The goal of the Mars Mission Research Center is to develop educational and research programs focusing on the technologies necessary for efficient space transportation to the Moon, Mars, and back to Earth. This vehicle may one day serve as a space taxi, routinely transporting crew and cargo to Earth orbit in preparation for interplanetary missions. Aerobraking is being considered as a fuel saving alternative to propulsive orbit capture. Because of their enormous size, aerobrakes may require assembly in Earth orbit. An aerobrake, built at MMRC, is shown in underwater testing at the McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company, simulating on-orbit construction.
Many students develop computer codes to model flight conditions in the Earth and Mars atmospheres.
Shown is a simulation of an Apollo capsule as it hurtles through the Earth's atmosphere at 28 times the speed of sound. Results from this study can be compared to actual flight data to verify the code's accuracy. In the College of Textiles, carbon fibers are braided or woven together in the shape of bars, beams, plates, and other spacecraft components. Braided and woven carbon fiber pre-forms are impregnated with an epoxy resin and cured at high pressures and temperatures in an autoclave as shown. Earth orbit is littered with high-velocity debris that poses a threat to future missions.