The approach proposed is the use of an emerging commercially available capsule to land the launch vehicle system that would return samples to Earth. Previous studies of MSR have shown that landing an all up sample return mission with a high mass capacity lander is a cost effective approach. A feasibility study was conducted of a potentially simple and low cost approach to Mars Sample Return mission enabled by the use of developing commercial capabilities. Jiang, Xun J.Ī Mars Sample Return mission is the highest priority science mission for the next decade recommended by the recent Decadal Survey of Planetary Science, the key community input process that guides NASAs science missions. Mars Sample Return: Mars Ascent Vehicle Mission and Technology Requirementsīowles, Jeffrey V. The objective of my internship was to model a conceptual MAV design to support NASA's latest human Mars mission architecture trade studies, technology prioritization decisions, and mass, cost, and schedule estimates. In order to assess this design, a general layout and configuration for the spacecraft must be developed. One possible conceptual design to accomplish this task is a two-stage Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). Among the many difficult aspects of a trip to Mars is the return mission that would transport the astronauts from the Martian surface back into Mars orbit. NASA's ultimate goal is the human exploration of Mars. [ Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) Layout and Configuration: 6-Crew, Habitable, Nested Tank Concept Habitable Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) Concept. This paper presents the results of a conceptual design study to obtain a minimal MAV configuration, including subsystem designs and mass summaries. Minimizing the Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) mass is critical in reducing the overall lander mass and also eases the requirements placed on the transportation stages. In NASA's evolvable Mars campaign, transportation architectures for human missions to Mars rely on a combination of solar electric propulsion and chemical propulsion systems. Polsgrove, Tara Thomas, Dan Sutherlin, Steven Stephens, Walter Rucker, Michelle Mars Ascent Vehicle Design for Human Exploration Results of these trades will be presented along with mass and performance estimates for the selected design. This paper explores the sensitivities to trajectory, propulsion, crew cabin size and the benefits and impacts of using a common crew cabin design for the MAV. However, for the MAV, the crew cabin size and mass can have a large impact on vehicle design and performance. A common crew cabin design that can perform in each of these applications is desired and could reduce the overall mission cost. Human missions to Mars may utilize several small cabins where crew members could live for days up to a couple of weeks. Minimizing Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) mass is a priority and minimizing the crew cabin size and mass is one way to do that. The total ascent vehicle mass drives performance requirements for the Mars descent systems and the Earth to Mars transportation elements. Stephens, Walter Collins, Tim Rucker, Michelle Gernhardt, Mike Zwack, Matthew R. Human Mars Ascent Vehicle Configuration and Performance Sensitivities To support the project s evaluation and development of various technology options the sensitivity of the Mars ascent vehicle gross lift-off mass to engine performance, inert mass, target orbits, and launch conditions has been completed with the results presented herein. The NASA In-Space Propulsion technology project has initiated the development of Mars ascent vehicle technologies with propulsion system performance and launch environments yet to be defined. The primary technology challenge of developing the Mars ascent vehicle system is designing for all conditions while ensuring the mass limitations of the entry descent and landing system are not exceeded. The Mars ascent vehicle must be developed to survive a variety of conditions including the trans- Mars journey, descent through the Martian atmosphere and the harsh Martian surface environments while maintaining the ability to deliver its payload to a low Mars orbit. The Mars ascent vehicle is a critical element of the robotic Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. Mars Ascent Vehicle Gross Lift-off Mass Sensitivities for Robotic Mars Sample Returnĭux, Ian J. This paper presents the results of a variety of sensitivity trades affecting MAV performance including: landing site latitude, target orbit, initial thrust to weight ratio, staging options, specific impulse, propellant type and engine design. Understanding the sensitivity of Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) mass to various mission and vehicle design choices enables overall transportation system optimization. Human Mars mission architecture studies have shown that the ascent vehicle mass drives performance requirements for the descent and in-space transportation elements. Human Mars Ascent Vehicle Performance Sensitivities
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