Abstract:
Intercontinental rovers servicing
automated solar-powered Rodriguez Wells can
supply water for Human Exploration on Mars.
This paper describes a solar-powered multivehicle
concept that can turn water resources
obtained from mid-latitude glacier ice into a
sustained water supply. A robotic drilling
platform is proposed that can access relatively
pure water ice in mid-latitude Martian glaciers
through 1-10m of loose regolith, whereupon longdistance
tanker rovers continually traverse terrain
between the drilling operation and human
outposts located in Mars equatorial zones.
Robotically deployed solar-thermal panels will be
able to passively heat warm water that is delivered
into a Rodriguez Well (a melted cavity in an
expanse of water ice such as a glacier). Newly
melted water will be pumped up out of the well
and cycled through the solar panels to fill tankers.
The tankers will consist of multiple four-wheeled
linked cars in a tram-like configuration that can
overcome steep terrain and obstacles. The system
will be able to deliver its own landed mass of
water to the human explorers every ~74 Mars
days. The resources, power, vehicle
configurations, and detailed functions are
described.
