Sandbraking. A technique for landing large payloads on Mars using the sands of Phobos

Abstract

The basis of a novel braking technique by using the Phobos sands for landing large payloads on Mars is outlined. Here consideration is given to the utilization of the Phobos or Deimos regolith as material for aerobraking by discharging a load of sand at certain distance in front of the spacecraft during the descent manoeuver. Although immediately after getting rid the load of sand in front of the spacecraft they have a null relative velocity with the spacecraft, however, because the stronger atmospheric drag acting on the tiny particles of sand they will be promptly decelerated. As a result, the particles of sand will impact onto the front of the spacecraft with a velocity close to the terminal velocity of the spacecraft itself. By using a pusher-disc – or akin damping system, in front of the spacecraft the momentum exchange from the sand collisions will result in a braking force acting on the spacecraft. Due to the very small delta-v budget required to lift material from the surface of Phobos or Deimos to their transfer orbits, then a small amount of dedicated rocket chemical propellant brought from Earth could be transformed into a huge amount of sand lifted from the surface of Phobos of Deimos to their transfer orbits. The large thrust generated by the Sandbraking makes this technique propitious for landing of planetary bodies struggling against gravity.