Technology

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Mars Exploration Technology Program

Technologies That Enable Mars Exploration

Technology development makes missions possible. Each Mars mission is part of a continuing chain of innovation: each relies on past missions for new technologies and contributes its own innovations to future missions. This chain allows NASA to continue to push the boundaries of what is currently possible, while relying on proven technologies as well.

Technologies of Broad Benefit
	Propulsion:	for providing the energy to get to Mars and conduct long-term studies
	Power:	for providing more efficient and increased electricity to the spacecraft and its subsystems
	Telecommunications:	for sending commands and receiving data faster and in greater amounts
	Avionics:	electronics for operating the spacecraft and its subsystems
	Software Engineering:	for providing the computing and commands necessary to operate the spacecraft and its subsystems
In-situ Exploration and Sample Return
	Entry, Descent, and Landing:	for ensuring precise and safe landings
	Autonomous Planetary Mobility:	for enabling rovers, airplanes, and balloons to make decisions and avoid hazards on their own
	Technologies for Severe Environments:	for making systems robust enough to handle extreme conditions in space and on Mars
	Sample Return Technologies:	for collecting and returning rock, soil, and atmospheric samples back to Earth for further laboratory analysis
	Planetary Protection Technologies:	for cleaning and sterilizing spacecraft and handling soil, rock, and atmospheric samples
Science Instruments
	Remote Science Instrumentation:	for collecting Mars data from orbit
	In-Situ Instrumentation:	for collecting Mars data from the surface

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