Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Mimicking a Space Mission to Mars Using Hindlimb Unloading and Partial Weight Bearing in Rats
Published on: April 4, 2019
How we will go to Mars
1Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine. kifor@univ.kiev.ua
Abstract:
This article studies the efficiency of ejecting waste generated by the life support system (LSS) of a manned spacecraft to reduce initial mass on low earth orbit. The spacecraft is used for a long-duration interplanetary mission and is equipped with either a chemical or a nuclear-thermal propulsion system. For this study we simulate an optimal control problem for a given spacecraft maneuver. An impulsive approximation of the optimal interplanetary spacecraft trajectory is assumed, which allows us to reduce the general optimal control problem to hierarchic structure of 'outer' and 'inner' subproblems. This structure is analyzed using the Pontryagin's Maximum principle. Numerical results, illustrating the efficiency of waste ejection are shown for typical Earth-Mars transfer trajectories. This results confirm in theory that using a waste ejection system makes an early manned Mars mission possible without having to design and build new, advanced biological LSS.
Related Concept Videos
Acceleration due to Gravity on Other Planets
Astronomical observations are thus used to measure the acceleration due to gravity on other planets. This can be determined by observing the effect of a planet's gravity on objects close to it. The crucial factor that helps in this...
Impact: Problem Solving
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
Rocket Propulsion in Empty Space - I
Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion
Polish astronomer Nikolaus Copernicus put forth a theory that stated a heliocentric model for the solar system. According to this heliocentric theory, all the planets, including Earth, orbit the Sun in circular orbits.
On the other hand,...
Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion
Rocket Propulsion In Empty Space - II
