 CAD model of the Mars Geyser Hopper, as landed (left) and as packaged inside aeroshell with cruise stage attached (right) | |
| Mission type | Mars lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | One Martian year (22 months) on the surface. |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 1,092 kg (2,407 lb) Lander: 500 kg (1,100 lb) |
| Power | Solar array for 150 W, Lander: ASRG for 133 W |
| Mars lander | |
| Landing site | South pole of Mars |
The Mars Geyser Hopper (MGH) was proposed in 2012 as a NASA design reference mission for a Discovery-class spacecraft concept that would investigate the springtime carbon dioxide Martian geysers found in regions around the south pole of Mars.[1][2]
The power technology that MGH proposed to use was the Advanced Stirling radioisotope generator (ASRG).[3] NASA finished the ASRG design and made one test unit of the device but the program was concluded by the mid-2010s.[4][5] Neither InSight nor any of the next Discovery's semi-finalists use the ASRG or an RTG due to high demand and limited supply of the type of plutonium it relies on.[6]
- ^ Landis, Geoffrey A.; Oleson, Steven J.; McGuire, Melissa (9 January 2012). "Design Study for a Mars Geyser Hopper". NASA. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ Geoffrey A. Landis; Steven J. Oleson; Melissa McGuire (9 January 2012). Design Study for a Mars Geyser Hopper (PDF). 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Conference. Glenn Research Center, NASA. AIAA-2012-0631. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ "Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration (2012): ASRG Mars Geyser Hopper" (PDF).
- ^ "Stirling Converter Technology". NASA. 2014. Archived from the original on 2012-08-07.
- ^ Dreier, Casey (23 January 2014). "Closing out the ASRG program". The Planetary Society.
- ^ NASA Nuclear Fuel Shortage Could Jeopardize Future Space Missions