NASA has a vision for its first crewed Mars mission.
The public is being asked to give feedback on how the planning is going for the Mars surface mission. The deadline for submissions was extended to June 3.
NASA wants to have astronauts on Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s. It will be difficult to make that vision a reality. The travel time between Earth and Mars is about 500 days if funding and technology come into play at the right time.
How living on Mars would be a challenge.
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The lack of Gravity would be a problem, as current- generation spacecraft look nothing like those seen in movies like The Martian. The astronauts will arrive on the Red Planet after months in microgravity and face a significant road to recovery, even to operate in the partial gravity of Mars, which is roughly one-third that of Earth. One way to address this issue is to have the crews live in a pressurized rover.
Kurt Vogel, NASA director of space architectures, said in a 30-minute video that they want to maximize the science so they can drive around before they become conditioned.
The mission plan could change a lot. NASA envisions using a hybrid rocket stage to ferry crew members to the Red Planet. The model used in the Apollo program with three astronauts is similar to that used with four people.
A previous robotic mission would deliver 25 tons of supplies and hardware to the crew. The supplies would include a crew ascent vehicle that is ready to go for the astronauts to make it back to Earth.
NASA isn't issuing a standard request for information or contract process for this mission concept yet. The agency is focused on getting the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission off the ground so that it can be used to send astronauts to the moon in the 2020s. The moon work is important to getting ready for Mars.
There will be more stakeholder input on Mars. The agency pledged to have a workshop in June with partners from American industry and academia. During a workshop in July, invited international organizations can weigh in.
You can view more details about NASA&s objectives before you submit your comments.
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