Simulations of Mars Flights On The ISS: an update
Abstract
In order to enable human exploration of the solar system many scientific and technological challenges are still to be solved. Once solutions to these challenges are ready, these will be integrated in the flight plans as ad hoc operational strategies. Space researchers and technologists have long considered the International Space Station (ISS) the best available integrated analogue for a human transit to Mars. In the ISS the intermingled, complex, impacts of microgravity, radiation, living and psychological conditions that astronauts will face during a deep space cruise, can be mimicked at the same time, in part or in full at a level not reachable with the other ground level analogues. In particular, increasing durations, gravity transitions to planetary surfaces, and communications delay are all areas where ISS offers opportunities of increasing fidelity of integrated simulations. Building on a series of international discussions, international interest is growing and agency discussions maturing making use of ISS as a more integrated analog: • IAC 2017 symposium (The International Space Station in LEO and the Deep Space Habitat in Cis Lunar Space as platforms for simulated Mars voyages), • 2018 paper in Advances in Space Research ("Integrated simulations of Mars flights on the ISS"), • COSPAR 2018 presentations (The ISS as a platform for a fully simulated mars voyage, PEX.2; ISS4Mars, integrated simulations of Mars flights on the ISS: the radiation issues, in this F2.2 sub-commission) have expanded descriptions of several aspects of that idea, • ASI HQ October 2018, workshop on ISS4Mars concept, in concomitance with the International Space Life Sciences Working Group (ISLSWG), • IAC 2019 NASA presentation (Innovative Approaches to using the International Space Station as a Mars Transit Analog), and • IAC 2019 special session (ISS-Moon-Mars: Using spaceflight platforms to study and simulate future missions), which involved all the major ISS partner agencies. An international workshop will be conducted in May 2020 in Cologne (The International Space Station as a Mars Mission Analog), involving all ISS collaborating agencies and additional experts. This workshop seeks to identify the near-term and long-term objectives and approaches for efficient use the ISS as an analog for Mars missions, combining both research and operational aspects. In this talk we present the progress since the 2018 talk in this sub-commission, including the outcomes of the 2020 Cologne workshop outcome. We will emphasize the first steps that can be done in the next year and more challenging opportunities that could be implemented over the next 5 years. After summarizing the opportunities and challenges, we will also discuss how far we are from the possibility of conducting a full dry run of a Mars transit on ISS including combined effects of isolation, microgravity and radiation.
- Publication:
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43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 28 January - 4 February
- Pub Date:
- January 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021cosp...43E1863N