Feasibility Analysis for a Manned Mars Free-Return Mission in 2018

Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon colloquium

Dennis Tito, Taber MacCallum, John Carrico, Mike Loucks

3 April, 2013

Authors

Dennis A. Tito Wilshire Associates Incorporated

Grant Anderson Paragon Space Development

Corporation

John P. Carrico, Jr. Applied Defense Solutions, Inc.

Jonathan Clark, MD

Center for Space Medicine Baylor College Of Medicine

Barry Finger Paragon Space Development

Corporation

Gary A Lantz Paragon Space Development

Corporation

Michel E. Loucks Space Exploration Engineering

Corporation

Taber MacCallum Paragon Space Development

Corporation

Jane Poynter Paragon Space Development

Corporation

Thomas H. Squire Thermal Protection Materials NASA Ames Research Center

S. Pete Worden Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.

NASA AMES Research Center

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Background

o Worked on first Mars flyby trajectory at JPL: Mariner 4 • Presented at the 2nd Annual AIAA Meeting

o Started researching trajectories for human deep space missions

o This research led to the identification of a rare, 501-day, “Quick Free-return” Mars fly-by launch opportunity in January, 2018

o Commissioned feasibility study for publication at IEEE

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Moonish R. Patel, James M. Longuski, Jon A. Sims, Mars Free Return Trajectories, JOURNAL OF SPACECRAFT AND ROCKETS, Vol. 35, No. 3, May–June 1998

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Trajectory

o A 501-day “free-return” Mars flyby passing within a hundred miles of the surface

• Only small correction maneuvers are needed during transit

o Simple mission architecture lowers risk

• No entry into Mars atmosphere o An exceptionally quick free return

occurs twice every 15 years • 1.4 years duration vs. 2 to 3.5 years

typical • Launch Jan 5, 2018, (or 2031) • Mars on 20 Aug 2018 (227 days) • Earth on 20 May 2019 (274 days) • At Mars, Earth is 38,000,000 miles

away o Video

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBGlYNd2tmA

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Trajectory Targeting

Leg Stay Time (days) Depart Arrive

Flight Time (days)

1 Earth JAN 5, 2018, 7.1756 hours GMT Julian Date 58123.7990 Mars AUG 20, 2018, 7.8289 hours GMT

Julian Date 58350.8262 227.0272

2 0.0000 Mars AUG 20, 2018, 7.8289 hours GMT Julian Date 58350.8262 Earth MAY 21, 2019, 20.9618 hours GMT

Julian Date 58625.3734 274.5472

Total Duration 501.5744

Optimized 2-body/patched-conic trajectory values from Mission Analysis Environment (MAnE, from Space Flight Solutions):

Leg Stay Time (days)

Depart Arrive Flight Time (days)

1 Earth 5 Jan 2018 07:00:00.000 UTCG Mars 20 Aug 2018 08:18:19.619

UTCG 227.05439374

2 0.0000 Mars 20 Aug 2018 08:18:19.619 UTCG Earth 21 May 2019 13:52:48.012

UTCG 274.23227306

Total Duration 501.2866668

Fully numerically integrated trajectory (using JPL 421 Ephemerides) values from STK/Astrogator (From Analytical Graphics, Inc.)

Leg

Departure Arrival V Inf V peri C3 V Inf V peri C3 (km/s) (km/s) (km2/s2) (km/s) (km/s) (km2/s2)

1 6.232 12.578 38.835 5.417 7.272 29.344 2 5.417 7.272 29.344 8.837 14.18 78.094

Leg V Inf (km/s)

V Inf (km/s)

1 6.22697 5.42540 2 5.42540 8.91499

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Mar’s Motion Relative to Trajectory

(3)Low Earth Checkout and Deployment (4) Trans Mars Injection

Burn

(6) Mars Encounter Entrance

(11)Land on Earth

(5) Trans Mars Trajectory Phase

(8) Mars Encounter Exit

(1) Launch Fuel Supply ?

(9) Trans Earth Trajectory

(10) Earth Reentry Sequence

(7) Mars Proximity Trajectory

(2) Launch Human Crew

Event Phase

Events: Launch Fuel Supply: TMI - 1 Months ? Launch Human Crew: TMI - < 2 Weeks Trans Mars Injection: TMI Mars Encounter Entrance: TMI + 8 Mo Mars Encounter Exit: TMI + 8 Mo Earth Reentry Sequence: TMI + 8 Mo Land on Earth: TMI + 17 Mo

Phases (Durations): Low Earth Checkout and Deployment: < 2 Weeks Trans Mars Trajectory: 8 Months Mars Proximity: ~ 24 hours Trans Earth Trajectory: 9 Months Earth Reentry Phase: 24 Hours

Dec 17 Jan 18 Feb 18 Mar 18 Apr 18 May 18 Jun 18 Jul 18 Aug 18 Sep 18 Oct 18

LEO C&D Trans Mars Trajectory

MPT

Nov 18 Dec 18 Jan 19 Feb 19 Mar 19 Apr 19 May 19

Trans Earth Trajectory

Trans Earth Trajectory (Cont’d)

ERP

NEN/USN/TDRSS DSN/Other*

NEN/USN DSN/Other**

Low Earth Orbit Phase: 1) Fuel Supply Launch ? 2) Human Crew Launch 3) Crew & Fuel Rendezvous ? 4) Systems Checkout 5) Inflatable Deployment 6) Trans Mars Injection Burn

Earth Reentry Phase: 1) Upper Stage Jettison 2) Inflatable Jettison 3) Entry Interface Attitude Alignment 4) Atmospheric Entry 5) Parachute Deployment 6) Land On Earth

DSN/Other

DSN/Other/MRO/MAVEN

Phase

Ground Network

Calendar

Phase

Ground Network

Calendar

Perihelion - 11 Mar 2019

Mars Periareion 20 Aug 2018

MRO – 2005

MAVEN - 2013

** NEN begins to transition in

• NEN begins to transition out

Trajectory Perspective M

iles AU

Black = Spacecraft distance from Earth (miles) Green = Spacecraft distance from Mars (miles) Red = Spacecraft distance from the Sun in Astronomical Units (AU)

Object Distance From Sun

Mars Orbital Track

Earth Orbital Track

Venus Orbital Track

Spacecraft Trajectory

Mars Flyby

Perihelion (Close to Venus Orbit*)

*Venus is not present when the spacecraft is at perihelion

Falcon Heavy Option

o First flight scheduled for 2013

o Man-rated design o 53,000 kg to LEO o 10,000 kg to Mars

for this mission o Free-return

trajectory enables upper stage to stay attached for shielding

Graphic courtesy SpaceX

Graphic courtesy SpaceX

Falcon Heavy

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ULA Options o Option 1:

• Launch 1: Atlas 552: includes 18.1 mT useable propellant

• Launch 2: Atlas 552: with 10.5 mT payload

o Option 2: • Launch 1: Atlas 552: with

10.5 mT payload

• Launch 2: Delta HLV: with 10.5 mT payload

Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks

Transfer 12 mT of propellant

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SLS – Option

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o Atmospheric reentry vehicles require thermal protection systems (TPS) because they are subjected to intense heating

o The level of the heating is dependent on:

• Vehicle shape • Entry speed and flight trajectory • Atmospheric composition • TPS material composition & surface

properties

o Reentry heating to the vehicle comes from two primary Sources • Convective heating from both the flow of hot gas past the surface

of the vehicle and catalytic chemical recombination reactions at the surface

• Radiation heating from the energetic shock layer in front of the vehicle

Earth Reentry Overview

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Looked at Aerocapture initially

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o Magnitude of stagnation heating is dependent on a variety of parameters, including reentry speed (V), vehicle effective radius (R), and atmospheric density (ρ)

o As reentry speed increases, both convective and radiation

heating increase • At high speeds, such as 14.2 Km/s, radiation heating

can quickly dominate o As the effective vehicle radius increases,

convective heating decreases, but radiation heating increases

o Reentry g-loading is a parameter we are considering

Reentry Heating Parameters

2R

V

R

5.03

∝

RVqconv

ρ 5.02.18 RVqrad ρ∝

Convective Heating Shock Radiation Heating

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Flight Concept

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ECLSS Launch Mass

MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks

Legend: Basis System Consumables + Packaging CR-2006-213694 /corrected to replace Biomass with additional packaged food

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Environmental Control and Life Support

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ECLSS Resources: 2 Person Crew for 501 Days

MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks

Subsystem Mass 1

(kg) Vol 2

(m) 3 Peak 1

Power (W) Avg

Power (W)

Air 897 1.7 2,626 1,870

Water 2,235 5.1 529 193

Food 1,384 4.0 3 1,860 39

Thermal 479 1.0 300 99

Crew Waste 259 0.7 174 7

Human Accommodations 347 1.8 - -

Basic System 2,470 6.6 5,189 2,109

Consumables 3,131 7.7 - -

Total = 5,601 14.3 5,489 2,109

1 Mass and power estimates based on ANSI/AIAA G-020-1992, Guide for Estimating and Budgeting Weight and Power Contingencies For Spacecraft Systems 2 Volumes are total volume and do not account for packaging factors 3 Errata corrected from paper (estimated food volume is 4 m3)

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ECLSS Test Facility

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Radiation Environment Risk Assessment

o Mission occurs during solar minimum o Expert consensus: risk is manageable

Risk of Exposure-Induced Death 500-d Mars Flyby (GCR + SPEprob)

MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks

o Multiple dose mitigation strategies can be used to reduce the risk • Upper stage & propellant

residuals • Water storage placement • Crew selection • Dietary/pharmaceuticals

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Psychological and Behavioral Health

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Conclusion

o Completed initial conceptual feasibility study o Ongoing development includes

• Schedule & Program • Human Health and Radiation • Launch (technical assessment) • Spacecraft architecture • ECLSS • TPS assessment • Trajectory optimization

o Expand interaction with NASA, aerospace industry, and academia

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