Mission design strategies for the human exploration of MarsConventional mission planning for piloted flights to Mars has been confined to comparing the round-trip energy and flight time requirements of several trajectory classes. This paper addresses these trades in the context of acceptable operational flight characteristics including abort considerations and crew exposure to the interplanetary environment. Quantitative estimates of crew radiation exposure, both during transit and on the surface of Mars, are made and compared to established NASA standards. Time periods spent in zero-gravity during mission transit legs for the various mission options are compared, along with the recovery times in the Mars gravity field. Finally, an integrated mission/abort strategy is proposed, consistent with the expected performance of first-generation nuclear propulsion systems.
Document ID
19920032123
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Joosten, B. K. (NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Drake, Bret G. (NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Weaver, David B. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Soldner, John K. (Science Applications International Corp. Houston, TX, United States)