International Space University, MSS 2014 i Mars NOW Final Report International Space University M.Sc. Space Studies 2014 © International Space University. All Rights Reserved. ii International Space University, MSS 2014 The MSS 2014 Program of the International Space University was held at the ISU Central Campus in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France. The Mars NOW cover is an artistic impression of a crewed one-way trip from Earth to Mars. Mars image courtesy of USGS – United States Geological Survey. Available at: http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/details/Mars/Viking/schiaparelli_enhanced/tif While all care has been taken in the preparation of this report, the International Space University (ISU) does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of its content. Electronic copies of the Final Report and Executive Summary can be downloaded from the ISU web site at http://isulibrary.isunet.edu/opac/. Printed copies of the Executive Summary may be requested, while supplies last, from: International Space University Strasbourg Central Campus Attention: Publications/Library Parc d’Innovation 1 rue Jean-Dominique Cassini 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden France Tel. +33 (0)3 88 65 54 32 Fax. +33 (0)3 88 65 54 47 e-mail. [email protected] International Space University, MSS 2014 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mars NOW ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Mars NOW team would like to express their sincere gratitude to their generous sponsors, the NASA MSFC Advanced Concepts Office and the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and to the following members of the International Space University faculty and staff for their guidance and support: Hugh Hill Angie Bukley Gilles Clément James Dator Junjiro Nakahara Nikolai Tolyarenko Walter Peeters Kazuya Yoshida Chris Welch Vasilis Zervos Philippe Achilleas Liu Zhonggui Muriel Riester Nathan Wong Joshua Nelson The Mars NOW team would also like to thank the following individuals: Gary Martin, NASA Ames Research Center, USA Robert Thirsk, CIHR, formerly CSA, Canada Cornelius Zünd, Airbus Defense and Space, Germany Fabian Eilingsfeld, PRICE Systems, Germany Gernot Grömer, Austrian Space Forum, Austria Adrianos Golemis, Concordia Station, ESA, Antarctica Jacques Arnould, CNES, France iv International Space University, MSS 2014 Mars NOW AUTHORS AUTHORS This report was delivered by the following authors: Baskaran, Balachandar Pivovarova, Lilia Architecture International Relations Benhidjeb--Carayon, Alicia Ruihong, Yang Physics Vacuum Engineering Chunquan, Duan Teeney, Leo Electrical Engineering Aerospace Engineering Eilingsfeld, Adrian Terlević, Robert Biomolecular Engineering Medicine Enestam, Sissi Van Ophem, Séverine Physics and Astrophysics Aeronautical Engineering Ishola, Femi Venugopal, Ramasamy Electrical/Electronics Telecommunications Engineering Engineering Karacalıoğlu, Arif Göktuğ Weihua, Dong Engineering Management Systems Engineering Zandabadi Aghdam, Kasaboski, Dallas Saman Space Engineering Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering Molina, José Gabriel Mechanical Engineering International Space University, MSS 2014 v ABSTRACT Mars NOW ABSTRACT In recent years the idea of one-way Mars missions has started to take hold in the minds of the public and those involved in the space sector. The current interest is in large part due to the recent advancement of the commercial space sector and initiatives such as Mars One. A one-way mission to Mars would give a permanent and growing human presence away from Earth and poses interesting questions that are both technological and non-technological in nature. Human missions to Mars are the ultimate goal of most modern national space programs, with a group of fourteen global space agencies agreeing on Mars as the ultimate destination in the ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap. One-way missions will likely follow, and solutions to the challenges unique to this kind of mission are required. This report aims to bring together some areas necessary in the planning and implementation of a one-way settlement, with a special focus on underdeveloped, non-technological areas. The analysis proceeds in an interdisciplinary fashion, by analyzing both technological and non-technological challenges that need to be addressed during the different phases of a one-way mission. Recommendations are given and solutions proposed to provide a useful guide for future work into developing successful human one-way missions to Mars. A lack of understanding of many aspects of one-way Mars missions currently exists. Going to Mars one-way implies bringing along all necessary ingredients to permanently transfer to another planetary body. These ingredients include all essential technologies that would allow inhabitants of a Mars settlement to survive and thrive indefinitely. On the other hand, human civilization is more than just its technology. Cultural elements, such as governance frameworks, ethical considerations, and off-Earth economic systems will be an essential part of the development of a viable settlement. Finally, realistic funding schemes and management practices also need to be established if such a complex program is to be embarked on. vi International Space University, MSS 2014 Mars NOW FACULTY PREFACE FACULTY PREFACE The Nineteenth Century brought unprecedented waves of immigration to the United States of America. Millions emigrated in often-precarious sailing and steam ships. Many were making this extraordinary effort in response to poverty, famine, or persecution in their native countries. A smaller number merely sought fortune and adventure in “The Land of Opportunity”. What all of these immigrants had in common was the recognition that some of them would never see their family and friends again in “The Old Country”. Indeed, in Ireland, a tradition known as an “American Wake” was rampant in the 1800s and early 1900s. Families and friends would assemble the night before their loved ones sailed for the New World. Despite the music, dance, and high spirits, the evening was always overshadowed by the morose realization that a loved one was leaving home permanently, never to return. Hence, the term, “American Wake”, so-called because it compares this sad, ultimate evening event with a traditional Irish family wake for a recently deceased relative or friend, prior to burial. Clearly, any future one-way missions to Mars will be fraught with countless technical, humanistic, and other challenges and dilemmas. The idea of Martian settlers never seeing their families again is just one of them. What is obvious is that one-way missions to Mars will require years of vigilant reflection and preparation. This year, members of ISU’s “Mars NOW” Team Project (TP) have reflected carefully on such potential missions. The seventeen, Masters-level students from some fifteen countries embarked on their research in October, 2013. Their first task was to complete an interdisciplinary Literature Review (“One-Way Missions to Mars”), which they delivered to ISU’s Faculty last December. The next phase of their work commenced in January, 2014, and was dedicated to identifying original and useful aspects of research to exploit. Their project has come to be known as “Mars NOW” and is summarized in this Report, which was delivered to ISU’s Faculty in late March, 2014. The spirited members of “Mars NOW” are to be commended for several reasons. They have been open-minded from the start of this project and have always been sensitive to ISU’s 3I philosophy: International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary. They have also been abundantly aware of the futility of “reinventing the wheel” by rehashing stale research. This awareness ultimately resulted in them to identifying and developing several imaginative research topics, which hitherto have received little attention on the part of international scholars. Naturally, it is very stimulating for ISU’s Faculty to know that a proportion of our students will inevitably spend some of their professional careers planning and realizing future Mars missions. We wish them well and trust that they will never lose their zeal for space! Associate Professor Hugh Hill. International Space University, MSS 2014 vii TEAM PREFACE Mars NOW TEAM PREFACE “This is the goal: To make available for life every place where life is possible. To make inhabitable all worlds as yet uninhabitable, and all life purposeful.” Hermann Oberth, Man Into Space, 1957 "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet.” Stephen Hawking, interview with The Telegraph, 16 October 2001 Humanity is witnessing the start of a new era in space exploration. Soon, humans will once again sail through the cosmos and extend their reach farther than ever before. In this epic voyage, Mars will be one of the richest prizes. Initial missions will set the stage for the ultimate Mars goal: the creation of a settlement, an extension of human civilization to another world. While the concepts of one-way missions to Mars, and therefore Mars settlement, are still in their infancy, in recent years they have become a publicly discussed topic rife with speculation. However, in spite of all of the attention, little critical scrutiny has been directed towards these innovative ideas. Settling Mars should be regarded as a cosmic insurance policy for humanity. Ultimately, one planet is not enough. The Mars Next One-Way (Mars NOW) team set out to describe and discuss some of the most relevant challenges and opportunities