TRINITY: Itokawa- Mars Cycler Space Station
It is technically possible to send humans to Mars in 7 months, but key challenges remain unresolved—particularly protection against cosmic radiation and the health effects of microgravity. On a Mars round trip, astronauts would receive up to four times the radiation dose experienced by long-duration ISS astronauts, and microgravity could severely weaken their bodies, risking mission failure upon arrival.
Effective radiation shielding would require thick layers of water or regolith, making conventional spacecraft like SpaceX’s Starship too heavy. Rotating space habitats could simulate gravity, but need a radius of at least 100 meters to avoid motion sickness and Coriolis effects.
A promising alternative is the Mars Cycler—a spacecraft in a stable orbit that regularly passes Earth and Mars. It can house heavy infrastructure, including radiation shielding and rotating modules for artificial gravity, as well as greenhouses for food and oxygen production. Astronauts would use small shuttles to rendezvous with the cycler near Earth and depart near Mars.
To overcome the launch mass challenge, the proposed solution involves assembling ultralight inflatable modules on an asteroid like 25143 Itokawa, which already follows a near-optimal cycler orbit. The asteroid’s regolith serves as natural shielding. The station uses a tensegrity structure with rope-net tunnels and passenger pods shielded by regolith-filled bags. A rotating silver-coated mirror supplies natural sunlight to onboard greenhouses and solar panels. The docking area remains non-rotating and is connected via a flexible magnetic ring.
This concept offers a sustainable, shielded, and self-sufficient transit habitat for interplanetary travel.
It is technically possible to send humans to Mars in 7 months, but key challenges remain unresolved—particularly protection against cosmic radiation and the health effects of microgravity. On a Mars round trip, astronauts would receive up to four times the radiation dose experienced by long-duration ISS astronauts, and microgravity could severely weaken their bodies, risking mission failure upon arrival.
Effective radiation shielding would require thick layers of water or regolith, making conventional spacecraft like SpaceX’s Starship too heavy. Rotating space habitats could simulate gravity, but need a radius of at least 100 meters to avoid motion sickness and Coriolis effects.
A promising alternative is the Mars Cycler—a spacecraft in a stable orbit that regularly passes Earth and Mars. It can house heavy infrastructure, including radiation shielding and rotating modules for artificial gravity, as well as greenhouses for food and oxygen production. Astronauts would use small shuttles to rendezvous with the cycler near Earth and depart near Mars.
To overcome the launch mass challenge, the proposed solution involves assembling ultralight inflatable modules on an asteroid like 25143 Itokawa, which already follows a near-optimal cycler orbit. The asteroid’s regolith serves as natural shielding. The station uses a tensegrity structure with rope-net tunnels and passenger pods shielded by regolith-filled bags. A rotating silver-coated mirror supplies natural sunlight to onboard greenhouses and solar panels. The docking area remains non-rotating and is connected via a flexible magnetic ring.
This concept offers a sustainable, shielded, and self-sufficient transit habitat for interplanetary travel.
