NASA/SpaceX Red Dragon mission

[Dr Mordrid]

NASA and SpaceX are working on a 2018 mission tentatively named Red Dragon.

Red Dragon would search for evidence of life buried in the Martian soil. The NASA science package would fly to Mars aboard a modified Dragon spacecraft equipped with the crew versions Super Draco landing thrusters. Cost is estimated at $400 million or less. No doubt the Falcon Heavy would be the launcher as it can easily send that much mass and more to Mars.

Using Dragon as a cargo transporter to Mars lines up with SpaceX's long-term plans. Musk recently told MSNBC "This would possibly be several tons of payload — actually, a single Dragon mission could land with more payload than has been delivered to Mars cumulatively in history."

[KRSESQ]

I wonder if a fully fueled Dragon could lift off from Mars? Mars escape velocity is 5 km/s. Can a Dragon manage that? Maybe with upgraded motors. Fun to find out.

It's one thing to send cargo there in advance of a manned mission. But it would be nice to be able to retreive the Dragons for reuse, lest they come to rest as low-cost housing for colonists.

[Dr Mordrid]

There is something in the wind some engineers are calling the Dragon's Nest - a platform the Dragon would do a full, low velocity propulsive landing on and use for departure

Speculation is Dragon could separate from it, fly point to point using the Super Draco's to various experimental sites, then land back on Dragon's Nest for the trip back up. They are saying that Dragon will be able to do the requited pinpoint landings so.... Others think that Dragon's Nest would wait for crewed flights and that Red Dragon would use a stripped down Dragon with no pressure hull and a s***load of extra fuel. I'm in that camp.

There is also the possibility that Dragon could be changing to a non-toxic/high ISP monopropellant called NOFBx. This is a nitrous oxide blend and we know that its maker, who happens to include former SpaceX people as officers, have built prototype engines that match the general specs for Super Draco. Self pressurizing too meaning no gas tanks, their plumbing & controls and much more room for fuel. As it is it Dragon can carry 1290 kg of hypergols.

The below pic shows what could be Dragon's Nest in the center background.

[Dr Mordrid]

Just found out NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California is directly involved in Red Dragon.

Red Dragon would drill into Mars and sample subsurface water ice then analyze it for evidence of life or life products.

A Dragon-derived platform could look like this but maybe with an aeroshell to protect the payload during re-entry.