Manned mission to Mars with periodic refueling from electrically propelled tankers

In a joint study by students from the Ecole Polytechnique Feminine, France, and the University of California, Los Angeles, a mission concept that had the objective of evaluating the feasibility of a non-nuclear, yet fast, manned mission to Mars was considered. Ion-engine propelled tankers are postulated that would provide mid-coarse refueling of LOX and LH2 to the manned ship. The scenario is therefore one of a 'split mission', yet with the added feature that the cargo ships include tankers for mid-course refueling. The present study is a continuation of one first conducted last year. Emphasis this year was on the design of the tanker fleet.