PCN,
Is Mars Ever Really Going to Happen?
Jul 17,
2020
6 Technologies
NASA is Advancing to Send Humans to Mars
Mars is an obvious source of inspiration for science fiction
stories. It is familiar and well-studied, yet different and far enough away to
compel otherworldly adventures. NASA has its sights on the Red Planet for many
of the same reasons.
Robots, including the Perseverance rover launching
soon to Mars, teach us about what it’s like on the surface. That intel helps
inform future human missions to the Red Planet. We’ll also need to outfit
spacecraft and astronauts with technologies to get them there, explore the
surface, and safely return them home. The roundtrip mission, including time in
transit – from and back to Earth – and on the Martian surface, will take about
two years.
Technology development has already begun to enable a crewed Mars mission as
early as the 2030s. Many of the capabilities will be demonstrated at the Moon
first, during the Artemis missions, while
other systems are more uniquely suited for deeper space. Here are six technologies
NASA is working on to make Mars science fiction a reality.
1. Powerful propulsion systems to get us there
(and home!) quicker
Astronauts bound for Mars will travel about 140 million miles into
deep space. Advancements in propulsion capabilities are the key to reaching our
destination as quickly and safely as possible.
It is too soon to say which propulsion system will take astronauts
to Mars, but we know it needs to be nuclear-enabled to reduce travel time. NASA
is advancing multiple options, including nuclear electric and nuclear thermal
propulsion. Both use nuclear fission but are very different from each other.
A nuclear electric rocket is more efficient, but it doesn’t generate a lot of
thrust. Nuclear thermal propulsion, on the other hand, provides much more
“oomph.”
Whichever system is selected, the fundamentals of nuclear
propulsion will reduce the crew’s time away from Earth. The agency and its
partners are developing, testing, and maturing critical components of various
propulsion technologies to reduce the risk of the first human mission to Mars.
Illustration of a spacecraft with a
nuclear-enabled propulsion system. Credits: NASA
2. Inflatable heat shield to land astronauts on
other planets
The largest rover we’ve landed on Mars is about the size of a car,
and sending humans to Mars will require a much bigger spacecraft. New
technologies will allow heavier spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere,
approach the surface, and land close to
where astronauts want to explore.
NASA is working on an inflatable heat
shield that
allows the large surface area to take up less space in a rocket than a rigid
one. The technology could land spacecraft on any planet with an atmosphere. It
would expand and inflate before it enters the Martian atmosphere to land cargo
and astronauts safely.
The technology isn’t ready for the Red Planet just yet. An
upcoming flight test of a 6-meter
diameter (about 20-feet) prototype will demonstrate how the aeroshell performs
as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. The test will prove it can survive the intense
heat during entry at Mars.
Engineers prepare for the flexible heat shield installation on the inflatable structure. The view is from bottom side, and the heat shield is on top.
Credits: NASA’s Langley
Research Center
3. High-tech Martian spacesuits
Spacesuits are essentially custom spacecraft for astronauts.
NASA’s latest spacesuit is so high-tech, its modular design is engineered to be
evolved for use anywhere in space.
The first woman and the next man on the Moon will wear
NASA’s next-generation
spacesuits called the exploration extravehicular mobility unit or xEMU.
The spacesuits prioritize crew safety while also allowing Artemis Generation
moonwalkers to make more natural, Earth-like movements and accomplish tasks
that weren’t possible during the Apollo missions.
Future upgrades to address the differences on Mars may include
technology for life support functionality in the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere
and modified outer garments to keep astronauts warm during the Martian winter
and prevent overheating in the summer season.
NASA’s next-generation spacesuit is
designed to give astronauts more mobility on the Moon and Mars.
Credits: NASA
4. Martian home and lab on wheels
To reduce the number of items needed to land on the surface, NASA
will combine the first Martian home and vehicle into a single rover complete
with breathable air.
NASA has conducted extensive rover testing on Earth to
inform development of a pressurized mobile home on the Moon. Artemis astronauts
who live and work in the future pressurized Moon rover will be able to offer
feedback to help refine the rover capabilities for astronauts on Mars. NASA’s
robotic rovers will help with the Martian design, too – everything from the
best wheels for Mars to how a larger vehicle will navigate the tough terrain.
Much like an RV, the pressurized rover will have everything inside
that astronauts need to live and work for weeks. They can drive in comfortable
clothing, tens of miles from the spacecraft that will launch them back to space
for the return trip to Earth. When they encounter interesting locations,
astronauts can put on their high-tech spacesuits to exit the rover and collect
samples and conduct science experiments.
Left: Illustration of a pressurized rover
on Mars. Right: NASA is currently working to on a vehicle that will be able to
navigate tough terrain on the Red Planet.
Credits: NASA
5. Uninterrupted power
Like we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts
will need a reliable power supply to explore Mars. The system will need to be
lightweight and capable of running regardless of its location or the weather on
the Red Planet.
Mars has a day and night cycle like Earth and periodic dust storms
that can last for months, making nuclear fission power a more reliable option
than solar power. NASA already tested the technology on Earth and
demonstrated it is safe, efficient, and plentiful enough to enable
long-duration surface missions. NASA plans to demonstrate and use the fission
power system on the Moon first, then Mars.
Illustration of a nuclear fission power
system concept on Mars. Credits:
NASA
6. Laser communications to send more
information home
Human missions to Mars may use lasers to stay in touch with Earth.
A laser communications system at Mars could send large amounts of real-time
information and data, including high-definition images and video feeds.
Sending a map of Mars to Earth might take nine years with current
radio systems, but as little as nine weeks with laser communications. The technology would also allow us to communicate with
astronauts, to see and hear more of their adventures on the Red Planet.
NASA proved laser communications is possible with a demonstration from the Moon in
2013. The agency’s next demo will work through
different operational scenarios, perfect the pointing system, and address
technology challenges from low-Earth orbit – things like clouds and other
communications disruptions. NASA is building small systems to test for human
spaceflight, including on the International Space Station and the first crewed
Artemis mission. Another laser communications payload will venture to deep space to help inform
what it takes to use the same technology millions and millions of miles away
from Earth.
Illustration of a spacecraft using laser
communications to relay data from Mars to Earth. Credits: NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center
To learn more about NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach,
visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars
Last Updated: Jul 20, 2020
Editor: Loura Hall
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