Cheap Crewed Mars Mission

"Blurrt" wrote in message
u...
Any Ideas on how we could perform a Crewed Mars Mission on the cheap - ie:
less than $1 Billion dollars?

I would suggest using multiple small rockets and a two person crew.

You would have to hire a bunch of Chinese and Russian engineers for $1 an
hour. You would probably have to design a new rocket. I don't think you
could just glue a bunch of rockets together. It might be possible to
assemble the ship in low Earth orbit. A one way mission would be cheaper.
Even with all this, I don't think that you could get the costs down to $1
billion.

Surface
systems could be sent ahead using ion propulsion.

I would use the same type of ship for both supplies and humans. The supply
mission would be a test flight.

The small rockets would lower costs as they are already available (ie: no
development costs).

There is no way to get around development costs, because it is too different
from what we've been doing.

One way.

The only way.

Blurrt


"Mike Rhino" wrote in message
.. .
"Blurrt" wrote in message
u...
Any Ideas on how we could perform a Crewed Mars Mission on the cheap -
ie:
less than $1 Billion dollars?

I would suggest using multiple small rockets and a two person crew.

You would have to hire a bunch of Chinese and Russian engineers for $1 an
hour. You would probably have to design a new rocket. I don't think you
could just glue a bunch of rockets together. It might be possible to
assemble the ship in low Earth orbit. A one way mission would be cheaper.
Even with all this, I don't think that you could get the costs down to $1
billion.

There have been a few designs for sub billion dollar Lunar Missions. Why
can't we do the same for Mars?



Surface
systems could be sent ahead using ion propulsion.

I would use the same type of ship for both supplies and humans. The
supply
mission would be a test flight.

The small rockets would lower costs as they are already available (ie:
no
development costs).

There is no way to get around development costs, because it is too
different
from what we've been doing.

If a rocket has already been built then we have no need to develop it, thus
saving money. All engines on the lander must be pre-existing.

"Blurrt" wrote in message
u...
Any Ideas on how we could perform a Crewed Mars Mission on the cheap - ie:
less than $1 Billion dollars?

I would suggest using multiple small rockets and a two person crew.
Surface
systems could be sent ahead using ion propulsion.

The small rockets would lower costs as they are already available (ie: no
development costs).

Have you figured out a mission for such a "mission" ?

-kert

Limit it to two people and see what we can come up with.

Limit it to one and it gets even easier.

Blurrt wrote:

There have been a few designs for sub billion dollar Lunar Missions. Why
can't we do the same for Mars?

For a lunar mission the astronaut can bring his lunch bag on his lap.
For a Mars mission
life support has to be more massive.

Alain Fournier

I think two people is too few. My problem with these single-gigabux
ideas, is they don't seem to do more than to do them just to do them.
After the flash, there's no bang: I believe any Mars mission must be
constructed as a part of a program to establish a base and then a
settlement there.

It's a choice; and speaking of choices, I think recent events amount
to a genuine Asimovian psychohistorical crisis. Either, we mount a
program to set bases and settlements out on Luna and Mars; or, we
shovel our resources and more to feed the military and armaments
industries. That's history now. I think later history will judge us
badly.

Grump. -- Martha Adams

In article , (Martha H Adams)
writes:

Either, we mount a
program to set bases and settlements out on Luna and Mars; or, we
shovel our resources and more to feed the military and armaments
industries.

Well, if you don't put SOMETHING into military and armaments, the
fanatical Muslims will kill you, and then you'll be in the dark ages and
there won't be any dancing, much less spaceflight. The military and space
sectors feed each other with ideas (for example, the source of the cameras
used on the current Mars orbiters) and we are better off with both.




Patrick