How to Send Rovers and Various Equipment to Mars

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Currently there has been over 40 different crafts sent to Mars by a number of space agencies around the world. Only a few have been successful with NASA leading the way currently with their Spirit and Opportunity rovers.

The reason why I feel we have not had more attempts to survey Mars is due to the limited number of agencies involved in this adventure plus the limited resources and funding available. If we could commercialize this process in a manner that allows the average person like myself to invest $500 - $2000 USD in one aspect of the Mars mission, I could see thousands of individuals contributing to this process. Specially if the whole mission can involve 10's of 1,000's of individual modules that comprise the whole launch vehicle and landing capsule to be sent to Mars in one launch.

These modules could have a cost factor for the individual of:

$500.00 USD X 10000 units = $5,000,000.00
$1000.00 USD X 10000 units = $10,000,000.00
$1500.00 USD X 10000 units = $15,000,000.00
$2000.00 USD X 10000 units = $20,000,000.00
Total = 50,000,000 USD dollars invested by individuals

The modules could be part of the:
IR camera module
Digital color camera module
Sound processing module
Memory storage module
Atmospheric temperature module
Chemical analysis module
Battery pack module
Central processor Unit module
Robotic arm mobule
Robotic motor module
Remote sensor module
Wireless communication module
Propulsion module
Solar panel module
Landing pod module
Heating module
Various other modules that make up the launch vehicle, the capsule and the rovers that will land and explore the Mars surface.

In return for the investment, the individual will have his/her name plate on the side of the module. A duplicate name plate with the details on what was sponsored clearly marked on the plate. Plus a certificate of authenticity and a monthly update from the lead technician involved in the development of the module emailed to the investor. For the launch, investors will be given the opportunity to be able to sit in a theatre and watch the launch on a large screen.

Other aspects of the mission can be sponsored by Corporations.
These would involve the support of actual complete sections of the launch hardware.
The booster rockets
The control module
The transport module
The landing capsule
The rovers
The launch platform on Earth
The control center on Earth

The investor in this case will get a wall plaque with a duplicate plate of the one that will be mounted on the actual sponsored item. A monthly update from the managing supervisor and an onsite seat at the launch of the vehicle. Corporate sponsorship that are separate from the actual companies that supply the technology and parts for the Mars mission are very critical. These companies can provide moral support without the direct connection to the development and maintenance of the Mars mission.

Comments

Natestera said…
Cool! Bob I'm adding this to my bloglines subscriptions
9:33 PM
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