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在本研究报告中,比较了4种可能的载人火星运输系统的方案。这些方案包括:1)单飞行器化学推进;2)单飞行器核热推进;3)单飞行器核电和化学推进;4)双飞行器(核电推进货运飞船和化学推进载人飞行器)。本文采用飞行器近地轨道的初始质量作为飞行可行性的衡量尺度,除此之外,还指出了每种方案必须克服的主要技术障碍。文中指出,不是某一种推进系统特别优越,而是依照特定的探测目的、已有的技术水平及可接受的载人飞行时间,4个方案中的每一个都可能成为明显具有优越性的方案。本文还考虑了空气制动对飞行可行性的影响。尽管在地球和火星采用空气制动技术会使化学推进系统较其他方式的运输系统有竞争性,但是,从初始近地轨道质量方面来考虑,仍没有最后确定采用化学推进系统。本文的研究还表明,与空气制动和核热推进有联系的对所要求的初始近地轨道质量的降低,不一定是相互补充的。
In this study, four possible scenarios for a human-powered Mars transport system are compared. These programs include: 1) chemical advancement of single-craft aircraft; 2) single-nuclear nuclear thermal propulsion; 3) single-aircraft nuclear and chemical propulsion; and 4) dual aircraft (NNSA and PLO). In this paper, the initial mass of the near-Earth orbit of the aircraft is used as a measure of the viability of the flight. In addition, the main technical obstacles that must be overcome for each scenario are pointed out. It is pointed out that rather than being particularly superior to a particular propulsion system, each of the four options may be a distinctly superior solution depending on the particular detection purpose, available technology and acceptable manned time of flight . The paper also considers the effect of air braking on flight feasibility. Although the use of air braking technology on Earth and Mars will make chemical propulsion systems competitive with other modes of transport, the chemical propulsion system has not been finalized from the standpoint of initial orbit quality. The study in this paper also shows that the reduction in the required initial NEO mass associated with air braking and nuclear thermal propulsion does not necessarily have to be complementary.