path to Mars?

Question

anyone have ideas about the path to Mars, like where to start to launch the mission, where to stop for example to refuel, and continue, how long it take by taking your path

Answer 1

For a Mars-bound craft:
1. First, find out more about Mars. we know how much fuel & time we need to get there - but if water exists, we can carry *much* less fuel & water; we can make fuel & tap water from the existing supply on Mars - if it's available. It might be wise to touch down unmanned 'personnel shelters' ahead of time; equipped with supplies & labs, to keep from having to carry the whole package at one time.

2. It would be easier to assemble a craft in orbit. And, invite all the nations interested - the more, the merrier. Even those currently without a space program. Split the costs, share the knowledge.

3. The craft should be big enough to hold the personnel necessary, but no one extra. Figure 6-8 people, equip & provision it for at least 2 years. Have at least 3 landing craft - not only for multiple landing sites, but for back-up rescue craft if there's a problem with one of them.

4. Launching sites would/could include Russia, the US, Japan, Guiana, and China. Possibly Brazil as well.

Timeline:
10 years for building, testing necessary modules.
5 years unmanned martian exploration, determining if water can be found
8-10 years to build & test the manned vehicles (can be done concurrently with unmanned projects)
2 years mission planning & crew selection
1-2 years crew training
9 months mission flight time to Mars
6 months mission ground time
8-9 months return flight time to Earth

Just... y'know... guessing.

Answer 2

There is no place to stop for fuel between Earth and Mars, just like there is no place to stop for fuel between California and Hawaii. You have to make the whole trip without refueling. But in the case of space flight, you don't use fuel during the flight; only at the start. The rocket launches you off Earth and runs totally out of fuel in the first 10 minutes. The you coast for 8 months and enter Mars' atmosphere and land, using a parachute and maybe some very small rocket power the last few seconds before landing, because the air is too thin there for a parachute to slow you down all the way to a safe landing speed.

Answer 3

At our current technological rate, we can make it to Mars in about seven months, depending on where Mars is in relation to the Earth in their perspective orbits. Some spacecraft such as new horizons have crossed the orbit of Mars much quicker, but simply passed by the planets orbital line.
We would most likely launch from the moon, because gravity is much less and a very large ship would be needed to take humans to Mars, thus requiring much money to buy enough fuel to escape Earth's gravity. It would be much more reasonable to assemble the spaceship on the Moon.(assuming we have a moon base by then)
As for refueling on the way, it is possible but not likely. Occasionally their are asteroids between the orbits of Earth and Mars, but we would have to use a specific launch window to encounter one of those. The most likely possibility is carrying fuel that is recycable, or carrying enough to last until Mars.
To summarize, I think we could get to Mars in about half a year, without any stops and add a few more days, if we stopped at an asteroid, or a pre-inserted fueling station, that we placed in orbit around the sun for interplanetary travelers.
Right now, however, our priority should be establishing a permanent base on the moon by 2010, so we can get to Mars by 2020.