Design Development Strategy for the Mars Surface Astrobiology Laboratory

The crucial challenge to astrobiology research on Mars is for the astronaut crews to conduct the search for life past and present from a Mars surface base. The Mars base will require a highly specialized astrobiology science laboratory to facilitate this research. This paper presents an incremental strategy to develop the laboratory technology and facility necessary to enable the astrobiology investigation on Mars. The distinguishing characteristic of an astrobiology research apparatus for the Mars surface science laboratory is that the research crew must work across a large pressure differential between the shirtsleeves cabin atmosphere and the Mars ambient atmosphere inside the apparatus. How to simulate that apparatus and its operations through Earth expeditions is an essential aspect of design development. This development strategy involves four main phases: mobile field lab, research and development testbed for the astrobiology technology, a high altitude pressurized lab, and finally the Mars surface lab. This paper describes each phase in some detail. Each phase will provide an empirical test of the essential technologies and operations. INTRODUCTION: WHY A MARS SURFACE SCIENCE LABORATORY? Before delving into the details of this laboratory development strategy, it is valuable to review the findings of two earlier science studies, both now more than a decade old: Science Exploration Opportunities (Nash et. al., 1989) and the Joint Science Utilization Study , JSUS (Siegel, Clancy, Fujimori, & Saghir, 1989). Science Exploration Opportunities addresses human missions to the Moon, Mars, Phobos and an Asteroid, and begins by stating two premises: 1. The exploration, which will take place beyond low Earth orbit, will be conducted on manned missions. It will emphasize activities that can uniquely be accomplished or significantly enhanced in precision, versatility, and adaptability by the presence and capabilities of humans. These activities include tasks that would be very difficult or impractical to carry out using solely robotic systems directed from Earth; 2. The eventual decision to be first to Mars or to the Moon will be strongly conditioned by nonscientific reasons. Science, though a factor, will not be the driver. Thus, the real issue here is, if humans are to go to any planetary body, what science and related activities can be performed to take maximum advantage of the presence of humans on these missions? (Nash et. Al.1989, p. 1). What is prophetic about these premises manifests itself in the progression of the NASA Design Reference Mission for the Human Exploration of Mars (DRM). The first version of the DRM began with the pre-positioning of a "Hab/Lab" module 26 months before the arrival of the first astronaut crew (Hoffman & Kaplan, 1997). By the third revision/supplement to the DRM, the Hab/Lab dropped out of the pre-positioning launch window (Drake, 1998; Cohen, 1999, p. 1). How very prescient was the statement that science would not be the design driver for a human mission to Mars. However, for science to remain a factor, it is vitally important for the Science Community to develop a clear idea for what they want in a surface science laboratory and to represent it in clear and concise terms. Nash, et al., compiled a list of Mars science laboratory requirements that to this day remain the best of its kind. It appears in the APPENDIX to provide the background for all the functions the Mars surface science laboratory must provide, in addition to astrobiology, although many of these same items also support Astrobiological investigations.