dtbaird - 16/9/2006 8:57 PM
I agree that a derivative of one of these lander concepts would be a viable option for a human Mars habitat. Does anyone on L2 know if LM has given much thought to a Martian habitat yet?
Of course, all this Mars habitat talk is in its infant stages because we just barely have the technology to land something as large as MSL on the surface, which is small compared to a Mars habitat.
The excellent presentation deals with Lunar, but there are references to Mars.
"The eventual objective of the Vision for Space Exploration is to land humans on Mars. Initial missions to the
Moon should be conceived using a ‘Mars Back’ philosophy which first considers how Mars missions would be
performed, and then works backward to design the lunar mission in a manner which develops necessary technology
and demonstrates relevant operational approaches. Most details of a Mars mission are undefined, but two features
are common to nearly all recent Mars mission proposals: very long surface stays, and In Situ Resource Utilization
(ISRU). Demonstrating long duration surface stays on the Moon will require a lunar surface base..............
........... The crew transport function should be
thought of as a ‘taxi’ rather than a ‘camper.’ The lander should support the crew for short periods of time during
descent and ascent, rather than having the crew live in the lander for weeks at a time. The lander should also be
compatible with eventual transition to lunar-produced propellants in order to demonstrate ISRU operations for a
Mars mission, and to reduce the cost of ongoing lunar missions..."
..and so on.
