From: MLINDROOS@FINABO.ABO.FI (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Subject: Re: Mir mission to Mars?
Organization: Abo Akademi University, Finland
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 19:45:17 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

In <232310cec@ofa123.fidonet.org> David.Anderman@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:

> The mission you mention is technically feasible, with some risks to the crew
> that others here will certainly elaborate upon.

...more info on the subject. I first learned about this from Frank
Miles'/Nicholas Booth's RACE TO MARS: THE HARPER & ROW MARS FLIGHT ATLAS 
[an excellent book BTW]. "Western experts" -without revealing any names-
reportedly feel that a Mir/Proton combination launched by the Energia
would be capable of doing the job. The original plans called for an additional
first stage rocket, launched by a second Energia, fuelled with liquid
oxygen/hydrogen. This would have launched the Mir/Proton combination into a
highly elliptical parking orbit. Only a brief 1km/s burn by the Proton stage
would be necessary to put the spacecraft on course for Mars. Techically, the
fuel left would be sufficient to insert the Mir/Proton craft into Mars orbit
and return to Earth one year after arrival. This would be a long, difficult
and expensive mission.
---
   A flyby mission would require a total delta-V of the same magnitude as the
mission outlined above, or about 5km/s for the Proton stage. _On paper_, there
are no serious problems. The Energia is relatively untested, but the cosmonauts
will be sent up by a Soyuz and not by the Mir/Proton/Energia combination so
there are no dangers to the crew. The Proton second stage is 25 years
old, a "tried and trusted" man-rated rocket. It uses hydrazine and nitrogen
tetroxide for fuel, both are easy to store during a year-long space mission.
Does anyone know the weight of the Proton 2nd stage? My guess is that it
weights about 180-190 tons when fully fuelled, and there should be about 30-40
tons left for the spacecraft. The Mir station has a mass of 20 tons while the
Soyuz rez-entry capsule adds another 3 tons to the total. The muission would
last 12-15 months and a crew of two would require about 4-5 tons of food, water
and oxygen. Approx. half of this could be stored inside a Progress vessel
that would remain docked to the Mir during the outward leg of the journey to
Mars. An empty Progress craft weights about 5 tons and the total mass
(excluding the Proton stage w. fuel) would be 33 tons.
  
> The major obstacle is money. The Russians don't have it, and the US is not
> going to fund Russians exploration of Mars.
>   
> However, if the Finn government were to provide sufficient funding, I'm sure a 
> human flight to Mars could be arranged.
> 
The superpowers should finance it, it probably would cost about as much as an
Apollo lunar mission. It would provide a boost to space programs not only in
Russia but also in the west. Mars has always had a special hold on the
imagination, and I am sure there would be a lot of interest for the mission.
Particularly in Russia. The Soviets were very proud of their achievements in
space, seeing their excellent space program grounded due to lack of financial 
support from the West hurts their pride almost as much as the fall of the 
Soviet empire. The extremist hardliners there will not find it difficult to
convince the average Russian that the westerners are to blame for this
"Dolchstuss in Space."

> --- Maximus 2.01wb

MARCU$
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