Here is complied a list of questions often asked by research teams interested in our project. Do not hesitate to have a look at them and if you do not find your answer, please contact us at info@transatlantic-mars.com!
Financial Aspect and Sponsors
Who is the sponsor of your mission?
Up to now, we have two sponsors: The Mars Society and Association Planète Mars, the French Branch of the Mars Society.
Is there a budget to cover the financial part of the project you propose?
No, we do not have such budget available from us to cover your financial expenses for the project. It remains one of your tasks and is a part of the proposal.
If you find a sponsor in a company or an academic organization, you can indicate the counterparts they want (like displaying the logo on our website,…) in your proposal and we will consider it along with the rest of your proposal.
Technical Questions
What are the payload constraints (size, weight on Earth)?
The only payload ‘constraint’ is to keep in mind that it would be easy for us to transport via airplane and/or shipping to a location at or near Hanksville, UT or Grand Junction, CO. We likely will be flying into Grand Junction and driving to the base through Hanksville.
When is payload delivery needed by, and any ideas on what the last-mile logistics are?
Our crew will be hand-delivering any equipment ourselves when we travel to the base in December 2021. We will be driving a vehicle for the last mile.
Would the research projects have access to power? If DC, what voltage and what amps?
There is AC power at the campus. If you need the gear powered while on EVA, you will need to account for your own DC power source.
Is there internet connectivity on the base?Is it possible to download a software update to the robot?
There is internet connectivity but it is limited and not 24/7. We discourage any software updates during our mission due to the complexity of logistics and low & limited bandwidth environment. Those would be extremely difficult and impossible if it were a large update (>100 MB).
How much crew hours can be applied to a research project?
For now, it is impossible to answer this question as it depends on the overall proposal.
For now, consider this: we have a two-week mission and can dedicate multiple hours over multiple days. However, keep in mind that your experiment will not be the only one and experiments which require a large amount of crew time for upkeep/activities may not stack well against other experiments that do not.
Selection Process
What consideration is given to independent / citizen science / startup projects compared to (well funded) industry and government projects?
We will be reviewing all submissions and will decide on the most innovative and impactful experiments/projects, regardless of their source.
Is there a submission template?
There is now a Google Form available at this link for the expression of interest. Feel free to send us any additional document to info@transatlantic-mars.com
Another one will be added for the Full Proposal.