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Robotbeat
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« Reply #30 on: 02/21/2013 03:31 PM » |
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As I've mentioned to a few people offline, there's going to be an IEEE paper discussing the mission that will be presented in about two weeks at their aerospace conference. Jeff Foust was able to dig that out and get a copy, and provides some details here:
http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/02/21/new-insights-on-that-private-crewed-mars-mission/
Key points (that I feel ok sharing since Jeff made them public):
* Two person mission
* Free-return trajectory that flies by Mars
* Launched on a Falcon Heavy
* Modified Dragon spacecraft
* Privately funded, but leveraging NASA expertise in a few key technical areas (TPS and ECLSS)
While I'm not a manned spacecraft guru by any stretch of the imagination, my read of the paper left me feeling pretty confident that the idea was technically feasible (ambitious? yes. balsy? yes. aggressive mass targets? yes. achievable? probably.)
~Jon
Looks possible, and only just /slightly/ outside of current long-duration spaceflight experience (current max is 438 days, and the cosmonaut was still able to walk afterwards). If you can get people who don't mind being cramped for a year and a half... Maybe pick really small people?  But seriously, this is within the realm of the possible.
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Ben the Space Brit
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« Reply #31 on: 02/21/2013 03:39 PM » |
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No habitat module? I guess it's doable but the lack of room for exercise equipment will probably mean an unpleasant return to gravity.  Looks possible, and only just /slightly/ outside of current long-duration spaceflight experience (current max is 438 days, and the cosmonaut was still able to walk afterwards). Robot, don't forget that was a Mir mission. That means a much larger living space and exercise equipment to stop muscle and bone degeneration. I'm sure a little mitigation can be achieved by use of medicines and food supplements but the very tight mass budget will make it difficult to do as much as I'm sure most space medical experts would be happy with. Oh, it's doable but it would probably mean a long hospital stay after splash down/landing. I'd still be happier with a Dragonlab at the other end for more consumables storage space and room for exercise equipment and maybe even some in-flight science equipment. My preferred escape burn configuration: [EDS1][EDS2][Dragonlab][Dragonrider][In-flightPropulsionUnit]
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apace
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« Reply #32 on: 02/21/2013 03:39 PM » |
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Put a BEAM on top of it and you would like have a nice spacecraft to fly with it...
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guckyfan
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« Reply #33 on: 02/21/2013 03:41 PM » |
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Sure it's dangerous. But come on, what isn't? Now don't jump on me as being insensitive but lets get real. Last year in the US alone over 32000 people died just commuting in their autos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year). That’s about 90 people per day.
This is a lousy way to make an argument. Yeah, maybe 90 people per day die in auto accidents, but what is the death rate per journey? If somebody told you that there was a 50% chance that you would be killed every time you got behind the wheel of your car would you ever drive? At what point is that accident rate low enough for you to do it? Would you do it if there was only a 1% fatality rate? (Work it out in your head. You'll realize that even at 1%, there's a pretty good chance you'll be dead in a few years.)
You're making an absolutist comparison when a relative comparison is called for.
Who is making the wrong comparison here? Would I use my car to communte every day with a 1% chance of death? Certainly not. Would I take that ride to Mars with a 1% chance of death? Certainly yes.
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spectre9
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« Reply #34 on: 02/21/2013 03:42 PM » |
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So who's the billionaire?
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guckyfan
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« Reply #35 on: 02/21/2013 03:44 PM » |
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I guess it's doable but the lack of room for exercise equipment will probably mean an unpleasant return to gravity.
Some elastic ribbons can make nice exercise equipment. Maybe a vibrator plate could fit into the weight budget. I have high hopes for those for long microgravity trips.
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StephenB
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« Reply #36 on: 02/21/2013 03:52 PM » |
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501 days? Levi's sponsorship? Remember, you heard it here first.
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spectre9
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« Reply #37 on: 02/21/2013 03:59 PM » |
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Doesn't pass the Jerry Maguire test it seems..... NEXT!
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Robotbeat
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« Reply #38 on: 02/21/2013 04:02 PM » |
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...
Looks possible, and only just /slightly/ outside of current long-duration spaceflight experience (current max is 438 days, and the cosmonaut was still able to walk afterwards).
Robot, don't forget that was a Mir mission. That means a much larger living space and exercise equipment to stop muscle and bone degeneration. I'm sure a little mitigation can be achieved by use of medicines and food supplements but the very tight mass budget will make it difficult to do as much as I'm sure most space medical experts would be happy with. ...
The Mir guys just had an exercise bike and resistive/compressive garments, could easily fit in a Dragon. I don't believe they had the resistance training or treadmill of ISS.
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Ben the Space Brit
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« Reply #39 on: 02/21/2013 04:15 PM » |
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...
Looks possible, and only just /slightly/ outside of current long-duration spaceflight experience (current max is 438 days, and the cosmonaut was still able to walk afterwards).
Robot, don't forget that was a Mir mission. That means a much larger living space and exercise equipment to stop muscle and bone degeneration. I'm sure a little mitigation can be achieved by use of medicines and food supplements but the very tight mass budget will make it difficult to do as much as I'm sure most space medical experts would be happy with. ...
The Mir guys just had an exercise bike and resistive/compressive garments, could easily fit in a Dragon. I don't believe they had the resistance training or treadmill of ISS.
Yeah, but don't forget all the other things that also have to fit in there - specifically 500 days' consumables for two crew. I'm pretty sure that, at least at launch, they'll be wedged in their smaller-than-normal-spec seats like the astronauts were during Project Gemini and will literally have to eat themselves free over a period of months. Yes, I'm saying that they'll be trapped in their launch couches for a very, very long time.
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guckyfan
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« Reply #40 on: 02/21/2013 04:32 PM » |
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The Mir guys just had an exercise bike and resistive/compressive garments, could easily fit in a Dragon. I don't believe they had the resistance training or treadmill of ISS.
Yeah, but don't forget all the other things that also have to fit in there - specifically 500 days' consumables for two crew. I'm pretty sure that, at least at launch, they'll be wedged in their smaller-than-normal-spec seats like the astronauts were during Project Gemini and will literally have to eat themselves free over a period of months. Yes, I'm saying that they'll be trapped in their launch couches for a very, very long time.
Eating through won't help unless they have a means to get rid of the waste. I think the modification would include some inflatable module that contains most of the consumables. At least such a flight would clarify a lot about the radiation issue.
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R7
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« Reply #41 on: 02/21/2013 04:41 PM » |
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get rid of the waste ... the radiation issue.
Don't get rid of the waste, use it. Call it Mitigate Radiation HArm turNKEY concept.
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jongoff
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« Reply #42 on: 02/21/2013 05:02 PM » |
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Doesn't pass the Jerry Maguire test it seems..... NEXT! They haven't even had the press conference yet, and we only have technical details leaked from one paper, and you're already writing the idea off? While I agree that without "the money", they won't go anywhere, I for one will at least reserve judgement until after the press conference. ~Jon
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Lar
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« Reply #43 on: 02/21/2013 05:08 PM » |
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My question is "why do this", other than the coolness factor. What meaningful science or exploration or exploitation can be accomplished? Long duration is about all I came up with. Or is the speculation that they are going to have some really cool instruments to do observations with as they fly by? I hope they pick a pair of people who REALLY like each other.  Not a lot of privacy
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StephenB
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« Reply #44 on: 02/21/2013 05:11 PM » |
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My question is "why do this" Exploration. One potential upside I see with all of these new ventures is that success in one could lift all boats by increased involvement, mindshare, participation, and funding. Success can breed investment.
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