Drop off some orbiters from the mission spacecraft. After all, the instruments on most space probes usually don't mass that much.If the flight is Earth-Venus-Mars-Earth free return trajectory than you might able to deploy some short duration orbiter around Venus or even even Venusian atmospheric probes.
If there would be a Venus flyby too why doesn't the press release advertize it? It's just "historic journey to Mars and back". Surely Venus flyby would be as historic?
What sort of mission cost are we looking at here? The launch vehicle, Dragon capsule, consumables and fuel alone have to push this to $500M+? Add in 4-5 years of preparation, training, etc... Could this be done for <= $1B? Where is the money coming from? I'm sure they could get some commercial sponsors and maybe even an exclusive TV deal that would pay some bills, but even that wouldn't get all the way to $1B I don't expect...
Quote from: jongoff on 02/21/2013 02:14 pm* Launched on a Falcon Heavy* Privately funded, but leveraging NASA expertise in a few key technical areas (TPS and ECLSS)What's FH's TMI capability? Thought D4H beats it even to GTO. Isn't Paragon there to provide the ECLSS.
* Launched on a Falcon Heavy* Privately funded, but leveraging NASA expertise in a few key technical areas (TPS and ECLSS)
Make sure it's a man and a woman and they REALLY like each other, and broadcast vid??? But no, "porn on the internet wants to be free" so I don't see that as raising hundreds of millionsBillionaire funding seems the most reliable source.
Quote from: guckyfan on 02/21/2013 05:05 pmI am interested to learn what is so special with the 2018 date.It is because of the planetary alignment, so you can do a free return flight.something like in this picture.
I am interested to learn what is so special with the 2018 date.
it's about 9,000kg through TMI
Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 02/21/2013 05:32 pm it's about 9,000kg through TMI So it's either really small people or multiple launches.
But what would the mass for that Venus flyby trajectory be?
So they want to keep 2 people confined inside a Dragon for 500 days?Where are they going to keep all their food, and water, and spare parts, and trash? How are they going to develop ECLSS that can last that long without the ability to deliver replacement parts (considering the failure rate of the ISS ECLSS)? How will they fit all that closed-loop ECLSS inside a Dragon (considering the size of the ISS ECLSS) and still maintain some usable living space?
And above all, how will they pay for it all?Sorry, not convinced.
If there would be a Venus flyby too why doesn't the press release advertize it?
Quote from: R7 on 02/21/2013 05:25 pmIf there would be a Venus flyby too why doesn't the press release advertize it? No Venus flyby, although it does get close to Venus' orbit when the planet is not nearby. Aerocapture at Earth, then reentry.
Where are they going to keep all their food, and water, and spare parts, and trash?
Quote from: Space Pete on 02/21/2013 05:45 pmWhere are they going to keep all their food, and water, and spare parts, and trash?Oh, and I forgot to add exercise equipment.
Quote from: Space Pete on 02/21/2013 06:35 pmQuote from: Space Pete on 02/21/2013 05:45 pmWhere are they going to keep all their food, and water, and spare parts, and trash?Oh, and I forgot to add exercise equipment.Mir-style equipment would fit in a Dragon.