Mars mission boosts center

The recent Pathfinder Mars mission has captivated the nation and the world. A country that not long ago ignored space shuttle missions because they had become "routine" has been glued to the television eagerly anticipating grainy pictures from a barren landscape.

Once again, outer space has become the nation's favorite final frontier. And that's good news for the Mars Mission Research Center at NC State.

Thousands of miles away from the little land rover roaming across the deserted Martian landscape, researchers in Raleigh have been monitoring events with more than just a passing interest. The mission is important to them not only because of the scientific discoveries it undoubtedly will bring, but also for the impact it will have on the center's future.

NC State has been conducting research for the space program for the past 30 years. The Mars Mission Research Center, which was founded in 1989, is one of the latest incarnations of that research. Funding for the nine faculty members and 15 graduate students who work at the center is provided by various groups, including NASA, the Department of Defense and private companies.

Dr. Fred DeJarnette, director of the North Carolina Space Grant Consortium, said the public relations coup Pathfinder has staged has been nearly as important to the center as the scientific information it has gathered.

"This has been a highly successful mission," he said. "The probing for possible signs of prior life on Mars has certainly renewed public interest."

That success could translate into the Mars Mission Research Center having a more hands-on role in future Mars missions. NC State scientists conducted research that went into the design of the rover and the heat shield on the spacecraft. But the actual equipment was constructed by Lockheed-Martin.

Next time around, DeJarnette hopes the center will be able to contribute to the actual design and construction of the equipment, in addition to conducting research.

In particular, scientists from the College of Textiles have worked on weaving and braiding techniques for composite materials that could be used to construct a spacecraft that would be both lighter and stronger than the aluminum ones used previously.

The idea for a manned mission to the red planet has been around since the time of the Apollo moon landings. But enthusiasm for the project waned, and NASA's coffers weren't full enough to fund the project.

"The support was not there from Congress," DeJarnette said.

So NASA was forced to make do with relatively cheaper alternatives. Unmanned Mars missions like Pathfinder's cost about $250 million each.

It would take at least 30 years to send a person to Mars. As intriguing as that may sound, scientists at the Mars Mission Research Center are just happy that the Pathfinder mission has blazed such a successful trail.

"The mood has been quite ecstatic," DeJarnette said.