Conception of a hypothetic sample-return mission to Mars and calculation of the Δv-requirement. Matlab simulation of a Hohmann trajectory, staging optimisation and selection of a suitable launcher. Matlab source files: http://bit.ly/1gA1J5R

1. Is there Life on M rs
concept of an unmanned sample-return-mission
and the necessary delta-v requirement
by
Toni Engelhardt
14.6.12

2. - Introduction - Life on other planets
Follow the water (H2O) & manned missions to Mars
Text
- Related Missions - Quick Overview
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter & Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
- Mission “Red Dust” - Sample Return from Mars Surface
* Trajectories
* Delta-v Requirement
* Loss & m0 estimation
* Available Launchers / in development
- Aurora
Joint ESA & NASA Mars program, ExoMars, Sample Return
Outline

3. Follow the water (Introduction)
Vastitas Borealis Crater
North Polor Region
• evidence for life as we know it
• Mars has trenches and rifts maybe originating from fluid water
• Frozen water at poles? liquid water under ground
• also important for future manned missions to Mars
Follow the water
NASA initiative
water ice
H2O
source of life
long-term manned missions

4. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
High Resolution [1m/pixel] mapping
to determine areas of interest for
Rover Missions like Curiosity
e.g. cracks in rocks

5. REMOTE
Spectrum analyzer
with
Curi sity [MSL]
up to 7m reach
Laser ablation
Robot arm
drilling unit
camera
etc.
complete
laboratory
onboard
search for
organic carbon
(elements of life)

6. Land on Mars to collect 1kg of rock/dust samples and bring them back to Earth
< OBJECTIVE >
>> Launch System (to be determined) will carry the following components to Mars
>> Lander Wimble Xs
will descent from Low Mars Orbit (LMO) to Mars surface with drilling unit
to collect dust/rock and a Mars Launcher Brimo to return the samples to LMO
>> Orbiter Hermes
remains with propellant for return and a docking unit in LMO
will have a rendeveuz with Brimo to bring its cargo safely back to Earth
Mission “Red Dust”

7. Land on Mars to collect 1kg of rock/dust samples and bring them back to Earth
< OBJECTIVE >
>> Assumptions for the Matlab simulations
most efficient direct transfer to Mars > Hohmann
* Earth & Mars Orbit around the sun in a plane (actually di=1.85°)
* tilt of equatorial plane neglected
* assumptions for air drag, steering and gravity loss (g0, gT, gM and gM500 are constant during burn phase)
* typical propellant for all vehicles with Isp=300s
* no influence from moon, planets or any other celestial body besides mars, sun & earth
* re-entry and landing on earth without steering, just by aerobrake and parachute (see apollo missions)
* parachute on mars from 550m/s to 60m/s (taken from curiosity mission)

8. Trajectories of Launch system and Hermes
Orbit: 500 km above surface
>> r_MOrb = 3896.2 km
Aphelion Earth
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse duration for transfer
239days 18hrs
(one way)
Matlab
Simulation

9. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
1 Direct Hohmann to Mars
dv1 = v_EarthEscape - v_LaunchSite +
(v_H1 - v_EarthAphelion) =
= 13,594 m/s - v_LaunchSite
total delta-v
dv_total = 13,594 m/s - v_LaunchSite
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

10. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
2 Hohmann to LMO
dv2 = v_MarsOrbit - (v_H2 + v_GravityMars
- v_MarsPerihelion) =
= 1,790 m/s
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 15,384 m/s - v_LaunchSite
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

11. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
a LMO to parachute
dvMa = 550m/s - v_MarsOrbit
= - 2,766 m/s
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 18,150 m/s - v_LaunchSite
a
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

12. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
parachute phase
dvP_Mars = 60m/s - 550m/s
= - 490 m/s (not counting)
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 18,150 m/s - v_LaunchSite
a
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

13. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
b Parachute to touchdown
dvMb = 0m/s - 60m/s
= - 60 m/s
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 18,210 m/s - v_LaunchSite
a b
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

14. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Matlab c
Simulation
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
Relaunch to LMO
dvMc = v_MarsOrbit =
= 3,316 m/s
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 21,526 m/s - v_LaunchSite
a b
c
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

15. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
Aphelion Earth
1
3 Mars Orbit to Return
dv3 = - v_H2 - ( - v_MarsPerihelion +
v_MarsOrbit - v_MarsEscape500) =
= 1,225 m/s
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 22,751 m/s - v_LaunchSite
3
a b
c
Matlab
Simulation
- definitions -
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver

16. Ideal delta-v calculation (with Matlab)
Perihelion Mars
- definitions -
focal point of Hohmann Ellipse
dv positive in S/C flight direction
dv = v_after - v_before maneuver
Aphelion Earth
1
2
total delta-v
dv_total = 22,751 m/s - v_LaunchSite
3
a b
c
aerobrake + parachute
> aerobrake (with heat shield)
> parachute phase to splashdown
( similar to Apollo Missions )
Matlab
Simulation

17. Kennedy Space Center
United States
28.521494° N 80.682392 W
vKSC = 406 m/S
Kourou
French Guiana
5.15925° N 52.64966° W
vKourou = 463 m/S
- Ariane V
- Soyuz-2
- Falcon Heavy
- Falcon XX
- Ares I-X & V
- Delta IV
- Atlas V
Velocity gain from
Earth rotation
- Proton-M
Baikonur
Kazakhstan
45.61908° N 63.313179° E
vKourou = 325 m/S

18. Loss estimation + Real delta-v calculation
# air-drag
dv1 (Launcher)
Launch to direct
Hohmann
140 m/s *
dv2 (Launcher)
Hohmann to LMO -
dvMa (Wimble Xs)
LMO to parachute
-
dvMb (Wimble Xs)
parachute to
touchdown
dvMc (Brimo)
Mars surface to LMO
-
nozzle loss steering loss burning time gravity loss additional dv
80 m/s * 20 m/s * 600s 1590 m/s 1830 m/s
30 m/s 100 m/s 100s 76 m/s 206 m/s
20 m/s 50 m/s 250s 190 m/s 260 m/s
included in
estimation
0
20 m/s 100 m/s 350s 350 m/s 470 m/s
dv3 (Hermes)
LMO to direct Hohmann
- 30 m/s 100 m/s 400s 304 m/s 434 m/s
* from lecture notes - launch to LEO
Additional dv due to losses: 3200 m/s
Real total dv requirement: 25951 m/s
Gravity loss = T * g0 / 3.7 ( to adapt to real values [ sample from Ariane V ] )
integration into matlab chain

19. payload to Mars [LMO] calculation
mL, Mars = m0, WimbleXs + m0, Hermes >> planning backward!
weight of dust/rock samples
+ container + equipment >> Brimo Mars Launcher >> Wimble Xs Mars Lander
>> Hermes Return Carrier
total payload to Mars Orbit LMO

20. source: book - Astronautics I
( Walter Ulrich ) [ page 48 ]
source: book - Astronautics I
( Walter Ulrich ) [ page 54 ]
source: lecture notes Prof. Rott
( Spacecraft Technology I )
from payload mL to
total mass m0
from dv calculation
given
values
optimal
number of stages
optimal
payload ratio
ratio
payload to total mass

21. Components > Minimum Weight Estimation integration into matlab chain
total payload to Mars [LMO]
Wimble Xs
( payload: Brimo + 50kg )
Brimo
( payload: 72kg )
*Container Unit
*Dust & Rock
samples
1kg
*Docking
Mechanism 18kg
*Electronics
*Navigation
9kg 24kg
RIG
*Drilling Unit
*Embarking Mechanism
*Scientific Equipment
196kg
*Parachute
22kg
Hermes
( payload: 182kg )
*Brimo Payload
(Samples + Container + Nav)
34kg
*Heat Shield
58kg
*Power
20kg
*Power
20kg
*Docking
Mechanism 32kg
*Parachute
18kg
*Solar
Panels
40kg
just wildly guessed

22. single stage
Wimble Xs
>> m0 = 2.04 mT
dv = -2766 m/s
λ
dv [m/s]
dv = 3786 m/s
single stage
>> m0 = 454 kg
Brimo
ε - structural factor
ε = 0.12
ε = 0.14
Isp [ typical ] = 300s

23. Hermes
dv = 1660 m/s
Isp [ typical ] = 300s
λ
dv [m/s]
ε - structural factor
ε = 0.1
single stage
>> m0 = 1.65 mT
total payload
to LMO
3.69 mT

24. available available available in development proposed canceled canceled
Ariane V Atlas V Delta IV Falcon 9 Ares I Ares V
Falcon XX
STATUS
MANUFACTURER
TYPE
CONFIG
Energia Khrunichev
M Heavy X
CAPACITY
TRANSFER ORBIT
LMO
SUITABLE
ECA HLV Heavy
TBD TBD
transfer orbit to LMO
kick stage with 60kg adapter
Isp = 320s & ε = 0.1
4.3 mT (esc) 9.04 mT (esc) 9.31 mT (esc) ~53 mT (LEO) ? 25.5 mT (LEO) ~53,3 mT (esc)
1.76 mT 3.67 mT 3.78 mT ~6.0 mT ? 2.22 mT ~21.40 mT
available available
Soyuz-2 Proton
7.9 mT (esc)
20.7 mT (LEO)
1.8 mT
692 kg
NO NO NO NO YES YES NO YES

25. Aurora
ExoMars
Mars Lander & Orbiter
NEXT
Sample Return far future
Manned Mission

26. thank you
presentation + matlab simulation
are available online
@ toni88x.bplaced.net/LifeOnMars
QR code
> Download
Info on ExoMars
exploration.esa.int