Questions tagged [mars]
Questions about the science or exploration of the planet Mars. See the tag wiki for related tags.
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How cheap would rocket fuel have to be to make Mars colonization feasible (according to Musk)?
Elon Musk tweeted recently:
SpaceX created the first fully reusable rocket stage and, much more importantly, made the reuse economically viable.
Making life multiplanetary is fundamentally a cost per ...
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Which airplanes designed for Earth could also fly on Mars?
According to,
Records in Flight: Altitude
For years, the unofficial record was held by Joseph A. Walker, who
reached 354,199ft in a North American X-15 in 1963.
When you consider that the highest ...
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What other marketable uses are there for Starship if Mars colonization falls through?
SpaceX and NASA are investing a stunning pile of resources in developing Starship, the heaviest of heavy lift launchers; despite the small market for heavy launchers and the significant advantages of ...
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How would humans actually colonize Mars? [closed]
We've heard several times about how Elon Musk plans to take us to Mars using the Starship spacecraft. Although I do believe that given the time and money this is possible, I don't understand how we ...
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How were seismic wave velocities measured on Mars with only one station?
The Insight lander touched down on Mars in 2018. It deployed its seismometer and gathered 4 years of data. Recently, a paper was published which, based on Insight data combined with modeling, ...
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A Mars Sample Return Misson Profile
The first and second modules are both launched to Earth's Orbit. Their iodine ion engines get them on their way to Mars. The first module is in a free return trajectory. The second module is in a ...
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What if something goes wrong during the seven minutes of terror?
We all know that NASA has sent rovers to Mars for several years. And, during the last 7 minutes, each rover follows the EDL (Entry, Descent, Landing) maneuver. I believe this process is completely ...
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What is an feasible atmospheric pressure for plants and humans on Mars?
On Earth plants can grow at an atmospheric pressure of around 5 psi (0.34 bar) with supplemental carbon dioxide. On Mars, the carbon dioxide would also be naturally concentrated underground.
What is a ...
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Diagonal ice tunneling rover to reach a safe pressure in Mars?
Is the ice on Mars deep enough to bore down into it to sustain around 10 PSI (69 kPa) air pressure? The device I have in mind is a rover with a reactor that melts through the ice slowly to create a ...
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Accuracy of MRO ephemeris
I am trying to understand if I pick a point on the Martian surface, say the Airy-0 Crater, with what accuracy can I predict the earth time the MRO will pass directly overhead?
It's my understanding ...
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Any ideas?: Calculating wet-mass and burn altitude for a Mars landing, using a Python simulation
In this post, I will explain the problem, provide some detailed context, and finally explain what I am searching for (what my question is basically).
First of all, this should be quite a fun but ...
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What is the lowest viable circular orbit around Mars that can last at least one week?
Supposing you wanted to launch a spaceship from the surface of Mars into orbit around Mars. It would stay in orbit for up to one week while you prepared a second rocket that would dock with it to ...
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Using Mars' inner moon Phobos as a brake
In case of a StarShip (but it could be any other lander), it would arrive a Mars with minimal fuel remaining and it would need to slowdown for reentry, how can it be slowed down for free? Maybe using ...
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How exactly would nuclear thermal or nuclear electric propulsion enable short duration human missions to Mars?
Today (May 1, 2024) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson testified before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee that nuclear thermal propulsion would enable us to go faster to Mars. He said:
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Will a human mission to Mars require artificial gravity?
Elon Musk and SpaceX are planning a manned mission to Mars as early as 2029.
The mission timeline is unclear, but one proposal (page 16) from SpaceX, which uses Hohmann transfer orbits for minimum ...
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How feasible is dragging a 1 km asteroid into Mars orbit? (For All Mankind Spoiler Alert)
In the final episode of Season 4, Dev Ayesha, Ed Baldwin and other protagonists hijack the space ship Ranger to drag the wayward Asteroid 2003LC "Goldilocks" into Mars orbit.
In terms of the ...
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Could we make space roads? Like a space elevator between planets?
We hear a lot about space elevators that could place something in orbit, but what about a space road between planets? Suppose you had a long tube or flat road placed between Earth and Mars by chemical ...
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If the Apollo 17 astronauts had gone for Mars, where would they have gotten?
Suppose at the last minute, Houston and the Apollo 17 crew (let's assume that support extends all the way up to the White House) decided they should go for broke and attempt to reach Mars instead. The ...
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What is the best option for providing breathable air to the crew during a first human mission to Mars
While researching Price per kg of cargo delivery to ISS and reading a comment from @DavidHammen, it became apparent that high Technical Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for recycling $\text{CO}_2$ ...
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Ingenuity extended static mission science possibilites
Despite Ingenuity's inability to fly due to missing/damaged rotors, it remains in communication with Perseverance and Earth for now, sending back color images from navigation cameras and such.
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An alternative architecture for a mission to Mars
This image, which is supposed to represent the current architecture of the mission to Mars by NASA, raised a wave of emotions. People find it too long and complicated. But is it really possible to ...
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What would be the doppler effect in the a 2.42GHz signal coming from a satellite in orbit around Mars, received on Earth ground station?
Say there is a satellite in orbit around Mars, and it sends a signal at such a time that it is more or less behind the Sun. In that case, Mars would be "Occulted" by the Sun.
That signal is ...
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Does the atmospheric pressure of Mars fluctuate because of the seasonal evaporation of the polar ice caps?
The carbon dioxide ice on the Martian poles are known to evaporate every summer and re-deposit every winter.
Where does this carbon dioxide 'go' and does it mean there is a seasonal variation in the ...
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Why are the Martian poles not covered by dust?
The Martian surface is known to have periodic 'dust storms'.
Depictions of Mars typically show poles with ice at the surface. If that is the case why are the Martian poles not blanketed with a thick ...
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Why does the Curiosity rover camera image resolution have "milliradians" as a unit?
NASA's published specs for the Curiosity rover cameras says that the image resolution is in milliradians per pixel. Which is odd because image resolution is measured in physical size units, i.e. ...
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Before we build a Mars colony, why don't we build a 100% self-sustainable test colony in the Antarctic?
Before we go to Mars, why don't we build a sealed dome self sustaining colony in the Antarctic? One that can heat itself, recycle all materials, water and waste. Grow enough plants to produce oxygen ...
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Interpretation of mars rover images
I’ve been obsessed with the perseverance images, specially the images from the SHERLOC-WATSON system- the UV camera tricked out with racing stripes and fuzzy dice hanging from its rear-view mirror (...
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How high could Ingenuity fly?
On its 59th flight, Ingenuity achieved a height of 20 meters - twice as high as its maximum height during the original 5 flights that it was designed and expected to last for. In the scheduled 61st ...
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Can I move Hyperion to Mars with fusion rockets?
I'm working on a SciFi story set roughly in 2100 that takes place both on the moon and Mars. One plot point hinges on terraforming Mars, the biggest stumbling block being its lack of water and ...
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Why not land near the poles of Mars for extracting water? [duplicate]
It is hard to find ancient life on earth that is over 3 billion years old. Rocks get reworked over time. They get melted and metamorphosed, folded and fractured. Fossil evidence is easily lost.
So in ...
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What is this cylinder on the Martian surface at the Viking 2 landing site?
What is the cylinder on the Martian surface in this image taken by the Viking 2 lander?
It stands out in most images of the martian surface, including https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_2#/media/...
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How big does the Martian supply chain need to be, to be self sufficient?
Something I've been pondering recently is how big the manufacturing base needs to be to manufacture everything in the manufacturing base. Big in this case referring to total mass, machines required, ...
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SpaceX Starship refueling in Mars orbit
I was wondering if the propellant required to leave Earth orbit, accelerate to Mars' orbital velocity and then perform orbital insertion will leave the starship with enough propellant to perform a ...
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Is it possible to fly a glider on Mars and if so are there any plans for one?
So I'm a Rising aerospace engineering freshman and have gotten very into the idea of learning about and figuring out possibilities of Martian Aviation.
I am well aware of Mars Ingenuity and was ...
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How can systems of skyhooks help interplanetary travel
I recently watched a kurzgesagt video on skyhooks, and it mentions that a system of skyhook, one on Mars and one on Earth, can shorten a trip to Mars from 7-9 months to 3-5 months. I am confused on ...
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Propellant choices for a Mars landing; tradeoffs between LOX/CH4 and H2O2/RP-1?
What are the tradeoffs between LOX/methane and peroxide/kerosene for a Mars landing mission?
In which ways are each better or worse than the other?
I think the second one would more attractive for ...
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Glove in Phoenix Backshell?
I stumbled across this image which shows the Phoenix Lander being integrated into its backshell:
This is the only image "source" I was able to find: https://picryl.com/media/phoenix-mars-...
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If we had a video livestream of a clock being sent to Mars, what would we see?
If, you hypothetically started 2 clocks at exactly the same time, and placed one on Earth, and one on a rocket to Mars, and setup a video feed of both clocks, how would they compare as the 2nd clock ...
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If we make a Mars or moon station, how would the carbon and water cycle work if the Earth was destroyed? [duplicate]
If it costs 50k to fly 1 pound to space, how much would the machine cost? I'm a 7th grader and I need help on my project. How would the carbon and water cycle machines work? This is hypothetical.
user51001
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Why was the ExoMars Rover to use such as complex parachute system?
American Mars landers use a single, supersonic main parachute. The European/ Russian ExoMars rover was to use a much more complex 4 parachute system consisting of a drogue, a main and a pilot for each ...
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How did NASA avoid a repeat of the Mars Polar Lander failure?
One of the most likely causes of the MPL (Mars Polar Lander) crash landing on Mars was the deployment of the legs being mistaken by the onboard computer as touchdown. Phoenix (and later InSight) ...
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What is a Mars 5-sol orbit? [closed]
I need to calculate the delta-v for descent from 5-sol orbit to the surface of Mars and then ascent back to 5-sol orbit from the surface of Mars. What is a "5-sol orbit?"
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When sending a ship to mars what is the optimal travel path [duplicate]
its pretty self explanitory but I need to figure it out but not something from the past a ship that could be sent in the next 5-7 years what would be my time frame using the least amount of fuel and ...
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Google maps for Space exploration
Google Maps
Can Google Maps for Space Exploration be defined similar to our planet Earth? I.e Planet Mars exploration, Moon exploration, International Space Station (ISS) journey and other planets of ...
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Were the distances traversed by Perseverance on Sol 718 and 719 each exactly 415.27 m or were they added together 415.27 m and if so, why?
The image above is an annotated screenshot of a part of the Perseverance location map.
On the location map the white line represents the trajectory that Perseverance has traveled in Jezero crater. ...
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Can Martian regolith be easily melted with microwaves?
Apparently, Lunar regolith will melt if you expose it to moderate power microwave energy.
Based on the accepted answer to the referenced question, it has to do with the presence of iron in the ...
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Mirror size and pixel resolution on planetary surfaces
MRO’s HiRise camera has a 0.5m primary mirror and a per-pixel resolution of ~30cm from an altitude of 200km. For an identical orbit, and ignoring any atmospheric effects, what mirror size would be ...
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Could Mars be terraformed by redirecting an asteroid to hit it? [closed]
If so, what kind of asteroid would be best?
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How would low gravity on Mars be a stress factor on plants?
As a 12 year old doing a science project for my local science fair I have found that many experiments that try to simulate how the environment would be like on Mars while growing plants always forget ...
user50496
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Lead lined Martian suit
Despite having to transport a significant amount of mass to Mars, would lead lined environment suits be viable, to provide cosmic radiation shielding for Martian colonists?
Would carrying that extra ...
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