09 April 2019
Acta Astronautica accepts Watson Institute for SciEng Research’s Statistically Architected Human Spaceflight Missions to Mars for publication. The article overviews the results of research to architect various strategies for human exploration of the Martian surface. The research suggests the selection of the Martian Mothership concept as a new baseline for human spaceflight missions to Mars, as analysis of alternatives shows it achieves the greatest mission utility, best probability of a successful mission, lowest risk of crew fatality, and offers a direct exploration approach to Mars. Additionally, the research culminates in a new benchmark for human spaceflight missions to Mars derived from mission utility simulation of the Martian Mothership concept. Visit the publications page for information on this journal article as it becomes available online though Elsevier.
Abstract: Accumulation of knowledge acquired during mission utility analysis, concept development and experimentation, and analytics of mission simulation datasets is leveraged to statistically architect prospective human spaceflight missions to Mars. These include the Martian Mothership, Martian Space Station, and Mars Accreted Reconnaissance Station (MARS) concepts, as well as an ensemble of the newly architected missions. Utilizing Acolytion’s Progspexion, mission utility simulation is indicative of a simultaneous 84% increase in mission utility and 40% reduction in risk in comparison to the human exploration of Mars baseline.
Keywords: Mars Exploration; Human Spaceflight; Space Mission Engineering; Space Mission Simulation; Mission Utility Analysis; Progspexion
