Ed Dartford
Well-Known Member
The current Smithsonian magazine "Air and Space" includes a convincing argument that landing a manned craft on Mars is virtually impossible. Mars is very different from both the earth and the moon.
Astronauts insist that during entry there must be a manual abort capability but the craft simply cannot carry fuel to do this. Mars entry must rely on supersonic parachutes which are marginal because of the thin and shallow atmosphere. Retro rockets work for the moon because the entry velocity and gravity is lower. Also, because gravity is so low it is possible to carry fuel for abort/return.
If a manned landing were achieved, return would need to be using a prepositioned craft put down without the astronaut's abort requirement.
Astronauts insist that during entry there must be a manual abort capability but the craft simply cannot carry fuel to do this. Mars entry must rely on supersonic parachutes which are marginal because of the thin and shallow atmosphere. Retro rockets work for the moon because the entry velocity and gravity is lower. Also, because gravity is so low it is possible to carry fuel for abort/return.
If a manned landing were achieved, return would need to be using a prepositioned craft put down without the astronaut's abort requirement.
