Inspiration Mars Foundation
{{Short description|Defunct, proposed a crewed flyby mission}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Inspiration Mars Foundation
| image = Inspiration Mars Banner Graphic jpeg.jpg
| image_size = 295px
| caption = "Send Two People, Take Everyone"
| purpose = 2018 crewed Mars Flyby, or alternatively a 2021 Venus flyby followed by a Mars flyby
| founder = Dennis Tito
| type = 501(c)(3) (pending, {{asof|2013|04|lc=y}})
| tax_id =
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| founded_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2013|1|25}}
| location = Delaware, U.S.[http://nasawatch.com/archives/2013/04/inspiration-mar-2.html Inspiration Mars Wants To Use ISS], NASAwatch, 15 April 2013
| coordinates =
| origins =
| key_people = Dennis Tito
Jane Poynter
Taber MacCallum
Joe Rothenberg
Miles O'Brien
Jonathan Clark
Thomas Squire
| area_served = Earth/Mars/Venus
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}}
Inspiration Mars Foundation was an American nonprofit organization founded by Dennis Tito that in 2013 proposed to launch a crewed mission to flyby Mars in January 2018, or 2021 if they missed the first synodic opportunity in 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/11/20/dennis-titos-prepared-remarks-congress-human-mars-mission/ |title=Dennis Tito's Prepared Remarks Before Congress on Human Mars Mission at Parabolic Arc |publisher=Parabolicarc.com |date=2013-11-20 |access-date=2013-12-07}}
Their website{{cite web|url=http://inspirationmars.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013012955/http://inspirationmars.org/ |archive-date=13 October 2015|title=The Foundation}} became defunct by late 2015. They are no longer operating.
Plans
On 27 February 2013, the Inspiration Mars Foundation held a press conference in the National Press Club. They announce plans to procure space hardware, launch vehicle services, and select a two-person married couple as crew, and then raise the funding necessary to launch a mission to Mars in 2018. Dennis Tito said he would fund the foundation with $100 million for the first years of operation.
At the 2013 conference, however, Dennis Tito admitted that his plan was impossible without investment from NASA and the use of NASA spacecraft.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24633-ambitious-mars-joyride-cannot-succeed-without-nasa.html?page=1 |title=Ambitious Mars joy-ride cannot succeed without NASA - space - 21 November 2013 |magazine=New Scientist |date=2013-11-21 |access-date=2013-12-07}} NASA, however, was not willing to become a partner.{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2013/11/20/dennis_tito_it_will_take_less_than_1_billion_to_make_mars_mission_happen/|title=Dennis Tito: It will take "less than $1 billion" to make Mars mission happen|first=Lindsay|last=Abrams|date=21 November 2013 }}
=Funding=
They projected costs of the mission between {{USD|1–2 billion}}.
{{cite news |last=Koebler|first=Jason |title=Expert: Dennis Tito's Mars Flyby Has '1-in-3' Chance of Succeeding |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/03/01/expert-dennis-titos-mars-flyby-has-1-in-3-chance-of-succeeding |access-date=2013-03-07 |newspaper=US News |date=2013-03-01 |quote=At a news conference in Washington, D.C., Tito said he's tired of waiting for NASA to send humans to Mars, and that he'd help finance the between $1 and $2 billion needed to complete the mission.}} Tito said he would fund the foundation's cost for the first two years and planned to raise funds from industry and individuals for the mission.
But in testimony before Congress in November 2013, Tito said that he expected private donors would only provide around $300 million, leaving the need for an additional investment of $700 million from the US government. NASA responded that while they were willing to share technical and programmatic expertise, they would not commit to sharing expenses with the organization.{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/2013/11/20/dennis_tito_it_will_take_less_than_1_billion_to_make_mars_mission_happen/ |title=Dennis Tito: It will take "less than $1 billion" to make Mars mission happen |work=Salon.com |date=2013-11-20 |access-date=2013-12-07}} The foundation's funding model, dependent on a non-existent partner, never took form.
In March 2014, SpaceX said that they also had been contacted by Inspiration Mars, but that accommodating such requirements would require some additional work and that such work was not the current focus of SpaceX.
{{cite AV media|people=Gwynne Shotwell |date=2014-03-21 |title=Broadcast 2212: Special Edition, interview with Gwynne Shotwell |medium=audio file |url=http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |access-date=2014-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322013556/http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |archive-date=22 March 2014 |format=mp3 |time=11:20–12:10 |publisher=The Space Show |id=2212 |url-status=dead }}
Mission trajectory as proposed
File:Inspiration Mars trajectory.svg
File:Artist's Concept of Inspiration Mars Capsule.jpg
File:Inspiration Mars Periapsis.jpg
They proposed a free return trajectory to allow the spacecraft to use the smallest possible amount of propellant to flyby Mars and return to Earth.{{Cite report|date=2013-02-28|title=Grain Transportation Report. February 28, 2013|doi=10.9752/ts056.02-28-2013|doi-access=free}} They stated that the January 2018 launch window offered a rare orbit opportunity to travel to Mars and return to Earth in 501 days.{{cite news |last=Morring |first=Frank Jr. |title=Serious Intent About 2018 Human Mars Mission |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_03_04_2013_p24-553876.xml |access-date=2013-03-07 |newspaper=Aviation Week and Space Technology |date=2013-03-04 |archive-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095022/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_03_04_2013_p24-553876.xml |url-status=dead }}
Their stated backup plan involved a mission beginning in 2021 but it would be 88 days longer. They stated it would require both a flyby of Venus and Mars. The flight would take the spacecraft within 800 kilometres of the surface of Venus, using the planet for a gravity assist to speed the travel to Mars.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24633-ambitious-mars-joyride-cannot-succeed-without-nasa.html |title=Ambitious Mars joy-ride cannot succeed without NASA - space - 21 November 2013 |magazine=New Scientist |date=2013-11-21 |access-date=2013-12-07}}
According to a paper written by Tito,{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} "the mission would require no maneuvers except small course corrections after a trans-Martian injection burn, [and] would allow no aborts. ... [It will] use low Earth orbit launch and crewed-spacecraft technology, outfitted for the long duration of a flight to Mars." They speculated that when the spacecraft returned to Earth it would reenter the atmosphere at 50 000 km per hour (ca 13.9 km/s), faster than any previous return.{{cite journal|author1=Nigel Henbest|author-link1=Nigel Henbest|title=Race to Mars: Who will be first to the Red Planet?|journal=New Scientist|date=13 July 2013|pages=42–45|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929252.100-race-to-mars-who-will-be-first-to-the-red-planet.html?full=true#.VS-3QKO8-D8}}
=Student design competition=
During the 16th Annual International Mars Society Convention in 2013, the Mars Society announced an international engineering competition for student teams to propose designs for the architecture of the mission. The contest was open to university engineering student teams.{{cite web |url=http://www.marssociety.org/home/inspiration-mars/rules |title=Rules |publisher=The Mars Society |access-date=2013-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030181036/http://www.marssociety.org/home/inspiration-mars/rules |archive-date=30 October 2013 |url-status=dead }} The design contest took place on 9 August 2014, and was won by an international team from Purdue University in US and Keio University in Japan.[http://www.archives.marssociety.org/home/press/announcements/teamkanauwinsinspirationmarsstudentdesigncontest] {{dead link|date=April 2017}}
Criticism
A spokesman for NASA stated in February 2013 that "Inspiration Mars's proposed schedule is a significant challenge due to life support systems, space radiation response, habitats and the human psychology of being in a small spacecraft for over 500 days", but that "we remain open to further collaboration as their proposal and plans for a later mission develop".{{cite news|first=Joel|last=Achenbach |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/going-to-mars-billionaire-dennis-tito-plans-manned-mission-with-possible-2017-launch/2013/11/20/b859bc76-51e8-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html |title=Going to Mars: Billionaire Dennis Tito plans manned mission with possible 2017 launch |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2011-02-24 |access-date=2013-12-07}}
John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University's Space Policy Institute, said the timeline was "totally implausible" for a mission to be launched in 2018, although the"Plan B" mission might be possible "if the stars align".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/going-to-mars-billionaire-dennis-tito-plans-manned-mission-with-possible-2017-launch/2013/11/20/b859bc76-51e8-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story_1.html |title=Going to Mars: Billionaire Dennis Tito plans manned mission with possible 2017 launch |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2013-06-20 |access-date=2013-12-07}}
See also
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
- {{annotated link|Colonization of Mars}}
- {{annotated link|Deep Space Industries}}
- {{annotated link|Effect of spaceflight on the human body}}
- {{annotated link|Human mission to Mars}}
- List of crewed Mars mission plans
- {{annotated link|Mars Direct}}
- {{annotated link|Mars to Stay}}
- {{annotated link|Private spaceflight}}
- {{annotated link|The Case for Mars}}
{{div col end}}
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite news |title=The Crazy Plan to Fly Two Humans to Mars in 2018 |first=Michael |last=Belfiore |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/moon-mars/the-crazy-plan-to-fly-two-humans-to-mars-in-2018-15152667 |newspaper=Popular Mechanics |date=27 February 2013 |access-date=28 February 2013}}
}}
External links
{{Commons category|Inspiration Mars}}
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20151013012955/http://inspirationmars.org/ Official website, now defunct]}}
- Flickr: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/94053242@N04/ Inspiration Mars] photo stream
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksbGcXnuHLU Earth/Mars/IM capsule 501-day mission orbital position animation], Inspiration Mars Foundation, February 2013.
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130319140952/http://www.inspirationmars.org/Inspiration%20Mars_Feasibility%20Analysis_IEEE.pdf Feasibility Analysis]}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLfvFp3eFj8 Introductory Press Conference, 27 February 2013]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4oAQ1pOKnI#! Inspiration Mars: 29th National Space Symposium]: panel discussion, Dennis Tito, Taber MacCallum, Jonathan Clark, and Jane Poynter, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 11 April 2013.
- [http://www.parabolicarc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Inspiration_Mars_Vehicle3.jpg Newer concept]
{{Human missions to Mars}}
{{Mars spacecraft}}
{{Venus spacecraft}}
{{Space tourism}}
{{Space tourists}}
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Category:Scientific foundations based in the United States
Category:Human missions to Mars