90-Day Mars Trip Said Possible

Discovery News ^ | Oct. 20, 2004 | By Irene Mona Klotz

[vannrox]

90-Day Mars Trip Said Possible

By Irene Mona Klotz, Discovery News

Oct. 20, 2004 — A team of University of Washington researchers believes it has found a way to cut roundtrip travel time between Earth and Mars by 95 percent, giving astronauts a much higher chance of pulling off a successful mission while minimizing their exposure to dangerous radiation.

"If it's going to take 2 1/2 years (to travel back and forth to Mars), the chances of a successful mission are pretty low," said project head Robert Winglee, a professor of Earth and space sciences at the Seattle-based university.

Taking a cue from the sun, Winglee has come up with a plan to beam magnetic particles, much like how solar wind particles stream from the sun, onto a spacecraft equipped with a magnetic sail. The craft would be pushed along as the particles repel from the sail.

Winglee envisions setting up beam generator on a space station that would send streams of magnetized ions toward the spacecraft's sail. The vehicle's speed would increase with the size of the plasma beam. For example, a beam generated by a 32-meter (105-foot) diameter nozzle would blast a spacecraft more than 26,000 mph or 625,000 miles per day.

Mars and Earth average about 48 million miles apart, though the distance at any one time can vary greatly, depending on where the planets are in their respective orbits around the sun. Winglee figures a spacecraft traveling on magnetic beams would take about 76 days for a one-way journey, but he's working on plans to shave even more time off the voyage.

Quicker travel times, however, would require a plasma station near the destination point to generate a force for braking.

The technology, called magnetized-beam plasma propulsion, or mag-beam, was among the projects under discussion this week at NASA's Institute of Advanced Concepts symposium in Seattle. The space agency this month gave Winglee's team a $75,000, six-month study contract, with the possibility of a two-year, $400,000 extension.

Winglee touts mag-beam technology as a way to open the solar system for exploration. With plasma generators placed around the solar system, spacecraft could sail from point to point, quickly and cleanly. A test mission could be ready to fly within five years, depending on funding.

"This would facilitate a permanent human presence in space," Winglee said. "That's what we are trying to get to."

Much work remains before mag-beam technology becomes practical, said Louis Friedman, executive director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Planterary Society, which is preparing to launch a solar sail craft early next year.

The spacecraft taps the steady flow of solar wind particles beating against its sail to move.

"We didn't look at mag-beam for our mission. It's interesting, but it's an idea that is not very mature," said Friedman.

[expatpat]

I'm surprised you have Internet access on Gilligan's island - how's the weather there?

[MineralMan]

They'd better watch out for these characters:

[Conan the Librarian]

Sounds like it would be a breeze!

[nuke rocketeer]

First of all the Saturn 5 plans were not destroyed due to a treaty with the USSR. Boeing still has'em. A updated S5 would ideal for launching the components of a Mars mission into orbit, including, gasp...must I say it?...A NUCLEAR REACTOR for propulsion and power. With large enough fuel tanks (use water, not hydrogen) you could use a high-g boost (NERVA style) and get there in less than 2 years. But it should not be a land and run mission like Apollo. Land, set up a permanent base leave a crew to keep it running and some come back to Earth. It would also make use of not just one ship but at least 3. Dual use nuclear propulsion could be high g NERVA style and then switch over to ion propulsion using cesium as a working mass.

[Salgak]

I recognize Kerry in the Center, and Breck Girl on the left, but who's that on the right, mostly turned away ???? (evil grin)

[Physicist]

A team of University of Washington researchers believes it has found a way to cut roundtrip travel time between Earth and Mars by 95 percent, giving astronauts a much higher chance of pulling off a successful mission while minimizing their exposure to dangerous radiation.

I don't get it. How does aiming a powerful beam of radiation at the spaceship minimize the exposure of the astronauts to radiation?

[hopespringseternal]

With large enough fuel tanks (use water, not hydrogen) you could use a high-g boost (NERVA style) and get there in less than 2 years.

Two years? We can do better than that with chemical rockets. Did you mean 2 months?

[sierrahome]

First of all the Saturn 5 plans were not destroyed due to a treaty with the USSR. Boeing still has'em.

That is fantastic! I am basing info through info gained on the Science Channel special aired over the weekend on the Mars Landing. In the 1 hour documentary it was specifically stated that the S-5 plans were destroyed. Leave it to me to believe anything stated through the media. Thanks for the info.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I'll be the spoilsport who suggests that with our modern computing power, we needn't send people to Mars.

We could do 100 sample recovery missions (accepting a portion that failed) for the cost of a single manned mission that achieved far less. Or ten unmanned missions for one tenth the cost of a single manned mission.

[CaptRon]

Hah! (BTW, didn't think much of the second book).

[expatpat]

Can't resist asking where are you going to sleep tonight?

[MRMEAN]

I'm still waiting for the Dean Drive.

[Alex Murphy]

I'm more concerned that they'd meet up with one of these:

[wyattearp]

There is, however, the minor difficulty of coming back the same way....

THANK YOU! A spacecraft with a solar sail does NOT work like a sailboat at sea. A solar sail equipped spacecraft can go in one direction - away from the sun. It can be redirected only slightly, but will always be moving outbound. You cannot tack into the solar wind and come back towards the sun, because you do not have the resistance of the ocean against the hull like in a sailboat. No rudder, no keelboard, and you are not displacing anything. A solar sail equipped ship goes out, and does not come back.

[r9etb]

To be fair, the guys do mention the need for a "braking unit" on the other end. However, there remains the problem of setting the damned thing up in the first place.... Not the sort of thing you can just land and hope it works.

[r9etb]

Winglee envisions setting up beam generator on a space station that would send streams of magnetized ions toward the spacecraft's sail.

I just realized something -- if the generator can send that many ions toward a spacecraft, it's going to get one hell of a push in the opposite direction. Conservation of momentum, and all that.

Wonder how they intend to counter it?

[Vic3O3]

ping

[GEC]

I don't get it. How does aiming a powerful beam of radiation at the spaceship minimize the exposure of the astronauts to radiation? I'm assuming that the radiation from the sun is widespread and unpredictable due to solar flares. The spaceship designs I have read about would place water tanks and batteries around the outside the ship to minimize the exposure to the solar radiation. The beam that drives the sail would be tight enough that the ship's sail could ride along it without any of the radiation hitting the actual ship.