Marvin- Near Surface Methane Detection on Mars

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for a methane detection mission on Mars has been conceptually designed for a science mission in support of the search for life on Mars1,2. Methane being one of the indicators of life, it seeks to identify areas of high methane concentration as well as to create a high resolution map of the methane concentration over as large an area as possible. Integrated product and process design methodology (IPPD) has been applied and included the use of a house of quality to rank importance, as well as Pugh and TOPSIS analyses to rank feasible alternatives. The output of the design process is that an airship is most suitable for this mission. The use of an airship allows for long endurance, which is a requirement for mapping a large surface area, as well as a low minimum speed, which allows for a higher resolution map. This design decision led to the preliminary design of an airship and the mission itself. Sizing and Mass Estimation indicates that due to the rare atmosphere and lower than Earth gravity on Mars, the Airship size can be colossal, which poses difficulties. An interplanetary fast transfer trajectory has been chosen for launch atop a Delta II 7925H. The payload will be encased within an aeroshell analogous to the one used on the Mars Exploratory Rovers (MER) mission and an identical Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) using parachute and airbag landing procedure will be performed.