Anyone fancy a 39-day trip to Mars?

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JazHaz
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Anyone fancy a 39-day trip to Mars?

Post by JazHaz »

In the future it may be possible, with development of better electrical generation in space and a very promising plasma engine under development in a private sector lab in Houston.

See: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/01vasimr/
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drew wrote:
£4,500 though! :shock: <Faints>
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Post by Kaks »

A bit slow, but I wouldn't mind the cruise!

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Post by Micha »

Is that a flyby mission or stop there? The article wasn't very specific on that.. Sounds like they are making some good progress though.
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Post by JensAyton »

That’s a stop of a few days, as I recall.

Of course, getting to Mars is easy. It’s getting back that’s the hard part.
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Post by Killer Wolf »

why?
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Post by JensAyton »

Why which?
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Post by Cmdr James »

I guess why is it harder to get back than to get there.

And I guess the answer is that once you escape earth gravity its "easy" to get there, but you have to take enough fuel, oxygen and so on to get back, and the martian gravity is challenging.
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Post by Uncle Reno »

Ahruman wrote:
Why which?
Err, they offer impartial advice about products you might buy? :wink:

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Post by Killer Wolf »

aye, why the return = harder bit.
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Post by JazHaz »

Kaks wrote:
A bit slow, but I wouldn't mind the cruise!
39 days is a bit slow?

With current chemical propulsion it would be a trip of 500+ days!
JazHaz

Gimi wrote:
drew wrote:
£4,500 though! :shock: <Faints>
Cheers,
Drew.
Maybe you could start a Kickstarter Campaign to found your £4500 pledge. 8)
Thanks to Gimi, I got an eBook in my inbox tonight (31st May 2014 - Release of Elite Reclamation)!
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Post by JensAyton »

Killer Wolf wrote:
aye, why the return = harder bit.
The hardest part of an interplanetary flight is the first couple of hundred kilometres, getting off the planet.

For a return trip from Mars, you need to bring the rocket for that plus the launch facility with you.

This increases the mass of your initial launch by a factor of, say, 50.
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Post by Steve »

Ahruman wrote:
Why which?
What?
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Post by Killer Wolf »

Ahruman wrote:
Killer Wolf wrote:
aye, why the return = harder bit.
The hardest part of an interplanetary flight is the first couple of hundred kilometres, getting off the planet.

For a return trip from Mars, you need to bring the rocket for that plus the launch facility with you.

This increases the mass of your initial launch by a factor of, say, 50.
so it'd make sense to send the equipment on ahead first then, i guess, have it parachuted onto the planet then you could assemble it when you arrived, save carrying it all on your actual ship.
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Post by Smivs »

Killer Wolf wrote:
Ahruman wrote:
Killer Wolf wrote:
aye, why the return = harder bit.
The hardest part of an interplanetary flight is the first couple of hundred kilometres, getting off the planet.

For a return trip from Mars, you need to bring the rocket for that plus the launch facility with you.

This increases the mass of your initial launch by a factor of, say, 50.
so it'd make sense to send the equipment on ahead first then, i guess, have it parachuted onto the planet then you could assemble it when you arrived, save carrying it all on your actual ship.
The problem here is that you have to land near the equipment drop, and hope it's OK when you get there.
Better to send a second ship, then rendezvouz in orbit. The manned module could then dock with a decent/ascent module (basically a big fuel tank and engine with legs), which could land the manned module and also get it back into orbit at the end of the mission.
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Post by JensAyton »

Killer Wolf wrote:
so it'd make sense to send the equipment on ahead first then, i guess, have it parachuted onto the planet then you could assemble it when you arrived, save carrying it all on your actual ship.
You still have to launch all of it, in relatively tight launch windows (which come about two years apart).
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