Title:
Sizing of an Entry, Descent, and Landing System for Human Mars Exploration

dc.contributor.author Christian, John A., III
dc.contributor.author Wells, Grant William
dc.contributor.author Lafleur, Jarret M.
dc.contributor.author Manyapu, Kavya
dc.contributor.author Verges, Amanda
dc.contributor.author Lewis, Charity
dc.contributor.author Braun, Robert D.
dc.contributor.corporatename American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
dc.date.accessioned 2007-06-08T18:00:23Z
dc.date.available 2007-06-08T18:00:23Z
dc.date.issued 2006-09
dc.description AIAA Space 2006 Conference September 2006, San Jose, CA. en_US
dc.description.abstract The human exploration of Mars presents many challenges, not least of which is the task of entry, descent, and landing (EDL). Because human-class missions are expected to have landed masses on the order of 40 to 80 metric tons, significant challenges arise that have not been seen to date in robotic missions. This study provides insight into the challenges encountered as well as potential solutions through parametric trade studies on vehicle size and mass. Aerocapture and entry-from-orbit analyses of 10 and 15 m diameter aeroshells with a lift-to-drag ratio of 0.3 or 0.5 were investigated. Results indicate that in the limit, a crew capsule used only for descent could have an initial mass as low as 20 t. For larger landed payloads, such as a 20 t surface power system, a vehicle with an initial mass on the order of 80 t may be required. In addition, no feasible EDL systems were obtained with the capability to deliver more than approximately 25 t of landed payload to the Mars surface for initial masses less than 100 t. This suggests that an aeroshell diameter of 15 m may not be sufficient for human Mars exploration. en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/14740
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.publisher.original American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
dc.relation.ispartofseries SSDL ; AIAA 2006-7427 en_US
dc.subject Aerocapture trajectories en_US
dc.subject Entry, descent and landing (EDL) technology en_US
dc.subject Entry-from-orbit en_US
dc.subject Orbital maneuvering en_US
dc.subject Payloads en_US
dc.subject Robotic missions en_US
dc.subject Spacecraft en_US
dc.subject Trajectories en_US
dc.title Sizing of an Entry, Descent, and Landing System for Human Mars Exploration en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Paper
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.corporatename Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL)
local.contributor.corporatename Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication dc68da3d-4cfe-4508-a4b0-35ba8de923fb
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication a348b767-ea7e-4789-af1f-1f1d5925fb65
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