MEM: the Mars Excursion Module of the 1960s

[blackstar]

A little scary, isn't it ?

I read that. Have to reread it. But I think that as long as you're at the front of it, you're shielded. But you cannot go to the sides or behind it.

 

[blackstar]

Some images from the report.

 

[blackstar]

Some more.

 

[blackstar]

Some more.

 

[blackstar]

Some more.

 

[blackstar]

Some more.

 

[blackstar]

Some more.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


I can't ID this spacecraft project,which intended to reach Mars,L+K magazine 01/1971,
who can help ?.

 

[martinbayer]

Its Wernher von Braun's 1969 NASA manned Mars mission plan: http://www.exploremars.org/von-braun-answers-questions-about-mars

Martin

 

[hesham]

Thank you Martin.

 

[blackstar]

Started as a study done by (I think) Boeing for Langley, ca 1967. Got morphed into von Braun's concept by 1969. You can find some more about it in David Portree's monograph "Humans to Mars." Google that and you can find the pdf.

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Blackstar,


and here is the drawings from site,which was mentioned by Martinbayer.

 

[FighterJock]

Already bookmarked the site mentioned above, I seem to remember reading a book back in the early 1980s that von braun planned to send astronauts to mars by 1986 after the Apollo moon landings were finished. I have never seen the hardware before now, thanks guy's.

 

[Michel Van]

the lander to be used on Von Braun 1969 version:

North American Rockwell Mars Excursion Module (MEM)
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,14221.0.html
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11278.0.html

 

[blackstar]

Find Portree's monograph for more context. I have started writing about these studies. I have the big study that was done first. The spacecraft for that were huge, and would have required substantial new ground infrastructure (more Saturn launch pads, enhancements to the VAB, etc.). Von Braun's people then scaled it down. I want to understand how the von Braun version got scaled down. I got some information indicating that part of it was choosing a different orbit that reduced the fuel load. They also made some other choices that led to a smaller vehicle. But it still would have been massive.

What I have not found is any definitive report that details von Braun's version. There are slides and sections of other reports, but no 500-page engineering analysis, like exists for the earlier version. They obviously did the trades, but I cannot figure out if they never produced a final report or if they simply went to briefing slides.

 

[hesham]

the lander to be used on Von Braun 1969 version:

North American Rockwell Mars Excursion Module (MEM)
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,14221.0.html
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11278.0.html

Thank you my dear Michel,


and I have a two books about Von Braun,may be they contain a more info,I'll see.

 

[blackstar]

You can find the Humans to Mars monograph here:

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph21.pdf

The relevant chapter is here:

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph21/Chapter%205.pdf

Also attached.

 

[Orionblamblam]

New diagrams of the MEM are available here:
http://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/?p=2538

 

[Boxman]

I think this is the place for this...

I was just perusing through the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) archives on Flickr, and came across this illustration of a Convair / General Dynamics eight-man capsule, which was posed a few years ago.

The caption for the image describes it as "Title:GD/Astronautics Art Details: Empire Study; Earth Re-Entry Vehicle - 8 Man Date: 02/19/1964." As the caption states, this apparently came about from the Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expeditions (EMPIRE) project/studies.

https://flic.kr/p/NuXSBA

 

[Grey Havoc]

That belongs in a Museum!



Seriously though, I hope it did end up in a good home.

 

[FighterJock]

Surprised that the Smithsonian never bought it from whoever was selling it in eBay.

 

[blackstar]

Surprised that the Smithsonian never bought it from whoever was selling it in eBay.

Every museum has an acquisition strategy, meaning an overall policy on what they want to own and display in their museum. The Smithsonian focuses primarily on famous flown artifacts. So models and drawings are much lower on their list. Also, they have a lot less money to purchase things than you would think. Private museums tend to have endowments and donations that they use to acquire things. The Smithsonian does not really have that. Instead, they have other things, like federal policies that give them first dibs on acquiring NASA objects.

 

[hesham]

From, Revista de Aeronautica y Astronautica 1964,

Scientists from the Philco Corporation have designed a manned spacecraft capable of reaching Mars or Venus.

At the bottom of the photograph we see a drawing of the spaceship. In the upper one, the spacecraft a near Mars after having separated from part of its propulsion units.

 

[Space Baron]

I am looking for information on the Mars spacecraft that would have carried men to mars as planned for the post Apollo period. The MEM was to have been the Aeronuetronic lifting body from a 1964 paper presented at the AIAA/NASA 3rd Manned Spaceflight Meeting at Houston. The author was Temple W. Newman of Philco Ford.

This design of MEM was to be used on the Orion Nuclear Pulse spacecraft as well as other designs. The Mission Module/spacecraft I am interested in was, I believe, a North American Aviation proposal.

If anyone could help furnish me with illustrations I would be very grateful.

I have attached the only diagram that I have, along with the MEM diagram

On the nasa web. The MEM tests and design North American Rockwell.

image of cover attached.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19680006254/downloads/19680006254.pdf

Definition of experimental tests for a manned Mars excursion module. Volume 4 - Briefing brochureConceptual design and test program for manned Mars Excursion Module /MEM/ mission in 1980 period
Document ID
19680006254
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Canetti, G. S. (North American Rockwell Corp. Downey, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 4, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1967
Subject Category

SPACE SCIENCES
Report/Patent Number

SID-67-755-4, V. 4

NASA-CR-92561
Funding Number(s)

CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-6464
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads​

NameType19680006254.pdf

 

[Archibald]

I LOVE this document. It is the closest we ever come from a MEM, ever. Also reminds of J.K Lee Columbia aviation in Stephen Baxter Voyage novel.

 

[Space Baron]

I LOVE this document. It is the closest we ever come from a MEM, ever. Also reminds of J.K Lee Columbia aviation in Stephen Baxter Voyage novel.

I agree, it is fantastic… i plan on having this mission profile available to play, in my expansion Mars game for LIFTOFF! 2.0. .

Checkout www.liftoff2.com

another great profile is the
BELLCOM Manned Venus Flyby printed Feb 1, 1967
TR-67-600-1-1

Feldman, Ferrara, Havenstein, Volonte and Whipple are the authors.
http://www.devin.com/cruft/19790072165_1979072165.pdf. Downloadable!

 

[Space Baron]

I think this is the place for this...

I was just perusing through the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) archives on Flickr, and came across this illustration of a Convair / General Dynamics eight-man capsule, which was posed a few years ago.

The caption for the image describes it as "Title:GD/Astronautics Art Details: Empire Study; Earth Re-Entry Vehicle - 8 Man Date: 02/19/1964." As the caption states, this apparently came about from the Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expeditions (EMPIRE) project/studies.

https://flic.kr/p/NuXSBA

this is gorgeous!

 

[Archibald]

I LOVE this document. It is the closest we ever come from a MEM, ever. Also reminds of J.K Lee Columbia aviation in Stephen Baxter Voyage novel.

I agree, it is fantastic… i plan on having this mission profile available to play, in my expansion Mars game for LIFTOFF! 2.0. .

Checkout www.liftoff2.com

another great profile is the
BELLCOM Manned Venus Flyby printed Feb 1, 1967
TR-67-600-1-1

Feldman, Ferrara, Havenstein, Volonte and Whipple are the authors.
http://www.devin.com/cruft/19790072165_1979072165.pdf. Downloadable!

And there are tons of other similar documents - I've been collecting them since 2007.
From the top of my head

- Manned Eros asteroid flyby, 1966 Northrop study

- Venus ORBITAL mission (not flyby !) 1967 study by NASA Lewis.

- Triple planetary flybys in the second-half of the 1970's - Venus-Mars-Earth, and it would be possible to add lunar and asteroid flybys along the way: a quintuple exploration mission !

- FLEM: Flyby Landing Excursion Mode.
As the named entails: drop a crew on Mars surface, but save weight with the mothership NOT stopping in Mars orbit: it just flyby Mars on an heliocentric orbit. And the MEM has to run after it (!) otherwise the crew dies in heliocentric orbit...

- Bellcomm variant of FLEM, replacing the crewed MEM with a Voyager-like sample return probe. At least if that one don't catch back the manned flyby mothership, nobody dies !

Only these five, plus the MEM testing you mentionned above, would be fantastic.

Plus the crapton of Apollo lunar exploration plans: Tycho, farside, Marius Hills (my happy place !)... including the LM&SS: Apollo dragging a KH-7 spysat around the Moon in place of a LM, and getting 1-foot or less ultra-high-resolution pictures of the entire lunar surface, LRO 2009 style.

 

[Space Baron]

FLEM is my favorite! Based on pure, raw, engineering confidence; it is ruthlessly efficient!

 

[Archibald]

"So tell me, you want to go Mars with just ONE Saturn V ? I have a plan !"

 

[Space Baron]

"So tell me, you want to go Mars with just ONE Saturn V ? I have a plan !"

I’m game, when you say GO, do you mean surface, flyby or Orbit? like FLEM? PHd? Soil retrieval to orbit or flyby?
Propulsion type?
I’m trying to offer every viable profile in my game/sim.
I’m curious.

fritz

 

[publiusr]

FLEM is my favorite! Based on pure, raw, engineering confidence; it is ruthlessly efficient!

Mine too. Mark Wade's astronautix website was in error showing a lunar LEM for the Mars lander I would think. Now, if you had two superheavies, a Falcon Heavy, one SLS and one LM-9, how might that make FLEM better?

 

[Space Baron]

FLEM is my favorite! Based on pure, raw, engineering confidence; it is ruthlessly efficient!

Mine too. Mark Wade's astronautix website was in error showing a lunar LEM for the Mars lander I would think. Now, if you had two superheavies, a Falcon Heavy, one SLS and one LM-9, how might that make FLEM better?

With that group of five rockets, would get near 160t total to Mars Orbit. lots of options with all that. lots of profiles…

 

[RyanC]

Okay, here are the captions for the slides the Von Braun used for his presentation to the Space Task Group about the Integrated Plan. I think that what I uploaded earlier (I have not read it yet) was the report, and these are the captions that he would have read.

I don't have the images, but some of them have already been posted elsewhere. See NSF, for instance.

See attached to see the report with attached slides.

 

[Archibald]

What an awesome document. An all-important piece of space program history.

 

[hesham]

From Naval Aviation News 1960,

I can't ID this ?.

 

[wayne.mccormick]

You can find the Humans to Mars monograph here:

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph21.pdf

The relevant chapter is here:

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph21/Chapter%205.pdf

Also attached.

This is really cool. If you're still around, THANKS

 

[publiusr]

In LEGO

The Space Review: Flights to Mars, real and LEGO

I think that lander was kept as part of the Mars One crew manual:

Amazon.com

I’d like a ring on it:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576524002406?dgcid=rss_sd_all

Shielding

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576524002212

Other art

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496592296384183073/

View: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496592296384183073/


I think Rick Sternbach was working on a full size manned Mars lander mock up.

 

[publiusr]

Asteroids as cyclers

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.17047

Astronauts Could Take an Asteroid Ferry from Earth to Mars

www.universetoday.com

Lunar paths

https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.A35623

 

[JoeCalPo]

This depends on the type of asteroid. Many of them it turns out are loose rubble piles barely held together, so trying to corral and redirect them is difficult, let alone doing any construction. You'd need a stony or metallic asteroid, one previously part of a larger body, like Psyche appears to be.
When Apophis flies by Earth in 2029 its expected the structure will shift due to gravitational effects passing a much-larger body.