Design an Interplanetary Mission
Your Mission:
To use your knowledge about astronomy and space flight to design an Interplanetary Space Mission.
PART — 1: Budget and Planning
1 . Get a Budget/Planning Sheet and a Planet/Moon Fact sheet from Mission Control.
2. Study the Planet/Moon Fact Sheet. Choose a "Iandable" planet or moon that you would like to visit and study. You may land on the planets Mercury, Mars or Pluto; or one of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune. The planet's moons are listed with their planet In parentheses: TITAN (Saturn). Write your planet on the Planning/Budget Sheet.
3. What are the purposes of your visit? What will you study? Read over the facts about your chosen planet or moon, then determine two major reasons for your visit there. Write them on the Planning/Budget Sheet.
4. Figure the total time of your mission.
Determine the transit time (in months) to your planet/moon. Your speed will be 50,000 mph. Use the formula
a. Distance from Earth/50,000/30/24 Write this In the appropriate blank on your Planning/Budget Sheet.
b. Add at least 12 months for your stay on the planet/moon. Write this in the appropriate blank on your Planning/Budget Sheet.
c. Add your transit time back to Earth. This is the same as your time to the planet/moon. Write it on your Planning/Budget Sheet.
d. Add the months up to determine your mission time. Record the total on your Planning/Budget Sheet.
5. Choose your crew. You must have at least 3 astronauts on your mission. You may choose as many non-astronaut crew (geologists, biologists, chemists, etc.) as you wish. Record them in your Planning/Budget Sheet.
Mission
Logistics and Costs
Look over
the following mission costs and logistics. Use these items to complete your
Planning/Budget Sheet.
Logistics
1. Your spacecraft will be constructed in orbit.
2. The spacecraft will carry parts for a base that you will build on the planet/moon.
3.
Construction times:
a. Spacecraft - 1 month per 100 meters of ship
b. Base - 1 month per level (min. 3 levels)
4. The parts for the spacecraft and the base will be put in orbit by the Shuttle.
5.
Shuttle launches required:
a. to carry base equipment into orbit = 4 per level
b. to carry parts for 50 meters of the spacecraft into orbit = 2
c. to carry 5 crew members into orbit - 1
(the crew may be carried into orbit along with spacecraft/base parts)
6. There is a maximum of 2 Shuttle launches per month.
7. You must have at least 3 astronauts on the mission.
8. You will stay on the planet/moon at least 9 months after the base is completed.
9. Construction parts for each level of the base takes up 55,000 cubic feat; or an area 55 by 40 by 20 meters (your spacecraft must have a cargo bay large enough to hold parts for all your planned levels).
10. The entire crew must be housed In the International Space Station for one month before the mission actually begins for spacecraft testing, acclimation to weightlessness, etc.
Mission Costs
1. Astronaut training - $4 million each
2. Shuttle launches $100 million each
3. Astronaut salary $12,500/month each (figured from the time they leave Earth until they return)
4. Non-astronaut crew salary - $8500/month each
5. Spacecraft construction $20 million per foot
6. Base construction - $2.2 billion per level
7. Mission food/necessity - $3000/month each
8. Crew housing in Station $4000/month each
When completed, submit your Planning/Budget Sheet to "Congress" for approval.
9. Rework your budget if necessary.
Part 2: Design
1. With your budget and logistic constraints in mind, plan and write a Mission Timeline/Schedule. You may begin the mission any time after January 2008, and the mission should be completed no later than January 2026. Use the following format:
2/2008 - 2 Shuttle launches - Spacecraft parts
3/2008 - 2 Shuttle launches - Spacecraft parts
4/2008 - 2 Shuttle launches - Spacecraft parts
5/2008 - 2 Shuttle launches - Base parts
6/2008 - 2 Shuttle launches - Base parts
4/2009 - Spacecraft completed
-------- (continue) -----------
8/2010 - Final crew launch
9/2010 - Final spacecraft testing
10/2010 - Launch
6/2012 - Arrive at planet
etc...
Spacecraft Design
Get some drawing paper from Mission Control. Refer to your budget and logistics plans; then design, draw and label your spacecraft. The craft must contain a flight deck, living quarters and a cargo bay large enough to carry your base parts and other equipment.
Budget:
| Number of Astronauts/Non-Astronaut Crew | =_________________________________ |
| Approximate Length of Spacecraft | =_________________________________ |
| Number of Base levels | =_________________________________ |
| Astronaut Training: $1 Million X______astronauts | =_________________________________ |
| Shuttle Launches: | =_________________________________ |
| $100 Million X Launches for Spacecraft Parts | =_________________________________ |
| $100 Million X Launches for Base Parts | =_________________________________ |
| $100 Million X Launches for Astronauts | =_________________________________ |
| Astronauts Salaries: | =_________________________________ |
| Astronaut: $12,500 X ____months X ____astronauts | =_________________________________ |
| Crew: $8500 X ____months X ____crew members | =_________________________________ |
| Spacecraft Construction: $20 Million X________meters | =_________________________________ |
| Base Construction: $2.2 Billion X________levels | =_________________________________ |
| Food/Necessities: $3000 X____months X____crew | =_________________________________ |
| ISS Housing: $4000 X____months X____crew | =_________________________________ |
| TOTAL MISSION COST | =_________________________________ |
Interplanetary Mission Budget/Planning Sheet
| Name of your Planet/Moon Destination: |
_________________________________ |
|
Purpose of your visit:
|
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ |
|
Mission Time: Transit time to your planet/moon: Length of stay on planet/moon Transit time back to Earth Total Mission Time: |
_________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ |
|
Crew: Job
Type _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________
|
Number
of each __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
|
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