The Mars Penetrator Telemetry and Control System

Abstract

A new method for exploring the planet Mars has been proposed* that will use ground-penetrating vehicles to carry scientific instruments below the Martian surface. The subsurface performance of various sequences of complicated experiments poses challenges in the design of the telemetry and control links. This article describes the overall mission, the penetrator, the constraints imposed by the mission and the penetrator, and a design for the telemetry/control system. This design uses a microprogrammed microprocessor; the sequences of commands are stored in a Read-Only-Memory (ROM), and a particular sequence is initiated by transmitting from the Earth the address in the ROM that contains the first of the commands for the specific sequence to be performed. Data from the experiments are stored in a memory for later transmission to an orbiter that serves as a relay station for the command and data links with Earth.