Second generation Mars landed missions

Mars future landed missions include safe, accurate landing of payloads large enough to accomplish a sample return mission or to accommodate both a comprehensive science instrument suite and extensive in situ resource utilization payloads. In addition, the landers may be fixed (immovable) or have sufficient mobility capability to rove multiple kilometers on the surface. Accurate landing, coupled with extensive roving capability that exceeds landing error ellipses, enable “Go to” missions in which a specific, selected feature (e.g., seepage site) on the surface can be investigated with a major payload complement. This paper addresses some of the candidate missions being considered for the next-generation projects, discusses the new approaches being developed to implement safe and accurate entry, descent and landing to the Martian surface, and describes the rover technology that enables the long distance and duration surface mission