Near-Term Mars Colonization -A Develop Space Project June

Near-Term Mars Colonization -A Develop. Space Project. June 28 th, 2008

Agenda • Transportation architecture revisited • Surface manufacturing strategy • Surface food production strategy • Hab update (Arthur)

Transportation Update • Previous transportation strategy was based on use of ~12 mt aeroshells with diameters around 5 m • This leads to a significantly increased number of aeroshells that need to be built, as well as to reduced maximum volume of items that can be transported to Mars • Analysis was carried out to determine whether it is possible to use a single ~24 mt aeroshell Trajectory / aerodynamic limit • Upper stage diameters: – Falcon 9 heavy: 3. 6 m – Delta IV heavy: 5 m • => Hammerhead required

Aerodynamic Properties • Basic shape is blunted cone with 20 -degree side-wall angle • Achieves L/D of 0. 3 at 18. 5 -degree angle of attack • Drag coefficient of ~1. 5 at 18. 5 degree angle of attack • Shape is similar to Space. X Dragon capsule – May be possible to utilize aerodynamic database from Dragon – Possibly use Dragon derivative? Aeroshell Space. X Dragon

Preliminary Transportation Cost Assessment • Falcon 9 Heavy [FY 2008 $] – $ 94. 5 Mn per shot for LEO mission • Lander costs [FY 2004 $] – Dry mass: 2453 kg – Development: $ 1482 Mn – Production (1 st unit): $ 112 Mn • Aeroshell costs [FY 2004 $] – Dry mass: 8000 kg – Development: $ 2839 Mn – Production (1 st unit): $ 245 Mn • TMI stage [FY 2004 $] – Dry mass: ~5000 kg – Development: $ 560 Mn – Production (1 st unit): $ 32 Mn • Approximate marginal cost for transporting 10 mt to the surface of Mars: – (3 x 94. 5 + 2 x 32 + 112 + 245)*1. 2 = 845. 4 – $ 84540 / kg on the surface of Mars

Surface Manufacturing Strategy (1) • Major needs during the early toehold stage: – Manufacturing of spare parts for subsystems – Manufacturing of IVA / EVA tools – Possibly manufacturing of structure for expansion of pressurized volume and for ISCP • Materials than can be produced in-situ on Mars: – – – Polyethylene (PE) and other polymers (from RWGS) Iron / steel (significant infrastructure required) Ceramics and bricks (from baking regolith) Aluminum (significant infrastructure required) Copper (significant infrastructure required) • Chapter 7 in Zubrin’s case for Mars provides a good overview • Quantitative assessment of infrastructure required

Surface Manufacturing Strategy (2) Acquiring water on Mars • 4 possible sources: – – Underground aquifer Topsoil (1 -3% by weight) Atmosphere Permafrost • Extraction from topsoil and atmosphere may be easiest initially (less infrastructure) – Could use tent-like structure, condenser, and sunlight (concept by Zubrin) • Water provides breathing oxygen and hydrogen for further ISCP (also PE) • It has been proposed to synthesize PE based on products from RWGS: – 6 H 2+2 CO 2=>2 H 2 O+2 CO+4 H 2 – 2 CO+4 H 2=>C 2 H 4+2 H 2 O – n x C 2 H 4 => PE • We need to carry out a more detailed analysis of these processes

Food Sourcing (1) • Reminder: food remains one of the largest re-supply items (strong incentive for achieving higher closure) • Ways to close the food loop (in order of difficulty) – – – Growing fruits / vegetables with aeroponics / hydroponics Growing algae, subsequent processing into edible form Growing edible fungi (for some types no light required) Traditional soil agriculture using Martian soil / regolith Breeding animals (chicken, fish; both still quite inefficient) Chemical regeneration of foods (formose, lipids, starch etc. ) • Analysis required to determine which ways are most effective during different stages of colony

Food Sourcing (2) • Notional roadmap as point of departure: – Phase 1: • Food mostly imported from Earth in de-hydrated form • Some fruits and vegetables grown hydro- / aeroponically to supplement de-hydrated food (nutrients brought from Earth) • Possibly use of some fungi / algae as nutrition supplement – Phase 2: • Food partially imported from Earth, partially generated locally • In-situ nutrient production, use of Martian soil • Possibly use of some fungi / algae as nutrition supplement – Phase 3: • Food mostly produced on Mars using in-situ nutrients and soil • Algae and fungi as supplement, possibly also some animals • Predominantly vegetarian life-style

Arthur’s Hab Update • Should be in your inbox at this time…

Backup Slides

Mars Wish List

Transportation • Automated Mars landing and hazard avoidance navigation systems • Mars in-situ propellant production friendly rocket combustion / performance characterization (C 2 H 4/LOX; CH 4/LOX); more important if people want to come back • Large-scale (20 mt+) Mars aero-entry (and EDL more generally) technology • Low mass, cost, power and ideally autonomous deep -space (out to at least ~2 AU) navigation systems (software, hardware)

Power • Automated, large scale (football field+) solar array transport, surface deployment, and maintenance systems • High energy density electrical power storages systems (aiming in particular towards high energy density relative to Earth imported mass) • Mars surface internal combustion engines (LOX, plus various fuels, e. g. , C 2 H 4, CO, etc), possibly with water exhaust reclamation.

Life Support, Logistics, ISRU • • • Mars atmosphere collection systems (at minimum CO 2; adding N 2 and Ar is useful; H 2 O depends on energy/mass intensity relative to other options) Mars permafrost mining systems (for varying wt% H 2 O); note, this is much easier than mining putative lunar ice Good, high capacity Mars surface cryocoolers (options for just soft/medium cryogens (e. g. , LOX, CH 4, C 2 H 4), or also for hard cryogen (LH 2)) Earth-Mars hydrogen transport systems (not necessarily as LH 2) Basic ISRU chemical processing systems (e. g. , H 2 O electrolysis, Sabatier, RWGS, CO 2 electrolysis, ethylene production, etc. ) High closure physical-chemical life support systems (e. g. , air revitalization, water recycling) "Food system" for food supplied from Earth. Consider being able to survive on food shipped 5 years ago. Mars surface food production systems Simple in-situ manufacturing systems (e. g. , for spare parts) Simple raw materials production (e. g. , plastics such polyethylene, epoxies, ceramics, etc. )

Outpost Ops and Surface Exploration • Mars surface communication and navigation systems (e. g. , for rovers), sans extensive satellite constellation • Very high data rate Mars-Earth back-haul comm system • Good Mars surface EVA suits • Data collection, analysis in support of landing site / outpost location selection • Very long distance surface mobility systems (including with people) • Solar flare / SPE warning systems