What has been the most challenging part in designing a shuttle that will take people to Mars?
The Orion is more of a “capsule” like Apollo than a “shuttle” like we think of the Space Shuttle. The big challenges are in the environments around the Moon and Mars and the return trip home. A ship headed out past the Van Allen radiation belts must be more radiation protected than the Space Shuttle or the ISS. Orion’s flight computers are designed to handle those radiation effects. Orion also has a portion of the capsule that will provide more shielding for the crew in cases of high radiation. The other big problem is that a return from the Moon or Mars is much faster than returning from the ISS. That higher speed means that the heatshield must handle much higher heat and pressure than returning from the ISS.
In your opinion, do you think it is a good idea for people to move to Mars?
Mars is the most obvious target for human exploration and possible colonization for a number of reasons. NASA missions (several of the robotic spacecraft have been built by Lockheed Martin, my company) have identified water in many areas of Mars. In addition to humans needing water that water can also be converted to hydrogen and oxygen which are rockets fuels. We believe that Mars may have once had the conditions for life and that would also be important to know. Using the resources like water on Mars will make colonization easier.
We saw that part of your job is to keep Congress updated on the project, what kind of feedback have you gotten so far?
Orion and its new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), have had strong bipartisan support in Congress. That means that both Democrats and Republicans have supported the program. Since the Congress allocates funding to the program it is very important that they understand how the program is performing and meeting its objectives.
What are some of the differences between the Orion and other spacecrafts that have traveled to space?
The United States has sent several robotic missions to Mars. To send humans though you need much larger ships and more capability. While Orion is specifically designed for deep space missions you still need more volume, more supplies and more space. A mission to Mars in addition to Orion will need a habitat module, a laboratory for science research and a propulsion rocket stage to provide get to Mars and return safely.
What will be the astronauts’ biggest challenges of living on the Orion for 5840.01 hours?
The big challenges are the limits on space and supplies with Orion but those will be provided by other parts like a habitat or living module. If you saw the movie “The Martian” you would also see that NASA will send some equipment to Mars ahead of the crew. In fact, they may generate the fuel for the trip home before the crew ever leaves the Earth.
What special features have you added to provide as much comfort as possible for the crew?
The main features in the Orion are not for comfort but for safety. We do have a toilet and exercise equipment but most of the comfort for the six month journey to Mars will be in the habitation module. Orion will have the very reliable, redundant command and control systems that ensure safety.
If you had the chance, would you go to Mars?
I would love to visit Mars. I don’t think that I would move there. Early in my life I decided that it was unlikely that I could be an astronaut because my eyes were bad. Now that is not as much of a constraint. I have lots of astronaut friends though that would go to the Moon or Mars immediately if they could!
We read that you decided your career in middle school. What advice do you have for my friends and I as middle schoolers to help us accomplish our goals as well?
I grew fascinated with the space program when I was in 6th and 7th grade. I followed all of the NASA missions, built model rockets to launch in my backyard and started to look at school courses that would be important. I took all of the science and math classes that I could and then looked for a college that had a program that would prepare me to work for NASA. I specifically looked for programs in Aerospace engineering since I thought that would be a good match for working in the space program. In fact any engineering or science field would be great for a job in the space program. By that I mean physics, biology, math, etc. Along the way I also had some luck finding opportunities in college and searching for a job. My main advice would be that there are many, many ways that you can accomplish your goals – you just need to keep focused! I have had an amazing time working for both NASA and Lockheed Martin.