CERES Mission

Mission Timeline (extracted from CDR) :

CERES will be launched two years prior to crew departure and will arrive about 180 days later. By sending the module ahead of the crew, a test harvest cycle can be performed and evaluated from earth to determine if adjustments or modifications need to be sent with the crew.

Upon arriving at Mars, aerobraking maneuvers will commence to enter orbit with the assistance of Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters. From orbit, the landing site will be evaluated to determine if it is safe to land. Dust storms can obscure the landing site and prevent a safe landing. Ground control will determine if conditions are safe and send the command to start the entry and landing sequence.

Systems checks will be performed after landing to evaluate the integrity of all the subsystems. Upon ground control approval of safe landing, the command will be sent to deploy the first of six growing bays for testing purposes. When the bay is deployed successfully, the command will be given to start the test growing cycle. If the test cycle is successful, and the rest of the landing site has been certified safe, the rest of the growing bays will be deployed. This cycle will be timed so that the crew can harvest the crop after arrival.

Control of the module operations will be transferred from ground control to local astronaut control with assistance from Earth after the crew arrives. Autonomous monitoring and control of environment conditions, pH, and nutrient content will also be used.

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