When conversations about Mars exploration reach the public stage, the spotlight often falls on rockets—their power, propulsion systems, and launch capabilities. But according to Dr. James Gilland, senior scientist at the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Parallax Advanced Research, the real challenge of a crewed mission to Mars is not propulsion alone—it is integration.
“NASA talks in terms of ‘architectures’ for piloted Mars missions,” Gilland said. “But often the approach is random, both in terms of technology and in terms of goals. And possibly more so in the identification of constraints and unknowns.”
Those constraints (human radiation exposure, zero-g effects, system reliability, abort modes, and mission cost ceilings) must be addressed systematically before propulsion decisions can even be prioritized.
“If space biology research can prove that humans can operate for three years in space rather than one, the urgency of advanced propulsion changes dramatically. Yet right now, little is done on the biology, and everyone likes to talk about rockets,” Gilland said. “I’m a rocket scientist, and even I think that’s premature.”
The Integrator’s Role
Parallax and OAI are uniquely positioned to help connect the dots between disparate stakeholders and technologies. With established networks across industry, academia, and government (civil and defense) the organizations can act as what Gilland calls a “neutral broker.”
“There’s room for an integrator who can make tough decisions that even government agencies, beholden to local politics, cannot,” he said. “It’s about avoiding the tunnel vision of, ‘If you have a hammer, everything is a nail.’”
Through their consortium model and collaborative programs, OAI and Parallax can provide exactly that: multi-stakeholder integration that is both technically rigorous and politically impartial.
Parallax/OAI: The Integrator for Mars Mission Design
- Neutral Broker: Independent of single-agency politics or corporate silos, Parallax/OAI can align diverse stakeholders around coherent Mars mission architectures.
- Cognitive Systems Expertise: Applying human-machine teaming, operator workflow design, and decision aids to optimize astronaut autonomy and reduce cognitive load.
- Testbeds & Simulation: Digital twins, live-virtual-constructive (LVC) environments, and integration labs to validate modular mission architectures and de-risk propulsion, power, and life-support systems.
- Workforce Development: Academic and industry partnerships that build the next generation of experts in advanced propulsion, space systems, and mission integration.
- Consortium Model: Leveraging OAI’s statewide and national networks to convene government, industry, and academia in solving “whole mission” challenges that no single player can tackle alone.
“If space biology research can prove that humans can operate for three years in space rather than one, the urgency of advanced propulsion changes dramatically. Yet right now, little is done on the biology, and everyone likes to talk about rockets. I’m a rocket scientist, and even I think that’s premature.” — Dr. James Gilland
Human Factors and Mission Operations
A critical dimension of Mars mission planning lies in crew size and autonomy.
“There is an active interest in just what is the necessary crew size for a Mars exploration mission, in terms of spreading capabilities across crew members for maximum redundancy,” Gilland said.
Parallax’s expertise in cognitive systems engineering and operator workflow design offers a natural application here. Reducing cognitive load, optimizing autonomy, and integrating uncertain infrastructure scenarios (such as commercial refueling or basing) are challenges where Parallax/OAI experience can carry forward.
Gilland acknowledges his own bias in overlooking infrastructure in initial architectural thinking.
“Commercial refueling or basing options are not well understood scenarios—but they absolutely should be part of workflow analyses,” he said.
De-Risking Propulsion and Power
Propulsion and power remain at the heart of any Mars mission. Yet Gilland stresses the importance of modular testing environments:
“Solar electric and nuclear electric propulsion offer the option of testing separate systems—power, electronics, thrusters—independently rather than all of them together,” he said. “That requires system controls and automation across facilities, which might be very amenable to Parallax/OAI codes.”
Parallax’s simulation, modeling, and live-virtual-constructive (LVC) expertise could enable exactly this type of modular, distributed testing—reducing cost and risk while accelerating system-level readiness.
Building the Workforce for the Long Haul
One of the quieter risks is the workforce pipeline.
“Mars mission attention and funding remain at a very low level,” Gilland said. “Industry and academia see little reason to focus on it. As an example, the dearth of NASA activity in advanced propulsion over several decades leaves the field with little in-house expertise. Much of past work is being rediscovered by academia or ‘new space,’ but their expectations for performance are significantly lower.”
Here, OAI’s workforce development and academic partnerships can play a decisive role—building the expertise that will be essential once the nation is ready to fully commit.
Toward a Systems View
Gilland argues for a testbed approach that treats Mars mission design as a system of interconnected modules—life support, transportation, communication, science, sustainability, commercial infrastructure, and mission goals—with continuous crosstalk between them.
“My opinion is that if a full infrastructure could be set up as interacting modules, with cross talk between them on the interconnected impacts, that would allow architectures to be assessed and evolved rapidly as technology and science gaps are filled,” he said.
Parallax/OAI’s integration labs and digital twin capabilities are precisely suited to that kind of systems-level simulation—bridging the gap between early conceptual studies and large-scale program commitments.
Looking Forward
Integration, Gilland concludes, is the missing piece of Mars planning.
“Until constraints are fully defined and integrated, it is still unclear what technologies should be accelerated,” he said.
In that uncertainty lies the opportunity for organizations like Parallax and OAI to play a pivotal role—not as rocket builders, but as the connective tissue that ensures all parts of the mission architecture align.
About Dr. James Gilland
With more than three decades of experience in electric and advanced propulsion, Dr. James Gilland brings unmatched technical depth to the conversation about Mars mission design. A Senior Scientist at the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Parallax Advanced Research, Gilland has worked on propulsion systems spanning from 300-watt thrusters to 300-megawatt nuclear electric propulsion concepts. His career includes serving as Lead Nuclear Electric Propulsion Engineer at NASA’s Nuclear Propulsion Office in the early 1990s, qualification testing of Hall thrusters for NASA’s Artemis Gateway, and participation on the National Academies’ Committee on Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies. A former NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow and active member of AIAA, Gilland has shaped the field through research, system analysis, and mentoring of the next generation of propulsion engineers. His breadth of expertise—ranging from solar and nuclear electric systems to breakthrough concepts like plasma wave propulsion—underscores his central message: that Mars exploration will succeed not by advancing any one technology in isolation, but by integrating across disciplines, architectures, and institutions.
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About Parallax Advanced Research & the Ohio Aerospace Institute
Parallax Advanced Research is an advanced research institute that tackles global challenges through strategic partnerships with government, industry, and academia. It accelerates innovation, addresses critical global issues, and develops groundbreaking ideas with its partners. In 2023, Parallax and the Ohio Aerospace Institute, an aerospace research institute located in Cleveland, OH, formed a collaborative affiliation to drive innovation and technological advancements across Ohio and the nation. The Ohio Aerospace Institute plays a pivotal role in advancing aerospace through collaboration, education, and workforce development.