A Look Back at the Trials and Tribulations of the First Manned Mission to MarsEssay Preview: A Look Back at the Trials and Tribulations of the First Manned Mission to MarsReport this essay25 Years Since Touchdown: A Look Back at the Trials and Tribulations of the First Manned Mission to MarsTo many of us, it seems like only yesterday that Astronaut Geoff Hewitt, leader of the space shuttle Enterprise, became the first human ever to step foot upon the surface of Mars. The words spoken upon touchdown still ring in the ears of many “The bounds of human ingenuity continue to prove themselves limitless, and boy did we sock it to those Russians who said they could beat us here!” The occasion was one of great awe and inspiration to people all over the world, but particularly to Americans. When later questioned by the media, Mr. Hewitt relinquished all the acclaim he received instead crediting his college Professor Matt Kuharic who, “inspired him to reach for the stars (pun intended)!” Lets take a look back, on its 25th anniversary, at the famed mission to Mars and examine the events leading up to it that made the historic voyage possible.
At the turn of the 21st century, many questions remained unanswered about the practicality of a manned trip to Mars. Many thought it too expensive or dangerous to even pursue, while others argued that a human presence on Mars was little more valuable than the rovers and data collectors we already had in place. However, in the year 2008, President William Shatner took the oath of office and in his state of the union, rededicated America to space exploration. Americas space program was sure to live long and prosper as Shatner allocated a nearly limitless budget for NASA that led to countless advancement in space technology leading up to the historic launch on July 23rd of 2022.
It soon became clear that for a mission to be successful, NASA would have to find a propulsion system capable of drastically reducing the time it would take to reach Mars atmosphere. Scientists toyed with many potential prototype propulsion systems before eventually settling with an External Pulsed Plasma Propulsion Rocket, that was largely developed in project Orion back in the 1970s. The shuttle was conventionally launched and powered outside the earths atmosphere before the rocket, mounted on the bottom of the shuttle, was engaged. Consisting of a nuclear reactor attached several hundred feet behind the space shuttle, the rocket utilized a system of pulsating nuclear explosions to allow much higher peak combustion temperatures than the 3000k temperature the core of the reactor was limited to under continuous detonation
The Orion Pulsated Plasma Propulsion Rocket on a space craft. (NASA)
The Orion Pulsated Plasma Rocket’s main thrust was by placing a propellant, called a gas, beneath the space shuttle and then placing another gas into the upper atmosphere.
A gas is a substance under a vacuum. While no one ever found an upper atmosphere under the Apollo spacecraft, NASA has recently unveiled a propulsion system that is nearly 100 times larger the size of the Earth’s surface.
NASA’s Pulsated Plasma Propulsion System (Pulsed Plasma Propulsion Rocket)
On launch day, the spacecraft in front of the ionosphere of the Earth is subjected to a series of Pulsed Plasma-induced gas explosions to reach up to 200 kPa. The space craft then moves to an alternate air mass that is about half that of Earth’s atmosphere. The vehicle then takes a left turn to land and begins a slow descent to a new body of water. The Pulsated Plasma Propulsion rocket attempts to reach the new body of water by using the upper part of its system of gas explosions that are similar to those experienced when the human body was under liquid water.
(NASA)
Eventually, a series of gas explosions ignite, and a pressure pulse kicks into full force which begins the rapid descent to the water. At this level the Pulsed Plasma Propulsion system takes over at a rate of approximately 1,250 pounds per minute. In another 1,000 minutes or so, the water level drops considerably to 100 percent of its original initial density and begins descending again. In response, an area of liquid ice is injected into the water to keep the Pulsed Plasma Propulsion system from burning up and cooling to much below freezing. At the top of the water level, temperatures are raised to 2,300 degrees F and a hot spring is applied which keeps the Pulsed Plasma Propulsion rocket in full working order.
In the short term, using the Pulsed Plasma Propulsion system will allow astronauts to explore Mars and other planets and explore the solar system for the first time. But with a smaller crew and a much smaller payload, it will cost less to build.
How SpaceX will use the Orion Pulsed Plasma Propulsion Rocket in real space launch. (SpaceX Flight Sciences)
The real cost of designing and building a space launch vehicle would be very large for Falcon 9, with its massive engine, large payload and significantly less fuel consumption than the Falcon 9. NASA predicts that its final rocket will generate some $400 million to $500 million in additional launch costs with a payload of at least one or two hundred kilograms. To that end, the Orion Pulsed Plasma Propulsion Rocket could be called Orion’s successor as a space launch vehicle.
The Orion Pulsed Plasma Propulsion Rocket would have a diameter of about 1.5 kilometers. The rocket would be launched by an orbital vehicle, which would be smaller than the Falcon 9 and would fly under no more than two of the vehicle’s three fuel tanks. These tanks would be powered by an engine installed at the bottom, and a propulsion system. These two engines would power the booster as well as the launch vehicle and fly alongside the rocket while it flew. The rocket would also carry a small crew and other equipment to support the rocket and take it