Sending astronauts to Mars aboard a superfast spacecraft powered by nuclear fusion may seem like a sci-fi dream, but it’s entirely attainable, scientists say.
The physics behind a fusion-driven rocket have been demonstrated in the laboratory, so such a device may well be propelling people on 90-day trips to the Red Planet in a matter of decades, according to a team of researchers working on the technology.
“This is a reality, basically,” Anthony Pancotti, of the space-propulsion company MSNW, said Sept. 25 during a presentation with NASA’s Future In-Space Operations working group. “Fusion occurs in the sun, and also in our labs.”
October 8th, 2013
Quick Fusion-Powered Trips to Mars No Fantasy, Scientists Say
September 19th, 2013
Could Upcoming Comet Flybys Damage Mars Spacecraft?
Two comets will buzz Mars over the course of the next year, prompting excitement as well as some concern that cometary particles could hit the spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet and exploring its surface.
Three operational spacecraft currently circle Mars: NASA’s Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), as well as Europe’s Mars Express. NASA also has two functioning rovers, Curiosity and Opportunity, on the ground on Mars.
All of these spacecraft will have ringside seats as Comet ISON cruises by Mars this year, followed by Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) in 2014.
September 4th, 2013
Potential ‘Comet of the Century’ to Buzz Mars Soon
Earthlings may be treated to a dazzling celestial display this fall as Comet ISON makes a suicidal plunge toward the sun. But spacecraft exploring Mars is poised to get close-up views of the icy wanderer first.
“Comet ISON is paying a visit to the Red Planet,” astronomer Carey Lisse of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, said in a statement. “On Oct 1st, the comet will pass within 0.07 AU from Mars, about six times closer than it will ever come to Earth.”
One AU, or astronomical unit, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). Comet ISON’s Mars flyby, at 0.07 AU, will be about 6.5 million miles (10.4 million km).
August 19th, 2013
Student Contest Launches to Aid Private Manned Mission to Mars
A private manned Mars mission may get some help from students on its way to the launch pad in 2018.
A newly announced contest asks students to propose design concepts for the Inspiration Mars mission, a private effort that aims to launch two astronauts on a flyby of the Red Planet in January 2018.
“Inspiration Mars is looking for the most creative ideas from engineers all over the world,” Dennis Tito, executive director of the nonprofit Inspiration Mars Foundation, said in a statement.
July 10th, 2013
Radiation Fears Shouldn’t Hold Back Mars Colonization (Op-Ed)
Mars One aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023, requiring no return mission.
The absence of a return mission reduces the radiation exposure from galactic cosmic rays. These cosmic rays are hard to shield against without the use of a prohibitive shielding mass, which would require more than 10 times the standard spacecraft shielding. Reducing the time spent traveling through space — and, thus, the exposure from the cosmic rays — is significant, as these rays are the source of 95 percent of the radiation exposure, according to a recent paper published May 31 in the journal Science.
June 13th, 2013
Toxic Mars: Astronauts Must Deal with Perchlorate on the Red Planet
The pervading carpet of perchlorate chemicals found on Mars may boost the chances that microbial life exists on the Red Planet — but perchlorates are also perilous to the health of future crews destined to explore that way-off world.
Perchlorates are reactive chemicals first detected in arctic Martian soil by NASA’s Phoenix lander that plopped down on Mars over five years ago in May 2008.
May 2nd, 2013
Mars Rover Opportunity Back in Action After Glitch
NASA’s venerable Mars rover Opportunity has overcome a glitch that put the robot into standby mode late last month, agency officials announced today (May 1).
“The Opportunity rover is back under ground control, executing a sequence of commands sent by the rover team,” NASA officials wrote in a mission update today. “Opportunity is no longer in standby automode and has resumed normal operations.”
Opportunity apparently put itself into standby automode — in which it maintains power balance but waits for instructions from the ground — on April 22, after sensing a problem during a routine camera check, mission officials said.
April 22nd, 2013
WATCH LIVE @ 12 pm ET: Mars Colony Project’s Astronaut Search Begins
The private Mars colony project Mars One led by Bas Lansdorp will hold a press conference on Monday, April 22, at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) to “make an important announcement about its astronaut selection program at a press conference in New York.”
April 16th, 2013
Mars Colony Project to Begin Astronaut Search by July
A nonprofit organization that aims to land four astronauts on Mars in 2023 will kick off its two-year, televised search for Red Planet explorers by this summer.
The Netherlands-based Mars One will begin accepting application videos sometime between now and July, charging a fee to weed out folks who aren’t serious about their candidacy. The group hopes to raise millions of dollars this way, with the proceeds paying for the ongoing selection process and technology studies.
March 25th, 2013
Caltech Challenges Students to Plan Manned Mission to Mars Moon
Humanity’s quest to send astronauts to Mars may get a boost from a student design competition being held this week.
The Caltech Space Challenge, which runs from Monday through Friday (March 25-29) at the university’s campus in Pasadena, asks two teams of students from around the world to design a manned mission to Phobos or Deimos, Mars’ two tiny moons.
“This is a technical feat that, by necessity, will spark innovation the world over,” Nick Parziale, a PhD student in aeronautics at Caltech and leader of one of the teams, said in a statement. “We hope the Caltech Space Challenge serves as a reminder that these incredibly difficult problems are tractable, and that these passionate and dedicated students are just the women and men for the job.”