School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Design Project Chosen as Finalist for International Inspiration Mars Design Contest

Event Date: March 31, 2014
On March 25, 2014, the Mars Society selected ten finalists from a field of 38 engineering student teams competing in the International Inspiration Mars Student Design Contest. Among the top 10 finalists was Team Kanau, a joint venture headed by students at Purdue University and Keio University in Japan

On March 25, 2014, the Mars Society selected ten finalists from a field of 38 engineering student teams competing in the International Inspiration Mars Student Design Contest.  Among the top 10 finalists was Team Kanau, a joint venture headed by students at Purdue University and Keio University in Japan. The requirement of the global student competition was to design a two-person Mars flyby mission for 2018 as cheaply, safely and simply as possible.  The finalist teams will be invited to present and defend their designs during a public event at the NASA Ames Research Center in April 2014. A panel of six judges chosen by the Mars Society, Inspiration Mars and NASA Ames will then select grand prize winners. 

The idea of a manned Mars flyby mission of the type proposed by Inspiration Mars was motivated by trajectory designs investigated by Professor James Longuski as well as alumni Dr. Moonish Patel and Dr. Jon Sims, from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Team Kanau is comprised of students, faculty, and researchers from Keio University, Purdue University, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, International Space University, Nagoya University, Art Center College of Design, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Tokyo Jogakkan College.  Purdue University contributed to the design of the launch system, spacecraft trajectory, aerocapture, power, and communications systems.

The team members from Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics are:

  • Professor Michael Grant, Rapid Design of Systems Lab (RDSL), Systems, team co-advisor
  • Kshitij Mall, graduate student in RDSL, Systems
  • Ashwati Das, graduate student in Astrodynamics and Space Applications
  • Jeff Stuart, graduate student in Astrodynamics and Space Applications
  • Max Fagin, graduate student in RDSL, Systems, and Artisan Fabrication Lab (AFL)

Additional assistance from Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics was provided by:

  • Professor Bill Crossley, Systems
  • Professor Stephen Heister, Propulsion
  • Professor Kathleen Howell, Astrodynamics and Space Applications
  • Professor Tom Shih, Aerodynamics and Department Head
  • Marat Kulakhmetov, graduate student in Propulsion
  • Jim D'Entrement, graduate student in Propulsion
  • Rizwan Qureshi, AAE alumnus, now at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Thomas Antony, graduate student in RDSL, Systems

Mission Concept of Operations

The Japanese team of Shota Iino, Ayako Ono, Eriko Moriyama, Takuya Ohgi, Koki Tanaka, Yuri Aida, and Daichi Nakajima worked on life support systems, spacecraft interior design and medical healthcare part of this mission for the team. The team co-advisor from Japan is Professor Hiroyuki Miyajima. Nick Gillin, a popular machinamist from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California is a team member working on the animation video for this mission.

For further information, please visit:

Team Kanau website  - https://sites.google.com/site/occupyplanet4/

Mars Society website  - http://www.marssociety.org/