MARS EXPLORATION VIA EARTH-MARS SEMI-CYCLERS

摘要

We present an architecture for the human exploration of Mars. This architecture is characterized by the use of parking orbits at Earth and gravity assists at Mars. An interplanetary transfer vehicle cycles from Earth orbit to Mars flyby and back, eliminating the need to launch transfer vehicles from the surfaces of Earth and Mars. Necessary developments for an Earth-Mars semi-cycler mission (beyond traditional architectures) include reusable transfer vehicles and rendezvous during planetary flyby. When compared to scenarios similar to NASA's Design Reference Mission, the Earth-Mars semi-cycler requires 10%-35% less injected mass to low-Earth orbit once in operation.