DESTINATION: MARS

A multi-phase moderate-budget project involving space-borne operations such as a moonbase construction team, moon mineral mining, mass drivers and a convoy of three spacecraft destined for the red planet.

Phase 1:     Single-use launch vehicles and transorbital shuttle

---A single-use launch vehicle is not the most environmentally friendly method of putting objects and people into space, but it is the simplest and most reliable, and by far, the cheapest method. A combination of balloon lift and dual-stage solid-fuel rockets will carry materials and personnel into a low Earth orbit where they will dock with a reusable transorbital shuttle. The shuttle's sole purpose is to transfer these materials and personnel between Earth orbit and lunar orbit. A lunar lander will then complete the process by ferrying the cargo from the shuttle to the surface of the moon.

Phase 2:     Moonbase and Mass Drivers

---A permanent Moonbase is constructed. It will serve as the construction facilities for the Mars space convoy, as well as for other research. Nuclear Reactors and large-area solar cells will generate electricity used for electrolysis to separate metal oxides, common on the lunar surface, into oxygen and metals. The metals are then made into prefabricated spacecraft components and the oxygen is used for fuel oxidant and, of course, breathing. A mass-driver, using electromagnetic attraction/repulsion will accelerate the prefabricated spacecraft components and liquid oxygen down a track until it reaches orbital velocity. Momentum then carries the cargo into lunar orbit where it will be assembled into the Mars expedition space vehicles.

Phase 3:     The Mission Convoy

The convoy consists of a base station with lander to be remotely placed in Mars orbit, followed by an unmanned return-trip supply ship, followed by the deep-space cruiser which carries the astronauts.