What is it about?
This paper presents a conceptual space vehicle architecture for human solar system exploration which resembles the spaceship Discovery depicted in the novel and film “2001 – A Space Odyssey.” Like its namesake, this spaceship could transport human expeditions to explore the Moon, Mars, the dwarf planet Ceres, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The Spaceship Discovery design could be implemented using technologies that are currently near the state-of-the-art, including advanced, bimodal nuclear thermal rocket engines for main propulsion and electrical power.
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Why is it important?
An interplanetary spaceship like Discovery could become a reality in the not-too-distant future, perhaps as soon as the second half of the 21st century. The needed technology is not far-fetched or unachievable. There has been tremendous progress in space technology development over the past 60-plus years. Continued development of key enabling technologies will enable the creation of a spaceship like Discovery that could transport humans on voyages of solar system exploration. The Spaceship Discovery design provides guidance for advancement for human space exploration and hope for mankind's future as a spacefaring civilization.
Perspectives
It has been my dream and sincere desire to see mankind explore space. I have been working on vehicle designs for human space exploration for my entire professional career. The Spaceship Discovery vehicle architecture offers many advantages for human exploration of the solar system and shows what can be possible using advanced technologies. The Spaceship Discovery design is flexible, with inherent growth capability, and will enable an evolutionary progression to more ambitious missions “to the Moon, Mars, and beyond." It is my hope that the Spaceship Discovery design will help to advance the goal of human space exploration.
Mark Benton
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Human Exploration of the Saturn System Using the Spaceship Discovery NTR Vehicle Architecture, January 2025, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-2562.
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