Mars Journey

This is about NASA's plan. There are other plans by commercial interests that use different equipment.

Yes, Virginia, we are going to Mars. The official term for this is 'Human Mission to Mars', and it will occur sometime in 2023 or later, depending on whether the funding remains.

The main equipment for this mission consists of the Orion MPCV or Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and the Heavy-Lift Space Launch System (SLS). Both of these are under development, but the Orion capsule has already been flight-tested.

Basically, the Orion MPCV is a larger Apollo command module capsule, and is capable of holding 4 to 6 crewmembers on a long flight. In the case of Mars, this means 9 months. Along with this Orion capsule, there is an ATV or automated transfer vehicle, essentially a service module. This unit is fitted with four very large solar panels that will need to supply a lot of power.

There are many technical problems that remain to be solved. One is an automated docking system that is needed to service a landing unit and/or supply modules, both on the arrival at Mars and on the return. The other problem is to create a huge drag parachute to slow the capsule once it has slowed down by friction to 300 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour before splashdown. This system consists of a drag chute and three main parachutes, all of which must work flawlessly after surviving the long journey.

Obviously, there are other mundane problems. One is communication over 80 million miles, the average distance to Mars from Earth. Special land-based antennae have to be developed for this. The other is how to supply the Mars mission. One idea is to send supplies there before the crew arrives. The other is to have supplies in orbit around Mars.

There has been talk about sending people to Mars on one-way trips to live off the land, so to speak. I don't think that's in NASA's mission plan. They will need a launch system to allow the crew to return to Earth. That's a problem that must be worked out before any of this happens.

Thanks for reading.