functional block diagram describing the high level engineering design system is
shown in Figure 3 below. In the functional block diagram below, the high level engineering
system design is shown where the command and control system acts as a nervous system
to connect other subsystems like power, thermal, payload, structural, landing , data and
communications to each other. Basically, the black line acts as a data flow to transmit data
and signals to each other whereas the orange line is a power flow that shows how the
power system is flowing between different subsystems. This is a very good representation
of high level engineering subsystems and how they are connected to each other.

Figure 3: Functional block diagram

The rocket system EDL method starts from a stable orbit with a velocity of 3.3 km/s at
an altitude of 400 km and an intended entry angle of 33°, where a small amount of
retrograde thrust from a liquid rocket system is used to initiate the deorbit process. This
rocket system method helps to maintain the landing in the intended zone, and for the final
touchdown. This is to bring the orbit’s periapsis down into the Martian atmosphere. The
lander can be allowed to coast for several orbits, the apoapsis and periapsis decreasing

15
after each pass through the upper atmosphere using aerobraking. If needed, using the
liquid rocket system, an amount of fuel may be expended to finalize descent into the
intended landing ellipse. During descent and the aerobraking process, an aeroshell with
an aluminum honeycomb construction shall be used to protect the lander. At a point when
the lander’s speed and altitude is within tolerance, a parachute is released to slow the
lander even further. The heat shield may be released at this point, decreasing the total
weight of the lander. At a predetermined point above the surface, the parachute and
protective covering separates from the lander but is still connected through 3 cables that
extend and lower the lander. The liquid rockets on the protective covering are fired to slow
the lander to a stop and the cables connecting the lander to the protective covering are
severed while the rockets are still firing. This shall limit the chances of the parachute from
landing on the lander. As the lander falls, landing legs shall be used as a backup
mechanical shock absorber to protect the lander’s payload.
The landing system consists of various sensors, parachutes, a navigation computer,
radar altimeter and a liquid rocket system. A CPU, the navigation computer, is used to
increase response time during descent, when time can be of the essence.The navigation
computer manages the lander during the EDL sequence. The liquid rocket system is used
to initiate descent, and depending on the backshell , used again during flight. A radar
altimeter is used to measure the lander’s altitude relative to the ground. This information is
required for triggering certain events during the EDL sequence. Parachutes are an integral
part in the landing system for deployment and it is released when fulfilling the lander’s
safety as shown in figure 4. The heat shield is also under direct control by the Landing
System and is jettisoned when it is no longer required for protection. Altimeter sensors are
used to inform the navigation computer of the status of the lander. The altimeter is used for
reading the lander’s altitude and as a back up to the radar system if needed. The tilt
sensors indicate the tilt, roll, and yaw, of the lander during descent. The heat sensors
which are located at multiple points detect if any portion of the lander is overheating. The
range finder and accelerometer are used during the entry, descent, and landing phases to
determine when the next phase should be deployed. Cameras are used to monitor the
status of the lander and as backup for the tilt sensors by watching the Martian horizon line
during descent. Some of these sensors can be used by other systems after landing.

16
 Figure 4. EDL Graphic

The command and control system consists of the central processing unit (cpu) which
monitors and manages the various functions of the lander. This includes processing,
storing, and passing the data to and from the lander subsystems as needed. Since, the
cpu in the control system helps in operating all other subsystems which can even be
considered as a brain for the mission. The solar panel, batteries, and temperature sensor
all are operated by the cpu of the control system that plays a very important role in
connecting them with the payload as they help in operating and processing the data
returned from the APXS, cameras, temperature sensors and radar altimeter during various
stages of the mission. Also, the command and control subsystem is directly working with
the structural subsystem to control the payload and helps in safe landing.
The communications system is the lifeline between the lander and Earth. This system
transmits and receives data packets concerning the mission and updates to the operating
system. Communication subsystem consists of an omnidirectional antenna which receives
signals equally from all directions. The antenna uses the ultra high frequency range which
has a range of 300MHz - 3GHz.
The power system manages the solar panels, power distribution, and the charging and
discharging of the onboard batteries. Power is a primary engineering requirement and will
be met through the use of triple-junction solar cells — with excess power being stored in
lithium-ion batteries. Solar panels are both time proven, and the most cost-effective option
when it comes to generating power on the Martian surface. The solar panels produce
power during the daylight hours and shall be large enough to charge the batteries and
supply power to the lander systems plus a safety margin. Solar panels are on top of the
lander with folding features and kept clear of the robotic arm used on the lander. Using

17
the folding features, the solar panels can limit the accumulation of dust on the panels and
potential damage over time. A monitoring system for the batteries shall document the
charging, holding of a charge, and the discharging experienced by the batteries by
measuring and recording voltage and current. This same monitoring system will record
and transmit the daily use of power and show each system’s power usage. This data is
sent to Earth via the communication system so engineers can determine if there is a
problem. The highest power expenditure will be from the motors on the robotic arm, the
heating elements required for some systems (such as the APXS), and for radio
transmission. The lithium-ion batteries shall hold a charge large enough to operate the
lander through the Martian night plus a safety margin. NASA and manufacturer’s
requirements shall determine more specific details concerning the battery installation and
care of.
The thermal system monitors the internal and external temperature sensors. This data
is recorded and sent to Earth for analysis by both engineers and by scientists. The
engineers require this data to monitor the condition of the lander components namely the
internal electronics and batteries. The internal systems work at best in a certain
temperature range that shall be regulated by heaters and radiators. The heaters are
simple electric heating elements. The use of insulation will minimize the use of heating
elements therefore reducing electrical power usage. The use of a radiator will maintain the
operating temperature range by reducing the heat if too much is produced by the heating
elements or from lander operations. The external temperature data can be of use to the
scientists as part of their study.
The payload system consists of APXS, main cameras, accelerometer and temperature
sensors. The temperature sensors will monitor the temperature of the lander to ensure that
components on the lander are within the temperature range required for nominal
operation, as well as provide measurements of the local environmental temperature. The
onboard camera(s) allows the lander to visually acquire a target to investigate with the
available instruments. This data is shared with the control, landing, structural, power, and
thermal systems as needed to fulfill their functions.
For the structural system there is one robotics arm, 5-motors and three legs that
support the payload design. The motors are 750 g each and the volume of arms and legs
are 100 cm3 and 844 cm3 respectively from the CAD design.The CAD model shown in
Figure 5 will help in visualizing the payload functionality and design. Moreover, hardware
testing such as material testing and joints mobility check is very important for structural
systems. Structural subsystems also play an important role in safe landing subsystems as
legs and arms play their own role in maintaining payload position.

18
 Figure 5. Deployed View of lander

To ensure that all mission objectives are met, the lander must utilize a variety of
technologies to operate both in an effective and efficient manner. Standard technology
such as cameras and turret mechanical arms will be selected based on past Mars
missions and will be fairly similar to past technologies. The technology to collect scientific
information will be the APXS instrument, which will be integrated into the engineering
model to assure it is able to work efficiently.

1.4. Payload and Science Summary

Studying lithology will help determine the history of Mars, which in turn can help
uncover details of the history of other planets in the solar system including our own.
Columbia Hills is a good site for a lithology based mission because of its diverse geology,
shown in Figure 6, that includes opaline-silica deposits, sulfur rich soil, and uniquely
eroded and placed outcrops. The area was potentially shaped by a lake and/or a hot
spring. Studying the local outcrops will validate theories on the aqueous history and

19
evolution of Gusev Crater, which will help form a better understanding of the evolution of
Mars as a whole. The data gathered in a Columbia Hills mission can also be cross
referenced with data gathered by the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover in Jezero Crater to
identify past global processes such as carbonic acid rain. Furthermore, the mission will
shed light on the effect Mars’s current seasonal weather conditions have on the surface’s
geophysical properties. This will give us insight into how the planet will change in the
future and how the planet's current conditions have affected artifacts of the past. With the
combination of a diverse lithology and distinct evolution Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater is
the best option for an in depth study of Mars’s history that will help solve solar system wide
evolutionary mysteries.

Figure 6: Image of outcrops from Spirit Rover in Columbia Hills

The instruments onboard consist of an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), a

main camera, an accelerometer, and a temperature sensor. When the APXS is pointed at
a specific rock or surface using a robotic arm, the APXS, shown in figures 7 and 8,
analyses the type of chemical elements present in a sample, using scattered alpha
particles, and fluorescent X-rays after the sample is irradiated with alpha particles and
X-rays from radioactive sources. The main camera will provide images of the samples and
surrounding environment and photogrammetry will be involved for target selection. The
accelerometer will measure wind velocity and a temperature sensor will take temperature
measurements of the environment. When all of the data from the four instruments is
combined, it will allow scientists to draw a more complete picture and produce an accurate
conclusion.

20
 Figure 7: CAD drawing of APXS

Figure 8: APXS mounted on robotic arm on Spirit Rover

Knowing the chemical compositions allows us to determine what is present in the soil and
relate it to what was on Mars in the past and what is there currently. Gathering this

21
information during the seasons for multiple years allows scientists back on Earth to draw
conclusions on how the Martian environment changes based on environmental factors.
The main camera will be used to take any necessary images or videos of any outcrops
that the APXS analyzes. The APXS is around the size of a rubik's cube, weighing 640 g
and requires 1.5 Watts to operate. The APXS instrument will be mounted on a mechanical
turret arm in a similar fashion to what was produced for the Curiosity and Spirit rover. The
APXS is mounted directly on the end of the arm, to allow for maximum range of motion
and data collection potential. Figure 9 shows a technical display of the APXS instrument,
along with integration on a mechanical turret arm. These instruments are necessary to
gather data regarding chemical composition, images, temperature and wind velocities in
Columbia Hills.

Figure 9: Mechanical arm turret with APXS attached

The main cameras will also be used for capturing images of the samples and
surrounding environment. Similar to the lander cameras, the Mastcam-Z, weighing around
4 kg, will be used on the Mars 2020 Rover. It’s purpose is to take video, panoramic color
and 3D images of the surface and features in the atmosphere with a zoom lens to magnify
targets, similarly to what the lander camera will do. The quality is this camera is similar to
what a typical consumer camera would look like, around 2 megapixels. The Mastcam-Z
can resolve between about 150 microns per pixel, 0.15 mm to 7.4 mm per pixel,
depending on distance [3].
The lander contains a temperature sensor for gathering ambient temperature data. The
TE Negative Connectivity Coefficient (NTC) sensors are used for temperature
measurement and are specifically for extended space flight. The thermistors are small in
size, highly sensitive to small changes in temperature, and can operate from a range of
temperatures including -55°C to 150°C.

22
 The lander contains an accelerometer to obtain wind velocities. TE’s micro-electric
mechanical system (MEMS) are ideal accelerometers for static and dynamic
applications.This device has the ability to compensate for temperature fluctuations with a
dynamic range from ±2 to ±200g. The MEMS has a damped element with mechanical
properties to provide shock protection to 5,000g. The operating range for temperature is
-55°C to +125°C [4]. The low mass, volume and power requirements of the MEMS is
beneficial for space operations.

2. Evolution of Project
2.1. Evolution of Descent and Lander

The Monitor evolved from the concept of being the secondary payload on a Mars flight
already being planned and implemented. It was decided to design a mission fitting within
the large concept. This constrained the design to an upper weight limit of 180 kg (400 lbs.)
and a maximum volume of 61cm x 71cm x 96cm (24in x 28in x 38in). The next debate was
to determine if the mission would utilize a lander, rover, or a hybrid of rover and lander. It
was determined that a stationary lander would be more practicable.
The Science Team also determined that the primary experiment would be the Alpha
Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS). As science drives the design, all further designs will
be to support the APXS and its experiments. For the APXS to perform the experiments
properly, it must be able to be placed within 2 cm of the material to be tested and should
be capable of exploring multiple targets. This meant that a mechanical arm would be
required to position the APXS to the targets. The mechanical arm would also need to be
placed in such a way that movement of the arm would not interfere with other onboard
experiments or devices. This led to a design feature of the Monitor, the rotating head.
Due to the restrictions placed on RTGs on Mars, solar panels would be used to
produce electrical power for the lander. These panels would provide power during the day
and charge onboard batteries for operations at night. These batteries would also power
the Monitor during dust storms, some of which can last for a month. To maximize power
generation, multiple panels are required. To fit multiple panels, typically the panels are
folded to conserve space up to the time of deployment. These panels, if too large, could
potentially be a hindrance to the arm and limit the range of motion. The concept of moving
the panels out of the way of the arm led to the idea of mounting the solar panels and
mechanical arm onto a “head” that could rotate at least 360°. This would also allow the
mounting of two cameras, one on either side of the mechanical arm, for use in
photogrammetry and standard video operations.
With a stationary lander, the importance of an arm with reach and mobility gains priority.
The requirement of having a reach of at least 1m from the lander hull becomes a
challenge when the longest constraint in volume for the lander is 96cm. It quickly became
apparent that the arm would have to be initially folded within the “head”. The arm would
consist of three segments of varying length and containing a small brushless DC motor
with internal hall sensors for detecting position at each joint. This would allow for a full
reach, from the base of the hull to 1.3m. This also allows for the possibility of reaching
over an obstacle and for repeatability of locating targets easier.

23
 For simplification, the top surface of the head could be covered with solar panels,
referred to as the Primary Solar Panel. In truth, this is a set of three panels, two side
panels and a center panel. The center panel also acts as a door that opens to reveal the
Mechanical Arm Stowage and APXS. Mounted on the left and right sides of the head are
the Secondary Solar Panels. These are both mounted on hinges capable of swinging open
180° allowing for a horizontal flat closed position, to a horizontal flat open position. When
in the closed position, the Secondary Panels stack as layers on top of the Primary Solar
Panel. Conveniently mounted to the underside of the Secondary Panels are the flat UHF
Omni Directional Antennas. These can be operated independently of each other or
arrayed together to provide for a faster data transmission as needed.
The Monitor primarily has two modes, deployed and pre-deployed. The pre-deployed
mode is intended for launch, transit, and EDL, and consists of the arm, legs, and solar
panels folded in a folded position to fit within the aeroshell and heatshield. The deployed
mode is intended for operation on the Martian surface, with the legs stretched out,
secondary panels unfolded, and arm unpacked. The opportunity for a third mode exists,
the Storm Protection Mode. In this mode, the arm and APXS can be folded back in the
stowage compartment, and the secondary solar panels folded back in place covering the
primary solar panel. This would provide for physical protection of the solar panels,
mechanical arm, and the APXS.
Below the rotating head, is the main hull. The hull is cylindrical except for three hollow
channels that contain the upper and middle sections of the extendable legs. The underside
of the main hull is a pointed cone with a 20° slope. The slope fits into the upper side of the
heatshield and provides for more room for the lower section of the folded legs and dome
shaped feet. At the very bottom of the slope is the location of the radar emitter for use
during descent after release of the heatshield. After landing, the pointed bottom can rest
on the Martian surface, providing a center base for the three legs to support, and together,
a stable platform for operations.
The first method the team planned initially uses the same means to deorbit, but the
liquid rocket system is only used one time. During descent within the atmosphere, a pilot
parachute will then be used to begin slowing the lander’s descent. Once the lander
reaches a certain altitude, the pilot parachute is jettisoned, and the main parachute is
deployed. At a lower altitude, a series of airbags are deployed surrounding the lander. Just
prior to the lander’s impact on the Martian surface, the main parachute is jettisoned. Once
the lander settles, the airbags separate, and the instruments can be deployed. The lander
will settle in the correct orientation by having the assembly’s base weighted.

24
 Figure 10. Initial Aeroshell Design

2.2. Evolution of Payload

The initial mindset of the science team was to land in an area with diverse geological
features, use a probe to dig into the surface and possibly discover deposits or ores. This
idea was scrubbed due to budget and mass/volume constraints. When choosing science
instrumentation, the science team wanted to use a Mass Spectrometer, but it was way out
of budget, costing around $80M. The APXS ($30M) was another instrument of interest but
seemed too expensive at the time. Members from the science team got in contact via
email with the scientists at NASA who worked on different instruments that were of interest
to the team at the time.The scientists contacted include, Dr. Kenneth Herkenhoff
(Microscopic Imager), Dr. David Flannery (PIXL) and Dr. Roger Wiens (SuperCam). These
instruments were either too expensive or did not quite meet our scientific objectives. The
team settled on APXS for their main science instrument because it was a reasonable price
and would work for our objectives.
The accelerometer and temperature sensor were not brought up by science, but by
engineering. The idea was appealing to the science team and therefore was integrated
into the design. Having these two abilities allow for further and more confident analysis on
the data sent back to Earth.
Other options for power generation include fission reactors, chemical, and radioisotope
generators. All these other options would require the lander to carry a fuel source to power
the reactor which would guarantee a consistent power source but would limit the mission

25
time length by the amount of fuel that could be sent with the lander. The power system
generally makes up between 20-30% of a spacecraft’s mass according to studies
performed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The fuel for chemical power generators is
usually hydrogen and oxygen which would need additional equipment to pressurize the
fuel and allow for the reaction and venting of byproducts. Fission reactors and radioisotope
generators produce a large amount of heat that needs additional equipment to assist in
dissipating the unwanted heat. Fission reactors also produce much more power than is
needed for the lander and so do not make a good choice for powering the lander. Also,
Lithium-Ion batteries have been used on a variety of past NASA missions to Mars and
have proven effective at being able to operate in the Martian environment, and it seems to
beat comparable batteries by a significant margin such as Silver-Zinc or Nickel-Hydrogen.

2.3. Evolution of Mission Experiment Implementation Plan

During the early stages of the mission, the science team made some proposals about
potential scientific tasks that can be conducted on Mars. Said proposals were thoroughly
considered and discussed individually to determine the one that ultimately becomes the
main project. After a more careful examination of the requirements that each potential
mission demands for success, it was decided to select the mission called Monitor. One of
the missions that was also considered for development requires for the vehicle to journey
around and explore the geological features of the Jezero Crater. After some more
analysis, it was concluded that such a mission would be too similar to the mission NASA
currently works on known as Perseverance. As a result of the analysis, the team
concluded that a different mission to the red planet may well be conducted elsewhere and
with a different scientific approach and craft design altogether. Monitor meets those
criteria.
To explain in further detail, the first mission idea that the science team proposed was
mining on Mars for mineral deposits and ores. At this time, the landing site was not
determined. The goal was to land in an area with diverse geological features, use a probe
to dig into the surface and discover mineral deposits or ores that could be documented for
future missions to Mars. The science team researched the various landing sites including
NE Syrtis, Midway, Columbia Hills and Jezero Crater. After consideration and input from
the rest of the team, this idea was scrubbed due to budget and mass/volume constraints.
This design that the science team proposed was too advanced and would have required
mobility and a way to drill several meters down on the surface of Mars, which was not
realistic considering our mass, volume, and budget requirements. The science team
brainstormed new ideas and discussed ideas regarding finding signs of previous life,
water, analyzing ancient volcanic activity, study effects on atmosphere on Spirit Rover, and
observing hot spring- like- environments.
With all of these ideas in mind, the science team then proposed the idea of observing
the lithologies and outcrops in Jezero Crater, taking into consideration the evidence of
volcanic activity in that area, which is ideal for searching for minerals. With the Mars 2020
landing site being Jezero Crater, the team concluded that the mission would be too similar.
As a result, the science team changed the landing site to Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater,

26
which is a good candidate for observing seasonal and environmental changes in outcrops
due to its diverse geological features. The science team referred to the Mars 2020
workshop for this idea which was proposed by NASA to begin with.
While developing the lander, care was taken to design it within an initial set of
constraints in mind. Constraints such as volume, mass and available funds to advance the
mission. The budget determines that a rover and/or a hybrid vehicle is not within reach
financially, therefore such designs were ruled out early on. The spacecraft features the
following instruments: an onboard high resolution camera, a temperature sensor, an
accelerometer and also an APXS unit to analyze the local outcrops found at the Columbia
Hills landing site.The primary experiment is carried out mainly by the APXS unit and the
onboard camera. The design of the lander is such that - once safely on Martian terrain - it
deploys its robotic arm to reach out and to analyze the chemical composition of the
outcrops found in the immediate vicinity around the lander.
The design of the spacecraft also affords its arm to rotate a complete circle (360
degrees) to maximize the area that can be evaluated by the lander’s instruments. The
lander is expected to be fully functional and capable of doing its primary mission for an
estimated time of no less than two Martian years. Under optimal conditions however, it
may well last and remain active for a considerable longer period of time.
The team is confident that the chosen landing site, along with the high quality,
well-proven, onboard instruments that Monitor carries increase the likelihood of a
successful mission. The design of the craft - based on tests done here on Earth and
previous missions to the red planet - ensures its capabilities and performance once it
arrives at its destination.

3. Descent and Lander Design

3.1. Selection, Design, and Verification
3.1.1. System Overview

The descent will begin with separation from the orbiter. The lander will be covered with
a heat shield and backshell to protect it from the heat from atmospheric friction during the
descent. The backshell will contain the parachute as well as a liquid rocket system. The
descent begins at an altitude of 400 km and the lander is allowed to coast to an altitude of
about 100 km where the Martian atmosphere reaches a high enough density for
aerobraking to begin which is about 3x10-8 kg/m3 [5]. The lander later passes through a
period of time where peak heating occurs across a bow shock in front of the heat shield.
Next the lander reaches its peak deceleration which can be sensed through the use of
accelerometers. The parachute can then deploy once a velocity of 450 m/s is reached.
The thermal system will monitor the temperature of the heat shield by using a globe
thermometer and will determine when it is safe to discard the heat shield, which is typically
once the lander reaches subsonic speeds. After the heat shield is ejected the lander can
take radar altimeter readings to determine the current altitude and decide when to release

27
the backshell and parachute. Once the backshell and parachute have been released the
liquid rocket system will fire to further slow the lander in preparation for impact with the
surface. The liquid rocket system can be used to alter the trajectory of the lander if
deemed necessary based on data collected from the Terrain-Relative Navigation system
which consists of cameras that take pictures of the surface below the lander and compare
those pictures to an orbital map of the area created by the orbiter and determine if the
trajectory of the lander needed to be altered. Prior to touchdown on the surface the legs of
the lander deploy to absorb any remaining energy upon landing to protect the payload and
mitigate chances of tumbling.
During the descent and landing process the command and control system will oversee
the separation of each piece. The command and control system will contain a
predetermined sequence of commands derived from analysis to control the deployment
and release of each piece of the descent and landing sequence. All commands will be
triggered by data collected from the accelerometers and thermometers used.
The main pieces of this landing sequence have been used successfully by previous
missions to Mars such as the Curiosity rover and is shown to work [6]. Following
established landing procedures will improve chances of a successful landing. The
terrain-relative navigation system will be used by the Mars 2020 rover to lower the
probability of landing in an undesired location [7].

Figure 11. EDL Graphic

28
3.1.2. Subsystem Overview

A single supersonic parachute will be used. The parachute used will have a diameter of
2
4 m and a mass of about 11 kg. This was determined using𝑟 = 2𝑚𝑔/(𝐶𝑑ρ𝑉 π) where

m is mass of the lander and the descent system, g is the gravitational acceleration on
Mars, Cd is the drag coefficient, ⍴ is the atmospheric density of Mars, and V is the terminal
velocity of the lander. A drag coefficient of 1.2 was used along with an average
atmospheric density of 0.013 kg/m3 and gravitational acceleration of 3.711 m/s2. A mass of
160 kg was used to ensure the parachute would be sized to handle the mass of both the
lander and entry, descent, and landing system and a 50% margin. The terminal velocity
the lander will achieve using this parachute will be about 80 m/s. The parachute will deploy
when the accelerometers detect the greatest amount of deceleration. The maximum
2
deceleration can be predicted prior to launch using 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑉 β𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛(γ)/(2𝑒) where V is the
velocity, 𝛽a is the atmospheric scale height for Mars which is about 0.0901 km-1, 𝛾 is the
flight path angle, and e is the exponential function [8].
The lander will be connected to the backshell by a triple bridle or three lines. The
additional lines lower the risk of the lander breaking away from the backshell during
separation. The heat shield will separate from the lander after the parachute deploys and
the lander slows to subsonic speeds. The heat shield will separate by using a series of
separation nuts and push-off springs. The lander will separate from the backshell and
move down a tether also made from kevlar. This will provide some distance from the liquid
rocket system exhaust. The radar altimeter will take distance and velocity measurements
to determine when to fire the rockets and when to cut the cable connecting the lander to
the backshell. The Terrain Relative Navigation system will take and compare pictures
taken of the surface to determine the horizontal velocity and determine which rockets
should be fired to slow the horizontal velocity to keep the lander on track to land at the
intended location. The rockets will fire to bring the lander to a near-stop a few meters,
between 10 and 20 meters, above the surface where a cable cutter will sever the
connection between the lander and backshell and parachute. This will happen while the
rockets are still firing so it will keep the parachute and backshell assembly from landing on
top of the lander. The landing legs will be extended at this point. At each joint on the legs
there is an overlap of material that acts as a spring to absorb the impact energy when the
lander falls after cutting the cables connecting it to the backshell.
The parachute will be made from polyester and nylon following the materials of
previous successful missions. The bridles will be made from kevlar. These materials were
chosen because the parachute system must be made from light and strong materials that
can be packed into a small volume and have a low mass. The parachute will have a mass
of 13 kg.
The heat shield and backshell will be made from honeycomb structure. The structure is
made with aluminum in between sheets of graphite-epoxy. This allows the structure to
have a high stiffness while keeping the weight low [9]. The honeycombs are filled with cork
wood, binder, and small silica glass spheres. This filler is called an ablator. Without an

29
ablator the heat shield would not be able to keep the inside cool. The heat shield has a
slightly thicker layer of the ablator material. The aeroshell will have a cylindrical shape.
There will be a rounded face on the bottom where the heat shield will be. The top face will
be smaller due to a taper beginning from about 53 cm from the base of the heat shield as
can be seen in Figure X below in section 3.1.3. The aeroshell will have a mass of 30 kg.
The parachute and rocket system are attached to the backshell in and on the tapering
portion. The rocket nozzles will be on the outside and the storage tanks and pumping
system will be inside. The parachute storage canister will be inside but will have the top of
the canister flush with the top face of the backshell.
The rocket system will use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as the fuel and oxidizing
agent respectively. The backshell will contain the storage tanks for the fuel and oxidizing
agent as well as the pump system. The storage tanks and pump system will be in the top
part of the backshell in a separate compartment above the lander with tapered sides. The
tapering of the sides ensures that the lander will be free of the exhaust trails of the rocket
system when the lander separates from the backshell. The rocket system will have a mass
of 15 kg.

3.1.3. Dimensioned CAD Drawing of Entire Assembly

30
Figure 12. Deployed view of lander

31
Figure 13. Undeployed Lander

32
 Figure 14. Exploded view of deployed lander

FIgure 15. Aeroshell with full section view showing channels for solar panel hinges on right

3.1.4. Manufacturing and Testing Plans

The parachute will be tested by deploying it high in the atmosphere on Earth on a

sounding rocket where the conditions are very close to the expected conditions on Mars

33
during the descent and landing phase. The parachute for the Perseverance rover was
tested in this manner and had the highest load survived by a supersonic parachute that
was about 85% higher than expected during deployment on Mars [10][11]. The parachute
will be tested with a peak load of about 80% more than should be needed to land on Mars.
Prior to real world testing numerical modeling will be used to determine if the parachute
will be strong enough to avoid being destroyed during deployment. To test the load bearing
capacity of the parachute it will be subjected to test runs where it will be pulled by
rocket-powered sleds to generate inflation loads similar to those experienced on Mars.
The parachute will be expected to survive all tests with minimal to no tearing or damage to
connecting lines. The parachute manufacturing will need to be outsourced to an outside
company that will likely be Pioneer Aerospace due to their experience in building
parachutes for previous NASA missions such as the Curiosity rover mission [12].
Manufacturing of the aeroshell, consisting of the heatshield and backshell, will need to
be outsourced to the Lockheed Martin company since it has produced almost every
aeroshell used in previous missions such as the aeroshell for the Mars 2020 mission
which will be the tenth aeroshell designed for NASA [13]. The manufacturing of the
aeroshell will take about 8 months. The aeroshell will be tested by exposing it to thermal
conditions similar to what it would experience during the descent. The aeroshell will also
be subjected to tests where pressures of approximately 120% of the expected flight
pressure will be used. The aeroshell will be expected to maintain its shape during the
pressure tests and keep the internal temperature around that of room temperature. The
shape will be similar to previous missions which has not changed significantly since the
Viking landers.
The rocket system will undergo a vibration and acoustic test to ensure that all pieces of
the system are robust enough to withstand launch and the entry process up to when the
system is needed. The rocket system should be able to withstand the test without any
parts coming loose or breaking. The amount of thrust the system can produce will be
tested. This will be done by using load cells to detect the movement the thrust produces
[14]. The rocket system will also be tested under conditions similar to those in Mars’
atmosphere where the system is expected to perform. This can be done in a thermal
vacuum chamber to change the temperature and pressure. The rocket system
manufacturing will need to be outsourced and can be expected to take up to several
months to complete.

3.1.5. Validation and Verification Plans

The lander will undergo thermal vacuum testing once assembled to simulate and
exceed expected conditions on the surface of the planet. It will also be put through a
vibration and acoustic test. This will simulate conditions during entry into the Martian
atmosphere and exiting Earth’s atmosphere. The rocket engines during launch can
produce sound pressure levels exceeding 200 dB which can damage the lander and
aeroshell systems [15]. The rocket system used during the descent stage can also
produce large sound pressure levels but lower than those created by the rockets
responsible for the Earth launch. All systems will be tested to ensure that they do not

34
create electromagnetic interference that hinders the transmission of data from the
communication system. This is done by taking radiated emissions measurements using a
spectrum analyzer and a measuring antenna [16]. The systems will be tested individually
and once they are connected the lander as well as when encased in the aeroshell. The
parachute will be tested in a wind tunnel as well as with a sounding rocket to confirm that
the parachute will not tear during inflation. The lander will be subjected to solar intensity
tests in a vacuum chamber where light from lamps are reflected on a mirror above the
lander. The light reflected from the lamps would simulate the intensity of sunlight the
lander will experience on the martian surface. The amount of light reaching parts of the
lander will be measured. This test allows the thermal model of the lander to be updated.
While still in the same vacuum chamber a cold test will be performed with the chamber
atmospheric density changed to simulate the atmosphere on Mars. During this test the
lander will be tasked with running programs which move parts of the lander to be sure it
will be able to survive the cold nights.
During the descent stage the lander will send tones through the communication system
for the orbiter to relay to the Earth station that shows that the lander is still operational.
The tones will happen at each stage in the descent so that it is known that each stage is
working properly. A different tone will be sent once the lander reaches the ground and has
unfolded the solar panels and begun normal operations.

3.1.6. FMEA and Risk Mitigation

Figure 16. Engineering Risk Chart

35
Figure 17. Engineering Risk Mitigation Chart

36
Table 2. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

37
 From the above table, different engineering failure mode and effect are illustrated in
Table 2. For each respective function or requirement, their failure mode and effect are
shown with their respective severity and occurrence number that shows the level of effects
and the level of frequency respectively. Depending upon their risk level appropriate design
control and recommendation are taken in account. All engineering risks are shown in
Figure 16, which is the risk chart with their respective level of risk denoted by numbers
from 1-5. In the mitigation chart, their number changes after the recommended actions are
taken and which is shown in Figure 17.

38
 3.1.7. Performance Characteristics and Predictions

The minimum success criteria requires the lander to use the APXS instrument to make
observations and record data from at least one sample of Martian soil or exposed outcrop
over the period of two years in the Columbia hills region of Gusev crater. At least two
measurements must be taken during each Martian season. The data and observations
must be transmitted through the communication system to the Earth Ground Station for
analysis and distribution to the scientific community. A partial success is defined by a
measurement frequency of once per Martian season. Once the lander touches down and
deploys the solar panels and the robotic arm it will begin to take samples of the Martian
soil and exposed outcrops within reach of the arm. The lander will also take pictures of the
samples to send back along with the data.
The planned launch date is October 15, 2022. The spring equinox for Mars in 2022
happens on December 26, 2022. The estimated arrival date is in late April 2023. This will
be several months before the winter solstice for the southern hemisphere on Mars. The
dust storm season will begin around June 2024 which marks the Winter solstice for the
northern hemisphere on Mars.
The lander will begin descent at an altitude of 400 km and velocity of 3.3 km/s. The
entry angle will be 33°. The landing process is shown again below in Figure 18. The lander
descent will follow a process beginning with deployment from the orbiter. Then the lander
will coast until a period of greatest deceleration, deploy its parachute, discard the heat
shield, separate from the backshell, fire the rocket system, deploy the landing legs and
touchdown on the surface.

Figure 18. EDL Graphic

39
 Potential weather obstacles that will affect descent and landing will be dust storms. The
storms will kick up large clouds of dust that will block visual of the surface. This will cause
errors with visual range measurements. During the descent the radar altimeter will be able
to obtain accurate range measurements circumventing the need for visual methods of
range finding. Strong winds from the dust storms may nudge the lander such that it
changes the trajectory. If a significant trajectory alteration is detected the rocket system
can attempt to correct the alteration.

3.1.8. Confidence and Maturity of Design

The lander descent will follow a process defined by deployment from orbiter, coast until
period of greatest deceleration, deploy parachute, discard heat shield, separate from
backshell, fire rockets, deploy legs and touchdown on surface. This landing process
evolved out of a previously considered process discussed in section 2.1. The aeroshell will
be put through thermal vacuum tests to ensure it can keep the lander cool during entry
and descent. The lander and aeroshell assembly will be subjected to vibration and
acoustic tests. All electronics will be tested both individually and together for
electromagnetic interference that would prevent transfer of data and receiving of signals
through the communication system. The lander will be tested in a chamber under
conditions simulating the martian atmosphere to ensure the thermal system is robust
enough to keep the internal components within their respective nominal temperature
ranges.
The failures that pose the greatest risk to mission success post-launch as shown in
section 3.1.6 are landing on unsuitable terrain, software problems, and damage to
components due to failed temperature management. The Terrain-Relative Navigation
system is used to lower the risk of landing on unsuitable terrain. To lower the risk of
software bugs and failure the software will be tested extensively. Thermal vacuum tests
will determine if the thermal system is robust enough to properly manage the temperature
of the internal components of the lander.

3.2. Recovery/Redundancy System

The cable system connecting the lander to the backshell is capable of supporting the
lander if one of the three cables breaks. The connections holding the lander to the
backshell prior to separation are tested beyond the expected load in order to ensure that
they will hold. The parachute lines are tested to ensure that the inflation loads are under
the maximum load that can be handled to give the parachute a high factor of safety. The
rocket system will be tested in conditions exceeding those expected and shall produce
more thrust than is expected to be required should the lander be moving at a greater
speed than expected when the system should fire. The communications system will have
two antennas should one break during the descent one will be sufficient to transmit the
data from the lander to the orbiter as well as the tones during the descent.

40
3.3. Payload Integration

Figure 19. Undeployed lander cutaway

41
Figure 20. Undeployed lander body cutaway

42
 Figure 21. Undeployed lander head. This view is looking down from the top of the lander
under the solar panels

4. Payload Design and Science Experiments

4.1. Selection, Design, and Verification
4.1.1. System Overview - N^2 Chart

A variety of systems will be used on the surface in order to maintain the operational
levels required for the science instruments onboard the lander. These systems include:
communications, power, structural, science instruments, command & control, and thermal
and their representation is shown in N^2 chart in Figure 22. The communication system
allows the lander to communicate with both the orbiter and stations back on Earth. This is
crucial as the data collected from science instruments needs to be transmitted back to
Earth. To achieve this, the communication system onboard must be able to transfer data to

43
the communication package on the Martian surface. For structural it is essential that the
craft is able to withstand EDL and the harsh conditions on the Martian surface as well as
meet mission objectives. The APXS robotic arm will ensure that the instrument is able to
examine rock outcrops efficiently in range of the lander. The head of the lander also will be
able to rotate to ensure that video can be seen 360 degrees around the lander. The
thermal systems need to be capable of maintaining temperatures that allow for
instruments to operate as well as protecting them from forces of landing and weather
conditions such as dust storms. Science instrumentation relates directly to the science
instruments that will be collecting data throughout the mission, these require TBR amounts
of power in total, and will be collecting the information that will be transmitted back to
Earth. The power system will both encompass the collection of power, the storage of it,
and its distribution. All of the above described systems are essential to ensure that the
mission objectives are met, if one does not operate correctly all the others likely will not be
able to operate either.

Figure 22: N^2 Chart

4.1.2. Subsystem Overview

The science instrumentation consists of the APXS, Main Camera, Accelerometer and
Temperature Sensor. When the APXS is pointed at a specific rock or surface, the APXS
analyses the type of chemical elements present in a sample, using scattered alpha
particles, and fluorescent X-rays after the sample is irradiated with alpha particles and
X-rays from radioactive sources. The APXS is around the size of a rubiks cube and

44
requires 1.5 Watts to operate. The APXS instrument will be mounted on a mechanical
turret arm in a similar fashion to what was produced for the Curiosity and Spirit rover. The
APXS is mounted directly on the end of the arm, which allows it to both collect data
effectively as well as maximizes the range in which samples can be taken. The main
camera will be used to take any necessary images or videos of any outcrops that the
APXS analyzes. The accelerometer will provide wind velocity and the temperature sensor
shows ambient temperatures to give additional context for analysing the data.
The APXS uses two types of radiation which include Alpha Particles and X-Rays to
determine chemical compositions. The energy spectrum of the scattered alpha particle
allows the instrument to determine the composition of the sample being analyzed, more
specifically, elements with a lower atomic mass.The low backscattering rate makes a
longer irradiation necessary (approx. 10 hours). A few alpha particles are absorbed by
atomic nuclei. The alpha,proton process produces protons of a defined energy which are
detected by the APXS [17]. Sodium, magnesium, silicon, aluminium and sulfur can be
detected by this method The Mars Pathfinder APXS used this method. The alpha particles
eject electrons from the inner shell of an atom. This vacant space is then filled by
electrons from outer shells. This results in the emission that has the characteristics of an
X-Ray. The process is called the particle-induced X-ray emission. It is easy to detect with
the best sensitivity and resolution elements with a higher atomic mass [18].
The use of triple-junction solar cells will generate power for the lander on the surface,
and this power will either be directly directed to instruments or will be stored in the
Lithium-ion batteries onboard. The main control system, along with the communication
package will control the communication aspects of the mission. The instruments both will
receive power directly from the power system, and will utilize power from the battery cells
if data is to be collected during the night on Mars. The thermal fluctuations will be
controlled by the onboard thermal systems, to ensure that the lander and the instruments
onboard it are able to maintain an environment temperature wise in which they can
operate effectively.
The command and control system will accept commands from the communication
system and then relay the commands to the appropriate system for implementation. The
command and control system will have a central processing unit (cpu) to control the
system and distribute the signals. The command and control system will contain the code
for autonomous control of the systems in the lander such as the search for and study of
rock outcrops as well as measurements taken with other instruments. Once a rock outcrop
has been marked for study the command and control will move the arm to correctly
position the APXS instrument. The command and control system will also determine when
to repack the arm and solar panels during a dust storm. The system will also have a solid
state drive to store data waiting to be transmitted to Earth by the communication system
as well as programs uploaded from Earth such as the autonomous code. A solid state
drive is a better choice than a hard drive because of a hard drive’s susceptibility to
damage from strong vibrations due to the mechanical reading and writing used in hard
drives. The cpu and data storage used by the system will be radiation-hardened.The
central processing unit (cpu) and data storage devices will be radiation hardened to
protect from radiation during transport to Mars and during the mission timeline to limit

45
radiation damage during mission operation. Radiation can create false currents that affect
data saved in data storage drives [19].

4.1.3. Precision of Instrumentation, Repeatability of Measurement, and

Recovery System

For MSL APXS, the data analysis is well understood, quick and unquestionable
element identification is delivered. The accuracy of the instrument is plus or minus ~10%,
limited by heterogeneity, including grain size and morphological properties. The data
provided can be used to gather further data from mineralogy from scratch, or from another
instrument called CheMin. MSL APXS has 3 times the sensitivity for lower mass elements
and 6 times the sensitivity for higher mass elements than MER APXS, demonstrated in
figure 23.

Figure 23: Comparison of MSL APXS and MER

Photogrammetry will be used in the maneuvering of the robotic arm with APXS
attached. The process of photogrammetry allows the operator to move the arm precisely in
3D space and easily select the target that will be analyzed. graphically shown in figure 24.

46
 Figure 24: Photogrammetry relating to satellites

The two main cameras will also be used for capturing images of the samples and
surrounding environment. The Mastcam-Z, will be used on the Mars 2020 Rover. It’s
purpose is to take video, panoramic color and 3D images of the surface and features in
the atmosphere with a zoom lens to magnify targets, similarly to what our landers camera
will do. The quality is this camera is similar to what a typical consumer camera would look
like, around 2 megapixels. The Mastcam-Z can resolve between about 150 microns per
pixel, 0.15 mm to 7.4 mm per pixel, depending on distance [3].
The lander contains a temperature sensor for gathering ambient temperature data. The
REMS is an example of an instrument that can gather much more than ground and air
temperature, but is a good instrument to compare to. The REMS records at least 5
minutes of data at 1 Hz each hour, every Martian day. It has a maximum of three hours of
operation per day, allowing a continuous block of data gathering [20].
The accuracy of the accelerometer that will detect weather conditions — specifically
wind speeds and direction — will be based on instruments used on past Mars missions,
specifically the MEDA instrument. Similar to the MEDA, the missions lander will be
equipped with cylindrical booms in order to detect wind conditions. The repeatability of
measurement here falls into two categories, accuracy and resolution for wind speeds.
Specifically for past instruments, these two ranges fall in a 2 m/sec accuracy and 0.5
m/sec resolution. This falls within an acceptable range to collect accurate data over time
for the mission’s goals.
To ensure that in the case of the need to use a recovery system, a small amount of
power will be stored in reserves to ensure that data is able to be sent to the orbiter to be

47
further communicated to Earth. This will ensure that in the case of an emergency that
threatens the mission, even in the full loss of power, the rover will have enough reserve
power to transmit the rest of its data to the orbiter which can then send it to Earth.
Furthermore, backups will be made frequently on the lander in order to ensure no
collected data is lost throughout the mission. The power required for this will be minimal,
and can be stored throughout the mission timeline as a failsafe in case of its necessity.

4.1.4. Validation and Verification Plan

In order to ensure that the payload works and is capable of operating as intended, a
verification plan needs to be instituted to ensure that data collected is accurate. For the
APXS instrument, verification methods have been formulated in the past and the one used
on this particular mission will not stray far from these examples. Specifically the APXS
used onboard the Chandrayaan-2 Rover, the verification method here involved a
calibration target plate, which allowed for the APXS to acquire data from samples of all the
elements it is able to detect. This sample data is compared to a previous spectrum
collected before the mission — an example of such a spectrum can be seen in Figure 25,
which was used for the APXS onboard the Chandrayaan-2 Rover. This is able to ensure
that the APXS is working identically to how it worked before launch, and is able to be
repeatedly tested to ensure that over a long period of time the APXS is still working
effectively.

Figure 25: Calibration target plate spectra from the Chandrayaan-2 Rover mission

48
 A wind speed detecting device can use a verification method in which the onboard
accelerometers data can compare the force it is experiencing in a certain direction with
what is detected by the wind speed device. This will allow comparison of forces in the
x-direction which will be entirely attributed to wind on the surface. This will verify the wind
sensors accuracy if verification trials are performed in a large enough number upon
landing.

4.1.5. FMEA and Risk Mitigation

Table 3: Failure mode and effect analysis

49
50
51
 Figure 26: Science Risk Mitigation Chart

4.1.6. Performance Characteristics

The proof that the APXS can handle this mission lies in the history of the APXS. The
APXS has flown on many previous missions, including but not limited to Curiosity, Spirit,
Pathfinder, and Opportunity. These missions all went to Mars, some actually went to
Columbia Hills but not our specific landing site. These previous missions were all studying
rocks similar to the rocks our mission will study, and looking for similar data that our
mission is looking for. These previous missions all had the same goals, same type of

52
rocks, and similar locations to our mission, proving that the APXS can operate under the
Mars conditions. The main camera, wind sensor and temp sensors are instruments that
have flown on many previous missions, and have been tested many times, which is proof
that the camera, temperature sensor and wind sensor can work.

4.2. Science Value

4.2.1. Science Payload Objectives

The payload shall determine the chemical composition of the soil / outcrop under
investigation. The goal of the mission is to gain a more in depth understanding of the
evolution and history of the surface of Mars and to understand how the soil, physical
properties, and morphology of outcrops are changing over time. The payload shall make
measurements of the wind velocity year round, day and night. Measuring wind velocity
gives more data beyond the images of the outcrops and chemical composition of the soil.
By obtaining wind data, scientists on earth can incorporate that into the findings to give a
more accurate conclusion as to what factors are playing a role in the continuously
changing Martian surface. The payload shall make measurements of the ambient
temperature year round, day and night. By measuring temperature, this allows scientists to
further explain seasonal changes on Mars and how it affects the surface. The payload
shall produce images of the surrounding environment. Images of the environment can be
compared to indicate how the environment is affected by seasonal changes and other
environmental factors such as wind and temperature. The payload shall produce images
of the soil / outcrop samples under investigation. Images of the specific soil sample /
outcrop allows scientists to further observe any changes that may occur over time.Along
with this, the process of photogrammetry will be used to determine distances from targets,
and allow the operator to maneuver the arm more precisely and allow for a quicker
turnaround of data collection.

4.2.2. Creativity/Originality and Uniqueness/Significance

Studying lithology will help determine the history of Mars, which in turn can help
uncover details of the history of other planets in the solar system including our own.
Columbia Hills, shown in figure 27, is the best site for a lithology based mission because of
its diverse geology that includes opaline-silica deposits, sulfur rich soil, and uniquely
eroded and placed outcrops. The area was potentially shaped by a lake and/or a hot
spring. Studying the local outcrops will validate theories on the aqueous history and
evolution of Gusev Crater, shown in figure 28, which will help form a better understanding
of the evolution of Mars as a whole. Furthermore, the mission will shed light on the effect
Mars’s current seasonal weather conditions have on the surface’s geophysical properties.
This will give us insight into how the planet will change in the future and how the planet's
current conditions have affected artifacts of the past.
The Monitor lander will help further understand the Columbia Hills lithology and
weather by using a combination of the APXS, cameras, accelerometers, and temperature
sensors. The APXS will identify the chemical composition of Columbia Hill’s diverse

53
lithology allowing NASA to further investigate the area’s chemical history. The cameras in
combination with wind sensors and temperature sensors will help measure current
weather around the landing site and understand past weather conditions and how they
have affected Columbia Hill’s development.

Figure 27: Columbia Hills landing site (Image Credit: NASA/JPL/MSSS/NMMNH)

Figure 28: Gusev Crater: -14.5°N, 175.57°E (JMARS)

54
 4.2.3. Payload Success Criteria

For the science payload to be deemed successful, it must gather data using the APXS,
Main Camera, Accelerometer and Temperature Sensor. Data from the APXS, wind velocity
from the accelerometer, and images must be sent back to earth for analysis. The robotic
arm must work properly and be able to maneuver the APXS within 2 cm of the target
under investigation. The data analysis from APXS is quick, allowing for a quick turnaround
for a strategic rover such as this. The APXS fulfills the science objectives in a manner
such that it analyzes outcrops and is able to recognize their chemical composition.

4.2.4. Experimental Logic, Approach, and Method of Investigation

The scientific payload consists of the APXS, main camera, an accelerometer and a
temperature sensor. The APXS will gather data of samples showing the chemical
composition and that data will be sent back to earth for further analysis. The robotic arm
with the APXS sensor head mounted on the end will be moved to at least 2 cm away from
the target. The main camera provides a visual representation of the specific area we land
in and the outcrops present, including photos of samples that APXS analyzes.
Photogrammetry will also be used to determine distances from samples, and to move the
arm easier within 3D space. Wind data will be gathered with an accelerometer, to provide
scientists with additional context on how the environmental factors affect the outcrops and
lithology. Whenever all of these instruments work together in harmony, it will likely give a
clearer vision of what is changing, how it is changing, and what is affecting it.

4.2.5. Testing and Measurements

To calibrate the APXS and cameras a calibration target will be used. The APXS will be
calibrated using a “well characterized basaltic rock surrounded by nickel plate” [21] . The
APXS will calibrate because all of the contents of the rock are known.
The camera can focus on the calibration target in order for scientists to set the neutral
colors. Scientists will take an image of the calibration target which has known colors. By
using these known colors, they will be able to set a reference point for all other colors. This
is similar to TV calibration in which you find something that you know the color of and that
will adjust all other colors on the television accordingly. When retracting the protective
shutter all cameras on the lander will take multiple pictures and compare the highest
contrast feature of the image to determine whether the shutter successfully opened. The
cameras will undergo machine-vision calibration during testing which involves using grids
to create a baseline for the performance of the camera.
The environmental and ground temperature sensors are calibrated periodically during
flight using a metal calibration plate that is heated to a known temperature. The plate is
heated using an” electrical heater consisting of an etched-foil resistive heating element
laminated between layers of polyimide, a flexible and thin insulator” [22]. This makes the
heater accurate and ideal for in flight calibration. Calibration will take place once a week
during flight.

55
 Finally the accelerometer can be calibrated by using end to end response
measurements [23]. The assembled flight accelerometer board determines the linearity,
gain and offset of the accelerometers.

4.2.6. Expected Data & Analysis

Figure 29. APXS sample data

This image. figure 29, of the bonanza king rock on Mars and the data is from the APXS.
This analysis was taken on the Curiosity mission. Another example of how the APXS
analysis will work is on the Pathfinder mission. The APXS looks at rocks and provides the
elemental/chemical composition of the rock. This can be used to compare it to rocks we
have on earth and that will help us identify characteristics about our Mars landing site. The
APXS tells us the composition of the outcrops in Columbia Hills, then we can compare the
data to rocks on earth and the other analysis of the same rock at different points in the
year. In terms of error analysis, the APXS results are accurate on the order of ~10%. The
main camera will return images from Mars, which the science team will use to correctly
aim the APXS. The wind and temperature sensors will return the wind conditions in m/s
and the temperature in kelvin respectively. The error in the wind sensor is +/- 1 m/s and
the error in the temp sensor is +/- 10 kelvin.

56
5. Safety
5.1. Personnel Safety
5.1.1. Designated Safety Officer

In order to ensure that both mission and personnel safety are considered in their
entirety throughout our research and design process, these duties have been delegated to
a specific safety officer. As the safety officer, Jack Fox is responsible for monitoring the
development of the mission’s systems and certifying that precautions are being taken to
mitigate potential risks to equipment, both before and during deployment, as well as staff
health and wellness.
Jack is well-trained in lab safety protocol, and is an Emergency Medical Technician
(EMT). He is responsible for keeping track of employee completion of mandatory
workplace training. Our program safety structure is adapted from previous missions, and is
compliant with the NASA System Safety Handbook [24].

5.1.2. / 5.1.3 List of Personnel Hazards and Mitigations

Many hazards innate with manufacturing will be present during the production of our
lander. These will primarily be handled through appropriate PPE, extensive machine shop
training sessions, as well as a buddy system requirement inside of the lab. Testing of
hazardous components such as the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) or
hazardous testing apparatus such as the liquid nitrogen cooling system for simulating the
space environment will require extra precaution and procedures such that team members
are alerted of testing, and the test area is clear before proceeding.
Due to the recent global complication of COVID-19, care will be taken to regularly test
workers. Workspaces will be well ventilated to reduce potential contagion. Below is a
comprehensive list of expected potential personnel hazards, as well as their corresponding
mitigation techniques.

Table 4: Potential Personnel Hazards and Mitigation

Category Hazard Mitigation

Injury Machining / Manufacturing Regular training, buddy system, PPE

(rotary equipment, saws, (goggles), lockout/tagout procedures
laser cutters, welding) [25]

Injury Pinching, Moving parts Test area must be clear before arming.
(robotic arm) during Body of the satellite must be firmly
testing. secured before operating the arm or
other components.

Injury Electrocution [26] Training, gloves, kill switches,

battery/power safety procedures. Buddy

57
 system when working with high
voltages.

Injury Radiation Installation/maintenance only when off

(Long-term APXS power. All team members must be
exposure) [27] behind APXS during testing operations
(indicated by a warning light).

Injury Cryogenic Exposure Training, gloves, aprons, face shields.

(Liquid Nitrogen cooling Easy-pour doer bottles to transfer
for environmental testing) substances from large tanks to
[28] equipment.

Injury Tripping / Falling Keep a clean workspace with

designated walkways.

Injury Heat Safety helmets, anti-inflammatory suits,

(Hot Metals, use of open fire extinguishers, fire retardant
flame) [29] blankets.

Injury Chemical Spills [30] Have appropriate Safety Data Sheets

and chemical spill cleanup apparatus
on hand.

Injury Dropping Items Gripping gloves, metal tipped boots,

keeping the ground clear.

Unexpected (Anything) Lab will be equipped with an

Emergency emergency phone, fire extinguishers,
and an AED.

Infection COVID-19 [31] Remote research, design, and

collaboration when at all possible.
Testing, temperature check, and PPE
(masks) for those in the lab. Installation
of ventilation systems to cycle fresh air
through the lab.

Infection Other Illnesses Hand washing and hand sanitizer.

Mental / Social Mental Health [32] / Yearly trainings will be conducted to

Well Being Discrimination [33]/ Sexual ensure that employees are informed of
Assault [34] appropriate and inappropriate
behaviors in the workplace. Employees
will be briefed about depression to learn

58
 how to identify symptoms and get
support for themselves and coworkers.

Mental / Social Stress [35] Encourage taking breaks and have

Well Being questionnaires for struggling
employees.

Personal Health Eating Issue time for lunch breaks and remind
workers the importance of eating to
stay alert and energized.

Personal Health Fatigue Emphasize the importance of 7-8 hour

sleep schedules. Keeping work time to
a manageable amount such as 6-8 hour
shifts.

Security Identity Theft [36] / All documents relating to hiring, payroll,

Information Breach [37] background checks, fingerprinting etc.
must be kept on secure servers. An
outside vendor will likely be hired.
Optional: work-related virtual meetings
to be held on zoom.gov for more
security.

5.2. Lander/Payload Safety

5.2.1 / 5.2.2 List of Environmental Hazards and Mitigation

Some of the sources of environmental hazards that pose risks to the lander include
dust storms, radiation, and landing risks. Dust storms can cause reduced power
generation, instrument contamination, and lower ambient temperatures. The dust storms
may also create a build-up of static electricity. The dust particles in the storm can become
charged and impart the charge onto the lander when the particles come into contact with
the lander. The charging of the lander’s system can cause damage to electronics
connected to those systems. The charge build-up can encourage dust particles to stick to
the lander and instruments as particles within the storm may have a positive or negative
charge. The dust can gather on solar panels to lower the amount of solar radiation incident
on the panels. During dust storms the ambient temperature will be lower than normal
during the daytime and may require the thermal subsystem to regulate the temperature of
the subsystems when it otherwise would not need to at that time of day. The fastest winds
in the strongest dust storms on Mars measure about 60 miles per hour. The winds do not
move objects as much as on Earth due to a much lower atmospheric pressure and density.
During global dust storms equipment normally must be powered down to conserve power
until after the storm passes. Each year there are large dust storms that can last for weeks
and can cover large areas. Global dust storms occur about every 5.5 earth years. Even

59
very small dust storms can throw enough dust onto solar panels to affect power
generation. The strongest storms usually occur during the southern hemisphere’s summer
which is longer than the northern hemisphere’s due to Mars’ elliptical orbit.
Radiation can cause bit flips in digital circuits and voltage spikes in analog circuits.
During the time the circuit is exposed to the radiation it will create electron-hole pairs in the
electronics. This will change the transistor parameters and eventually will destroy them.
Radiation can also cause leakage currents between circuits which can lead to circuits
unintentionally being activated or being overloaded with more current than it can handle
leading to damage. Data from the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission shows that the surface of
Mars receives about two to three times as much radiation as the international space
station which is about 12 to 28.8 millirads per day which is more than the surface of Earth
experiences. The increased radiation observed on the surface of Mars is due to the
planet’s weaker magnetosphere.
There are a few landing risks that have been identified. The first of which is landing in
an area that is commonly or perpetually in shadow which will affect the power generation
capabilities of solar panels. During the landing there is also a risk of the lander being
covered by the parachute which will prevent the lander from properly deploying solar
panels and allowing them to produce power by obscuring their surfaces. The lander may
impact the ground on a sloped area which may cause the lander to roll and not be able to
deploy solar panels or instruments. The final risk is the risk of colliding with something in
the environment that damages the lander during the landing. This could be large rocks
outcrops in the terrain that cause damage to the structure of the lander. The lander may
also strike an object as it lands that destabilizes it such that the lander will not be oriented
to be able to complete the mission objectives. This could be in the form of not being able
to deploy solar panels or the instruments carried on board.

Table 5: Potential Environmental Hazards and Mitigation

Category Hazard Mitigation

Dust Solar Array Coverage Reduced-power operational state. Wait

(leads to low performance) for winds to clear panels.

Dust Contamination All components enclosed. Stow robotic

arm and science instruments during
weather conditions.

Dust Static Electricity Build-up Insulation around components.

Dust Dust Storms, Winds: Low Keep lander temperature regulated

Environment Temperature with heaters and thermal insulation.
Reduced-power operational state until
storm passes.

Radiation Bit Flips / Single Event Tungsten/lead shielding or

Upsets (SEUs) radiation-hardened components.

60
 Checksums and circuit redundancy.

Radiation Electron-Hole Pairs Tungsten/lead shielding or

affecting Transistor radiation-hardened components.
Parameters

Radiation Voltage / Current Spikes, Tungsten/lead shielding or

Leakage Currents radiation-hardened components.

Solar Missing landing site, Careful planning and research of

ending up in area with low Columbia Hills.
solar availability

Solar Parachute Collapsing Use a robotic arm to move the

overtop Lander and Solar parachute off of the lander.
Arrays

Terrain Landing on a Slope: Careful planning and research of the

Rollover landing site and Columbia Hills. Use of
Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN)
technology.

Terrain Obstacles Careful planning and research of the

landing site and Columbia Hills. Use of
Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN)
technology.

Landing puts forth risks that have mission halting consequences, so it is essential that
the lander is able to effectively navigate the sometimes dangerous terrain of Mars. In order
to allow the lander a mechanism to do this with, it will be utilizing Terrain-Relative
Navigation (TRN) technology in order to land accurately while avoiding hazards [38].
Terrain-Relative Navigation uses pictures taken by an orbiter of the landing ellipse, and
compares them to pictures taken by the lander during entry and descent to navigate on its
journey to the Martian surface. Alternative methods of descent navigation have an error
during entry of 2-3 kilometers, and .6-1.2 kilometers during descent. Through the use of
TRN technology, it is possible to reduce this error range all the way down to 60 meters
relative to the surface of Mars. This allows the lander to navigate easily to a safe touch
down on Mars, greatly reducing the risk of the various terrain related hazards of EDL like
hazardous slopes and rock outcrops.
The effects of dust storms on power generation can be mitigated by creating plans for
times when the power generation is reduced which would include limiting allowed power
usage to the main computer and the communications subsystems.The winds may also
clear off any dust that has accumulated. The ambient temperature effects can be mitigated
by using heaters and/or thermal insulation. The instruments and arm can be repacked to

61
limit the instrument contamination. Electronic can be protected from static electricity
build-up by insulating the systems.
The electronics in the lander can be protected from radiation by shielding them with
tungsten or lead shielding if using off-the-shelf electronics. This would make the design
and installation complex and expensive. Another option would be to use radiation
hardening by design which uses a combination of circuit and layout techniques to harden
the electronic circuits allowing for a large variety of circuits to be made.

6. Activity Plan
6.1. Budget

Table 6. Budget
Cumulative
Year Yr 1 Total Yr 2 Total Yr 3 Total Yr 4 Total Yr 5 Total Yr 6 Total Total

PERSONNEL
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 1,440,000.0
Science Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
320,000.0 320,000.0 320,000.0 320,000.0 320,000.0 320,000.0 1,920,000.0
Engineering Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 240,000.0 1,440,000.0
Administrative Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ $ $ $ $ $
160,000.0 160,000.0 160,000.0 160,000.0 160,000.0 160,000.0 $
Management Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 960,000.00

$ $ $ $ $ $ $
800,000.0 800,000.0 800,000.0 800,000.0 800,000.0 800,000.0 4,800,000.0
Total Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
223,280.0 223,280.0 223,280.0 223,280.0 223,280.0 223,280.0 1,339,680.0
Total ERE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

$ $ $ $ $ $ $
1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 6,139,680.0
TOTAL PERSONNEL 00 00 00 00 00 00 0

TRAVEL
Total Flights Cost $- $ - $ 2,400.00 $- $- $ 2,400.00
Total Hotel Cost $- $ - $ 8,250.00 $- $- $ 8,250.00

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Total Transportation
Cost $- $ - $ 630.00 $- $- $ 630.00
Total Per Diem Cost $- $ - $ 6,075.00 $- $- $ 6,075.00
$-
$
Total Travel Costs $- $ - 17,355.00 $- $- $ - $ 17,355.00

OTHER DIRECT COSTS

$
30,000,00
APXS 0.00
$
20,000,00
Onboard Cameras 0.00
$ $
50,000,00 50,000,000.
Total Instrument Cost 0.00 $- $- $- $- $- 00

Aluminum $ 800.00
Total Materials and
Supplies Cost $ 800.00 $- $- $- $- $ 800.00

$
Control and Data 250,000.0
Systems 0
Communications
System $ 8,000.00
$
Power System 55,100.00
$
Landing System 25,000.00
$
Thermal System 33,500.00
Structures/Mechanis $
ms 20,000.00
$
ADCS System 30,000.00
$
421,600.0 $
Total Equipment Cost 0 $- $- $- $- $ - 421,600.00

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 $
Manufacturing 211,200.0 $
Margin 0 $- $- $- $- $ - 211,200.00

$ $ $ $ $ $
52,079,28 1,023,280. 1,040,635. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. $
Total Direct Costs 0.00 00 00 00 00 00 422,400.00
$ $ $ $ $ $
51,446,88 1,023,280. 1,040,635. 1,023,280. 1,023,280. 1,023,280.
Total MTDC 0.00 00 00 00 00 00 $ 800.00

FINAL COST CALCULATIONS

$ $ $ $ $ $ $
5,144,688. 102,328.0 104,063.5 102,328.0 102,328.0 102,328.0 5,658,063.5
Total F&A 00 0 0 0 0 0 0

$ $ $ $ $ $ $
57,223,96 1,125,608. 1,144,698. 1,125,608. 1,125,608. 1,125,608. 62,871,098.
Total Projected Cost 8.00 00 50 00 00 00 50
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
17,167,19 337,682.4 343,409.5 337,682.4 337,682.4 337,682.4 18,861,329.
Total Cost Margin 0.40 0 5 0 0 0 55

$
$ $ $ $ $ $
74,391,15 1,463,290. 1,488,108. 1,463,290. 1,463,290. 1,463,290.
81,732,4
Total Project Cost 8.40 40 05 40 40 40 28.05

The largest portion of the mission’s budget plan is for the instruments including the
APXS (Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and onboard cameras. Although their total cost
of over $50 million makes up more than half of the budget, these instruments are essential
for collecting scientific data and completing the mission on Mars. The various systems
found on the lander such as power, thermal, and communications account for another
significant portion of the budget because of manufacturing costs. Personnel is another
large section of the budget due to 12 total personnel receiving an annual salary of $80,000
along with employee related expenses and travel costs for the mission launch.

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 6.2. Schedule

Figure 30. Schedule

1. Concept Development (1 – 6 months): 5/12/2020 - 6/12/2020

2. Securing Funding (1 – 12 months): 5/12/2020 - 11/20/2020

65
3. Merit and Feasibility Reviews: 9/2020
4. Design (1 – 6 months): 6/12/2020 - 12/1/2020
5. Development and Submittal of Proposal (3 – 4 months): 10/10/2020 - 2/5/2021
6. Selection and Manifesting (1 – 36 months): 6/12/2020 - 10/15/2022
7. Mission Coordination (9 – 18 months): 7/1/2020 - 4/12/2021
8. Licensing (4 – 6 months): 4/15/2021 - 7/10/2021
9. Flight-Specific Documentation Development and Submittal (10 – 12 months): 10/2/2021
- 3/20/2022
10. Ground Station Design, Development, and Testing (2 – 12 months): 3/20/2022 -
9/13/2022
11. Mission Readiness Reviews (half - day): 10/1/2022
12. Mission Personnel: 10/5/2022 - 10/12/2022
13. Launch (1 day): 10/15/2022
14. Mission Operations (up to 5 years): 10/15/2022 - 20XX

End of Mission Plan:

After landing, the Monitor lander will operate for up to five years in order to obtain data
throughout the different Martian seasons. Data will continuously be transmitted back to
Earth during these years to be analyzed by scientists. If the Monitor lander is still
functional after five years and the budget allows, operations could proceed to allow for
more data to be collected and analyzed.

PDR Breakdown:
Project Schedule: 6/17/2020
Section 1: 6/24/2020
● Team Introduction
● Mission Overview
● Descent and Lander Summary
● Payload and Science Summary
● Major Milestones Schedule
Section 6: 7/1/2020
● Budget
● Mission Schedule
● Outreach Program
Section 5: 7/8/2020
● Safety
● Hazard Mitigation
● List of Potential Hazards
Section 2: 7/19/2020
● Evolution of Descent and Lander
● Evolution of Payload
● Evolution of Mission Experiment Implementation Plan
Section 3: 7/19/2020
● Selection, Design, and Verification

66
 ● Recovery/Redundancy System
● Payload Integration
Section 4: 7/19/2020
● Selection, Design, and Verification
● Science Value
Final PDR: 7/23/2020

6.3. Outreach Summary

For the Outreach Plan for this mission, the development of social media accounts is the
first step toward gaining public interest and keeping the public informed. In a COVID 19
world, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitch offer live video and chat
features that can be used to conduct Q&A sessions with those following the mission. This
also offers a way to connect with schools and local organizations through virtual
presentations. Having a website is another tool to keep the public connected and
informed. This website would have information regarding STEM, missions, meet-the-team
and informative print-off material. Some of the print-offs would be utilized during virtual
presentations to keep younger audiences engaged.
In a non-COVID world, hosting events where people could come and experience what
STEM has to offer in person through games, info booths and in person presentations
would be key throughout the mission. A launch event would be a focal point of the
Outreach Program. Having a count down to this day would build up anticipation and would
allow those interested to plan accordingly to attend. After this, there would be continued
connection with the public about new developments, discoveries, and post-mission
updates. After this mission concludes, the public will be invited to keep watch on new
developments and missions and how their support is incredibly valuable to the success of
every mission.
The target audience for this outreach program would be toward young people, K - 12,
who are interested in STEM, space exploration and research. Keeping the target for
presentations and invitations to events towards schools, science academies/camps, and
school clubs focused more in the STEM field. Presentations would be interactive, involving
audience participation and up close exposure to what a future in STEM could look like.
Elaborating on jobs within the field, how they are important and how fascinating the
industry is. Q&As would be offered to allow more participation from interested personnel
and provide them with links to the missions website where they can learn more.
More in depth presentations and Q&A sessions can be used to appeal to older
audiences who want to know more about the mission. The continued use of social media
will also help to engage older audiences through posts detailing the mission, updates, and
upcoming outreach events they can attend.

6.4. Program Management Approach

The team divided responsibilities for program management, engineering, science, and
administrative tasks through forming subteams dedicated to each category. The

67
organization chart of the team is given in Fig. 31 below. This enabled a clear division of
responsibilities for developing different mission aspects, as well as provided team
members with the ability to form flexible working groups and easily identify points of
contact for efforts requiring input from multiple subteams. For the engineering, science,
and administrative subteams, team leads were appointed to coordinate efforts of members
within those subteams and assist the project manager in coordinating different design
aspects. Team leads were also responsible for holding subteam meetings to provide the
opportunity to coordinate individual efforts and provide discussion of research and design
decisions. These were held in addition to weekly general meetings, where the entire team
had the opportunity to be updated on the current status of the project and discuss what
inter-subteam work or communication would be needed to accomplish certain tasks.

68
Figure 31: Organization Chart

69
 The program management team consisted of Nicholas Jones as the Project Manager
and Mario Diaz, Jr. as the Deputy project manager. The project management team was
responsible for assisting the different subteams to coordinate their efforts as well as take
the lead in formulating and documenting mission level objectives and requirements.
Project management was also responsible for creating and maintaining the schedule for
the various tasks necessary to complete the PDR document. Project management met
with team members at a general team meeting to coordinate team efforts as work
progressed as well as offer guidance or work with team members to determine a path
forward where one was not readily apparent, in addition to attending and holding
discussions at subteam meetings as needed. Project management also acted as the main
point of contact with the team’s mentor and the L’Space academy, setting up mentor
meetings to discuss questions about the project and current progress and plans, in
addition to ensuring deliverables were submitted on time and completed to a satisfactory
level. A management meeting was also held with the subteam leads to provide a focused
space to discuss project direction and high-level strategies for completing research and
design.
The engineering team, led by Mukunda Bastola and composed of members Thomas
Argiro, David Shank, and Nathan Rand, was responsible for conducting the necessary
research and making the decisions appropriate to completing the lander design. Tasks
included researching prior Mars missions, identifying the hazards and considerations
needed for operating a science mission in the Martian environment, selecting appropriate
enabling technology for each subsystem, and producing a representative CAD model of
the completed lander.
The science team, led by Liliana Farabaugh and composed of members Nicholas
Carper and Ashlei Davis, conducted research and produced documentation related to the
selection of science objectives, the proposed landing site, and the instruments necessary
to conduct science operations once on Mars. In coordination with project management, the
science team helped to determine where the mission could best contribute to the current
understanding of the Martian environment in the context of current and near future
investigation missions.
The administrative team, led by Sydney Pinto and composed of members Jack Fox
and Chris Hong, developed the team mission schedule, detailing the timeline for transition
between mission phases and key milestones for the mission, tracked the team budget and
ensured compliance with project limits, and developed outreach plans to help connect the
public with the mission. Jack Fox, as the team’s safety officer, helped to identify possible
hazards to team and manufacturing personnel and mitigation methods.
During the course of research and mission design, conflicts or areas of uncertainty or
confusion were addressed by escalating the issues through the team structure. Team
members were able to discuss problems with subteam leads and, if needed, seek the
input of project management. If issues were unable to be resolved internal to the team,
mentor meetings provided another source of advice to help resolve issues and
uncertainties. Communication was facilitated through general and subteam meetings, as

70
well as the use of Slack, which provided a digital workspace for communication,
coordinating meetings, and collecting feedback through polls for major team decisions.

7. Conclusion Summary

The Monitor mission will demonstrate a new mission concept that permits strategic
exploration of the Martian environment. The system will make measurements of the
chemical composition of the soil and outcrops in the Columbia Hills region of Mars using
the APXS instrument over multiple Martian seasons in order to improve understanding of
the evolution of the Martian surface with temporal processes. Measurements of wind
velocity and temperature will also be made in order to understand how those factors affect
the Martian surface. The science instruments will be supported by structural, power,
thermal, communications, and command and control systems to ensure system survival
on the Martian surface and data is able to be returned to Earth for analysis.
Movement of the APXS will be enabled by a turret arm to which it will be mounted, in
addition to the ability to rotate the head of the lander to provide access to a swath of
Martian surface surrounding the lander. Power will be provided by solar panels deployed
from the lander, stored in batteries to enable operation of the lander through the Martian
night and during instances of prolonged power generation degradation. The thermal
management system will maintain instruments in their required temperature ranges
through the implementation of heaters, insulation, and radiators. Communications will be
enabled through the use of an omnidirectional antenna to connect to a local surface
communications package, completing the transmission chain to send data and receive
commands from an Earth ground station. The command and control system will coordinate
the operation of the lander, including directing movement of the instrument arm, handling
data storage and transmission, processing of commands, and managing the supporting
systems.
With passing through the Preliminary Design Review, the development of the Monitor
lander will transition from phase B in the design cycle to phase C, where the focus will be
on finalizing the design of the system and begin fabrication of hardware and software. The
next milestone will be the Critical Design Review, where the team will show the final
design of the lander and its subsystems. Passing the Critical Design Review will allow the
team to begin fabricating and testing the subsystems and preparing them for integration
during phase D of mission development.

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