"We have, albeit a short period of time, an opportunity to re-plan an entire 20-year Mars program," Hubbard said.
"This opportunity was born out of problems, mission failures and a bit of chaos in the Mars program," Hubbard said. "So now we are pausing and taking a deep breath," he said.
Far too many constraints had been placed on the NASA Mars program, Hubbard said, with too little in the way of funds to assure success.
Hubbard said that NASA is trying to build a worldwide Mars community. International involvement of multiple nations is being scripted as part of the process to progressively build more and more knowledge about Mars, he said.
As for humans to Mars, Hubbard said that a space-science robotic program actually benefits from having a human exploration program too. "I really want to resist the notion of seeing them at odds with each other, or mutually exclusive or antagonistic. I'd like to have everybody in the Mars-exploration program moving in the same direction," he said.
Mars makeover
The makeover of the space agency's Mars program, in draft form, is targeted for public release in late November. "My intent is that what will come out is the best snapshot today of NASA's Mars-exploration program," he said.
Carl Pilcher, NASA executive for solar system exploration, said that scientific study of Mars is keyed to understanding life, climate and resources of the planet. The number one goal is to determine if life ever arose on Mars, he said.
Hubbard said that President Clinton's proposed 2001 budget for Mars exploration "looks pretty healthy." That budget may ramp up over the next few years to a little over $400 million a year to carry forward the reengineered Mars effort, he said.
Monies must be spent on a robust technology development program, said Hubbard. Those funds are necessary to spur research on such items as hazard avoidance for lander touchdowns; accurate entry, descent and landing technologies; as well as the development of advanced power sources for Martian surface operations, he said.
Inchworm on the move
A host of innovative show-and-tell approaches to Mars exploration were detailed during workshop sessions. Among them were:
- Mars Frisbee:
A double-sided flat probe that is deployed by a simple spring mechanism from a lander. Each face of the small, lightweight probe is covered with detectors. No matter how it came to rest on the Martian surface, the Mars Frisbee could carry out science duties. - Mars Air Force:
Small aircraft can act as aerial platforms. As many as six vehicles can be dispatched by a mother spacecraft during Mars atmospheric entry. Gliders, as well as rocket-boosted craft, could zoom through Valles Marineris clicking images of the immense canyon. - Inchworm Deep-Drilling System:
Nuclear-powered robotic drill that burrows itself deep into Mars to gather subsurface samples. The device uses inchworm burrowing to screw itself into the planet, then reverses the process to crawl back topside.
Hop and stop
Yet another way to move about the Red Planet is hopping.
"The hopper allows you to jump over rugged terrain that would be impossible for a rover to handle," said Geoffrey Landis, senior scientist at Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.
The solar-powered hopper refuels itself after each jump. It sucks in the carbon dioxide-rich Martian air, splitting it into oxygen and carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide can be burned as rocket fuel, with the hopper blasting off and landing every 25 days -- the time it takes to recharge itself, Landis said.
"We'd love to start the hopper vehicle right now and get aboard the next mission that goes down to the surface of Mars. That's not likely to happen before 2005. But I think we could fly then. We're ready," Landis said.
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