Slide 49(D) of 99
Notes:
Mars Transfer/Excursion Vehicles. This Boeing design from 1989 was used as the 90-Day
Study baseline Mars transportation system. Like the Lunar Transfer/Excursion Vehicle, it
has been sized to transport a crew of four plus a 25t planetary surface payload. However, the
vehicle is much bigger since has to support manned missions lasting up to 2-3 years. The
Mars transportation system consists of two core vehicles and a modular expendable trans-Mars
injection stage which is jettisoned after leaving Earth orbit. The core vehicles can be one
Mars Transfer Vehicle + one Mars Excursion Vehicle for manned missions (the configuration illustrated
here), or two Mars Excursion Vehicles for unmanned one-way cargo delivery of two 50-tonne
payloads. Two large disc-shaped aerobrake are used for aerocapture at Mars and Earth, slowing
the vehicles for capture into orbit. The crew
would live inside the Mars Transfer Vehicle's (MTV) 9 meter long, 7.6-meter diameter habitation
module. For trans-Earth injection from Mars orbit, the MTV includes a propulsion that consists
of four modified oxygen/hydrogen engines previously developed for the Lunar Transfer Vehicle.
The system has to store the propellant at cryogenic temperature for years in deep space and be
very reliable.
Mars Excursion Vehicle. Boeing's MEV design has a large aeroshell that protects the
vehicle during atmospheric entry and descent at Mars; it is jettisoned shortly before landing.
Landing legs are then deployed and the five descent rocket engines are fired to enable a soft
landing. The crew lives in the surface habitat module (=the long white cylinder visible at
upper left) while on the martian surface. To the right is the ascent stage, which returns the
crew to Mars orbit and the waiting MTV mothercraft. The ascent stage consists of a small pilot
module to house the crew, three ascent rocket engines and propellant tanks.
|
PAYLOAD |
MASS (kg) |
|
MEV aerobrake |
15 138 |
|
MEV ascent stage |
22 754 |
|
MEV descent stage |
21 457 |
|
MEV surface cargo |
25 000 |
|
=MEV total: |
84 349 |
|
Earth Crew Return Capsule |
7 000 |
|
MTV habitation module (empty) |
28 531 |
|
MTV consumables |
7 096 |
|
MTV science |
1 000 |
|
MTV aerobrake |
23 758 |
|
MTV propulsion stage |
18 206 |
|
+propellant (dV=3400m/s) |
85 141 |
|
=MTV total: |
170 732 |
|
TMI stage (dry mass) |
54 560 |
|
+TMI propellant (dV=4800m/s) |
490 950 |
|
MTV/TMI interstage adapter |
500 |
|
=TMI stage total: |
546 010 |
MEV, MTV and Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) stage mass summary. The total mass in low Earth
orbit is about 801 metric tons.
Mars mission plan. As before, the vehicles are assembled at Space Station Freedom. The
Mars Transfer Vehicle is expendable for the first mission and the crew returns to Earth in a
small landing capsule. On later missions, the MTV will aerobrake into Earth orbit and be returned
to Space Station Freedom for refurbishment and reuse. The aeroshell heatshield materials would
have to be upgraded for it to survive the high-velocity entry into Earth's atmosphere.
Mars Excursion Vehicle on the martian surface. The first piloted mission would be
launched in 2015 and arrive at Mars in 2016. The crew of four spends 30 days on the surface,
conducting local surveys of the landing site within a 10-kilometer radius using two unpressurized
rovers. The emphasis would be on surface geology and the search for past and present life and
water environments. Total mission duration would be two years.
Extended stay on Mars. The second manned mission would take place after two unmanned
cargo landers have delivered a permanent habitation module+airlock and a LEV launch/landing
support facility in 2018. The support facility and hab module enable manned missions of up to
600 days. The second crew of four astronauts arrives in 2018 and departs in 2020 after testing
water extraction and oxygen production methods on Mars. A second 600-day mission to the same
site in 2020-2022 will continue the exploration program. This is followed by an unmanned
cargo flight in 2022-2023 to transport additional consumables, spares and science equipment for
the next manned mission in 2024-2026. Steady-state operations of the Mars outpost then commence.
Technology & Infrastructure Requirements
Advanced Launch System. The Mars program would require a larger launch vehicle than
Shuttle-C. One candidate was the joint USAF/NASA Advanced Launch System, which would substantially
reduce launch costs from Shuttle-C's $6600 per kilogram of payload to $660/kg by 1999. ALS was
initiated by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1987 for launching heavy "Star Wars" payloads. The
design shown here was proposed by Martin Marietta. It would only have a launch capability of
52.5t, but NASA proposed to develop a four-booster
configuration that could transport 140t payloads to Space Station Freedom by 2014. Some $500
million had been invested in the $11-billion Advanced Launch System development program when
Congress terminated the project in 1990. The Space Exploration Initiative 90-Day financial
analysis assumed a Shuttle-derived launch vehicle capable of launching 120t for a cost of $800
million would be used.
Space Station Freedom's "Dual Keel" structure would have been completed by 2013 to support
manned Mars missions.
MARS PROGRAM COST ESTIMATE
The total projected cost of the Mars exploration program was $235 billion in 2002-2020,
plus $18.6 billion for unmanned Mars probes in 1991-2011 (for some reason, NASA chose to
include this as part of the lunar outpost project). The important budget line items:
- MARS TRANSFER VEHICLE. $24 billion for research & development (2005-2013) plus another $11.3
billion for vehicle procurement in 2014-2020.
- MARS EXCURSION VEHICLE. $10 billion for research & development (2006-2014) plus $2.4 billion
in 2015-2020 for vehicle procurement. The cost per MEV appears to be about $400 million.
- MARTIAN SURFACE EQUIPMENT. $7 billion R&D for surface habitats, construction equipment and
other utilities in 2002-2010. Another $1.34 billion would have been spent on building
operational hardware in 2011-2020 for the manned and unmanned Mars missions.
- MARS CONSTRUCTIBLE HABITAT. $4.2 billion for research & development only.
- SCIENCE ON MARS. $9 billion, including 50% reserve.
- COMMUNICATIONS & NAVIGATION. Some as for lunar outpost program.
- MARS LAUNCH VEHICLE / TRANS-MARS INJECTION STAGE DEVELOPMENT. $11.2 billion, including
modifications to Kennedy Space Center launch infrastructure (launch pads, payload facilities
etc.)
- MARS LAUNCH VEHICLE / TRANS-MARS INJECTION STAGE LAUNCH COST. $800-940 million per flight.
There would be five annual launches in 2015-2020 transporting some 600t/year of propellant and
Mars-bound cargo to Space Station Freedom. The total launch cost over six years would be $26.8
billion.
- ADMINISTRATION & STAFF. $36 billion in 2002-2020 for 7500 civil servants and 15000 contractor
personnel; lunar activities decrease to ~2000 civil servants or about $0.7 billion/year.
- OPERATIONS. $0.8 billion in 2013-2020 -- 30% above lunar base to account for
synergism.
- TECHNOLOGY. $0.80 billion in 2015-2020 -- 1/2 lunar base alone.
(1999 $B)
|
MARS PROGRAM |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08 |
09 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
|
TOTAL |
|
MARS TRANSFER VEHICLE |
|
|
|
|
|
$0.23 |
$0.46 |
$0.46 |
|
$2.28 |
$4.57 |
$6.85 |
$6.85 |
$2.28 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
= |
$35.27 |
|
MARS EXCURSION VEHICLE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.81 |
$1.61 |
$1.61 |
|
$0.81 |
$1.61 |
$2.42 |
$0.81 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
= |
$12.50 |
|
MARTIAN SURFACE EQUIPMENT |
|
|
$0.07 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
|
$0.67 |
$1.34 |
$2.02 |
$2.02 |
$0.67 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
= |
$8.40 |
|
MARS CONSTRUCTIBLE HAB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.04 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
|
$0.40 |
$0.81 |
$1.21 |
$1.21 |
$0.40 |
|
|
|
= |
$4.23 |
|
SCIENCE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.27 |
$0.40 |
$0.54 |
$0.54 |
$0.54 |
$0.54 |
$0.81 |
$1.07 |
$1.34 |
$1.34 |
$1.34 |
= |
$9.14 |
|
COMMUNICATIONS & NAVIGATION |
|
|
|
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.27 |
$0.54 |
$0.81 |
$1.21 |
$1.34 |
$0.94 |
$0.81 |
$0.54 |
$0.54 |
$0.67 |
$0.81 |
$0.81 |
$0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.54 |
= |
$11.02 |
|
MARS LAUNCH VEHICLE DEV. |
|
|
|
|
$0.97 |
$2.55 |
$3.22 |
$2.69 |
$1.48 |
$0.27 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
= |
$11.18 |
|
MARS LAUNCH COST |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$2.69 |
$4.03 |
$4.03 |
$4.03 |
$4.03 |
$4.03 |
$4.03 |
= |
$26.87 |
|
ADMINISTRATION & STAFF |
|
|
$0.27 |
$0.54 |
$0.81 |
$1.07 |
$1.34 |
$1.61 |
$1.88 |
$2.15 |
$2.15 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
$2.42 |
= |
$36.01 |
|
OPERATIONS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.04 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
$0.08 |
= |
$0.60 |
|
FACILITIES & TEST BEDS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.01 |
$0.08 |
$0.13 |
$0.40 |
$0.27 |
$0.01 |
$0.04 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
= |
$0.95 |
|
TECHNOLOGY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
$0.13 |
= |
$0.81 |
|
SUBTOTAL: |
|
|
$0.34 |
$0.81 |
$2.04 |
$3.99 |
$6.77 |
$8.40 |
$8.01 |
$8.24 |
$10.29 |
$12.71 |
$13.18 |
$7.20 |
$9.22 |
$11.23 |
$11.64 |
$11.10 |
$10.56 |
$10.56 |
$10.69 |
= |
$156.97 |
|
WITH RESERVE (50%) |
|
|
$0.5 |
$1.2 |
$3.1 |
$6.0 |
$10.2 |
$12.6 |
$12.0 |
$12.4 |
$15.4 |
$19.1 |
$19.8 |
$10.8 |
$13.8 |
$16.8 |
$17.5 |
$16.6 |
$15.8 |
$15.8 |
$16.0 |
= |
$235.45 |
The Space Exploration Initiative [SEI] would have required a doubling of NASA's annual budget in
Fiscal 2000. Up to $15-17 billion per year would have been spent first on the lunar
outpost and later on manned flights to Mars. Also shown is the National Space Commission's
"Pioneering the Space Frontier" [PSF] plan from 1986 which was equally expensive but set
somewhat more ambitious goals. Unfortunately, the end of the Cold War forced NASA to indefinitely
postpone manned flights to the Moon and Mars. The agency's actual budget has actually
decreased slightly since 1992.
SOURCES:
- REPORT OF THE 90-DAY STUDY ON HUMAN EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND MARS
, NASA/Johnson Space Center [November 1989]
- PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF EXPLORATION PROGRAM COST
, NASA [July 4, 1989]
