Evaluating the use of Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) for planetary exploration in Mars-analog terrain

Planetary analog missions are essential for field-testing science operations and technology, as well as for understanding how to effectively use terrestrial localities to inform studies of extraterrestrial environments. Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) have great potential for planetary surface exploration and the Ingenuity helicopter, a part of the Mars 2020 mission, has already demonstrated the viability of flight on an extraterrestrial world. Although optimal applications of UAS for planetary exploration remain largely unconstrained, simulated missions in planetary analog terrains can inform operational best practices. As part of the Rover–Aerial Vehicle Exploration Network (RAVEN) project, we conducted a 12-sol Martian UAS mission simulation in the Holuhraun region of Iceland. The UAS had airborne imaging capability, as well as imaging, sampling, and geochemical analysis capabilities while landed. The specifications for the UAS followed preliminary designs for a future “Mars Science Helicopter”. The mission successfully characterized multiple surface units and acquired observations allowing for interpretation of the region’s geologic history. Oblique airborne images were essential for mission planning and were used to scout large areas to identify landing sites and targets for focused investigations. This strategy made efficient use of the ability of a UAS to perform both coarse and detailed observations. Sampling and spectroscopic measurements were successful, but limited to smoother terrain on which the UAS could land. As a planetary exploration vehicle, a UAS is most advantageous for exploring large areas and is particularly useful when the terrain may be impassable to ground-based traverses (e.g., by rovers or humans).