Solar sails have the potential to provide mass and cost savings for spacecraft traveling within the innter solar system. Companies like L'Garde have demonstrated sail manufacturability and various i-space development methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a current Mars sample return architecture and to determine how cost and mass would be reduced by incorporating a solar sail propulsion system. The team validated the design proposed by L'Garde, and scaled the design based on a trajectory analysis. Using the solar sail design reduced the required mass, eliminating one of the three launches required in the original architecture.


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    Title :

    Reduction of Martian Sample Return Mission Launch Mass with Solar Sail Propulsion


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    International Symposium on Solar Sailing ; 2013 ; Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom


    Publication date :

    2013-06-11


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




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