Some information about Elon Musk's Mars settlement plan

Next week, CEO SpaceX - Mr. Elon Musk will officially announce detailed information about the Martian "credit" plan within the next few decades of the company. That is the goal that he has been determined to go for many years, although so far, not much has been revealed. However, things will change on September 27, when Musk plans to hold an event to talk about the means and technologies needed to bring people to Red Planet, and then construction of an area for long-term settlement purposes.

Maybe for many people, this information should have been published a long time ago. Musk repeatedly spoke of his desire to bring people to Mars, and said it was necessary to ensure human survival."I think there is a strong humanitarian argument supporting a multi-planet life , to protect the existence of humanity after the event of witnessing something catastrophic happening," Elon told the Journal. Aeon in 2014.

Even so, the announcement of information about the journey to Mars fell at the right time when the company was in trouble. SpaceX recently suffered a major defeat after one of its Falcon 9 rockets exploded on the launch pad at Air Force Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA). Currently, SpaceX knows the cause of the incident and the explosion did not change Musk's plan tomorrow, when he first published the details of the plan on Mars.

There are many rumors surrounding the colonial architecture on Mars, but the truth is still very vague. Here is what we know about Musk's vision and what he can or cannot reveal at the International Astronaut Conference (IAC) that takes place here in Guadalajara (Mexico)."I think it sounds crazy, no matter what," Musk said.

Things we know

Interplanetary transportation system, officially called the Mars Colonial Transporter

Musk's plan for Mars includes two main elements: a "super terrorist" rocket and a giant spacecraft capable of transporting goods and people to the surface of Mars. The rocket is responsible for launching a spacecraft from Earth, and the spacecraft will itself continue its route to Mars, according to Musk.

These two vehicles are collectively referred to as Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) , but last week, Musk dropped the name. Now it is called "Interplanetary Transport System" , which Musk says will likely "go beyond Mars".

We do not currently have too much information about these facilities. But Musk has partly revealed some details over the years, and of course, they can all change.

BFR

The missile model with the tremendous power SpaceX wants to develop is codenamed BFR, possibly an acronym for Big Fucking Rocket . Or this phrase could also come from the Doom game, which has a giant gun called BFG. Elon Musk CEO once said that this rocket will have to be strong enough to bring a spacecraft loaded with 100 tons of "useful goods" to the surface of Mars. That's more and heavier than anything ever transported to Red Planet, at the same time. From here, we can speculate that the BFR missile would have to be a giant "monster" , equal in size or even bigger than the Saturn V - a model of missiles that sent astronauts to the Moon.

Falcon Heavy heavy missiles will make the first flight next year, while BFR will be much larger than this missile.

"The scale of everything will have to grow exponentially," said Bobby Braun, a professor of space technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "To bring a two-story house up to Mars, you will need a huge rocket."

Although not much is known about what the BFR will look like, Musk has revealed the vehicle will contain a single giant missile core. And BFR will probably also be reused, similar to what Falcon 9 can do. How will such a huge vehicle be completed, and how much will it cost? No one has been able to answer.

BFS

BFR was born with the purpose of transporting a giant space ship, and the ship was codenamed BFS - "Big Fucking Spaceship".

This will be the main means to take passengers to the Mars colonies . However, the structure of the ship and the way it works has not been revealed. One wonders how BFS will be designed to create artificial gravity for passengers, helping to minimize damage to their muscles and bones. In addition, there are also arguments around the ship's ability to protect astronauts, before the radiation in space and solar flare (solar flare).

Besides, there is also a small concern: how does BFS land safely on Mars? This will be extremely difficult because Mars's atmosphere is very thin, only 1/100 times that of Earth. With such a thin atmosphere, the "cushion" to slow down the ship will not work. At that time, most goods would be in danger of crashing into the surface because the ship could not control the speed.

This is not a problem of SpaceX alone, NASA - the US Aeronautics and Space Agency is currently only able to grasp the technology for a ship carrying 1 ton of cargo to land on Mars. NASA's Curiosity probe weighs nearly 1 ton, has been taken to the surface of Mars thanks to the support of the parachute system and Sky Crane - a vehicle that helps it land smoothly. But Musk's goal is 100 tons of goods and people carried by BFS - payload is about 100 times more than Curiosity. It will certainly be a small challenge.

How NASA takes robots to probe Curiosity to the surface of Mars.

SpaceX is not expected to rely on NASA's method to land their goods. Instead, the possibility that engineers will find a way to use rocket engines to bring the ship down to the surface of the planet. This technique is called "reverse ultrasound repulsion", the technology used by SpaceX several times to land Falcon 9 missiles back to Earth after launching it into space.

And, of course, the company may also expand the scale of technology for spacecraft to serve the Martian mission. However, it is still unclear whether the entire BFS will be able to land on Mars, or only a section containing crew and cargo can land on the planet's surface. Musk has said many times that he hopes BFS can start operating in 2024. There are still 8 years from now until now, but this time is considered relatively short, especially for a public The company has not brought anyone into space like SpaceX.

Raptor motor

The Raptor will have a push of about 2.2 million newtons, according to Musk, powerful enough to act as the shuttle's main engine.

The key component of BFR and BFS will be Raptor - a new large-size engine, developed by SpaceX in 2009. Raptor will have a push of about 2.2 million newtons, according to Musk, strong enough. strong to act as the main engine of the shuttle. In addition, this engine will use liquid methane fuel, unlike the oil-fired Merlin engine that is being used to power Falcon 9 missiles. The reason the new engine uses methane gas. The choice is because this fuel can be produced right on Mars, using ice below the surface and carbon dioxide from the air.

That means Raptor can be "refueled" with materials available on Red Planet . It is still unclear how many Raptor engines will be equipped to provide enough thrust for BFR and BFS, during a long journey. A complete version of Raptor was shipped to SpaceX's McGregor testing facility in Texas earlier this year, according to president and COO SpaceX, Ms Gwynne Shotwell.

Freight routes

Most of the equipment needed for settling on Mars will have to be sent there, before people set foot on the new land. And once there is stable accommodation, Earth people also need food as well as transfer materials from the old planet, along with a large number of machinery parts to be replaced in case the equipment is damaged.

Musk's solution to this problem is Red Dragon, a new version of the spacecraft model SpaceX used to transport goods to the International Space Station then return. The Red Dragon is equipped with eight SuperDraco engines, allowing it to land safely on the surface, based on the "push landing" technique. Expected in 2018, SpaceX will launch this spacecraft onto Mars, to assess its ability to transport goods to the planet's surface.

Red Dragon will be launched by the thrust of Falcon Heavy, heavy missiles developed by SpaceX. This vehicle is scheduled to make the first flight next year. When Dragon can approach Red Planet, it will use "reverse ultrasound thrust" to land.

As planned, SpaceX will continuously bring Red Dragon ships to Mars every 26 months - when the Earth and the planet are closest together. The purpose of this plan is to establish a reliable freight route from Earth to Mars. The "shipper" called Red Dragon will then play a role in providing spare parts as well as food for the Martian settlers.

Things we really don't know

Fuel

So far, there has been a lot of speculation about how BFS has enough fuel to complete a long journey to Mars. Launching a giant-sized vehicle into space will naturally consume a lot of fuel, meaning that it may need to be refueling somewhere on the road, before it can land on the surface. Mars. According to Bobby Braun, additional missiles could be the chosen solution to further push BFS."So you will bring up the structure and skeleton of the spacecraft, then you will send the transport ships that will basically be filled with fuel, then move into the spacecraft, continue on. journey to Mars ".

Return to Earth

Unlike the Mars One project - which promises a one-way trip to Mars - Musk's plan will allow people to return to Earth . "You will want to bring the spacecraft back , " Musk said at the MIT Aerospace Conference held in 2014. "These spacecraft are really expensive, and quite difficult to build. You can't just leave them there, we need the ship back ".

That being said, yet exactly how the spacecraft could return to Earth is still a question that has not been answered, and so far, no means have returned to Earth after It was put on Mars. Being able to launch a vehicle into the air from Mars is a remarkable achievement, because it is a process that involves landing on the surface, refueling and then flying up and returning to Earth. If Musk has a way to fuel the engine right on Mars, it is possible to launch the ship to Earth.

Habitat and ways to maintain life for people from Earth

Expandable structures, designed as a place for people to reside by Bigelow Aerospace.It is unclear what SpaceX's living space for Mars settlers will look like.

The exact location of the area where people will live on Mars has not been announced by Musk. People from Earth need a life support system to provide oxygen to respiration, water filtration and recycling systems, as well as a food supply solution. Most experts think that the Martian settlers will eventually have to live on cultivation, in some way.

"Providing enough food, water and air is one of the number one requirements, and most people agree with the expectation that it will be difficult to do so, especially for a long-term mission. long, unless you can do it right on Mars, " Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, shared. "Maybe for the first few years, you can bring your own food, but eventually you will have to grow your own food."

No one has ever tried to do that on Mars, and there are many challenges to face. The soil on Mars is thought to contain a salt called perchlorate , more importantly, it is toxic to humans. So, if food crops are grown on Mars, they need to be grown on soil from Earth or if Mars is used, it must be cleaned in some way. "It is a difficult problem and no one can solve it , " McKay said.

Radiation levels on Mars meanwhile are also higher than Earth, the climate is much colder, and gravity is only about 1/3 of the Earth. All of these factors can quickly devastate the human body if not protected. Braun said that maybe we will not hear solutions to these issues at the upcoming announcement.

"SpaceX is a space transport company, at least in my way of thinking about them," Braun said. "I think what you will likely hear is mainly a discussion of the architecture of space transport. I will assume that they will cooperate with stakeholders to apply a lot. necessary technology, to ensure safety for people ".

Cost, who is going, and many other things .

There are many aspects of the Mars mission that need to be addressed, such as who will be the passengers on the spaceship, and how the trip will be funded. In addition, to realize the journey to Mars, SpaceX will surely face many challenges in different areas."I think it's very difficult , " said Charles Miller, president of NexGen Space LLC, a space consulting firm. "I think it is a very daring goal, worth your whole life, and I have the same opinion with him (Musk) in creating a second branch of human society. But it is extremely difficult. "