Using Science-Driven Analog Research to Investigate Extravehicular Activity Science Operations Concepts and Capabilities for Human Planetary Exploration

Abstract

Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) is a science-driven exploration program seeking to determine the best tools, techniques, training requirements, and execution strategies for conducting Mars-relevant field science under spaceflight mission conditions. BASALT encompasses Science , Science Operations , and Technology objectives. This article outlines the BASALT Science Operations background, strategic research questions, study design, and a portion of the results from the second field test. BASALT field tests are used to iteratively develop, integrate, test, evaluate, and refine new concepts of operations (ConOps) and capabilities that enable efficient and productive science. This article highlights the ConOps investigated during BASALT in light of future planetary extravehicular activity (EVA), which will focus on scientific exploration and discovery, and serves as an introduction to integrating exploration flexibility with operational rigor, the value of tactical and strategic science planning and execution, and capabilities that enable and enhance future science EVA operations.

A Flexible Telecommunication Architecture for Human Planetary Exploration Based on the BASALT Science-Driven Mars Analog

“…All elements of the telecommunications architecture are broken into segments and discussed at length in the subsequent section. For capability assessments on the utility and acceptability of the hardware, please refer to the work of Beaton et al (2019a).…”

“…In the human Mars exploration mission scenario envisioned by the BASALT program, an S/A camera (Fig. 12) was mast-mounted on the MIP (Beaton et al, 2019a). This camera provided both IV and mission support a broad contextual view of the EVA, to augment the cameras worn by the EVA crew members.…”

“…Under In-Sim constraints, the In-Field activities of the BASALT program were focused on the ''boots on the ground,'' or Intra-EVA, phase of exploration, specifically the process of scientific reconnaissance and discovery during an EVA akin to Mars surface operations (Beaton et al, 2019a). The network performance data collected during BASALT field test operations provides a flightlike representation of the communications utilization of martian scientific EVA operations.…”

“…Extravehicular crew members were located in the field executing science exploration and sampling tasks. Intravehicular crew members, located in the simulated rover or habitat, guided the EV crew members and communicated with the Earth-side Mission Support Center (MSC) (Beaton et al 2019a;Lim et al, 2019). For the BASALT simulations, IV crew members were located in an isolated room of the MSC and operated on ''Mars time.''…”

Requirements for Portable Instrument Suites during Human Scientific Exploration of Mars

“…, Bishop et al , 2011; Brown et al , 2014) that were not available during the Apollo missions. Time and resources will be limited for the crews, and the imposition of communication latencies between Earth and Mars brings additional levels of complexity to the mission that are not experienced on Apollo (Beaton et al , 2019; Lim et al , 2019; Stevens et al , 2019).…”