Red Dragon

Operator	Under evaluation by NASA and SpaceX
Major contractors	SpaceX
Mission type	Astrobiology lander
Launch date	2018 (proposed)
Launch vehicle	Falcon Heavy
Current destination	Mars
Mass	6.5 tonnes (14,000 lb) plus 1 tonne payload[1]

Red Dragon is a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule for low-cost Mars lander missions using Falcon Heavy rockets. Plans call for a sample return rover to be delivered to the Martian surface while also testing techniques to enter the Martian atmosphere with equipment a human crew could eventually use.^[1] The concept will be proposed for funding in 2013 as a United States NASA Discovery mission, for launch in 2018.^[2][3] The announcement of opportunity for a next Discovery mission was postponed to 2015 due to budget reasons.^[4]

Proposal [edit]

NASA's Ames Research Center is working with the private spaceflight firm, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), to plan a mission that would search for evidence of life on Mars (biosignatures), past or present. The 3.6-metre (12 ft) diameter Dragon module offers an interior volume of 7 cubic metres (250 cu ft) for up to 1 tonne (Bad rounding here2,200 lb) of instruments.^[5] A variant called Red Dragon, would drill about 1.0 metre (3.3 ft) underground in an effort to sample reservoirs of water ice known to exist in the shallow subsurface. The mission cost is projected to be less than USD$400 million,^[2] plus $150 million to $190 million for a launch vehicle and lander.^[1][3] SpaceX is currently planning the first Falcon Heavy launch for 2013 and quotes launch cost at $128M.^[5]

Goals [edit]

Scientific goals^[1]

• Search for evidence of life (biosignatures), past or present
• Assess subsurface habitability
• Establish the origin, distribution, and composition of ground ice
• Understand past climate using ground ice record

Human precursor goals^[1]

• Conduct human-relevant entry, descent and landing (EDL) demonstrations
• Assess potential hazards in dust, regolith, and ground ice
• Characterize natural resources
• Demonstrate access to subsurface resources
• Conduct in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstration

Landing system [edit]

The feasibility of a Dragon-derived Mars lander for scientific and human-precursor investigation is being studied by NASA's Ames Research Center.^[1][5] The SpaceX's Dragon capsule is being developed to ferry cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station. A slightly modified version of the crewed Dragon capsule could be used for payload transport to Mars, and a precursor to the ambitious long-term plans of sending a manned mission to Mars.^[2][3] Because of its design, a Dragon capsule may perform all the necessary entry, descent and landing (EDL) functions in order to deliver payloads of 1 tonne (2,200 lb) or more to the Martian surface without using a parachute; the use of parachutes is not feasible without vehicle modifications that would require a significant development program.^[1] It is calculated that its own drag may slow the capsule sufficiently for the remainder of descent to be within the retro-propulsion thruster capabilities; this approach should make it possible to land the capsule on legs at much higher Martian elevations than could be done if a parachute was used, and with 10 km (6.2 mi) landing accuracy.^[5] The engineering team continues developing options for payload integration with the Dragon capsule.^[3] Potential landing sites would be polar or mid-latitude sites with proven near-surface ice.^[1]

See also [edit]

• Astrobiology
• ExoMars
• Mars One
• Mars to Stay
• Mars Science Laboratory
• Private spaceflight

References [edit]

Further reading [edit]

• Red Dragon: Low-Cost Access to the Surface of Mars Using Commercial Capabilities Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration, held June 12–14, 2012 in Houston, Texas. LPI Contribution No. 1679, id.4315
• Red Dragon-MSL Hybrid Landing Architecture for 2018 Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration, held June 12–14, 2012 in Houston, Texas. LPI Contribution No. 1679, id.4216

v t e Spacecraft missions to Mars Present Orbiters Mars Express Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 2001 Mars Odyssey Rovers Curiosity Opportunity Past Flybys Dawn Mariner 3* Mariner 4 Mariner 6 Mariner 7 Mars 1 Mars 1M No.1* Mars 1M No.2* Mars 2MV-4 No.1* Mars 4 Mars 6 Mars 7 Rosetta Zond 2 Zond 3 Orbiters Fobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1 Kosmos 419* Mariner 8* Mariner 9 Mars 2 Mars 2M No.521* Mars 2M No.522* Mars 3 Mars 4 Mars 5 Mars 96* Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Global Surveyor Mars Observer Nozomi Phobos 1 Phobos 2 Viking 1 Viking 2 Landers Beagle 2 Mars 2 Mars 2MV-3 No.1* Mars 3 Mars 6 Mars 7 Mars 96* Mars Pathfinder Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 Phoenix Viking 1 Viking 2 Rovers Prop-M Sojourner Spirit Planned Mangalyaan (2013) MAVEN (2013) InSight (2016) ExoMars (2016, 2018) Mars One (from 2016) Inspiration Mars (2018) Unnamed 2020 mission (2020) Proposed ARES BOLD China mission Mars-Aster Mars Geyser Hopper Mars-Grunt Mars sample return mission MELOS MetNet Northern Light Red Dragon SCIM Sky-Sailor Cancelled Astrobiology Field Laboratory Beagle 2: Evolution Mars 4NM Mars 5NM Mars 5M (Mars-79) Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher Mars Surveyor Lander Mars Telecommunications Orbiter NetLander Vesta Voyager * Failed at launch

v t e Discovery Program Selected InSight Active Kepler MESSENGER ASPERA-3 Dawn Follow-on EPOXI Completed NEAR Shoemaker Mars Pathfinder Lunar Prospector Deep Impact Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Stardust / NExT Genesis Moon Mineralogy Mapper CONTOUR (failed) Concepts Comet Hopper (CHopper) Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) Mars Geyser Hopper Io Volcano Observer

v t e National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Policy and history NACA (1915) National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958) Paine (1986) Rogers (1986) Ride (1987) Space Exploration Initiative (1989) Augustine (1990) U.S. National Space Policy (1996) CFUSAI (2002) CAIB (2003) Vision for Space Exploration (2004) Aldridge (2004) Augustine (2009) General: Space Race Administrator and Deputy Administrator Chief Scientist Astronaut Corps Budget Spin-off technologies NASA TV Robotic programs Past Hitchhiker Mariner Mariner Mark II MESUR Mars Surveyor '98 New Millennium Lunar Orbiter Pioneer Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor Viking Project Prometheus Current Living With a Star Lunar Precursor Robotic Program Earth Observing System Great Observatories program Explorer Small explorer Voyager Discovery New Frontiers Mars Exploration Rover Mars Scout Human spaceflight programs Past X-15 (suborbital) Mercury Gemini Apollo Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (with USSR) Skylab Shuttle–Mir (with Russia) Space Shuttle program Constellation program Current International Space Station program Future/planned Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Individual featured missions (human and robotic) Past COBE Apollo 11 Mercury 3 Mercury 6 Magellan Pioneer 10/11 Voyager 1/2 Galileo WMAP WISE Space Shuttle Currently operating MRO Mars Odyssey MESSENGER Dawn New Horizons Kepler International Space Station Hubble Space Telescope Spitzer RHESSI SWIFT GALEX THEMIS Mars Exploration Rover Cassini GOES 14 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter GOES 15 RBSP SDO Aquarius Juno GRAIL MSL NuSTAR Future NPP James Webb Space Telescope MAVEN WFIRST InSight OSIRIS-REx MMS Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization Unnamed 2020 Mars rover Space Comm and Nav (SCaN) Space Network Near Earth Network Deep Space Network (Goldstone Madrid Canberra) NASA categories and lists NASA personnel NASA programs NASA probes NASA images NASA Social (formerly Tweetup) NASA List of NASA Astronaut Groups List of astronauts by year of selection List of NASA aircraft List of NASA missions List of NASA contractors