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
Michel E. Loucks
Space Exploration Engineering
Corporation
John P. Carrico, Jr.
Applied Defense Solutions, Inc.
Taber MacCallum
Paragon Space Development
Corporation
Jonathan Clark, MD
Center for Space Medicine
Baylor College Of Medicine
Jane Poynter
Paragon Space Development
Corporation
Barry Finger
Paragon Space Development
Corporation
Thomas H. Squire
Thermal Protection Materials
NASA Ames Research Center
Gary A Lantz
Paragon Space Development
Corporation
S. Pete Worden
Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.
NASA AMES Research Center
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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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
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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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
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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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=lBGlY
Nd2tmA
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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Trajectory Targeting
Optimized 2-body/patched-conic trajectory values from Mission Analysis
Environment (MAnE, from Space Flight Solutions):
Leg
Stay Time
(days)
1
2
Earth
0.0000
Mars
Depart
JAN 5, 2018, 7.1756 hours GMT
Julian Date 58123.7990
AUG 20, 2018, 7.8289 hours GMT
Julian Date 58350.8262
Leg
1
2
Arrive
AUG 20, 2018, 7.8289 hours GMT
Julian Date 58350.8262
MAY 21, 2019, 20.9618 hours GMT
Julian Date 58625.3734
Total Duration
Mars
Earth
V Inf
V Inf
(km/s)
(km/s)
6.22697
5.42540
5.42540
8.91499
Flight Time
(days)
227.0272
274.5472
501.5744
Fully numerically integrated trajectory (using JPL 421 Ephemerides) values from
STK/Astrogator (From Analytical Graphics, Inc.)
Leg
Stay
Time
(days)
1
2
Depart
Earth
0.0000
Leg
1
2
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
Mars
Flight Time
(days)
Arrive
5 Jan 2018 07:00:00.000
UTCG
20 Aug 2018 08:18:19.619
UTCG
V Inf
Departure
V peri
(km/s)
6.232
5.417
Mars
Earth
20 Aug 2018 08:18:19.619
UTCG
21 May 2019 13:52:48.012
UTCG
Total Duration
C3
V Inf
Arrival
V peri
(km/s)
(km2/s2)
(km/s)
(km/s)
(km2/s2)
12.578
7.272
38.835
29.344
5.417
8.837
7.272
14.18
29.344
78.094
FISO 3 April, 2013
227.05439374
274.23227306
501.2866668
C3
7
Mar’s Motion Relative to
Trajectory
(4) Trans Mars Injection
Burn
(3)Low Earth Checkout
and Deployment
(9) Trans Earth Trajectory
(8) Mars Encounter Exit
(10) Earth Reentry
Sequence
(1) Launch Fuel Supply ?
(2) Launch Human Crew
(11)Land on Earth
(7) Mars
Proximity
Trajectory
(6) Mars Encounter
Entrance
(5) Trans Mars
Trajectory 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
Event
Phase
Calendar
Ground
Network
Dec 17
Jan 18
Feb 18
Mar 18
Apr 18
May 18
Jun 18
Jul 18
Aug 18
DSN/Other*
NEN/USN/TDRSS
Sep 18
Oct 18
DSN/Other
MPT
Phase
Trans Mars Trajectory
LEO C&D
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
Calendar
Ground
Network
Nov 18 Dec 18
•
Jan 19
NEN begins to
transition out
Trans Earth Trajectory
DSN/Other/MRO/MAVEN
Mars Periareion
20 Aug 2018
Feb 19
Mar 19 Apr 19
May 19
MAVEN - 2013
DSN/Other**
NEN/USN
ERP
Phase
MRO – 2005
Trans Earth Trajectory (Cont’d)
** NEN begins to transition in
Perihelion - 11 Mar 2019
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
AU
Miles
Trajectory Perspective
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
Mars Flyby
Spacecraft
Trajectory
Earth Orbital Track
Venus Orbital Track
*Venus is not present when the spacecraft is at perihelion
Perihelion
(Close to Venus Orbit*)
Falcon Heavy Option
Graphic courtesy SpaceX
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
Falcon
Heavy
Graphic courtesy SpaceX
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FISO 3 April, 2013
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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
Transfer 12 mT of propellant
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FISO 3 April, 2013
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SLS – Option
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Earth Reentry Overview
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
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FISO 3 April, 2013
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Looked at Aerocapture initially
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Reentry Heating Parameters
o Magnitude of stagnation heating is dependent on a variety of
parameters, including reentry speed (V), vehicle effective
radius (R), and atmospheric density (ρ)
ρ
qconv ∝ V 3  
R
0.5
q rad ∝ V 8 ρ 1.2 R 0.5
Convective Heating
Shock Radiation Heating
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
Tito, MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
R
2R
V
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Flight Concept
MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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ECLSS Launch Mass
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
MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
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ECLSS Resources: 2 Person Crew for 501 Days
Subsystem
Mass 1
(kg)
Air
Vol 2
(m) 3
Peak 1
Power (W)
Avg
Power (W)
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
-
-
5,601
14.3
5,489
2,109
Total =
1
2
3
-
-
Mass and power estimates based on ANSI/AIAA G-020-1992, Guide for Estimating and Budgeting Weight and Power
Contingencies For Spacecraft Systems
Volumes are total volume and do not account for packaging factors
Errata corrected from paper (estimated food volume is 4 m3)
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FISO 3 April, 2013
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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
o Multiple dose mitigation
strategies can be used to
reduce the risk
Risk of Exposure-Induced Death
500-d Mars Flyby (GCR + SPEprob)
MacCallum, Carrico, Loucks
FISO 3 April, 2013
• Upper stage & propellant
residuals
• Water storage placement
• Crew selection
• Dietary/pharmaceuticals
23
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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FISO 3 April, 2013
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