ThunderStruck Destination Mars 2022 by Robert Brand

What is ThunderStruck? A modular Spacecraft scheduled for orbital flight in 5-6 years – Lego style construction It is a series of craft with re-entry ability Winged (LEO speeds for re-entry) Capsule (higher speeds for direct re-entry) It is primarily a space courier service: Delivering payloads up to 200kg Returning Payloads up to 50kg

Supersonic Winged Test Phase X1 Mach 1.5 concept design. Never meant to fly. Known as X1 This craft is for Supersonic tests and will look nothing like the orbital re-entry vehicle

Supersonic Winged Test Phase X2 Mach 1.5 test of braking and stabilisation systems scheduled at Longreach QLD in Sept. 2015 Operational design (known as X2)

Desktop Testing This example is Pressure Differentials at Mach 1.5 at one instant

Flight Systems – Fully Automated

Flight Systems – Fully Automated Once committed to re-entry, the flight systems are fully automated for landing and rely on: GPS Video Flow Control Specialised radio markers to guide to the end of the runway Land based camera video feedback flight parameters.

Configurations Capsule – Traditional ablative heat shield and parachute handling a 50kg payload Winged – will look more like a mini Dream Chaser design, but much smaller handling a 50kg payload Traditional Spacecraft, but employing many of the same systems of the two above – plug and fly principles

Potential Payload: CUBESATS Timelines Supersonic / transonic tests - 6 months. Test of braking and stabilisation systems. Sounding Rocket flight and landing – 2 years. Flight to orbit and re-entry – 5-6 years. Proposed shakedown flight to Mars with an ion engine – 7 years. Potential Payload: CUBESATS

Navigation to Mars – Pork Chop Analysis Initial work on orbital possibilities told us that the flight, given a lot of unknowns, was possible. We had to begin work on the feedback needed to ensure that the design would allow for the detail that the navigation calculations told us was possible.

More Detailed Navigation - 2022 With the slower thrust of an ion engine, we are expecting a 2 year flight to Mars and that means that are continuous opportunities for a launch window right across the year.. A high elliptical orbit is expected for the deployment of the cubesats around Mars giving the chance for a greater number or types of experiments.

ThunderStruck as a Comms Relay ThunderStruck will stay close to the cubesats to act as a relay for communications to earth. It will also act as a test facility for our Deep Space Network utilising older 30m dishes. It will stay in orbit and may carry embedded experiments. Its required lifetime in orbit will be 1 month, but may stretch to be much longer.

Thank You Robert Brand CEO - Manager Project ThunderStruck 1st April 2015 http://projectthunderstruck.org