National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Evolvable Mars Campaign Presentation toAffordable Mars Workshop

Pat Troutman

December 2015

Pioneering Space - Goals“Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach. Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite. And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space -- we will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth.”

- President Obama - April, 2010

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Evolvable Mars Campaign – Study Activity

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Report of the 90-Day Study on Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars

November 1989

• Internal NASA and other Government• International Partners• Commercial and Industrial• Academic• Technology developments• Science discoveries

• An ongoing series of architectural trade analyses to define the capabilities and elements needed for a sustainable human presence on Mars

• Builds off of previous studies and ongoing assessments

• Provides clear linkage of current investments (SLS, Orion, etc.) to future capability needs

Body of Previous Architectures, Design Reference Missions, Emerging Studies and New Discoveries

2010 Authorization Act, National Space Policy, NASA Strategic Plan

Evolvable Mars Campaign

• Establish capacity for people to live and work in space indefinitely

• Expand human presence into the solar system and to the surface of Mars

Element Conceptualization and Design

Mission Operations Development

Trajectory and Orbit Analysis Proving Ground Ops Landing Site Selection and Layout Destination Operations

NASA Decision Processes, Technology Roadmaps & Strategic Investment Plan

Habitat Sizing Lander Mars Ascent Vehicle Design Destination Systems

Capability Needs Analysis

Campaign Analysis, Timelines and Decision Needs

In-space Transportation Systems

Capability Gap Analysis and Roadmap Development Pioneering Space Challenges

Performance Parameter Definition

Strategic PlanningSTMD

ISS

ESDAES

...

Phobos Mars 1 Mars 2ARRMMars 2020

Public

Industry

NAC

Int’l Partners

Congress

EMC Assessment Capability Requires Breadth and Depth

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Strategic Principles for Sustainable Exploration

• Implementable in the near-term with the buying power of current budgets and in the longer term with budgets commensurate with economic growth;

• Exploration enables science and science enables exploration, leveraging robotic expertise for human exploration of the solar system

• Application of high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for near term missions, while focusing sustained investments on technologies and capabilities to address challenges of future missions;

• Near-term mission opportunities with a defined cadence of compelling and integrated human and robotic missions providing for an incremental buildup of capabilities for more complex missions over time;

• Opportunities for U.S. commercial business to further enhance the experience and business base;

• Resilient architecture featuring multi-use, evolvable space infrastructure, minimizing unique major developments, with each mission leaving something behind to support subsequent missions; and

• Substantial new international and commercial partnerships, leveraging the current International Space Station partnership while building new cooperative ventures.

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Strategic Principle Alignment

Strategic Principle EMC Example ImplementationImplementable in the near-term with the buying power of current budgets and in the longer term with budgets commensurate with economic growth.

Evolves via coupled capability and destination sets with the ability to productively pause at set points commensurate with available budget.

Exploration enables science and science enables exploration, leveraging robotic expertise for human exploration of the solar system.

Mars 2020, Asteroid Redirect Mission, Mars Moon Explorer and EDL Pathfinder all reduce risk for human missions while enabling new science.

Application of high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for near term missions, while focusing sustained investments on technologies and capabilities to address challenges of future missions.

Use of ISS, SLS & Orion to enable and access the proving ground. Use of the proving ground to develop the reliability, dormancy tolerance, and system efficiencies required to move beyond the proving ground towards the Mars system.

Near-term mission opportunities with a defined cadence of compelling and integrated human and robotic missions providing for an incremental buildup of capabilities for more complex missions over time.

Mars mission analogs on ISS followed by yearly Orion missions to cis-lunar space in the 2020s, punctuated with robotic pathfinder missions. Aggregation of Mars mission hardware in the late 2020s leading to crewed Mars system Missions in the 2030s.

Opportunities for U.S. commercial business to further enhance the experience and business base.

Commercial support of ISS Mars mission analogs, followed by supply/support of initial cis-lunar habitation and refurbishment/resupply of Mars spacecraft.

Resilient architecture featuring multi-use, evolvable space infrastructure, minimizing unique major developments, with each mission leaving something behind to support subsequent missions;

Initial cis-lunar habitat serves as aggregation node and prototype system for taxis, rovers and ascent vehicles. Monolithic habitat serves as Phobos hab, transit hab (returned and reused) and surface hab. ARM SEP systems evolve into Mars transit systems. Mars surface site is repeatedly visited enabling aggregation of surface assets over multiple missions.

Substantial new international and commercial partnerships, leveraging the current International Space Station partnership while building new cooperative ventures.

The EMC has not limited any functions to NASA only and begins its Mars campaign at ISS along with its commercial and international partners. Additional docking ports will be available in cis-lunar space to accommodate additional partner objectives in addition to partnering on the Mars mission

HAT Cycle 2012-A DraftNASA Internal Use Only – Not for Distribution 7

Continued Leveraging

of Commercial &

International

Partnerships

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International Space Station: Can humans live & operate independently for ~1000 days in micro-G?• Long-duration, Zero-g human

factors research platform• Highly reliable life support,

advanced logistics, low maintenance systems

• Environmental monitoring• Supportability & maintenance

concepts

EARTH RELIANT: ISS Can humans travel to Mars orbit and safely return to Earth?•Deep Space Proving Ground plus:

• High power SEP• ~1000 day deep space habitat(s)• Deep space countermeasures• Mars vicinity propulsion

PHOBOS/DEIMOS/MARS ORBIT MARS SURFACE

Can humans break the supply train with Earth to enable long-term presence?• Phobos/Deimos plus:

• Mars entry & landing systems• Partial-gravity countermeasures• Long duration surface Systems (ISRU,

fission power)

PROVING GROUND: CIS-LUNAR & DEEP SPACE

Bridging from ISS, can human class systems operate in a deep space environment in a crew tended mode for long durations?• Distant Retrograde Orbit:• Heavy lift launch (SLS), Orion• High-power In-Space Propulsion• Initial beyond-Earth orbit habitation- Crew support for increasing

duration• Advanced EVA (Suit, Portable Life Support System)• Deep space long duration systems and operations testing• Aggregation of Mars Mission Vehicles

EARTH INDEPENDENT:

Transportation Architecture Comparisons

SEP / Chem• Chemical (LOX/CH4) propulsive

systems for crew• Requires Long Duration Zero Boil-off

technology development for LOX/CH4 (common with lander propulsion)

• Requires pre-deploy of assets and rendezvous at Mars for crew return

SEP Hybrid• SEP + chemical (bi-prop) propulsive

systems for crew• Requires integration of bi-prop system

with SEP• Requires re-fueling • Reusable propulsion element• Greatly reduces performance variations

amongst Mars mission opportunities

Similarities:• Leverage current investments in

Orion, SLS, and ARV• SEP for cargo• Allow for Deep Space Habitat reuse• Orion operates only in cis-lunar

space• Use of LDRO for aggregation• Deep Space Habitat Requirements• Transit and total mission times for

crew are similar

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GRC COMPASS Hybrid Propulsion Stage Concepts

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Option 1 Option 2

Philosophy Use two 150kW ARRM 1A SEP structure & components

Redistribute two 150kW ARRM 1A SEP components into new structure

Power 435kW (300V) BOL 1AU MegaROSA Array8kW (120V) body mounted commissioning array

435kW (300V) BOL 1AU MegaROSA Array8kW (120V) body mounted commissioning array

Propulsion 24 x 13.3 kW SEP Thrusters10 x 890N Aerojet R-42 Thrusters

32 x Astrium S22-02 RCS ThrustersXeon: 23.1t Bi-Prop: 18.6t

24 x 13.3 kW SEP Thrusters10 x 890N Aerojet R-42 Thrusters

32 x Astrium S22-02 RCS ThrustersXenon: 22.1t Bi-Prop: 17.1t

Thermal Deployed Radiator from ARRM SEP Deployed Radiators from ARRM SEP

Mechanical AL-Li 7m Thrust Tube, composite fittings, 5.5g launch loads, 0.1g on-orbit thrust load

Two 200kW boomed array, ISS SARJ derived gimbal

AL-Li 7m Thrust Tube, composite fittings, 5.5g launch loads, 0.1g on-orbit thrust load

Two 200kW boomed array, ISS SARJ derived gimbal

Vehicle Dry Mass with Growth 21.5 t 20.4 t

Parametric Estimate 18.7 t 18.3 t

Launch Vehicle SLS Block 2B ASB, 10 m fairing SLS Block 2B ASB, 8.4 m fairing

Red denotes difference between Option 1 and Option 2

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Outbound and Inbound Crew Rendezvous in LDHEO

SEP Thrust to Mars

SEP Thrust to Earth

Chemical Mars Orbit Insertion

Chemical Trans Earth Injection

Lunar Gravity Assist departure

Lunar Gravity Assist Arrival

Fully reusable in-space transportation system for crew or cargo

Resupply, refuel, and recertified in cislunar space between crew missions

Hybrid Piloted Mars Architecture

Evolution path to a semi-cycler and ballistic S1 L1 cycler

Refueling and logistics resupply in Cislunar space

Deploy spacecraft to Cislunar space

High Mars orbit dwell

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VALIDATE through analysis and flights• Advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) systems

to move large masses in interplanetary space• Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit as a staging point for

large cargo masses en route to Mars• SLS and Orion in deep space• Long duration, deep space habitation systems• Crew health and performance in a deep space

environment • In-Situ Resource Utilization in micro-g • Operations with reduced logistics capability• Structures and mechanisms

• CONDUCT• EVAs in deep space with sample handling in micro-g• Integrated human and robotic mission operations• Capability Pathfinder and Strategic Knowledge Gap

missions

Enabling Human Missions to Mars

PROVING GROUND OBJECTIVES

The Moons of Mars as a Human Destination

– Rich science– A link to Mars past and its future– Incredible views

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Unexplored and Intriguing

A More Achievable Step

An Enabler for Mars Surface Exploration

– Common crew transportation system to Mars orbit– Low gravity environment for access and exploration– Less investment than Mars surface required

– Alternate mission modes opened up– Low latency tele-operations of Mars surface assets– ISRU potential for sustainable pioneering of Mars

Mars Surface Mission: Becoming Earth Independent

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• Initial Human Missions Include Pathfinders for:• ISRU (water, other resources

extracted from regolith)

• Building infrastructure

• Manufacturing systems in-situ

• Growing food

• Human/Social “Engineering”

• Humans return and reuse infrastructure at a single Mars site.

• Humans Perform Mars Science

Visualization: Future Vision for Mars Field Station

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QUESTIONS?

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