Human adventure on the Red Planet is get closer every daytime . The previous proposal of marriage for a crewed mission to Mars come from Lockheed Martin , an American global aerospace society .
Today at theHumans to Marsconference in Washington D.C. , Lockheed Martin will annunciate its proposal to put a crew of six people in ambit around Mars by 2028 . The spacecraft , called “ Mars Base Camp , ” would be in martian orbit for about 10 to 11 month , and it would be the first gradation of human exploration into deep space .
Lockheed is already involved in NASA ’s Journey to Mars as its master declarer for the construction of theOrion crew capsuleand the Space Launch System , a new heavy - lift Eruca vesicaria sativa . An uncrewed mental test of these technology is scheduled for 2018 , with a crewed follow - up in 2023 . No firm plans have been coiffure yet regarding the steps after that .
" We intend that orb Mars is a necessary precursor to land human beings on the surface , " Tony Antonelli , Lockheed Martin ’s master technologist for civil space geographic expedition , toldPopular Science . " NASA has that in their plans , and we ’re coloring in the point . "
Mars Base Camp is not a wide-eyed precursor , it is a earth - break missionary station in its own rightfield . Having a crewed vessel in orbit around Mars will lead to raw scientific achievement . The spaceman will be able-bodied to search the moons of Mars , teleoperate bird of passage on the surface directly from orbit , locate future landing place sites , and provide a airless look at our planetary neighbor .
The spacecraft , a construct Lockheed hop NASA will deliberate using for its Mars missionary work , would be set up in stages around the Moon . The squad envisions it to be made of large habitats , laboratory modules , and two Orion capsules to propel the wiliness to Mars . All the parts of the Mars Base Camp are made of near - term technologies that have either been tested already or are about to be .
" All of these pieces exist today , they ’re not brand raw , " add up Antonelli . " We ’re take reward of what we ’ve already got . "
Lockheed ’s program comes after the late proclamation by SpaceX of amission to Marsas soon as 2018 . With the secret sector throwing their hats in , the race to the Red Planet has officially begun .
[ H / T : Popular Science ]
