Simulating heat transfer through the unsaturated zone of MAR systems: With an application to the MAR system at PWN

Consider a managed aquifer recharge system in the Netherlands where approximately 25 million cubic meters of pre-treated water is infiltrated and recovered annually for the purpose of disinfection, buffering, and attenuation of water quality. The system consists of a sequence of alternating, parallel elongated recharge basins and rows of...

Zebro Onboard Navigation System (ONS)

Mars Continuum

The aim of the project is to elaborate upon performance driven design experiments for habitation and production facilities on Mars. The experiments focus on enhancing optimal multi-usability of interior space, 3d printable integrated structure and skin solutions and the effective usage of greenhouses and water infrastructure for radiation...

RE_MOVE: A Biomimetics inspired movable habitat structure for research and exploration purposes

The aim of the project is to elaborate upon performance driven design experiments for habitation and production facilities on Mars. The premises for the project are the advantages of providing a movable self-sustainable spatial structure that can accommodate a full crew as opposed to a static habitat for research and exploration. The concept...

Preliminary design of a crewed Mars flyby Solar Electric Propulsion mission

The goal of this thesis research has been the improvement of a validated, robust low-thrust optimization tool for interplanetary trajectory design, written during the author's internship. This improved tool has then been applied to design crewed Martian flyby missions. Such a mission is a crucial step within the flexible path scenario for human...

Study on Sedimentation and Effects of Mitigating Measures at Port of Mar del Plata, Argentina

Problem definition The city Mar del Plata has one of Argentina's largest ports and biggest seaside beach resort. After the construction of the port, a steadily growing sandbank appeared in the port entrance and considerable erosion occurred on the northern beaches. To warrant the accessibility of the port, frequent maintenance dredging is needed...

Static and dynamic angles of repose in loose granular materials under reduced gravity

Granular materials avalanche when a static angle of repose is exceeded and freeze at a dynamic angle of repose. Such avalanches occur subaerially on steep hillslopes and wind dunes and subaqueously at the lee side of deltas. Until now it has been assumed that the angles of repose are independent of gravitational acceleration. The objective of...

Astrobiology and habitability studies in preparation for future Mars missions: Trends from investigating minerals, organics and biota

Several robotic exploration missions will travel to Mars during this decade to investigate habitability and the possible presence of life. Field research at Mars analogue sites such as desert environments can provide important constraints for instrument calibration, landing site strategies and expected life detection targets. We have...

Microscopy analysis of soils at the Phoenix landing site, Mars: Classification of soil particles and description of their optical and magnetic properties

The optical microscope onboard the Phoenix spacecraft has returned color images (4 ?m pixel?1) of soils that were delivered to and held on various substrates. A preliminary taxonomy of Phoenix soil particles, based on color, size, and shape, identifies the following particle types [generic names in brackets]: (1) reddish fines, mostly unresolved...

Optimising Landing-site Selection for ExoMars

Only 6 out of 16 missions to the surface of Mars have been successful, all have been NASA missions. The landing sites of all the successful missions have been carefully selected in a process where: 1) scientists propose candidate landing sites, 2) engineers check whether these sites allow for a safe landing, and 3) over a few iterations, the...

SPEX: An in-orbit spectropolarimeter for planetary exploration

SPEX (Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration) is an innovative, compact remote-sensing instrument for detecting and characterizing aerosols. With its 1-liter volume it is capable of full linear spectropolarimetry, without moving parts. High precision polarimetry is performed through encoding the degree and angle of linear polarization of...

Vulkanisme en water op Mars?

In januari 2004 werd Mars bezocht door de tweeling robotverkenners Spirit en Opportunity. Zij werden erop uitgestuurd om eindelijk het definitieve antwoord te geven op de vraag of er leven op Mars is geweest. Alles wijst er inmiddels op dat er op Mars ooit vloeibaar water stroomde. Of daarmee een bewijs geleverd is over het bestaan van leven op...

A comparative study of long-term polar motion of terrestrial bodies

Reply to “Comment on ‘Minimal size of a barchan dune’ ”