One of the major objections put forward against human missions to Mars is that we do not currently "have enough" information relating to the long-term effects of living and working in a micro gravity environment (so-called "zero gee"). While astronauts have spent long periods of time - up to a year - living and working aboard space stations (most notably the Russian Mir and more recently the International Space Station) in zero gee, many still insist that much more study is required into the debilitating effects such an environment has on muscles, the cardiovascular system, and so on.

However, these objections are somewhat ironic given that they assume a human mission to Mars must be undertaken in a weightless environment - when this is very much not the case. As the Mars Society's own Mars Direct mission profile has demonstrated, it is entirely conceivable that the trip to Mars can be undertaken in a gravity environment that mimics that of Mars itself - simply by using a concept known as a "tether".

This is a cable system, deployed once a crewed mission is on route to Mars, that links the crewed vehicle to the spent upper stage of the rocket used to boost them on their way to Mars. Once connected, the upper stage and the crewed vehicle are set spinning around one another, generating an artificial gravity at either end of the connecting tether - and thus allowing the crew to live and work in a comfortable environment and arrive at Mars physically fit for the busy schedule they’ll have on the surface.

It is a simple, elegant solution to a complex issue; however, it is fair to say that, while many experiments have been carried out into the use of tethers in orbit about the Earth by the likes of NASA, Tethers Unlimited and others, none have recently addressed generating artificial gravity.

The Tethered Experiment for Mars inter-Planetary Operations Cubed (TEMPO3) mission is the first attempt to use a tether to generate artificial gravity since the Gemini missions of the 1960s. It is designed as a very simple spacecraft that will fly along with others. Other satellites like it, called CubeSats have flown and been successful. We want to build on that success and take a small step towards Mars. As a simple spacecraft, our goals are limited, but we plan to push for further testing of this concept, either on our own or with other groups.

Tempo3 is already at an advanced stage of planning, and you can find out more about this fascinating project, developed and financed by the Mars Society (with the generous help of sponsors) by visiting the Tempo3 project pages.

 

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