ESA Science & Technology - Planetary Exploration Technologies

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Planetary Exploration Technologies

The future technology plan (for 2008-2010) is under revision and new definition (lead by the Science Payload Instrument section, SRE-PAT) according to the needs of the down selected proposals for Cosmic Vision and the recommendations of the advisory structure. It will be published after the approval of the advisory structure (expected in Q2/2008).

Future missions and new concepts for planetary investigations require miniaturisation, high efficiency, lower power consumption, extreme temperature ranges, radiation tolerance, high shock resistance, high integration, mobility and many additional requirements on the instruments side.

Studies, and eventual early development, of principle concepts is important in order to have key enabling technologies available in a timely manner. Furthermore, it is often the case that details of particular technical solutions are required even during the feasibility studies and assessment studies, to achieve realistic assumptions on resources and challenges in the development, realization, accommodation and cost.

Below is a (non-exhaustive) overview on activities, which have been performed or supported by SRE-PAP in close cooperation with SRE-PAT, SRE-PAI and DTEC:

In-orbit remote sensing payload

Laser altimeter
Radar and subsurface radar concepts
Microwave sounder
Miniaturisation of payloads
Integration of instruments into a suite
Instrument power supply concepts
Detectors and front-end electronics
Payload performance simulator

Surface and subsurface payload

Water detection
Sample preparation (drilling, grinding, digging, and so on)
Advanced robotics
Swarms of smart robotic sensors
Solar sailing and other new propulsion systems
Hard penetrators
Soft landing
Rover and moles
Ice penetrator (melting probes)
Data transfer and communications technologies
Microprobes and aerobots
High-density power sources

Spacecraft technologies

Solar sailing and other new propulsion systems
Low Intensity Low Temperature (LILT) Solar Cell technology
Atmospheric Entry Probes (Jupiter, Venus)
Mercury Landing Technology

Current Projects

	GIPF Geochemical Instrument Package Facility A suite of instruments with a complementary set of analytical methods to analyse rock and soil samples.
	HICoP Highly Integrated Communalised Payload System Study and design of a Highly Integrated Communalised Payload System for a planetary exploration rover.
	HIPS Highly Integrated Payload Suite A study with bread boarding of critical components to demonstrate the capabilities, challenges and limitations of such a concept for a remote sensing payload.
	Melting Probe Developing an efficient carrier module for bringing sophisticated scientific instrumentation into ice layers for in-situ investigation.
	MIDAS Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System To analyse cometary material in-situ by imaging the micro-topography and micro-textural units of captured cometary dust particles.
	IMS Instrumented Mole System A mobile penetrometer designed to carry a small suite of scientific instruments and penetrate the subsurface down to a depth of 3 to 5 metres.
	OSL Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Development of a technique and instrument for determining the burial age of sedimentary rocks.