Journey to Mars / Let's Get Started

 Photo and Illustration Credit: NASA, unless noted otherwise.

The Journey to Mars, Part 2

01 December 2015

The Space Launch System (SLS) will be the prime mover that launches astronauts and cargo into orbit for the work that must be done in cislunar space during the next two decades, or so, in preparation for the Voyage to Mars.

"And what, exactly, is this work that must be done?"   (you might ask).

"Good question !"  I reply.

NASA has developed an excellent plan which we (YOU & I) can read online, or print for reference.  Check it out at . . .

 http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/journey-to-mars-next-steps-20151008_508.pdf

I have printed the plan for my own reference (all 35 pages of it) and it has turned out to be one of my major sources of information about The Journey to Mars.

I hasten to point out that 35 pages is not enough to include all the multitude of details about specific task that must be completed before blasting off for Mars.  The "multitude of details" will be the subject(s) of future posts on this blog ( with a detour now and then to present supporting material).

The plan  for The Journey to Mars is divided into three broad PHASES:

Phase 1: EARTH RELIANT

The Earth reliant Phase focuses on research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by testing technologies and advancing human health and performance, including:
[] Human health and behavioral research
[] Advanced Communications systems
[] Material flammability tests
[] Extravehicular operations
[] Mars mission environmental control and life support systems
[] 3-D printing
[] Material handling tests for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstrations

Phase 2: PROVING GROUND

Primarily operating in cislunar space, NASA will advance and validate capabilities required for human exploration of Mars:
[] A series of Exploration Missions (EMs), starting with EM-1, the first integrated test of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). Test is planned for 2018.
[] Robotic Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) in 2020 that will collect a large boulder from a near-Earth asteroid, then ferry it to the Proving Ground and the Asteroid Redirect Crew Mission that will allow astronauts to investigate and sample the boulder
[] Concepts to minimize resupply needs through reduction, reuse, and cycling of consumables, packaging, and materials
[] Other key operational capabilities required to become Earth Independent

Phase 3: EARTH INDEPENDENT

Earth independent activities build on what we learn on ISS and in cislunar space to enable human missions to the Mars vicinity, including the Martian Moons, and eventually the Martian surface.  Future Mars missions will represent a collaborative effort among NASA and its partners - - a global achievement that marks a transition in humanity’s expansions we go to Mars not just to visit, but to stay.

The photo of the ISS with flags of NASA’s "partner" nations added is shown below . . .



Worth special notice: for political reasons the Chinese flag is not included because China is not allowed to use the ISS.

By the way, you may have noticed that NASA has their own way of giving names to things and activities, and also uses lots of acronyms.  I found this to be a bit daunting when I first began doing research.  The good news is that I have collected an ever growing list of Terminology, Definitions and Acronyms that I refer to often.  I think this list may be useful to YOU, so I’ll check it twice for errors and omissions, correct the errors I find, and post it here for you to use however you see fit.

A short list of Terminology, Definitions, and Acronyms (TD and A) that may be helpful as you read the first few blog posts following the one you are reading right now . . .

Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM): This mission (or missions) will place an asteroid into cislunar space as well as return samples to the ISS and/or Earth for further study.

Asteroid Redirect Robotic Vehicle (ARRV): The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), also known as the Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization (ARU) mission and the Asteroid Initiative, is a potential future space mission proposed by NASA. Still in the early stages of planning and development, the spacecraft would rendezvous with a large near-Earth asteroid and use robotic arms with anchoring grippers to retrieve a 6-meter boulder from the asteroid.  [[ Info from Wikipedia. ]]

Cislunar Space:  The space between the earth and the moon, plus other near earth space a bit beyond the moon, but nowhere near Mars.  This area is also called the Proving Ground.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO): An orbit around Earth with an altitude between 160 kilometers (99 mi) (orbital period of about 88 minutes), and 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) (with an orbital period of about 127 minutes).

MOXIE: A small experimental ISRU device that  extracts Oxygen from carbon dioxide (CO2 in a process  called "solid oxide electrolysis".  MOXIE will be tested on the ISS and will be a part of the 2020 rover.

[] SLS Block 1B Crew will add an expanded upper stage.  Exploration Mission 2  (EM-2) will be manned and will test and validate key operational capabilities that are required to become Earth Independent.

Shown, below, is a part of the SLS where the four RS-25 main engines attach to the rocket on the adapter to the left (in white)
and the bottom section of the Core Stage on the right (yellowish).  This structure has passed all preliminary tests and is ready to be assembled to the rest of the rocket.



I think that is enough to give you a "taste" of what’s coming next.

'Till then, keep looking up.