Analyzing Whether a Space Shuttle Can Withstand a Perpendicular Launch from Mars

摘要

In the near future, humans will go to Mars. During these interplanetary journeys, astronaut safety will be paramount. This study aims to determine whether the astronauts will be able to launch safely from Mars in a space shuttle taking off perpendicularly. This study used kinematics along with equations for calculating atmospheric density and total force on the spacecraft to evaluate these values for each atmospheric layer. Approximations were made for the spacecraft’s dimensions to find the cross-sectional front-view area of the spacecraft and the drag coefficient where verifiable data was unavailable. Although there is data for the dimensions of the spacecraft’s front view, there isn’t any on its area. The total force was found to be significantly lower than 3Gs which ensures a safe take-off for the astronauts and reduces manufacturing costs for assembling new rockets.