Mission and surface infrastructure concepts

Abstract

This paper identifies and discusses several types of manned Mars surface missions, including sorties, fixed-base, and hybrid missions, which can be envisioned as potentially desirable approaches to the exploration and utilization of Mars. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type are discussed briefly. Also, some of the implications of the types of missions on the surface elements' designs are discussed briefly. Typical sets of surface elements are identified for each type of mission, and weights are provided for each element and set.