Mars Exploration 2: Manned Missions (Concepts; Preparations; etc.)

Differing methods of getting to Mars.

If we're ever to make regular journeys from Earth to Mars and other far-off destinations, we might need new kinds of engines. Engineers are exploring revolutionary new technologies that could help us traverse the Solar System in much less time.

Because of the orbital paths Mars and Earth take around the Sun, the distance between them varies between 54.6 million km and 401 million km. Missions to Mars are launched when the two planets make a close approach. During one of these approaches, it takes nine months to get to Mars using chemical rockets - the form of propulsion in widespread use. That's a long time for anyone to spend travelling. But engineers, including those at the US space agency (Nasa), are working with industrial partners to develop faster methods of getting us there.

So what are some of the most promising technologies?

Solar electric propulsion could be used to send cargo to Mars ahead of a human mission. That would ensure equipment and supplies were ready and waiting for astronauts when they arrived using chemical rockets, according to Dr Jeff Sheehy, chief engineer in Nasa's Space Technology Mission Directorate. With solar electric propulsion, large solar arrays unfurl to capture solar energy, which is then converted to electricity. This powers something called a Hall thruster.

There are pros and cons. On the upside, you need far less fuel, so the spacecraft becomes lighter. But it also takes your vehicle longer to get there.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48912458
"In order to carry the payload we'd need to, it would probably take between two to 2.5 years to get us there," Dr Sheehy tells the BBC.
 
I'm very late to this thread but I assumed the research would be concentrating on launching a Mars flight from the Moon. The oxygen and hydrogen fuel is supposed to be there already (in the form of ice) and relatively little would be required to escape the Moon's gravity compared to an Earth launch. China surely must have looked at the possibilities.
 
Bad Bungle said:
I'm very late to this thread but I assumed the research would be concentrating on launching a Mars flight from the Moon. The oxygen and hydrogen fuel is supposed to be there already (in the form of ice) and relatively little would be required to escape the Moon's gravity compared to an Earth launch. China surely must have looked at the possibilities.
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China has so far been unable to send a satellite probe to Mars, and has no known plans for a manned mission, unlike Spacex.
 
Bad Bungle said:
I'm very late to this thread but I assumed the research would be concentrating on launching a Mars flight from the Moon. The oxygen and hydrogen fuel is supposed to be there already (in the form of ice) and relatively little would be required to escape the Moon's gravity compared to an Earth launch. ...
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NASA is pursuing its "Moon to Mars" plan:

https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

... which begins with a station / platform orbiting the moon and lunar ground exploration. This is a stepwise plan to use the moon as a testbed and potential operational platform in preparing for longer-range missions. Exploitation of lunar resources is something that will be evaluated and tested during this phase.

I suppose the degree to which the eventual Mars mission is "built" at or on the moon will depend on what they learn they can do at or on the moon.
 
EnolaGaia said:
I suppose the degree to which the eventual Mars mission is "built" at or on the moon will depend on what they learn they can do at or on the moon.
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Yes. Some of the issues with building underground shelters can be worked out by building on the Moon, although the regolith is different from the soil on Mars.
 
I still prefer Holst's Mars. Vid at link.

Writing a ‘national anthem' for Mars

An Indian former software analyst who’s now a rising star in the opera world has written a new "national anthem" for Mars.
Oscar Castellino was commissioned to give the Red Planet its own anthem by the UK’s Mars Society - to promote the idea that if humans ever live there then they will need their own musical identity.
  • 02 Jan 2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-50840814/writing-a-national-anthem-for-mars
 
Not just Mars but colonising other parts of the solar System as well.

By 20th century expectations, we are way behind schedule on colonizing the solar system. After the Apollo moon landings, some scientists and NASA officials envisioned launching astronauts to Mars in the 1980s and building cities in space to be habitable by the 2000s. But the only humans in space today are a few astronauts in a lone space station orbiting Earth.

That may soon change, says science writer Christopher Wanjek. China is preparing to send crewed missions to the moon by the 2030s. SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes to take people to the Red Planet, while Bigelow Aerospace is drawing up plans for Earth-orbiting hotels. Increasing competition for the geopolitical power and profits promised by space travel (SN: 12/21/19 & 1/4/20, p. 31) may finally get astronauts back to the moon and beyond, Wanjek says. In Spacefarers, he explores how this 21st century space race could play out.

Drawing on the science and history of space exploration, Wanjek paints scenes of future human activity across the solar system. “A two-week trip to the moon [would] be much like an African safari was 150 years ago,” he writes. “Initially for the wealthy, with a tinge of danger, and certainly not for the kids, at least not at first.” On Mars, too far for a weekend getaway, self-sufficient colonies could serve as a pit stop between Earth and minable asteroids and as the frontier of the outer solar system. Wanjek expects a permanent human presence on Mars in the 2050s and visits to Jupiter’s moons by 2100.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/spacefarers-book-predicts-how-space-colonization-will-happen
 
lf life under house arrest lockdown seems inadequately restrictive to you, here’s a job vacancy that should satisfy your deepest desire for confinement:

“The successful applicants will spent eight months in isolation with a small international crew in Moscow, Russia. The aim of this “analog mission” is to help NASA learn more about the physical and psychological impact that confinement and isolation has on humans. The research conducted during this time will include performing robotic operations as well as various tasks using virtual reality.

The idea is to use this information to prepare for Artemis exploration missions to the Moon as well as future missions to Mars, which would last for an extended period of time. Participants will be paid for their time in isolation in Russia at different levels, depending upon whether or not they are already associated with NASA.

Here are the requirements:

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Between the ages of 30-55
  • Proficient in both Russian and English languages.
  • Have a M.S., PhD., M.D. or completion of military officer training. (Though participants with a Bachelor’s degree and other certain qualifications—e.g., relevant additional education, military, or professional experience—may be considered as well.) “

https://lifehacker.com/nasa-wants-to-pay-you-to-isolate-on-fake-mars-for-8-mon-1843598007

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
lf life under house arrest lockdown seems inadequately restrictive to you, here’s a job vacancy that should satisfy your deepest desire for confinement:

“The successful applicants will spent eight months in isolation with a small international crew in Moscow, Russia. The aim of this “analog mission” is to help NASA learn more about the physical and psychological impact that confinement and isolation has on humans. The research conducted during this time will include performing robotic operations as well as various tasks using virtual reality.

The idea is to use this information to prepare for Artemis exploration missions to the Moon as well as future missions to Mars, which would last for an extended period of time. Participants will be paid for their time in isolation in Russia at different levels, depending upon whether or not they are already associated with NASA.

Here are the requirements:

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Between the ages of 30-55
  • Proficient in both Russian and English languages.
  • Have a M.S., PhD., M.D. or completion of military officer training. (Though participants with a Bachelor’s degree and other certain qualifications—e.g., relevant additional education, military, or professional experience—may be considered as well.) “

https://lifehacker.com/nasa-wants-to-pay-you-to-isolate-on-fake-mars-for-8-mon-1843598007

maximus otter
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Bugger, I only fail on one criterion. And after an eternity four months cooped up with my in-laws, I'd pay them for the privilege.
 
Sadly, I don't qualify in any of those criteria.
Although, I'm pretty sure I'd be mentally rock-solid if I was isolated in a Mars simulation. Perhaps even on Mars, I don't know.
 
It wouldn't work for all autistics but I wonder if they are trying us out for this?
 
maximus otter said:
Have a M.S., PhD., M.D. or completion of military officer training. (Though participants with a Bachelor’s degree and other certain qualifications—e.g., relevant additional education, military, or professional experience—may be considered as well.)
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I’m guessing the military officer is there to ensure the group meet mission objectives and stop the boffins going down interesting rabbit holes when problem solving. If that’s the basis (because knowing which knife and fork to use at a regimental dinner and how to wear a Sam Browne don’t seem overly valuable in space) then a businessman or tech project manager would seem equally suitable.
 
Roland Deschain said:
I’m guessing the military officer is there to ensure the group meet mission objectives and stop the boffins going down interesting rabbit holes when problem solving. If that’s the basis (because knowing which knife and fork to use at a regimental dinner and how to wear a Sam Browne don’t seem overly valuable in space) then a businessman or tech project manager would seem equally suitable.
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Ah yes but when the big nasty space alien is running around the habitat I would rather have a trained military officer with me than Brian who got an NVQ in Marketing Management from Leeds Polytehcnic back in the day.
 
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Ringo said:
Ah yes but when the big nasty space alien is running around the habitat I would rather have a trained military officer with me than Brian who got an NVQ in Marketing Management from Leeds Polytehcnic back in the day.
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My money is on Ripley not the Marines!

Actually now I’ve thought about this I think we need Simon Pegg to check this out. I can see him as Brian from marketing.
 
I too would rather be stuck with Ripley than Brian.
 
Ringo said:
I too would rather be stuck with Ripley than Brian.
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Ripley:

Sigourney+in+Alien.jpeg


Brian:


Yep, no contest.

maximus otter
 
The perils of journeying to Mars.

On movie missions to Mars, getting there is the easy part. The Martian’s Mark Watney was fine until a dust storm left him fending for himself. Douglas Quaid’s jaunt to the Red Planet in Total Recall was smooth sailing until he came under fire at Martian customs and immigration.

But in real life, just getting to Mars and back will be rife with dangers that have nothing to do with extreme weather or armed gunmen.

“The mission to Mars is likely going to be four to six individuals [living] together in a can the size of a Winnebago for three years,” says Leticia Vega, associate chief scientist for the NASA Human Research Program in Houston. Time on the planet will be sandwiched between a six- to nine-month journey there plus the same long trip back.

Once outside of Earth’s protective gravitational and magnetic fields, microgravity and radiation become big worries. Microgravity allows fluid buildup in the head, which can cause vision problems, and adventurers cruising through interplanetary space will be continually pelted with high-energy charged particles that zip right through the metal belly of a spacecraft. Researchers don’t know just how harmful that radiation is, but lab experiments suggest it could raise astronauts’ risk of cancer and other diseases.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/astronauts-mars-space-health-survival
 
The legal status of, and degree of independence accorded, a Mars colony is already a topic of apparently serious discussion.
Elon Musk's SpaceX Now Wants to Impose Its 'Own Legal Regime' on Mars

SpaceX may try impose its "own legal regime" on Mars and form a "self-governing", self-sustaining settlement where Earth laws wouldn't apply.

Though this may sound like a page taken out of a sci-fi novel, Elon Musk's aerospace company has indicated its intentions to do just that in two recent and remarkable posts.

The first is a wide-ranging Law360 interview with SpaceX general counsel David Anderman, who revealed he's drafting a constitution for Mars. The second is the terms of service for Starlink, SpaceX's new satellite-internet project, which Reddit users shared after receiving a public beta test invitation.

But to get Earth to recognise the sovereignty of any would-be Martian state, SpaceX will have to pull off some astounding diplomacy and changes to international law, says Frans von der Dunk, a leading expert of space law at Nebraska College of Law.

"You can come up with many interesting examples where you have people trying to call themselves a state and not being recognised," von der Dunk told Business Insider.

Still, he thinks the international community should take SpaceX and its founder Elon Musk seriously - and use the moment to work out potential legal quandaries of such a fantastic human future before they're made real. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/spacex-wants-to-impose-its-own-legal-regime-on-mars
 
Farmers on Mars will need more than grants.

In the film The Martian, astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) survives being stranded on the Red Planet by farming potatoes in Martian dirt fertilized with feces.

Future Mars astronauts could grow crops in dirt to avoid solely relying on resupply missions, and to grow a greater amount and variety of food than with hydroponics alone (SN: 11/4/11). But new lab experiments suggest that growing food on the Red Planet will be a lot more complicated than simply planting crops with poop (SN: 9/22/15).

Researchers planted lettuce and the weed Arabidopsis thaliana in three kinds of fake Mars dirt. Two were made from materials mined in Hawaii or the Mojave Desert that look like dirt on Mars. To mimic the makeup of the Martian surface even more closely, the third was made from scratch using volcanic rock, clays, salts and other chemical ingredients that NASA’s Curiosity rover has seen on the Red Planet (SN: 1/31/19). While both lettuce and A. thaliana survived in the Marslike natural soils, neither could grow in the synthetic dirt, researchers report in the upcoming Jan. 15 Icarus.

“It’s not surprising at all that as you get [dirt] that’s more and more accurate, closer to Mars, that it gets harder and harder for plants to grow in it,” says planetary scientist Kevin Cannon of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., who helped make the synthetic Mars dirt but wasn’t involved in the new study. ...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mars-farming-harder-martian-regolith-soil
 
I propose a lack of microorganisms would make Mars soil essentially uninhabitable for most Earth plants. Adding a typical variety of bacteria, fungi, and other such, especially extremophiles, might help. Poop, of course, has a wide variety of flora and thus might provide an impetus beyond the nutrients.
Of course the perchlorate is nasty stuff and would need to be cleaned up, perhaps by genetically engineered bacteria.
 
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