Integrated analog mission design for planetary exploration with humans and robots

Astrobiological Benefits of Human Space Exploration

“…It would enable rapid on-the-spot decision making and prioritization of exploration activities, including more intelligent and efficient collection of samples from a more diverse range of localities, and over wider geographic areas, than is likely to be practical with the use of robots alone (e.g., Spudis, 1992Spudis, , 2001Garvin, 2004;Snook et al, 2007). The Apollo experience demonstrated that astronauts, when suitably equipped with the means of surface mobility, are very efficient at this task (e.g., Heiken et al, 1991).…”

“…This would be a very rich scientific record of clear astrobiological significance, but it will not be easy to access. Although robotic sampling missions might, in principle, be able to achieve these objectives at a limited number of favorable sites, fully sampling the lunar paleoregolith record will benefit from the enhanced mobility, flexibility, and sample return capacity of human missions (e.g., Garvin, 2004;Snook et al, 2007). Some of the operational requirements of a human lunar exploration architecture with the capacity to meet these objectives have been elaborated elsewhere (Crawford et al, 2007).…”

“…Although, as for the lunar case, human missions to Mars would have many advantages over robotic missions in terms of flexibility and mobility, and these would undoubtedly aid surface exploration designed to detect life (e.g., Boston, 1999;Hiscox, 2001;Cockell, 2004;Garvin, 2004;Snook et al, 2007), there are also strong arguments for conducting the initial searches for life robotically. This is because of the greater risk of contaminating the martian environment with terrestrial life via human missions (e.g., Horneck, 2008).…”

“…A human presence will not only be desirable to ''troubleshoot'' technical problems (Zacny et al, 2008), but to handle and process the resulting drill cores and select which sections should be subjected to more detailed in situ analysis or dispatched to Earth. Moreover, the enhanced mobility implicit in human expeditions will provide opportunities to sample a wider diversity of locations than is likely to be feasible robotically (e.g., Garvin, 2004;McKay, 2004;Cockell, 2006b;Snook et al, 2007).…”