posted 05-18-2016 04:02 PM               

Mars Base Camp

Mars. It's humanity's next giant leap. And we're closer than we've ever been.

What will a human Mars mission look like? How can we keep astronauts safe, healthy and productive for a three-year journey into deep space? What can they discover when they get to Mars? How do we build a road map from today's low-Earth orbit missions to our first interplanetary journey?

Mars Base Camp is Lockheed Martin's vision for sending humans to Mars by 2028. The concept is simple: transport astronauts from Earth to a Mars-orbiting science laboratory where they can perform real-time scientific exploration, analyze Martian rock and soil samples, and confirm the ideal place to land humans on the surface.

Mars Base Camp is a concept for an orbiting science station envisioned to launch in 2028 that sets the stage for a human landing mission in the 2030s.

The Mars Base Camp concept is built on a strong foundation of today's technologies – making it safe, affordable and achievable:

• Orion: The world's only deep-space crew capsule, built with deep space life support, communications and navigation. This is the mission Orion was born to do.

• Space Launch System: Super heavy lift designed to send critical labs, habitats and supplies to Mars.

• Habitats: Building on our NextSTEP research, deep space habitats will give astronauts room to live and work on the way to Mars.

• Solar Electric Propulsion: Based on technology already in place on satellites, this advanced propulsion will pre-position key supplies in Mars orbit.

How does Mars Base Camp work?

The major components of the architecture will be launched separately. Some are pre-positioned in Mars orbit ahead of time. Others are assembled in cis-lunar space for the journey to Mars. Six astronauts will launch on Orion, which serves as the heart of the Mars Base Camp interplanetary ship.

What is the mission timeline?

This notional timeline lays out the major stepping stone missions that will refine and test the technology to make Mars Base Camp possible.

Since the first Viking lander touched down on Mars 40 years ago, humanity has been fascinated with the Red Planet. Lockheed Martin built NASA's first Mars lander and has been a part of every NASA Mars mission since. We're ready to deliver the future, faster.

The Mars Base Camp concept builds upon existing deep space technologies in development today and provides a blueprint for NASA's journey to Mars. This plan provides the opportunity for significant scientific discovery, can be evolved to accommodate specific mission objectives, and ensures the safety of our astronauts.

Mars is closer than you think. We're ready to accelerate the journey.

posted 08-17-2016 11:25 AM               

The aerospace company Lockheed Martin recently proposed that NASA work with its international partners and private industry to set up a space station in Mars orbit by 2028. The astronauts working and living aboard this "Mars Base Camp" could help collect information that any future Red Planet explorer would need to know, the project's developers say.

"Before we send people to the surface of Mars, we owe it to that crew, to ourselves, to understand if there's life on the planet and if there's anything that's toxic to humans," said Steve Bailey, the president and chief engineer of the Colorado-based company Deep Space Systems Inc. "This mission will do those two very fundamental things."

Bailey and Steve Jolly, chief engineer for civil space at Lockheed Martin, discussed the Mars Base Camp idea July 27 during a presentation with NASA's Future In-Space Operations (FISO) working group.

posted 09-27-2017 10:44 PM               

At no other time in history have we had the technology, the know-how, and the public enthusiasm to get humans to Mars. Orion is NASA's spaceship that will take humans into deep space, but it needs to be a part of a larger system to go to Mars. Lockheed Martin's concept is called Mars Base Camp and it's our idea of how to send humanity's first crewed mission to Mars in about a decade.

The Mars Base Camp orbiting outpost could give scientists/astronauts the ability to operate rovers and drones on the surface in real time – helping us better understand the Red Planet and answer fundamental questions: Where did we come from? Where are we going? Are we alone?

posted 09-28-2017 02:29 PM               

As valuable as orbiting missions are for science and exploration, we’ll eventually look to leave the base camp and descend to the surface.

The Mars Base Cape surface lander concept is a reusable, single-stage lander capable of descending to the surface from Mars orbit using supersonic retropropulsion. Each surface mission could last two weeks with up to four astronauts, and return to the orbiting Mars Base Camp without surface refueling or leaving assets behind.

The lander uses Orion avionics and systems as its command deck and is powered by engines using liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen propellant, both of which will be generated from water.