SPACE SOLAR POWER & EXPLORATION SSP-DERIVED MARS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS • SEPS Mars Transfer Vehicles derived from the SunTower solar power satellite SSP appear to be good candidates for advanced Mars exploration scenarios - Large SEPS MTV applicable to both cargo and crew transportation flights - Opportunity for rapid evolution to reusable interplanetary transportation systems with steadily increasing confidence - Allows examination of options for active, high-power electromagnetic field-based shielding from space radiation environments for crew flights and orbital operations • General transportation systems needed for a SEPS MTV-based architecture - SSP-derived MTV (single propulsion system, reusable) • Large (low mass and high efficiency) solar arrays, advanced ion or plasma propulsion systems, low-cost/-mass thermal management systems - Mars Excursion Vehicle Systems (lander/ascent or combined) - Space Transfer Vehicle for HEO “staging” • A new concept for Mars Transportation is suggested: the “SolarCiipper” ‘^SOLARCLJPPER” • A concept for Mars transportation derived from the SunTower Solar Power Satellite concept - A “ship-like" approach from the 19th Century for 21st Century Voyages • The SolarCiipper is modular - could be deployed using low-cost, RLV-ciass ETO transport - Payloads could be integrated (HLLV- iauncned) or modular (RLV launched) • SolarCiipper uses advanced Solar Electric Propulsion - Modular ion or plasma propulsion, with total power levels ranging from 2 to 20 MW • Diverse uses possible - "Slow-Boat" Cargo Transport in the 140 MT payload class with 450+ day transits (from LEO) - "Express” Personnel Transport with 80 MT payloads in 200+ day transits (from GEO) - In Mars orbit, cargo SolarClippers could be deployed as SPS to provide power to the planet's surface (e.g., for ISRU) tmnkTftS 2*-T
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