Mars For Less - Latest News
1 October 2006

Mars Society Conference 2006

Human Mars Missions with Orbiter - MSC 2006 - Presentation prepared and given by Bruce Irving at the 2006 Mars Society Conference - August 5 2006 (800kb PDF). A more detailed technical paper presented at the conference is now also available to download.

More picture of the MFL Project can be seen on Bruce Irving's Flickr site. Also be sure to check his Blog for the latest news from this years Mars Society Conference.

 

The Mars for Less Reference Mission developed by Grant Bonin, is basically Robert Zubrins Mars Direct Architecture, but divided into smaller components that can be launched using today's medium lift launchers from a variety of nations. For this project, the freely available Ariane 5 launcher by Thomas Ruth was used and adapted for the purpose of launching the various spacecraft elements to LEO for assembly.

The project is now close to being publicly released, and all the major elements are working and have been tested. For this purpose, the specification for the Ariane 5 was revised from the original add-on, with thrust values and component masses checked and revised, as well as the use of a Vulcain 3 main core engine, an engine that as yet only exists on paper.

On orbit assembly is conducted by a series of launches using a guidance program for the Ariane 5 that when initiated at the correct time inserts the various components into LEO with a minimum of difference in relative inclination. Rendezvous can usually be achieved within five orbits using standard Orbiter instruments, using the Ariane upper stage to close the distance to within 1Km at near zero relative velocity. Thereafter separation of the payload takes place and docking maneuvers commence. This results in a nearly fully fuelled Proteus booster being delivered and mated to the stack. Testing in Orbiter has shown that nearly 75% of fuel remains in the Ariane 5 upper stages after delivery. In the real world  it is likely that the upper stage would remain attached until the delivery of the next booster and so provide re-boost of the part constructed spacecraft until such time that it is complete.

Limitations (so far) are:

  • Maneuvering such a large stack of modules all docked together is impossible with RCS thrusters at normal values, so for to be of use in the early boost phases of the mission their thrust value has to be increased  by10x. This works but is wasteful of fuel and if not handled carefully can use too much. A workaround is to use Orbiters unlimited fuel setting until just before the TMI burn, quit the scenario and begin again with limited fuel this time. This is repeated before each boost phase of the mission.

  • The problem of using the Ariane upper stage for orbit re-boost was solved by making a new upper stage that combines the cradle mesh, and using spacecraft2.dll for it instead of it being an entry in the multistage config. The Proteus is now a payload of this craft. Improvements are the use of rotational RCS, and the ability to jettison the Proteus in Orbit but then re-dock to it (now they are separate spacecraft). The upper stage is then available to re-boost the stack, though in Orbiter this is usually unnecessary.

  • Heatshield interference with the lower RCS, and tether attachment have been resolved with the use of an additional adapter.

 


Mars for Less Ariane 5  launch from Kourou CSG, by Mustard and Papyref

 


The 'Internationalised' Ariane 5 just after lift-off

 


The MTSV HAB section launched to LEO.

 


Launch of Proteus L1 (with new tether mechanism) by Ariane 5.

 


Separation: Ariane 5 upper stage 'tug' (using spacecraft.dll) will deliver Proteus L1 (payload) to its final orbit. On jettison of the payload, Proteus L1 becomes a spacecraft in its own right, that can be undocked and re-docked from the upper stage 'tug'. The upper stage can be left attached, or stationed nearby to perform orbit re-boost operations. It has 10t of propellants and an 1100 second burn time. Only 25% of its fuel is used in delivering the 25t Proteus boosters to 265 km orbit.

 


An (alternative) wider fairing version of the Ariane5, that may be used to launch re-designed (wider)  MTSV and ERV modules, seen here as the booster thrust begins to fall, just before separation.

 


The whole stack with the latest iteration of the ERV about to depart for Mars.

 


Proteus boosters now have animated solar panels.

 


The whole MTSV  assembly in LEO.

 


CEV Launch. The Mars for Less project (Earth launch scenarios only) now use the atmospheric effects developed by Simcosmos for his CLV project, a version of which he has kindly configured for us.

 


If you look closely you can just make out the launch of the CLV/CEV from the Cape.

 


Rendezvous: CEV delivers Crew  to the whole spacecraft assembly in LEO.

 


Returning for the fourth time to complete the Trans Mars Injection burn at perigee.

 

The following data and screenshots were made by Mark Paton who is developing the spacecraft and Mars Entry, Descent and Landing sequences for the MFL project.

 

Full Approach & Landing Sequence







MTSV approaching the base using engines & chute to slow the descent.

 


Final descent is made using main engines and RCS for an accurate landing. 

 


Above, the MTSV. The door and ladder are at the back now. The grey rectangle is the garage door. A temporary name for the base is Mandya Arti named after the place described in the Australian aboriginal story ‘How the hills came to be’. 

 


An earlier iteration of the ERV.

 


Mandya Arti Base Camp

 


Liftoff

 


Goodbye to Vallis Dao

 


ERV in Martian orbit after ascent.

 


Close-up view of the ERV.

 


Back at Earth after having used IMFD for a surface take-off from Mars, the ERV aerobrakes back into orbit, at 11.5km/s with 1% fuel remaining. This first attempt failed and I skipped of the atmosphere.

 


Another Try! This time a steeper approach over the frozen Artic, with perigee lowered to minus 300 km. Less energy was lost this time and only 1.2% fuel was needed to achieve a safe, if highly elliptical Orbit.

 


Hello Folks! After aerobraking the ERV passes close to the Cape.

 


With only 2% fuel remaining the perigee is raised from high Earth orbit over Antartica.

 


With some better engine spec I found, there was enough fuel for a 32 degree inc orbit.

 

Links

 

Additional Add-ons Required

** Expected Add-on Release Date - October 2006 **

 

 

Used in the Mars Society Conference Presentation

 

Additional Reading

 

The Mars for Less Orbiter Mission, is brought to you by:

Mark Paton,
Bruce Irving,
Andy McSorley
Antonio Maia
with advice and support from its creator, Grant Bonin.

 

Additional Credit:

Original Ariane 5 mesh and textures (modified) by Thomas Ruth,
Booster textures (modified) by Scrooge McDuck.
Vallis Dao by jtiberius.
Kourou CSG, by Mustard and Papyref.
New main engine textures by McWgogs.

 

CEV Launch accomplished using
Simcosmos CEV Launcher & Atmospheric Effects
Francis Drakes CEV.

 

Last, but Not Least
Vinka, for his Multistage2 and Spacecraft Modules

 
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