Project number
21096
Organization
UA Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Academic year
2020-2021
Project Goal: For a mission to Mars, develop an ascent vehicle with mass constraints half that of typical proposals.
NASA is planning for an ascent vehicle to transport two astronauts and a payload of samples from the Mars surface back to a rendezvous spacecraft in low Mars orbit. The primary goal of the MARV-N project is to develop a minimum Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV, and identify key technologies and interfaces for meeting mission objectives. The MAV is scheduled to fly at the end of 2035, and it has a projected development budget of $2 billion per year for 10 years, totaling $20 billion.
A MAV design with a wet mass of less than 20,000 kg and a dry mass of less than 5,000 kg equates to half of what has been previously proposed. Development of critical systems and structural testing have advanced enough to allow a full proposal, including CAD designs for major structural components, propulsion system design, ascent planning and trajectory design, rendezvous and docking.
NASA is planning for an ascent vehicle to transport two astronauts and a payload of samples from the Mars surface back to a rendezvous spacecraft in low Mars orbit. The primary goal of the MARV-N project is to develop a minimum Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV, and identify key technologies and interfaces for meeting mission objectives. The MAV is scheduled to fly at the end of 2035, and it has a projected development budget of $2 billion per year for 10 years, totaling $20 billion.
A MAV design with a wet mass of less than 20,000 kg and a dry mass of less than 5,000 kg equates to half of what has been previously proposed. Development of critical systems and structural testing have advanced enough to allow a full proposal, including CAD designs for major structural components, propulsion system design, ascent planning and trajectory design, rendezvous and docking.