Technology at NASA

Mars Exploration Technology Program

Mars Technology Program (MTP)

The Mars Technology Program (MTP) is responsible for technology-development plans that are consistent with NASA's Mars Exploration vision, and implementing and infusing those technologies into future missions.

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