Mars Expeditionary Complex (MEK), code name Aelita was a 1969 abandoned Soviet project of a crewed flight to Mars. It was named after the 1923 science fiction novel Aelita by Russian author Aleksey Tolstoy about a flight to Mars.Brian Harvey, Russian Planetary Exploration. History, Development, Legacy and Prospects, 2007, p. 302Mark Wade, MEKAsif A. Siddiqi, Challenge to Apollo. The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974, 2000, Chapter 17: Dreams UnfulfilledZheleznyakov A., «Аэлита», «МАВР» и другие проекты советской пилотируемой экспедиции на Марс.Сергей Филиппенков, "Проект 'Аэлита' ", "Жуковские вести", 11 August 1999
The project considered a crew of three to six astronauts, with a total mission duration of 630 days. Initially three design bureaus competed for mission design.
The final version, by Chelomei, consisted of a 175 meter long MEK subdivided into the Mars Landing Craft (MPK), the Mars Orbit Spacecraft (MOK), Recovery Apparatus (VA), radiation shield, telescoping thermionic radiator booms, Power and Engine Section (YaERDU).
See also Martian Piloted Complex, a 1956-62 Soviet project
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