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From 1977 through 2000, the Mars Trans Hab (MTH) Design Study Team developed design concepts for a manned Mars transportation
system. The study team proposed an MTH spacecraft that is
launched into orbit during an STS mission, following construction of the
International Space Station (ISS). The MTH would transfer from low Earth
orbit into a high Earth orbit, after which the MTH crew would ferry from
the ISS to the MTH via an X-38 vehicle prior to beginning the 200-day trip
to a Martian orbit.
The design team's fundamental structural design is based upon a cylindrical
Central Structural Core (CSC). An airlock, consisting of a cylindrical structural
shell and hatch, is affixed to one end of the CSC. Enveloping the core is an
inflatable shell which serves several functions, including shell stiffness and
thermal insulation, as well as meteoroid and orbital debris (MOD) protection.
The MTH shell features a deployable multi-shock shield consisting of three Nextel
AF-10 bumpers, each separated by a 10 cm standoff of low-weight open-cell
foam which serves as the support materialThe rear wall consists of five layers of Kevlar
fabric. The foam is initially compressed for launch into a package
approximately 5 cm thick. After achieving orbit, the foam is allowed to expand
to its full 30 cm standoff. The pressure bladder is located behind the Kevlar wall.
As assessment of the shell's ability to withstand the MOD environment is summarized
in the recent report, Mars Trans Hab Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Shield Performance
Assessment, Glen Shortliffe and Eric Christiansen, JSC 27892, June, 1997.
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