Manned Mars Mission Program Concepts

Abstract

Of the several new initiatives being contemplated by NASA after the Space Station, a manned expedition to Mars is the most challenging, adventurous, and most rewarding. The Mars initiative envisions much more than just two or three fast trips to the surface of Mars to plant flags and return surface samples. This bold initiative is committed to the human exploration and eventual habitation of Mars, Figure 1. This paper briefly describes the SRS Manned Mars Mission and Program Analysis Study which supports this initiative. The results, to date, indicate the need for a earth-to-orbit transportation system much larger than STS, reliable long-life support systems and either advanced propulsion or aerobraking technology

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