Health And Human Performance Risks For Space Exploration

[LabSpokane]

https://oig.nasa.gov/audits/reports/FY16/IG-16-003.pdf

This is an interesting read.  I could not imagine that NASA was seriously considering sending humans to Mars solely in the Orion capsule, but NASA's Inspector General says that is *exactly* what is being proposed.     Three people to the moon in an Apollo size capsule, okay.  Months long mission to an asteroid?  Year plus mission to Mars in a beer can?  No way.

Hostile/closed environment spacecraft design. Spacecraft will have a closed life-support system and cramped working and living quarters. The ISS has 15,000 cubic feet of habitable area – more than a conventional 3-bedroom house. In contrast, the Orion crew capsule NASA is developing and plans to use for at least the initial forays beyond low Earth orbit has 314 cubic feet of habitable area.

https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-journey-to-mars

Human missions to Mars will rely on Orion and an evolved version of SLS that will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown.

[HP-ILnerd]

This paper is just a lot of arm-waving in the wind:
"Although NASA expects a
spacecraft capable of transit to Mars will have less mass and volume than current vehicles, the vehicle’s
overall parameters remain unknown. Accordingly, it is unclear how much mass, volume, or weight will be
available to accommodate potential countermeasures such as developing methods to supply food to a
crew for up to 5 years without resupply. "

Most mission designs at least have numbers worked out so you can analyze the possibilities based on a specific set of assumptions.  This one just enumerates the general problems. 
Example of less arm-wavy: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140017461.pdf  Actual numbers and hardware assumptions.  Perhaps NASA's OIG should refrain from writing papers in the future.

[Tomorokoshi]

They should talk to the crews of Skylab.

[rdl]

No need to worry, at the current rate of test flights for the Orion/SLS system there is not much chance of reaching Mars anytime soon.

[Mechanical Menace]

They should talk to the crews of Skylab.

ISS crews would be better, they spend 6 months per mission up there. The Mir crews would be an even better choice seeing as some spent over a year in orbit. Even with current rocky relations with Russia all sides seem much more prepared to play nice when it involves people in space.

[SeanB]

Just how much space will a 5 year supply of MRE's for 3 take up? And add to that you will need a water recycler ( yesterdays coffee is todays coffee and tastes like it) and make up water for it.  Would probably fill a standard 20TEU container with the food alone, and about 10 tons.

[LabSpokane]

This paper is just a lot of arm-waving in the wind:
"Although NASA expects a
spacecraft capable of transit to Mars will have less mass and volume than current vehicles, the vehicle’s
overall parameters remain unknown. Accordingly, it is unclear how much mass, volume, or weight will be
available to accommodate potential countermeasures such as developing methods to supply food to a
crew for up to 5 years without resupply. "

Most mission designs at least have numbers worked out so you can analyze the possibilities based on a specific set of assumptions.  This one just enumerates the general problems. 
Example of less arm-wavy: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140017461.pdf  Actual numbers and hardware assumptions.  Perhaps NASA's OIG should refrain from writing papers in the future.

The OIG is correctly pointing out that artificial gravity and large habitation spaces are NOT part of the current plan. The use of a craft so tiny as Orion for long duration space flight is just ridiculous. 

[HP-ILnerd]

The OIG is correctly pointing out that artificial gravity and large habitation spaces are NOT part of the current plan. The use of a craft so tiny as Orion for long duration space flight is just ridiculous. 

No argument there.  For realism's sake, I don't cramp 'em up like that in Kerbal Space program, even though there are no consequences for doing so.
If the current DRM is a lone Orion capsule, that's plain silly.  The designs in the paper I linked to seem minimalist, but at least they're believable.

[monksod]

NASA should just go ask CIA if they can borrow one of their secret anti-gravity spaceships.