P059-02
Translating analog field studies for mission science and operations on Mars2020: Approaches from Iceland and Padre Island, TX
Monday, 14 December 2020: 08:33
Virtual
Ryan C. Ewing1, Marion Nachon2, Elizabeth B Rampe3, Briony H. N. Horgan4, Mathieu Gaetan Andre Lapotre5, Michael M Tice6, Ewan Reid7, Melissa Battler8, Michele Faragalli7, Candice Ceilidh Bedford9, Michael Thorpe10, Cristina G Wilson11, Prakhar Sinha12, Patrick Clifton Gray13, Kashauna Mason14 and Emily Champion15, (1)Texas A&M University College Station, Department of Geology & Geophysics, College Station, TX, United States, (2)University of Nantes, Nantes, France, (3)NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States, (4)Purdue University, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, West Lafayette, IN, United States, (5)California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States, (6)Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States, (7)Mission Control Space Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada, (8)University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, (9)Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, United States, (10)NASA JSC, Houston, TX, United States, (11)Temple University, Psychology, Philadelphia, PA, United States, (12)Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States, (13)Duke University, Duke University Marine Lab, Durham, NC, United States, (14)University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States, (15)Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, United States
Abstract:
Studying environments on Earth that possess attributes similar to those on other worlds using planetary-exploration technology has become an important and popular approach for planetary science and mission development. Field analog deployments aim to directly inform mission science and operations, e.g., by testing science hypotheses to guide mission decision making and by testing operational scenarios to maximize the mission capability and efficiency. However, although extensive efforts are made to find ideal analog environments and execute high-fidelity operations to maximize the comparability of the findings, translating results from analog studies to mission science and operations is not always straightforward. Here we report on findings from two analog studies in Iceland and Padre Island, Texas that aim to inform the Mars2020 mission and discuss approaches to translate the findings from these studies into a usable format for the mission.
The Semi-Autonomous Navigation for Detrital Environments: SAND-E project executed three weeks of field science and robotic operations in Iceland in 2019 to characterize the physical and chemical processes affecting detrital basaltic sediments in proglacial fluvial and eolian environments and better understand how autonomously classified images and UAS data influence operation workflows. The study at Padre Island, Texas examined biosignatures in a modern microbial-eolian environment, using a µXRF testbed analog to the PIXL instrument onboard the Mars2020 rover. Findings from both studies reveal new insights into the local geology, habitability, and general robotic and instrument operations. However, determining the utility of the findings required surveys, reflection, and input from individuals on how they examined data and made decisions. This highlights a need to more explicitly build cognitive behavioral sciences into analog studies, regardless of focus and scale.
