The first Human Mars Mission is being projected to take place during the 2011 and 2013 / 2014 Mars opportunities. Two cargo flights will leave for Mars during the first opportunity, one to Mars orbit and the second to the surface, to prepare the descent transportation, landing site reconnaissance, and ascent vehicle and propellant for the crew arriving during the following opportunity. Each trans-Mars injection (TMI) stack will consist of a payload portion (currently coming in at 60 to 84 metric tonnes) and a TMI propulsion stage (currently coming in at 68-156 mt loaded with propellant) for performing the departure ΔVs for the appropriate Mars trajectories. Three different options are being considered for the system(s) that will comprise the TMI stage for each stack and will perform ΔVs that range from 848 meters/second (m/sec) to 4232 m/sec as required by the trajectory (with gravity losses and various performance margins included). Liquid oxygen (LOx) / liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LOx / liquid methane (LCH4) are the propellant options for other transportation elements utilized for descent, ascent, and trans-Earth injection (TEI) in these Mars architectures. This paper will discuss the current applications of the necessary transportation stages to a human Mars mission and project the implications these various options have on an exploration visit to Mars.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Human Mars Mission: Transportation Assessment


    Contributors:
    Larry Koss (author)

    Conference:

    AIAA Defense and Civil Space Programs Conference and Exhibit ; 1998 ; Huntsville, AL, US



    Publication date :

    1998-10-28



    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English






    The Human Mars Mission: Transportation Assessment

    Kos, L. / University of New Mexico; School of Engineering; Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1998