Comparative analysis of power system architectures: The case of human mars surface missions

Abstract

Human missions to the surface of Mars have inspired engineers, scientists, and the wider public for generations. The 20th century has seen these dreams become attainable, with numerous realistic missions proposed, starting with the architecture proposed by Wernher von Braun in his 1953 book The Mars Project (von Braun 1961). Many architectures and concepts for carrying out surface missions have since been proposed, culminating in the Mars design reference missions developed by NASA in the 1990s (Hoffman 1997, Drake 1998, Hoffman 2001, Portree 2001, Drake 2007) and associated follow-on studies as part of the US Vision for Space Exploration (NASA 2005, Drake 2007). Two main motivations for carrying out Mars surface missions have been described in these architecture studies: (1) the scientific exploration of Mars, in particular with regard to extraterrestrial life, and (2) the investigation of the habitability of Mars in the context of establishing a long-term human presence there someday in the future. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.