NASA's bold plan to land a man on the Red Planet * January 2003 - an exhibition on Mars at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem
In the Mars Global Surveyor 2001 spacecraft image * these days, the end of 2002 marks a complete Earth year (687 days) in orbit around Mars.
Direct link to this page: https://www.hayadan.org.il/mars2014.html
First published around February 1999 before the two failures
in his office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (J PL) in Pasadena,
California, physicist Mark Adler holds a slide up to the light.
He points to a timetable detailing NASA's ambitious plans for Mars exploration. The schedule shows missions that will be launched to study the Martian soil and its atmosphere, analyze rock samples, and even bring rocks back to Earth. Then Adler points to the year 2014, where the schedule ends at its amazing peak:
A manned mission to Mars.
Almost three decades after landing on the moon, NASA is again seriously testing the idea of manned space flights beyond Earth's probable circumpolar orbit. This time, the most likely target is Mars. The cost of a manned mission to Mars that will last two and a half years, which was once estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars, is now estimated at only $20 billion, or about $2 billion per year for 10 years. It can be integrated
Within NASA's budget constraints, the agency currently spends a similar amount on the International Space Station. And a recent feasibility study by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston argues that Adler's schedule is too pessimistic. Johnson engineers now say they can send astronauts to Mars in less than ten years.
"We are building the infrastructure," says Adler, the architect of the plan he prepared
The jet propulsion laboratory for the exploration of Mars using robots, before
Launch of the manned mission. NASA, which waited 21 years after a mission
Viking circa 1976 to return to Martian soil with Pathfinder,
Now set up an assembly line for spacecraft to Mars. while the patrol car
of Pathfinder running across the surface of Mars, engineers have already designed the
Mars mission "'9 launched a month ago. Missions are also planned
For the following launch opportunities in 2001 and 2003 (the fuel requirements
They are the lowest when the spacecraft are launched while the Earth is
And Mars is closest to each other, such a relative situation occurs once to
26 months or so). The following tasks will collect data that will help
For NASA to decide what technologies it needs in order to
To send humans to the frozen red sands of Mars.
NASA's interest in Mars was rekindled in 1989 when
President George Bush called during the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the landing on
The moon to send a manned mission to Mars. NASA didn't need to
for further encouragement. She went into action, and ninety days later
presented a stunning plan to send astronauts to Mars. the task
It included assembly garages and docks in a peripheral track in space, bases
Giants on the moon and a fleet of means of transport, as well as spaceships for travel
An interstellar the size of "Galactica" from the famous TV series.
NASA estimated that the space industrialization predicted in its 90-day report would be stunted
30 years to its fulfillment and will cost an incredible amount of 540 billion dollars. this
was a completely unrealistic goal. This excessive offer went down
Soon from the episode; And the Mars enthusiasts inside NASA and outside
Try to come up with a proposal for an alternative task, which will be possible
fulfill at a reasonable price. The result, which was based on work done
In the mid-XNUMXs in the Office of Research Operations of the Space Center
Johnson, there was something called the reference mission to Mars. When
The work on the mission was complete, Johnson Center engineers claimed they were
will be able to do it in the amount of about 50 billion dollars. But they are
Keep revising the initial draft, revising each
discount and do as much as possible to cut costs without forcing
Unacceptable risks, center engineers reported last summer
Johnson space because they cut the cost of the reference mission in half.
They achieved this in part by redesigning the mission so that it was cancelled
The need for a new giant launch vehicle. This, in turn, eliminated the need
In the construction of a new and extremely expensive launch facility in Cape Canaveral.
The engineers also adopted some of the ideas of a former engineer
Lockheed Martin, who has done more than anyone else to stimulate thinking
Creative about planning a mission to Mars. Robert Zubrin
The irrepressible, who currently heads his own engineering company
Aerospace (Pioneer Astronautics, of Lakewood, Colorado),
Plan a mission to Mars that he claims will be cheaper and faster than that of
Nasa.
Zubrin has been striving for Mars with almost religious fanaticism since 1990. He is recruiting
Now money to establish a base in the Pole, where a prototype of will be installed and tested
A residential module on Mars.
He intends to send a financed multi-purpose payload to Mars in 2003
Privately.
And last summer he had his first meeting with a group he founded,
called the "Mars Association", which aims to build public support
In the idea of a manned mission to Mars.
Zubrin's mission, which he calls "direct to Mars", is different
from NASA's reference mission in several respects, however NASA admits that
She latched onto some of Zubrin's ideas. Actually, NASA
has now entered into a contract with Zubrin to explore some of those ideas
For possible integration into NASA's final plan.
Zubrin's most important contribution was to show that
Astronauts on Mars "could live there". This is an idea
Amazing, because the surface of Mars is much colder, drier
More barren than any place on earth. However,
There are many resources there that the astronauts will be able to squeeze out
meet the needs of their bodies for life support. More amazing
More, as Zubrin has shown, is the fact that Mars can provide
fuel for the astronauts' journey back to Earth.
NASA's Attribution Mission to Mars relies as much as possible on
existing technologies. The temptation to reduce costs in the latest version
of the plan was to reduce the weight that must be lifted into space from 400
for 200 tons.
The basic strategy, says Kent Josten, the firm's chief engineer
To carry out research at the Johnson Space Center, is what is called access
split It is different from the Apollo mission to the moon, in which a giant rocket was launched
You all to the moon at once. The reference mission to Mars, on the other hand,
It is built in the pattern used by army commanders in war. "They read
That's a front layout," says Justin. "It means, that before you
Sending your forces, you see to it that your materials are placed forward
As much as possible, so you don't end up in a situation where the forces have already arrived
And the materials are not there."
"We are checking when we want the team to reach Mars," he continues
Justen. "Twenty-six months before, we send some
that more critical materials, and making sure that they got there and that they
Act properly, before we send the team."
The mission will begin with the launch, probably in 2011, of two missiles
that will deliver purposeful payloads to Mars. One all-purpose charger will
The tool that will allow a return to Earth, which will be put into a peripheral orbit
around mars It will stay there until the astronauts are ready
use it for their journey back home. The second all-purpose charger
will include the ground living pavilion and its power systems, a system
for the production of fuel, vehicles for roaming and other equipment for research, and the vessel
for taking off from Mars. "After the thing lands, it will start producing fuel
For the take-off vehicles, fuel for the loitering vehicles, as well as air
And water, mostly from the Martian atmosphere," says Josten. This
It will take two years before the team gets there. At the same time, a pavilion
The residence - which may be inflatable, a recently introduced innovation
designed to save weight - will be erected on the surface.
The fuel production system will report when it has finished producing a quantity
provides for the launch vehicle. And they will also make sure that everyone is ready
The base on the surface of Mars
before its intended inhabitants are sent on their way. If all goes well,
A six-person crew will be launched at the next opportunity of the launch window
The appropriate one, in 2014 their mission will last two and a half years - about six
months on the way to Mars, about 500 days on its surface, and approx
Six months back. "This is a long task - it is different from everything
which we did before," says Josten. "But we are in space
Only six months at a time. After that we are on Mars, there is
We have a certain masking from radiation and access to resources. A stay of six
Months in space is something we already have experience with. what we are
What we need to do is learn how to live on Mars."
During their long stay, the astronauts will have to maintain a routine
Ambitious science, which will probably also include a deep drilling project to search
life below the surface. But following the amazing success of a mission
Pathfinder in 1997, some critics wonder why it is not possible
Explore Mars sufficiently with unmanned instruments.
"I think we're going to find out pretty quickly the limitations of what
Robots can do on Mars," says Justen.
"Engineers can pack only a limited amount of intelligence into a lander
The size of Pathfinder, and the great distance between Earth and
Mars makes it impossible to send immediate commands to the robot.
A thorough search for life on Mars, and a thorough examination of
The geology of the planet would require humans who could roam on
Surface a large area and follow clues and sensations in a way that machines
cannot do," says Josten.
When the astronauts explore Mars, all the air and water in it
They will use will be recycled. The factory for the production of propulsion materials, when it was not producing
fuel, will be used to create water and oxygen for the various support systems
in the life of the crew members. "You can't jump out and come back
Home any moment you want, and you can't get supplies
off the planet any time you want," says Justin. "After you
Sending them there, they will have to rely on themselves."
At the end of your stay, the astronauts will use liquid oxygen and methane
to be produced on the surface of Mars to fuel their launch vehicles.
The liquid oxygen will be taken from the carbon dioxide, which is the main component
in the atmosphere of Mars. Methane requires the addition of a small amount of
Hydrogen, which was imported from the Earth. The launch vehicle will carry the people
The team to rendezvous with the return vehicle to Earth, which was inserted earlier
to a peripheral orbit around Mars. They will fly this spaceship back
to the earth
To reduce the risks, NASA relies on a smart plan
that you will launch several missions to Mars in a cascaded manner. before a team
The first astronauts went there. The two purposeful charges
The first for a second manned mission will already reach Mars with a vehicle
A second returner to Earth and a second habitable pavilion on the surface.
"The crew will have two sets of everything, in case they get caught
for problems," says Josten. It is possible to plan the second residential pavilion
in such a way that it can connect to the first, to increase the available volume
the team Another idea is to start growing food on Mars within
Use of the second pavilion as a greenhouse for growing plants.
While NASA was planning the reference mission, it was also working on a tool
The launch required to launch the mission. Space Center Engineers
Johnson initially thought they would need a capable cruise missile
launch a 200-ton payload into orbit around the Earth. This is about
Double the capacity of the Saturn 5 rocket that was used
In the Apollo operation to the moon. In the latest version, the requirement was reduced to 80
A ton only.
This means that NASA is no longer facing the expensive challenge
And it's complicated to design a completely new launch vehicle "We now have a vehicle
A launch capable of putting 80 tons into orbital orbit, and we use
about once a month," says Justin. This is about the space shuttle,
of course. Its carrying capacity is only about 20 tons, but when it
Loaded, the weight of the makpet reaches about 80 tons.
"You can think about replacing the scope with a multi-purpose charger that you need,
And you basically have an existing system that can pretty much do what we do
They want her." This new launch vehicle is called Magnum. Similarly
For the space shuttle, Magnum will have a large fuel tank attached to it
Two rocket boosters. But instead of the circle of the space shuttle will be
A long cylinder that will be mounted on top of the fuel tank. This cylinder will store inside it the
The elements of the mission to Mars. The magnum will insert my ingredients
The mission to Mars for low-Earth orbit, similar to
to the routes where the space shuttle flew. There they will be connected in preparation for
Journey to Mars.
In one scenario, the perfect package won't fly directly to Mars. instead of
However, NASA will use a space "tug" to slowly pull on a payload
Purpose-built for Mars for a much higher orbital orbit around
Earth. From there, just another little push is needed to launch the
The purposeful payload is on its way to Mars. The design details of a tugboat
The space is regularly updated. The last program talks about a spaceship
has a solar-electric ion engine, but NASA is also considering systems
Chemical propulsion, electric nuclear, thermal nuclear and of
plasma.
After the space tug will bring the mission payload into orbital orbit
High around the Earth, it will detach from it and descend back to
Connect to another charger.
The payloads in the high orbital orbit will be launched on their way to Mars by
Short run of a conventional chemical rocket engine.
The main advantage of ion engines is that they are very efficient,
But they don't provide much thrust. The journey from a low orbit to a high orbit
It takes about six months to go around the Earth. It's fine for
unmanned purpose payloads, but what about the astronauts,
After the purposeful charges with a booth. The second residence arrived
For the high peripheral orbit, “you quickly send the crew up
In a smaller system," says Justin. "It's a bit like a small boat
Sail back and forth to a large ship anchored far from the shore."
Zubrin does not support the use of advanced propulsion systems such as engines
Ionic-solar in the early missions
to Mars, as he fears that the development of such systems could be delayed
the whole task. Columbus didn't wait for development either
transatlantic ships before he set out to discover the new world,
says Zubrin. "After he did it - after people knew he existed
Some place worth going to
- So began the development of ships with three masts, ships
Steam, ocean liners and the Boeing 747
Destinations are what drive the development of the means of transportation.
Zubrin's "Direct to Mars" mission is smaller and easier than that of
NASA. He's talking about a team of four, not six. he
It will begin in 2005 with the launch of a tool similar to the Magnum. The launcher will carry
A spaceship for the purpose of returning to Earth, which will land directly on the ground
Mars, without stopping in a peripheral orbit around the Earth. flight
Direct, Zubrin says, would eliminate the need for a space tug or vessel
some other on the track.
Zubrin's mission saves weight by using a residential pavilion
Smaller, which NASA thinks is too small. "You can't enter
them into a capsule the size of an Apollo spaceship for six
months," says Justin. NASA's mission talks about a capsule
large, which is too heavy for direct flight.
According to Zubrin's plan, a second spacecraft to return to Earth
Will be sent to Mars two years after the first one. As in the program of
NASA, it will be used as a backup, or it can be used to bring back the other team
to be sent to Mars. A few weeks after the second return spacecraft
will be launched, a four-person crew will be sent to Mars, also on a flight
Directly from Earth to the Martian soil.
After about 500 days on the surface of Mars, the crew will fly back directly
to Earth, using fuel produced on Mars, without stopping
in orbit around Mars.
Zubrin's mission requires only two launches, while NASA's
Requires three. This makes NASA's mission more expensive
by nature NASA's plan depends on having a rendezvous in orbit around the
Mars, which is critical to the success of the mission, as Zubrin points out.
On the other hand, Zubrin's mission requires the production of much more superfuel
Mars - in sufficient quantity to bring the astronauts home,
And not just to get them into orbit around Mars. While most technology
The one needed to reach Mars is already available, there are still a few left
important challenges. "We really want to get back a lot of information
from the space station," says Brett Drake, who leads the mission's research
Manned in the Johnson Space Center Research Office. "One of the things
The main one is how the body adapts to the absence of gravity." Also
Life support systems and other technology can be tested
on the space station.
But NASA isn't waiting for the space station to be completed to get started
in her studies.
The plans for a manned mission to Mars will advance beyond the stage
The planning is only in two years, after the launch of the 'Mars - '2001 mission
An unmanned spacecraft that will carry a scale model of the fuel production system.
In the unmanned mission planned for 2003, NASA is considering carrying out
Studies that will test the possibility of "trapping in the air". NASA wants
Find out if it can put a spacecraft into orbit around Mars
By using atmospheric friction to slow it down, instead
Starting a rocket engine. Air trapping will reduce the amount of fuel needed
for the mission to Mars.
NASA may also use the 2003 mission to create supermethane
the Martian soil and examine methods for more precise landings.
Pathfinder was designed to land somewhere within the "error ellipse"
of 300 km.
For a manned mission, the error ellipse would need to have a size of
About 3 km, says Drake.
Zubrin will also be busy preparing for the future
The recently established Martian, he hopes to collect a million dollars
For the purpose of building a model of a living pavilion for Mars in the polar region
in Canada. "We want it to be ready in 2000 if we succeed
To do that, we could raise maybe 5 to 10 million dollars to
to fly a purpose-built payload to Mars as a hitchhiker in 2003, he says.
It is possible that such a launch will be carried out on the European spacecraft planned to fly
to mars
One idea for the all-purpose payload is a camera mounted on a balloon,
to drift in the Martian atmosphere and send back photographs of the star
from a bird's eye view.
Zubrin's group hopes to eventually raise enough money to
fly its own robotic mission to Mars.
Almost 30 years after the first landing on the moon, we'll see now
that interstellar research became a realistic possibility again. "this
It's definitely going to happen," says Drake. "It's just a matter of time."
From Popular Science, February 1999
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