Mars sample return mission with in-situ resource utilization

Abstract

A Mars sample return mission has been proposed where oxygen for the return propellant would be produced using the Martian atmosphere. A mass analysis of an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) oxygen plant shows that significant reductions in landed mass and mission costs can be attained by using methane carried from Earth and oxygen produced on Mars as propellents for the return trip. The metrics for the mass analysis are based on laboratory data collected from proof-of-concept, scale-up, and long-duration experiments. Using existing technology and current performance levels, it is shown that an ISRU plant capable of producing 7 kg/ day of oxygen requires an estimated mass of 108 kg and consumes 2.9 kW of electrical power. A 2.5 kg/day oxygen production facility has a mass of 64 kg and requires 1.1 kW of electrical power.

Hybrid Rocket Propulsion and In-Situ Propellant Production for Future Mars Missions

“…By working several years on solid electrolysis in laboratory, he reached two critical thresholds in performance and maturity for its use in space missions. In 1995 19 , his design of a Stancati et al 10 partial in-situ MSR Mission, the first to be based on proof-of-concept, scale-up, and long-term results obtained in laboratory, gave great results. The mass of the in-situ oxygen production unit and of the methane carried was shown to add up only to around 40% of the overall propellant mass, thus generating significant and solid gains.…”

“…Most ISPP mission designs carried out so far have concerned MSR missions 10,15,19 , missions that can now be achieved with much smaller payloads thanks to miniaturization and an Earth return vehicle that now remains in Martian orbit (Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) payload mass of 36 kg in 2010 6 against 240 kg in 1978 3 used until 1995 19 ). This evolution, as we will see in this article (Part VII), made ISPP rather irrelevant for MSR missions because it was unnecessarily complex and risky.…”

“…In 1995 19 , he showed, designing two possible MSR missions with the support of extensive full-scale lab experiments, that an in-situ oxygen plant capable of producing 7kg of O2 per day would constitute a mass of 108kg and consume 2.9kW of power (and 2.5 kg/day would give 64kg and 1.1kW), with a power penalty of 140kg/kW, provided by an radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). The membrane was operated at high temperatures (1073 to 1273K) to realize the necessary thermal decomposition; it thus required lots of energy, and lead to a big mass penalty.…”

“…It is to be noted that for methane/LOX engines, delivered performances of 342s and 350s were assumed for Sridhar's two MSR missions 19 . Also, the off-optimal-O/F design from Thunissen et al lead to a lower delivered specific impulse in the 330-335s range 15 .…”

Metal-CO2 Propulsion for Mars Missions: Current Status and Opportunities

“…One of them postulates production of CO and O 2 by electrolysis of the Martian CO 2 in a zirconia cell for use as a liquid bipropellant in rocket engines [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Because CO=O 2 propellant provides relatively low performance [5], generation of only liquid oxygen on Mars for use with better (hydrocarbon) fuel transported from Earth was also considered.…”