re: Eye opener
It looks like Mars is a much more difficult goal than we were led to believe!
Crossing interplanetary space with a CEV means that CEV will require something quite different from a Moon CEV. But if the emphasis is on Mars right from the start, it will mean no flights at all for a much longer time!
I've thought about this: reduced atmospheric pressure? Can't it be done for months at a time? I thought Skylab had a reduced pressure.
Moonflights lasting not longer than 14 days , with batteries and solar panels and no fuel cells...CEV being a twin of the Russian's Soyuz.
(Actually, it's possible to return back from the Moon , rebounding once on the atmosphere (the Zond spacecrafts did it) and thus reducing the heat.
Raoul