Mars Ascent Vehicle Abort System

Project number: 
21092
Sponsor: 
UA Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Academic year: 
2020-2021
Project Goal: Safely deliver a crew of two astronauts from the surface of Mars into low Mars orbit.

NASA deems entry, descent and landing technology for reliable transportation to and from low-mass celestial bodies a high priority in space exploration. In an abort scenario, the vehicle must be adept at rising into orbit or landing on the surface, even at very high altitudes. Thus, this projects investigates deployable systems that produce high drag and reduce speeds during the abort sequence.

After taking into account the atmosphere of Mars, this team designed an abort system that uses a balloon-parachute technology known as a ballute, which can be more effective than standard parachute technology in the thin atmosphere. Ballute storage, deployment and inflation technology are used to employ atmospheric airflow alongside high tensile materials to create enough drag for a landing.

The system can stand alone or be coupled with a powered landing system.

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