(Josh Gigantino) wrote in
om:

Has anyone else here checked out Energia's most recent Mars plans? It
would involve a very large baseblock and solar-electric thrust, and
would place a semi-permanent space station in orbit around Mars.

http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/mars/mars.html

http://www.energia.ru/english/energi...condition.html

Any thoughts on their plan? Minus money issues, they seem to have the
technology and skill to make it happen.

The beauty of their plan is that most of it is demonstrated
technology. The life support, engines, hull and docking ports are
already in use on ISS, formerly Mir and Salyut/Almaz.

Would that be the same Elektron life support technology that has repeatedly
crapped out on ISS? How soon people forget. A couple of weeks ago, with the
supply of oxygen "candles" running low, people were talking about bringing
the ISS crew home by mid-summer if the Elektron re-activation failed. Had
the same scenario occurred on a Mars mission, and the Elektron re-
activation failed, the crew would be radioing their last goodbyes to their
families around now.

It would use
solar-electric propulsion, demonstrated in numerous com sats

A solar-electric departure from low Earth orbit would involve quite an
extended passage through the Van Allen belts. Has their technology been
proven against such a radiation dose? And have they budgeted for the extra
mass of shielding to protect the crew?

--
JRF

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