images

Phobos mission ready for departure

by

Walter B. Myers/Novapix

Reference

e-exm01-00021

Date

2011-03-09

A complete rocket system for delivering a crew of three to Mars' moon Phobos and returning them to the Earth. The vast bulk of the rocket is propellant divided into stages that are each released in turn as the mission progresses. On the far right are the crew accomodations and an attached Orion class command module. No dedicated lander is required as Phobos' mass is so low that it could be easily approached by the command module and explored by suited astrogeologists in Manned Maneuvering Units (MMUs).