Mars One: a hoax or a new approach for space funding?

Quirijn Frederix

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

The idea

“... It would just be the greatest adventure. Ever. We need

things that are exciting and inspiring, it can’t just be about solving some awful problem.“

The idea

The idea• Dutch NPO founded in 2011

• Humans on Mars by 2025

• $6 billion price tag

• Advisory board with respectable reputation

• One-way trip...

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

Roadmap

• Start crew selection

• 202,586 applicants

• 4 Rounds

• Right now: round 2 interviews, 663 applicants left (4 Belgians)

• Darlow Smithson Productions obtained broadcasting rights

• 6 teams of 4 will start 7-8 year training program

Roadmap

• Start astronaut training

• 7-8 year programme

• Technical training

• Personal training

• Group training(simulation outpost)

Roadmap

• Demonstration mission• Lander: test water extraction capabilities

and solar power generation

• Contractor: Lockheed Martin

• Communication satellite: Provide communication link with earth

• Contractor: Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

Roadmap

• Rover mission

• Rover and trailer: search for fitting landing place and prepare it, move future modules

• Communication satellite in L5 point

Roadmap

• Cargo Missions

• 2 life support systems

• 2 habitable modules (including crop growth area)

• 2 supply units

• Rover will roll out solar arays, provide regolith for water production and cover modules with regolith for radiation shielding

Roadmap

• Mars Transit Vehicle

• Transit habitat + lander + propellant tanks assembled by assembly team

• Departure of crew

Roadmap

• Arrival on Mars

• 48-hour recovery period

• Move to habitable modules

• Connect all modules and start building the settlement

• Few weeks later; cargo for second crew arrives

Roadmap

• Total cost: $6B, $4B per subsequent crew of 4

• Return mission estimate: $50-100B

• London Olympics; Nearly $4B in broadcasting revenue

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

Issues

• Ethical aspects

• Every additional crew costs $4B: is this sustainable?

• Physical state of astronauts upon arrival on Mars

• Reliability of the rovers

• Closed life support systems

• Bacterial contamination

• Psychological effects

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

Radiation: types of radiation

• Van Allen belts: Electrons <6MeV, Protons <250MeV

• Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR): Protons (85%), α-particles (12%), electrons & positrons (2%), heavy ions (1%), γ-raysanti-correlated with solar activity

• Solar Energetic Particles (SEP): “Low” energy protons & electrons, some heavy ions

Radiation: effect on molecular level

• DNA-strand breaks

• Linear Energy Transfer (LET): 𝐿 =𝑑𝐸

𝑑𝑙

Radiation: Characterization

• Absorbed Dose:

• Equivalent dose:

• Effective dose:

Average dose on earth = 2.8 mSv/year

𝐷 =𝑑 𝜀

𝑑𝑚

𝐻 =

𝑅

𝑊𝑅𝐷𝑅

𝐸 =

𝑇

𝑊𝑇

𝑅

𝑊𝑅𝐷𝑅

Radiation exposure during mission

• Trip to Mars: 1.84 mSv/day (From MSL measurements, 5.4% of dose was from SEPs)

180 day trip 386 mSV

• Radiation dose on Mars: ≈0.64 mSv/day (From Curiosity measurements)

After 2 years and 8 months, limit of 1 Sv reached

Radiation shielding necessary!

Radiation shielding

• Water reserves as radiation shield

• 5m of Martian regolith on habitable modules to limit radiation to 11 mSv/year 55 years

Table of contents

• The idea

• Roadmap

• Issues

• Radiation• Types of radiation

• Effect on molecular level

• Radiation exposure during mission

• Radiation shielding

• Conclusion

Conclusion

• Humans will go to Mars in the (near) future

• Mars One tries to achieve this by 2025, the mission is already in full swing but first big hurdles still need to be encountered

• Many issues remain relating to the mission plan (feasibility, ethical aspects, CLS systems,...)

• Radiation effects can be overcome to a degree though a lot of research still needs to be conducted