Difference between revisions of "Transport from Earth to Mars"
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==People== | ==People== | ||
Revision as of 00:57, 9 November 2010
Mars missions require the transport of equipment, material and people from Earth to Mars, and possibly back to Earth. This page wants to clarify the needed transportation volume and the proposed technology.
what would we fo if one day all of earths rescorces ran out?????? scientists know :-)
we could move to mars and live in a biosphere because mars would not be able to hold life because the temperature is -80 degrees and mars' atmosphere is so thick it is impossible to support life and also in 95% csrbon-dioxide.
People
For colonization of Mars the colonists are traveling only one way. The journey takes at least about 6 months.
During the journey the astronauts are subject to radiation, which requires means to protect them. Cosmic radiation and solar wind cause DNA damage, which increases the risk of cancer significantly. The effect of long term space travel in the interplanetary space is unknown, but scientists estimate up to 19% probability for male persons to die of cancer because of the radiation during the journey to Mars and back to Earth. Together with the base probability of 20% for a male person on Earth to die from cancer this gives a probability of 39%. For women the probability is even higher due to their larger glandular tissues. [1]
Good radiation shielding means heavy space ships, and heavy space ships can not be lifted from a planet's surface to an orbit. The only possible way to use such a heavy space ship for more than just a handful of people is to keep it on a cyclic trajectory, commuting between Earth' orbit and Mars' orbit. Legacy rocketry can provide lifting and landing.
People need to eat, drink and breath during the journey. With currently known technology only a few persons can be brought to Mars with a single ship.
Artificial gravity through centrifugal force can be established in order to avoid health damage of the astronauts, although exercise is enough to prevent damage from zero-g.
Landing on Mars
Aerobreaking can be used to decelerate during approach when entering the orbit. Only small probes have touched down on the Martian surface up to now, using parachutes, balloon cushions and rockets.
A space elevator might be a possible solution for large amounts of material as well as for persons. Expensive climbing technology is not necessary for landing on Mars.
Open Issues
- How many tonnes per vehicle can be brought to Mars with existing technology?
- How many people per vehicle can be brought to Mars with existing technology?
- What technology is required to land big vessels smoothly on Mars?
- Which technology is good for cargo, which for manned transportation?
