Abstract
Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) is a science-driven exploration program seeking to determine the best tools, techniques, training requirements, and execution strategies for conducting Mars-relevant field science under spaceflight mission conditions. BASALT encompasses Science, Science Operations, and Technology objectives. This article outlines the BASALT Science Operations background, strategic research questions, study design, and a portion of the results from the second field test. BASALT field tests are used to iteratively develop, integrate, test, evaluate, and refine new concepts of operations (ConOps) and capabilities that enable efficient and productive science. This article highlights the ConOps investigated during BASALT in light of future planetary extravehicular activity (EVA), which will focus on scientific exploration and discovery, and serves as an introduction to integrating exploration flexibility with operational rigor, the value of tactical and strategic science planning and execution, and capabilities that enable and enhance future science EVA operations.
Highlights
The BASALT (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains) program includes Science, Science Operations, and Technology objectives that are being addressed through real biogeochemical fieldwork under simulated Mars mission constraints that are based on current architectural assumptions for future exploration missions
This article highlights the concepts of operations (ConOps) investigated during BASALT in light of future planetary extravehicular activity (EVA), which will focus on scientific exploration and discovery, and serves as an introduction to integrating exploration flexibility with operational rigor, the value of tactical and strategic science planning and execution, and capabilities that enable and enhance future science EVA operations
We report a small subset of Science Operations results from the second field deployment, referred to as BASALT-2, related to EVA execution; the primary set of BASALT-2 Science Operations results are presented in the work of Beaton et al (2019)
Summary
The BASALT (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains) program includes Science, Science Operations, and Technology objectives that are being addressed through real (nonsimulated) biogeochemical fieldwork under simulated Mars mission constraints that are based on current architectural assumptions for future exploration missions (see Lim et al, 2019, for an overview of the BASALT project). The BASALT Science Operations and Technology programs are examining concepts of operations (ConOps) and capabilities that enable and enhance scientific return during human– robotic exploration under Mars mission constraints (Beaton et al, 2019; Marquez et al, 2019; Miller et al, 2019; Seibert et al, 2019; Norheim et al, 2018). We present (1) an overview of how current (and former) extravehicular activity (EVA) operations will shift for future planetary exploration, (2) the previous analog work that informed the ConOps and capabilities selected for investigation during.
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