Naturally, every bit shaved off the overall mass is a benefit. Each kilogram transported upwards from Martian surface to orbit will require approximately seven additional kilograms of fuel. Currently, the Mars ascent craft is projected to weigh, at liftoff, some 24,000-49,000 kilograms depending on final configuration. The core problem, as with any space mission, is weight. Therefore, a major goal is reducing the overall scope of the ascent vehicle. This directly affects crew size, and will likely result in a minimal number of people fulfilling the descent because more crew means a larger vehicle, which means more propellant. The larger the vehicle, the more fuel needed to land it in the first place. Work done by NASA’s Johnson and Marshall Space Flight Centers shed light on the multiple complications of ascending from the Martian surface. It’s an aspect which is still being evaluated.Īrtist’s depiction of a crew lander on the surface of Mars. But on Mars, weight restrictions alone may rule this out. For Apollo, the same vehicle used to land people also carried them off. It’s thin compared to ours (roughly 1 percent of Earth’s), but certainly present, and dictates multiple design aspects of a Martian ascent vehicle that lunar landing engineers never had to address. Mars is much larger than the Moon – it’s just over half the size of Earth – and thus has a heftier gravitational barrier to overcome. On top of that, returning astronauts needed only a few hours in lunar orbit to link their ascender back up again with a fellow astronaut in his separate return craft.Ī flight to Mars presents numerous technical challenges which dwarf the complexities of a lunar landing. Also, no real atmosphere stands in the way of upward departure from the surface. This fact reduced lunar gravity to a manageable obstacle. For starters the Moon is comparatively small, possessing a gravitational pull only one-sixth that of Earth’s. Turns out that leaving the Moon was much simpler, for multiple reasons. You’re probably all like, “What’s the big deal?” Didn’t we already land people on the Moon and return them safely and didn’t we do so using technology that’s now fifty years old? How different can Mars be? Very. ![]() In a sense, arriving at Mars really means the trip is only half over. After collecting rock samples, taking photos and performing all the other tasks demanded by this mission, the intrepid explorers will then face a daunting challenge, one often overlooked by most – leaving. ![]() One day in the future, humans might actually land on the surface of Mars. ![]() Image Credit: James Vaughan / SpaceFlight Insider Crewed Mars spacecraft in orbit the Red Planet.
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