The Russian space agency has started developing a proposal with the objective of landing a man on Mars. The arrival date is expected to be between 2014-2015. There are going to be 10 expeditions altogether. The crew will consist of 6 persons, however only 3 will actually land on the Mars surface, 3 others will stay onboard the spacecraft on Mars orbit ready to help in case an emergency situation occurs. Only 2 people are actually going to explore the Martian landscape by using specially designed vehicle: ‘Marsohod’. The spacecraft starting weight will be about 600 tons (with nuclear engines) or 1200 with chemical, and will be constructed on Earth orbit.
The documentation, created as a result of the work on the project, counts thirteen volumes. It assembles almost all information about Mars – about the structure, origin and possibility of retaining/maintaining the ancient forms of life on this planet.
According to the opinion of scientists, the program will consist of ten manned flights to Mars. The first three expeditions will be technical. During these expeditions it is planned to master the procedure of manned flight up to such great distances.
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