The ballistic Mars hopper - An alternative Mars mobility concept

Abstract

The ballistic Mars hopper is proposed as an alternative mobility concept for unmanned exploration of the martian surface. In the ballistic Mars hopper concept, oxygen and carbon monoxide produced from the martian atmosphere are used as propellants in a rocket propulsion system for an unmanned vehicle on suborbital trajectories between landing sights separated by distances of up to 1000 km. This mobility concept is seen as uniquely capable of allowing both intensive and extensive exploration of the planet using only a single landed vehicle massing approximately 2000 kg. The technical challenges associated with In-Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) on the surface of Mars are reviewed. A rocket propulsion subsystem capable of using oxygen and carbon monoxide as propellants is described. Finally, results of mission analysis and a hopper landing hazard simulation are reported. It is concluded that an attractive Mars hopper can be developed based on relatively near-term technology.

Mars Hopper Vehicle Configuration Design Sensitivity Analysis

“…There are problems to use balloons and aircraft on Mars, such as winds and low atmospheric pressure. The ballistic Mars hopper is proposed as an most applicable alternative mobility concept for unmanned exploration of the Martian surface, the ballistic Mars hopper explores the Martian surface under rocket power and can repeatedly take off and land, carrying a suite of science instruments over a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers per hop, and the ballistic Mars hopper will allow long-distance Martian exploration [6][7][8].…”

Artillery based explorers: A new architecture for regional planetary geology

“…Long-range thousand-kilometer unmanned hopper flights that are refueled by in situ propellant production (ISPP) are proposed in [6]. Zubrin proposes an ISPP long-range rocket system for Mars human transportation on the order of 500 km [7].…”

Preliminary design analysis of a hopper vehicle for Mars mission

“…A ballistic hopper vehicle was proposed as the most applicable alternative mobility concept for unmanned exploration of the Martian surface [6,[8][9][10][11][12]. The ballistic Mars hopper explores the Martian surface under rocket power and can repeatedly take off and land, carrying a suite of scientific instruments over a range of hundreds of metres to several kilometres per hop; the ballistic Mars hopper will allow long-distance Martian explorations to involve both extensive and intensive scientific capabilities.…”

“…The ballistic Mars hopper explores the Martian surface under rocket power and can repeatedly take off and land, carrying a suite of scientific instruments over a range of hundreds of metres to several kilometres per hop; the ballistic Mars hopper will allow long-distance Martian explorations to involve both extensive and intensive scientific capabilities. The potential propulsion systems for a hopper vehicle have been analysed, a sketch of the hopper vehicle for Mars missions has been presented, and the Mars hopper vehicle might be further developed using the near-term technologies [8][9][10][11]. Furthermore, the feasibility of using a hopper vehicle instead of a rover for Mars exploration has been analysed, the results of the analyses show the possibility of fulfilling the exploration programme typically designed for a rover, and a possible hopper for Mars missions has been given by the initial design analysis [12].…”