In spring 2014, a heavy-lift booster heads for Mars. The unmanned payload includes a methane-oxygen-fueled Earth return vehicle, 6 metric tons of liquid hydrogen, a small nuclear reactor mounted in the back of a truck, a set of compressors, an automated chemical-processing unit, and a few scientific rovers.
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The spacecraft lands on Mars eight months later, using atmospheric friction to brake its way into orbit. The chemical-processing unit begins producing methane and oxygen, which are stored in the Earth return vehicle's fuel tanks.
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In 2016, two more rockets head to Mars. The first payload consists of another unmanned fuel factory and another Earth return vehicle. The second is a habitation module with a human crew of four, food and other provisions, and a pressurized rover.
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During the six-month trip, the habitat spins around the burned-out upper stage of the booster, attached by a tether. The spinning creates enough artificial gravity to counter bone loss and other physiological problems brought on by weightlessness.
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Upon landing, the crew uses the pressurized rover to explore; with 12 metric tons of fuel, they can travel up to 24000 kilometers. At landing site 2, the fuel factory produces propellant for the second Earth return vehicle.
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After 18 months, the crew heads home in the Earth return vehicle. Meanwhile, two more Mars-bound rockets are launched—one carrying a crew, the other to prepare landing site 3.
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