MinMars Update Telecon

October, 25th 2009

Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0

• New reference document as of July 2009– NASA-SP-2009-566– Uploaded to SVN : References Folder

• 100 pg text describing Design Reference Architecture 5.0– Introduction– DRA 5.0 Summary– Goals and Objectives– Transportation Systems– Surface Systems– Architectural Assessments– Key Challenges– Public Participation

• Also uploaded Mars DRA 5.0 Addendum– 406 pg text more in-depth version of

NASA-SP-2009-566

Austere Human Mission to Mars• Alternate architecture that is a scaled-back

from DRA 5 and might offer lower development cost, lower flight cost, and meet all the current Constellation Mars mission requirements– A minimum mission set that would be

acceptable from a science and exploration standpoint.

• Paper presented at Space 2009 by Hoppy Price, JPL.– Paper uploaded to Repository: References

Folder– Presentation slides also uploaded.

GA Tech EffortsEntry, Descent, and Landing

• Space 2009 paper on a parametric study of the Mars EDL design space.– Entry velocity, entry vehicle configuration, entry vehicle

mass and supersonic deceleration technology were varied– Paper uploaded to SVN: References Folder

Support for One-Way Missions• October 19th article in Houston Chronicle

– “Travel to Mars – on a one-way ticket?”– http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6673981.html

• “The concept of a one-way mission to Mars has circulated among space buffs for years, with a Houston-based former NASA engineer, James C McLane III, among its chief champions. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin has endorsed the plan.”– Chief, Space Environment Test Division, NASA 1967-1991

• “The one-way option received a boost six weeks ago when theoretical physicist Lawernce Krauss wrote an op-ed in the New York Times that espoused the plan…”– L. Krauss is the director of the Origins Initiative at ASU and author of

“The Physics of Star Trek”

Final Report / Space 2010Proposed final report outline• Introduction & Motivation• Strategy for Life Support, In-Situ

Resource Utilization and Re-Supply• Surface Power Generation and

Storage• Transportation Scenario based on

MSL EDL Tech– Transportation System Architecture– Surface Infrastructure– Concept of Operations

• Transportation Scenario based on Advance EDL Tech– Transportation System Architecture– Surface Infrastructure– Concept of Operations

• Conclusions and Future Work

Topics to be covered• Introduction & Motivation• Key strategies

– Power, life support, ISRU, re-supply, ???• Transportation architecture description

– Launch, Earth Departure, in-space hab, EDL

• Surface infrastructure– Habitation, Power, Mobility,

Logistics/Spares, Assembly, EVA, Comm, Robotics

• Concept of Operations– Launch manifest, surface activities

• Mass chunking scenarios:– 2mt, 5mt, 10mt, ???– Based on trans. Arch.– Affects surf infrastructure and con ops.– Tied in with previous topics?

• Conclusions and Future Work