Mars to Go: A Minimal Manned Mars Sample Return Mission Concept

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“Mars To Go” Based
Missions
Donovan Chipman
David Allred, Ph.D
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Past Mars Missions Ideas
(Image from Mark Wade’s Encyclopedia
Astronautica)
Von Braun
Apollo Follow-on
(Image from Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica)
Space Exploration Initiative
(Image from the Mars Society)
Mars Direct and Variations
Constellation Program and NASA
DRM 5.0.
(Image from NASA)
What, in Essence, is Mars To Go?
Mars To Go is an answer to the question: “How
can I land someone on Mars and return
him/her to Earth without having to create
new technology that the other plans
require?” This will require:
1. Rocket.
2. Tug (sometimes).
3. Capsule.
4. Habitat
5. Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing
(EDL)
6. Landing Vehicle.
7. Ascent Vehicle.
Three Variations on the Concept
1. 1. Mars to Go Classic
2. 2. Basic Mars
3. 3. Mars to Go Lite
The Idea
Use what we have
The Mars Science Laboratory entry descent and landing system (EDL).
Middle sized military and commercial rockets – not huge government moon rockets like the Saturn
V that aren’t in production anymore. (Delta IV, Falcon IX, maybe NASA’s SLS)
Keep in space Systems light
Use Small Earth launch and re-entry capsule and/or a small habitat.
Minimize the amount of mass that needs to be placed on the planet’s surface.
Land only one person at a time.
Minimize surface stays (a few days perhaps).
Make ascent vehicle as spartan as possible.
Keep it simple
No nuclear power, exotic propulsion, aerocapture, “Moon rockets”, or huge landing vehicles.
Possibly no In-Situ resource utilization either.
Judiciously maximize system commonality.
To Get To Mars, One First Needs Rockets
(To get from the ground into orbit, of course)
Proposed SLS Core (J-130): 77.8 Falcon Heavy: 28-53 mt LEO.
tonnes LEO
(Image from directlauncher.com)
(Image from SpaceX)
Delta IV Heavy:
7.7 mt TMI
(Image from the Orlando Sentinel)
Earth Departure Stage Propulsion
(EDS. This is what we use to get out of Earth’s orbit)
Centaur Upper Stage
(Images from Wikipedia)
Delta-IV Medium Upper Stage Delta-IV Heavy Upper Stage
(Images from Wikipedia)
(Images from Wikipedia)
Outbound Propulsion Requirements
Earth C3 Escape: 3.2 km/s
Trans-Mars Injection: 0.44 km/s
Mars Capture: 0.9 km/s
Low Mars Orbit: 1.4 km/s
Mars Surface: 3.5 km/s
From NASA MSFC Interplanetary Mission Design Handbook (1998)
Inbound Propulsion Requirements
Mars Ascent: 4.1 km/s
Trans-Earth Injection: 1.3 km/s
To Earth Surface: 6.0 km/s
From NASA MSFC Interplanetary Mission Design Handbook (1998)
Space Tug
(Like boats, these are used to push other space vehicles around)
The tug module is the
Soyuz/Progress spacecraft
service module. It weighs
2,950 kg fueled and about
2,000 kg dry. This is used to
attach some payloads to
their EDS.
(Image from Wikipedia)
Manned Earth Launch and Re-entry Systems
(Like launch, coming back to the ground is rather… flamey)
The Dragon Capsule of SpaceX (left) is an
American resupply spacecraft currently in
advanced stages of development. Designed for
a crew of seven, the spacecraft mass minus
payload and propellant is about 4.1 tonnes. It
is large enough to serve as a long term habitat
for one person if you have no other choice.
(Image from SpaceX)
Smaller capsules, such as the shuttle
escape capsule concept shown at right,
offer a lighter weight option if a separate
habitat (wait a couple of slides) is
available. These could weigh as little as
200 kg, though a more sane one selected
(again at right) is closer to 700 kg.
(Image from astronautix.com)
In-Space Habitat
(Where you live while being bored in Interplanetary Space)
(Image from Bigelow Aerospace)
The Galaxy module from Bigelow Aerospace. The partially
completed, and thus unflown, article has twice the volume of
earlier Genesis I and II orbital space station prototypes.
Design already includes life support systems. Empty, it weighs
about 3,000 kg, while stocked it could weigh between two and
Radiation Protection
(The ozone layer doesn’t extend out this far.)
All radiation protection is passive. The
walls of the habitat use hydrogen-rich foam.
Food and water can be place around the
outer walls.
The task is simplified in comparison to
earlier mission concepts by the smaller
volume of the capsule and inflatable habitat
as compared to a larger spacecraft.
Mars Atmospheric Entry System
(Landing on Mars is harder than it sounds.)
The Mars Science Laboratory rover aeroshell
will be the largest ablative heat shield system
ever flown (even larger than the Apollo
command module.) It can soft land
approximately 900 kg on the Martian surface
with the skycrane, or nearly 1,600 kg if landing
stage mass is included with a traditional
landing system.
This is about the largest vehicle mankind can
land on Mars without needing to qualify new
technology.
(Image from Lockheed Martin.)
MTG Classic MAV
The MAV is composed of two
identical methane/carbon
monoxide and LOX stage
units. It has an ISRU
propellant production kit and
enough hydrogen feedstock
to produce more than 3
metric tonnes of ascent
propellant.
The hydrogen is converted into methane and
oxygen. However, hydrogen takes more volume
than the methane it creates, so we can take extra
MTG Classic MAV: Stage 1 Propellant
Production
Electrolysis
Liquid
Oxygen
Water
Liquid
Hydrogen
CO2
Waste CO
Sabatier/
RWGS
Liquid
Methane
MTG Classic MAV: Stage 2 Propellant
Production
Electrolysis
Liquid
Oxygen
LH2
Water
Liquid
Liquid
Carbon
Hydrogen
Monoxide
CO2
RWGS
MTG Lite: MAV
BasicMars includes two Mars
Ascent Vehicles per mission. The
MAV, based heavily on the Langley
Lightest moon vehicle, enters the
atmosphere in an MSL aeroshell
(no astronaut) and lands as a
complete unit with propellant
already onboard. Each MAV takes
one astronaut from the surface to
LMO.
(Image from astronautix.com)
MAV Lite
Mass Breakdown
Rocket Engines: 160 kg
Tanks: 150 kg
Structure: 90 kg
Propellant: 1250 kg
Descent: 250 kg
Ascent: 1000 kg
Batteries: 30 kg (3.0 kW*hrs
total storage)
Solar Panels: 10 kg (650 W
production)
Electronics: 15 kg
Total Dry: 460 kg
Total Landed: 1460 kg
Total: 1710 kg
MLV Rover
The Mars Landing Vehicle/Rover is basically a small electric car that
uses methanol/oxygen fuel cells for power. The rover is pressurized to
2 psi. In Mars To Go Classic, the MLV is battery powered with solar
power supplementation. The rover has a mass of approximately 900
kg.
Propulsion Modules: near Mars
maneuvers
The propulsion modules for MTG
Classic and Basic Mars weigh
between 4.2 and 8.4 tonnes,
depending on the use. Each one is
composed of a rocket stage with
optional forward docking equipment
and solar panels.
The tug for Mars to Go Lite has both a
chemical (methane/oxygen) engine, as
well as an electric VASIMR engine.
The two 75 kW Ultra-Flex solar panels
Mars To Go Classic
Mission Architecture 1
•
Year 1: A single Delta-IV Heavy lifts two MAVs directly onto a trans-Mars
injection trajectory.
Mission Architecture 2
•
Year 3: A Falcon 9 Heavy carries two propulsion modules and a Centaur
Upper Stage into LEO. The Centaur delivers the TMI burn for the two
Propulsion Modules.
Mission Architecture 3
•
Year 3: A Delta IV Heavy places the SAVe aeroshell and one propulsion
module directly into TMI.
Mission Architecture 4
–
One month later, a Falcon 9 Heavy carries a Centaur Upper Stage, One
Propulsion Module, and the manned Space Capsule into LEO. The
Centaur Delivers the TMI Burn for the stack.
Mars to Go – Chemical. EELVs. 1 Crew.
ISRU Required.
Basic Mars
Mission Architecture 1
•
Month 1: An SLS core vehicle lifts two MAVs, a PM, and two Delta-IV
Heavy upper stages to LEO. (76.8 mT)
Mission Architecture 2
•
Year 3: An SLS core carries a Delta-IV Heavy Upper Stage, three PMs, a
tug, and two MLVs into LEO. (64.75 mT)
Mission Architecture 3
•
Year 3: An SLS core places a Delta IV Medium Upper Stage, a Delta IV
Heavy Upper Stage, a PM, and the Galaxy habitat into LEO. (76.8 mT)
Mission Architecture 4
–
A Falcon 9 Heavy carries a tug, a PM, and the manned
space Capsule into LEO. (13.28 mT)
Basic Mars – Chemical. HLVs. 2 Crew.
Modification
for Artificial
Gravity.
Mars to Go Lite
(Just one launch, made possible this last Tuesday)
Mission Architecture 1
• A Falcon Heavy carries a Delta IV Heavy Upper Stage, the MAV, the MLV,
the Earth Entry Capsule , the habitat, and a propulsion tug to GTO.
Mission Architecture 2
•
The Delta IV Heavy Upper Stage places the Mars vehicle stack into C3
Earth escape trajectory.
Mission Architecture 3
Solar panels deploy. VASIMR engines are activated to gradually propel Mars vehicles
through TMI. (MLV stack shown).
Mission Architecture 4
Propulsion tug fires chemical engine for MOI into an elliptical orbit.
Mission Architecture 5
Following MOI, the vehicle stack aerobrakes into LMO over the course
of several months.
Mission Architecture 6
Once in the proper orbit, the astronaut transfers to the MLV. The MLV, MAV and tug
separate from the habitat.
Mission Architecture 7
The MAV and MLV separate from the tug and land on Mars
Mission Architecture 8
• Rover cabin is deployed. Astronaut roves surface for a day or so before
reaching the MAV.
Mission Architecture 9
•
MLV rover rendezvous with MAV. Astronaut walks to MAV.
Mission Architecture 10
•
MAV with astronaut on board ascend to LMO.
Mission Architecture 11
•
MAV docks with habitat in LMO. Astronaut transfers to habitat.
Mission Architecture 12
MAV vehicle is jettisoned. Tug redocks with habitat.
Mission Architecture 13
Return tug electrically propels remaining spacecraft to a high Mars Orbit. A final short
chemical burn carries the vehicle to Mars escape velocity.
Mission Architecture 14
VASIMR engines are activated to gradually propel combined vehicles
through TEI.
Mission Architecture 15
• Capsule separates from habitat and re-enters Earth’s atmosphere prior to
ocean splashdown.
QUESTIONS?
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