2.

Researchers Background
Dr. Wernher Von Braun
Born in Wirsitz, Germany March 23, 1912[1],[2]
Died in Alexandria, Va., USA June 16, 1977[1],[2]
Von Braun was interested with rocketry and space
exploration from a very young age,[1],[2],[3] and later
grew to become one of the most influential rocket
scientists of the twentieth century. He became involved
in the German Society for Space Travel (VfR) in 1928,
and then worked for the German army during the 1930s https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/
developing liquid-fuel rockets.[1],[2] 632141main_vonbraun.jpg

Von Braun is often connected to the crimes born out of his teams rocket production, and was
not only a member of the Nazi Party, but an SS officer.[1] After Germany surrendered in 1945,
Von Braun was sent to America to work on new ballistic missiles and rocketry, a job in which
he remained for roughly 15 years.[2]
His dreams of achieving manned interplanetary travel to Mars were defeated after he could not
convince the government to fund his concepts or designs.[3] He worked at NASA until 1972,
after which he worked for Fairchild Industries of Germantown for 5 years, before passing away
in 1977.[1],[2]

3. Researchers Ideas
Wernher Von Brauns ideas and contributions to the field of space exploration and rocket
science include:
Development of the V-2 Rocket[4]
Development of the Saturn V rocket[5]
Designing and conceptualising space shuttles, stations, and the first comprehensive
scenario for interplanetary travel to Mars.[3],[6]
Von Braun and his team worked to create the V-2 rocket (Vergeltungswaffe-2, translating as
Vegeance-2), which surpassed the previously developed V-1. The Nazis controlled an entire
complex of V-2 rockets during the war (several of which were fired towards England and
Belgium), which was eventually seized by the allied forces in 1945.[2],[4]
The Saturn V booster rocket, also known as the moon rocket, was developed mainly by Von
Braun. Its most notable launch was on July 16, 1969, where it carried the Apollo 11 into orbit,
the first space shuttle that would transport humans to the moon.[5] Von Braun was head of a
team at the Marshall Space Flight Centre (which would later transfer to NASA) that were
tasked with creating a rocket capable of launching the first manned space-shuttle out of orbit,
and towards the moon.[1] It was Von Brauns key design ideas and his team of scientists that
put the first men on the moon and won the space race against the Soviet Union in 1969.
Von Brauns plan for the first comprehensive scenario of a manned mission to Mars was
designed with the proposal of nuclear thermal rockets for propulsion of the shuttle, and re-
using the Saturn V rocket model as the launch vehicle.[3] Interplanetary travel to Mars was a
dream of Von Braun since he was a child, and he attempted to convince the American
government to finance the process.[1],[3] This attempt, unfortunately, failed, and the entire
NASA plan was pulled by the budget office under Richard Nixon, due to funding issues and
lack of public support. Von Braun estimated that Mars would be colonised by humanity as
early as 1989, and set-out a relatively conservative plan, with a NASA budget of $7 billion per
year.[3],[6] This, however, has still not happened, although current aeronautical organisations are
in development stages of Von Brauns vision.

4. Adopted Ideas
The Saturn V rocket was not so much adopted by the aeronautical industry, but rather was
a core part of the fields history. Von Brauns ideas were realised and funded by NASA, while
he led a team of rocket scientists and engineers in creating the first rocket to send a shuttle to
The Moon. His Saturn V model would be used from 1967-1973, serving as a launch vehicle
for several Apollo spacecraft/missions, apparatus tests, and finally - the Skylab space station.[5]
Von Brauns vision for the Mars Excursion Module (MEM) involved the first comprehensive
scenario of manned interplanetary travel to Mars.[6] Although this vision was not achieved in
his lifetime, his legacy continues today, where development for manned missions to Mars are
receiving more funding and progressing constantly. The opportunity for further manned space
exploration has expanded the range of organisations working on a common goal. These
organisations include private (e.g. SpaceX), governmental/national (e.g. NASA, ISRO), and
even commercial (e.g. Virgin Galactic) sectors.

http://nix.nasa.gov Mars 69, NASA

/

5. Organisation
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation is the Government of Indias space agency,
located in Bangalore.[7]
The ISRO superseded Indias earlier space research organisation INCOSPAR (Indian
National Committee for Space Research) and was formally established in 1969 under the
Department of Atomic Energy. The Aryabhata was the first Indian Satellite to be launched,
which would later be followed by several more, including the INSAT, IRS, SROSS series, and
later the PSLV and GSAT series.[7]
Vision of the ISRO Harness space technology for national development, while pursuing
space science research and planetary exploration.[8]
The primary objective of the ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to
various national tasks.[8]
The ISRO is also credited with launching several communications satellites into Earths orbit,
creating one of the largest satellites communication networks in the world. This used for several
applications, including telecommunications, education, military, and cartography.[7]
Although they are a generally large organisation, they do not match the funding of other
countries space funding. The ISRO does not currently have a human-rated launch vehicle or
even a spaceflight programme.

6. & 7. Intentions and Likelihood of Occurrence

One intention of the ISRO is to develop the technology for future interplanetary travel to
mars.[10] Major objectives of the first Indian mission to Mars (unmanned) include:
Technological Objectives:
Design and realisation of a Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform
Earth-bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion/capture, and
on-orbit phase around Mars.[9]
The ISRO have created the Mangalyaan, a Mars orbiter launched on November 5th,
2013. It began orbit around Mars on September 24th, 2014, and remains in mars orbit
to this day.[9],[10]

Deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management.[9]

Communications for the mars orbiter mission are handled by two micro-wave tubes
(TWTAs), and two coherent transponders. There are 3 antennae which make up the
onboard array one low-gain, one medium-gain, and one high-gain. This array is used
for data transmission in areas such as telemetry, tracking, commanding and data. These
signals are transmitted to and from the Indian Deep Space Network (a large network of
antennae and communication facilities operated by the ISRO).[9],[10]

Incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.[9],[10]

The Mars Orbiter Mission requires autonomy on-board, in case of emergencies,
collisions, and needed repairs.[9] These systems predict the probability of certain
outcomes for several different situations, and transmit data back to Earth for analysis
(usually risk-based).

Scientific Objectives:

Exploration of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy, and Martian

atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.[9],[10]
The mission following this will be the launching of the Mangalyaan 2, which is expected to
occur in 2021-2022.[11] This spacecraft will not necessarily be an Orbiter Mission, but will
carry a much greater scientific payload, and will also likely carry a lander and a Mars rover.
Mangalyaan 2 will also follow similar objectives to its predecessor in an effort to further
explore Mars.[9]
The ISRO are among the only major space organisations with no publicly-available plans for
manned missions to Mars, most likely due to a lack of advancement in the field of human
spaceflight. A manned mission to Mars is estimated to occur by the 2030s in America, although
it is unlikely India will develop similar technology until 2040-2060 (after Russia and China).[12]
It is likely that ISRO will achieve the goal of launching the Mangalyaan 2 by at 2022 as the
technology for building the first model was successful. U. R. Rao, chairman of ISROs science
advisory committee, stated Mangalyaan [1] was a marvel in engineering, but no exciting
science came out of [it] since the experiments and instruments themselves were mediocre.[11]
With the rate at which India is advancing as a country, the ISRO is bound to achieve this goal
within the predicted timeframe, and with more funding it could be even sooner.
8. & 9. Bibliography
1 Marshall Flight Centre History, Biography of Dr. Wernher Von Braun,
https://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/bio.html (Accessed November 15, 2017)
This was a very factual biography from where Von Braun worked for several years, therefore
is it valid. It is reliable as it shares very similar information with sources 2 and 3.
2 Robin Williams, Earth Observatory, NASA, Wernher Von Braun,
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/vonBraun/ (Accessed on October 22, 2017)
This biography was written by a writer for NASAs educational articles, and is therefore valid.
It matches much of the information in source 1 and 3, making it reliable.
3 Astronautix, Von Braun Mars Expedition 1969,
http://www.astronautix.com/v/vonbraunmarpedition-1969.html (Accessed October 30, 2017)
This source was among only a few pieces I could find on Von Brauns scenario for a manned
mission to Mars, so it is semi-reliable. It doesnt cite many sources, but is also very thorough,
therefore it is relatively valid.
4 Owen Edwards, Smithsonian Mag, Wernher Von Brauns V-2 Rocket,
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/wernher-von-brauns-v-2-rocket-12609128/
(Accessed on November 3, 2017)
This article is a valid source, from the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C. It is very reliable as it supports sources 1 & 2 (biographical), but in further
detail for specificity on the V-2.
5 David Hitt/NASA Educational Technology Services, What Was the Saturn V?,
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-was-the-saturn-v-
58.html (Accessed on November 6, 2017)
This is an educational article published by NASA, directed towards students, and is therefore
valid. It matches other sources and has a lot of credibility. It is therefore very reliable as well.
6 Portree, David S. F., Humans to Mars: Fifty Years of Mission Planning, 1950 - 2000, NASA
Monographs in Aerospace History Series, Number 21, February 2001. Online Copy -
https://history.nasa.gov/monograph21.pdf (Accessed on November 6, 2017)
This source is from NASAs archive of Monographs, and was successfully published on their
behalf, making it valid. This source backed up source 3 well, and shares ideas with the small
amount of information on Von Brauns Mars mission scenario, making it semi-reliable.
7 Department of Space, ISRO, About ISRO, https://www.isro.gov.in/about-isro (Accessed
on November 12, 2017)
Sources 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all from the official website of the ISRO, and are therefore both
valid and reliable. This about section offered a range of information concerning the ISROs
objectives, future, and also a complete timeline of events regarding the Indian Space Program.
8 Department of Space, ISRO, Vision and Mission Statements,
https://www.isro.gov.in/about-isro/vision-and-mission-statements (Accessed on November 2,
2017)
Sources 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all from the official website of the ISRO, and are therefore both
valid and reliable.
9 Department of Space, ISRO, Mission Objectives, https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-
orbiter-mission/mission-objectives (Accessed on November 13, 2017)
Sources 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all from the official website of the ISRO, and are therefore both
valid and reliable.
10 Department of Space, ISRO, Mars Orbiter Mission, https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-
mars-orbiter-mission (Accessed on November 11, 2017)
Sources 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all from the official website of the ISRO, and are therefore both
valid. This information also matches several secondary sources and interviews, making it more
reliable.
11 Pavalla Bagla, India eyes a return to Mars,
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/02/india-eyes-return-mars-and-first-run-venus
(Accessed on November 12,2017)
This article was published in Sciencemag.com and features a range of quotes/interviews,
making it valid. It also matches source 12, but only to some extent. It is therefore semi-reliable.
12 Section 4, Current Intentions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mission_to_Mars
(Accessed on November 12, 2017)
This page was used to compare dates of each planned human mission to Mars. It is valid as it
cites several sources, but not as reliable.
Validity Overall, the majority of the used sources were quite valid. They were mostly from
government organisations or articles with citations, interviews, and quotes. Organisations
included NASA, ISRO, and MFC, which all contained detailed biographical/factual
information.
Reliability Overall, most sources shared similar information, making them generally reliable.
This was present in the clear links between sources 1, 2, 3 and 3, 6 and 10, 11, 12. The
information and facts shared between these sources was quite precise, the most accurate of
which were collated into this report.

Access date is the most recent

date of accessing the website
10. Self-evaluation
1. How well did you manage your time?
I think I set out my plan well and followed it quite directly (with few modifications), although
I could have started collecting information earlier.
2. How well did you collate and summarise the data?
Pretty well, I used multiple sources and then drew conclusions based on common information.
3. What could you improve with more time?
With more time, I would have answered each question/number more thoroughly, and I
wouldve also used more sources from books/articles (if given more time to research at libraries
outside of school)
4. What skills did you need to use?
I needed to research effectively, using fact-dense information, and I needed to collate and
summarise the data in an ordered and aesthetic manner. I also learned how to create a
numbered/citation bibliography in order to complete tasks 8 and 9.
5. Which skill needs work to improve the result?
In future I will be more thorough when researching, making sure I check multiple sources to
avoid contradictions. Additionally, I could work on planning realistically, including external
events that might conflict with the allocated research day.

11. Task Evaluation

1. How well did this task assess the outcomes?
The task assessed all the outcomes in the syllabus (for this topic) to a good extent, and I thought
it covered all dot-points quite well, and inclusively.
2. How well does this task develop your capacity to manage your own learning?
This task had an aspect of freedom to it, which I thought was great for students to be able to
choose what they most enjoy researching. A research task develops students ability to
individually seek out information, gather it, and then organise it to suit the task/question.