Optimization of missions to Mars for robotic and manned spacecraft

✍ Scribed by A. Miele; T. Wang; S. Mancuso

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 726 KB
• Volume: 47
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0362-546X
• DOI: 10.1016/s0362-546x(01)00279-6

✦ Synopsis

This paper presents an assessment of some fundamental issues of orbital transfers for round-trip Mars missions, in particular, the interplay between flight time, characteristic velocity, and mass ratio for both robotic and manned missions. For robotic missions, the best trajectory is the minimum energy trajectory computed without constraining the stay time on Mars and the total mission time; this is nearly a Hohmann transfer trajectory. For manned missions, a substantial shortening of the stay time on Mars and the total missions time is needed so as to generate a fast transfer trajectory; while this might be technically feasible, it translates into stiff penalties in characteristic velocity (it might double) and mass ratio (it might have a more than tenfold increase). At this time, the best that can be done is to continue the exploration of Mars via robotic spacecraft. We are simply not ready for the exploration of Mars via manned spacecraft. This requires advances yet to be achieved in the areas of spacecraft structural factors, engine specific impulses, and life support systems.