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Fast round-trip Mars trajectoriesThis paper is concerned with the effect of limiting the overall duration or else the one-way flight time of a round trip to Mars, as reflected in the sum of impulsive velocity increments required of the spacecraft propulsion system. Ignition-to-burnout mass ratios for a hypothetical single stage spacecraft, obtained from the rocket equation by combining these delta-V sums with appropriate values of specific impulse, are used to evaluate the relative effectiveness of four high-thrust propulsion alternatives. If the flight crew goes to the surface of Mars and stays there for the duration of their stopover, it is much cheaper (in terms of delta-V) to minimize their zero-g exposure by limiting the interplanetary transit time of a conjunction-class mission (round trip time = 800-1000 days, Mars stopover = 450-700 days) than to impose the same limit on an opposition-class mission (round trip time less than 600 days, stopover = 40 days). Using solid-core nuclear thermal propulsion to fly a conjunction-class mission, for a moderate mass penalty the interplanetary transit time (each way) probably could be limited to something in the range of 4 to 6 months, depending on the launch year.
Document ID
19900065952
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Wilson, Sam
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1990
Subject Category
Astrodynamics
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 90-2934
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Conference
Location: Portland, OR
Country: United States
Start Date: August 20, 1990
End Date: August 22, 1990
Accession Number
90A53007
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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