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Laurent Sibille

Publications and source records attributed to Laurent Sibille.

32 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-situ Lunar Launch and Landing Pad Construction with Regolith-Thermoset Polymer Composite Materials

Lunar launch and landing pads are necessary to mitigate risks to lander/ascent vehicles and surrounding surface assets from rocket plume ejected regolith. The current state of the art of landing and launching from the lunar surface is to land/launch on unprepared regolith surfaces. Though this has been a relatively successful approach, significant risks exist for the Artemis Program due to higher thrust levels leading to increased ejecta and cratering, presence of co-located assets in the ejecta path, and potential strict surface levelness requirements. Regolith-thermoset polymer composite materials were developed and evaluated for off Earth launch and landing pad applications. Performance under hot fire conditions was assessed for two simulated Starship lunar launch/landing environments, one targeting thermal conditions and the second targeting pressure conditions. Paver test articles were prepared at 20% and 11% polymer mass fractions. Sintered paver test articles were prepared with 20% polymer grouting filling the seams between pavers. Though significant erosion was experienced during the more extreme thermal testing conditions, all test articles successfully mitigated regolith ejecta from plume effects. A concept for preparing and emplacing the materials was developed and tested in laboratory conditions. The testing evaluated the feasibility of using twin and single screw extruder technology to mix, convey and deposit materials. Both the twin and single screw extruders were capable of processing and extruding the composite with a maximum of 90% mass fraction of regolith achieved by the twin screw extruder.A primary risk for application of regolith-thermoset polymer composites as lunar launch/landingpad is the mass of polymer required to be landed on the moon. Calculations were performed that show that a 100 m diameter, 0.025 m thick pad with polymer mass fraction of 15% will require a payload mass of 72 mt to the Lunar surface. This is below the planned Starship payload capacity to the lunar surface of 100 mt. The regolith-thermoset polymer composite based construction approach proved feasibility in three critical areas: performance under launch/landing conditions, demonstration of a mixing and depositing strategy, and fitting within the planned lunar payload capacity. It is recommended that materials and systems be developed to TRL 6 for a small-scale lunar demonstration of emplacement of a launch/landing pad via a CLPS mission to support Artemis Program roadmap gap closure activities.

ISRU↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT)

Project Overview This project is focused on developing technologies that enable construction of a Lunar Safe Haven type structure on the moon. A full scale architectural and structural design will be completed based on lunar conditions and Artemis mission needs. A scaled structure will be 3D printed in simulated lunar environments. Technical Approach Polymer bound regolith composite materials will be developed and characterized for lunar additive construction applications. A full scale architectural and structural design will be completed based on the latest scientific data on lunar environments including radiation, meteoroids, thermal conditions, reduced gravity, and moonquakes. The project will culminate with a demonstration of additive construction in simulated lunar vacuum, thermal, regolith, and UV conditions. Results/Summary Preliminary material specifications have been developed and an initial batch has been produced. A first iteration of the architectural and structural designs have been completed. Hardware for 3D printing in simulated lunar conditions is under development. Contributing Partners AI Space Factory – Winner of the NASA 3D Printed Habitat Centennial Challenge Infusion and Transition Plan On-surface construction of infrastructure is a critical capability of the sustainable phase of the Artemis Program and eventual sustainable human presence on Mars. It provides the ability to create protective shelters on-demand using local resources. The 3D-printing technology will achieve TRL 6 in 1g/vacuum tests with thermal/UV exposure in this project. CLPS missions will be pursued for infusion to demonstrate vertical construction with lunar regolith and conditions. Modeling and simulation will be used to define the pilot-scale shelter construction mission for long-term exposure on the lunar surface to validate the system for Artemis operational deployment.

Lunar Construction↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Large Vehicle Lunar Landing Surface Interaction and In-Situ Resource Based Risk Mitigation: Landing & Launch Pads

A key capability required for the exploration of planetary bodies is the ability to land on the surface. Previous work performed by NASA and other institutions has primarily focused on landing small spacecraft on planetary surfaces and the associated small-to-medium thrusters required for the soft landing. In the case of human exploration—particularly the establishment of long duration exploration and habitation outposts—the ability to land large landers, such as the SpaceX Starship, is necessary. These larger landing systems require the use of more powerful engines, with higher engine exhaust temperatures and higher landing loads. Understanding the excavation of material by the engines, as well as the potential for the landing legs to sink into the subsurface, is key in ensuring reliable and safe landings. A further improvement in landing reliability can be achieved by constructing landing / launch pads, especially with in-situ resources. Some material excavation by the plume is inevitable, leaving at least a portion of the surface scoured and uneven under the lander and ejecting regolith particles and rocks at very high velocities. One possible solution would be to robotically build landing / launch pads (ideally autonomously) at the destination using in-situ materials. In this case, the first one or few landers will need to land on unimproved surfaces at higher risk; however, they would bring the required equipment to build the landing pads with mostly local resources, thus increasing the reliability of safe landing for subsequent larger landers. A number of methods to build in-situ landing and launch pads have already been developed. These methods include no, or some, addition of required binder additives to the local regolith material, different processing approaches and result in varying landing pad strengths. A sub-scale rocket engine plume, was used to simulate some of the conditions of a landing on the Moon to assess the effectiveness of various materials for an in-situ built landing pad, The GO2/GCH4rocket engine fired on a 1m2area coupons of representative pad materials. The results will allow continued development towards materials that satisfy the landing pad properties required for the effective risk reduction and increased reliability for landing people and equipment on the lunar surface. This work contained two parts: (1) computer modeling of a large rocket engine plume interacting with regolith on the Moon, using the Granular Gas Flow Solver (GGFS) provided by CFD Research Corporation as well as other computational fluid dynamics codes (CFD) such as Loci/CHEM. (2) Developing landing/launch pad materials that could be used for in-situ construction on the lunar surface in the future, to mitigate the calculated effects of a large vehicle rocket engine landing and launching on the Moon.

Lunar↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-situ Lunar Launch and Landing Pad Construction with Regolith-Thermoset Polymer Composite Materials

Lunar launch and landing pads are necessary to mitigate risks to lander/ascent vehicles and surrounding surface assets from rocket plume ejected regolith. The current state of the art of landing and launching from the lunar surface is to land/launch on unprepared regolith surfaces. Significant risks exist for the larger landers proposed for the Artemis Program due to higher thrust levels leading to increased ejecta and cratering, presence of co-located assets in the ejecta path, and potential strict surface levelness requirements for tall vehicles.

Launch Pad↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Kennedy Space Center Swamp Works 10th Anniversary: Innovative Research & Technology Development Summary

Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Swamp Works, provides government and commercial space ventures with the technologies required for working and living on the surfaces of the Moon or other planets and bodies in our solar system. The Swamp Works team establishes rapid, innovative and cost-effective exploration mission solutions through leveraging of partnerships across NASA, industry and academia. Concepts start small and build up fast, with lean development processes and a hands-on approach. Testing is performed in early stages to drive design improvements and progressively increase Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Swamp Works provides concepts, architecture studies and trades, designs, data, technology development, technology demonstration hardware, flight hardware, testing, flight support and knowledge in support of the development of surface systems. It consists of several teams with associated laboratories and test capabilities. The Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) Laboratory and the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) are co-located in the Engineering Development Lab (EDL) facility high bay. The Applied Chemistry Lab (ACL) is in an adjacent facility and other KSC labs are being influenced by the innovation methods pioneered at the Swamp Works. The Swamp Works was founded in January 2013 by a group of scientists and engineers at KSC with the over-arching vision of expanding humanity and civilization into the solar system by the use of space resources via advanced technology. Ultimately, this will create a solar system economy that will improve the human condition due to the abundance of energy and resources. This paper will summarize the projects and technology development that have been performed by the Swamp Works to celebrate its 10th Anniversary of innovation success.

Robotic Mining↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Swamp Works Technology Development 10th Anniversary: 2013-2023

Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Swamp Works, provides government and commercial space ventures with the technologies required for working and living on the surfaces of the Moon or other planets and bodies in our solar system. The Swamp Works team establishes efficient, innovative and cost-effective exploration mission solutions through leveraging of partnerships across NASA, industry and academia. Concepts start small and build up momentum, with lean development processes and a hands-on approach. Testing is performed in early stages to drive design improvements and progressively increase Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Swamp Works provides concepts, architecture studies and trades, designs, data, technology development, technology demonstration hardware, flight hardware, testing, flight support and knowledge in support of the development of surface systems. It consists of several teams with associated laboratories and test capabilities. The Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) Laboratory and the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) are co-located in the Engineering Development Lab (EDL) facility high bay. The Applied Chemistry Lab (ACL) is in an adjacent facility and other KSC labs are being influenced by the innovation methods pioneered at the Swamp Works. The Swamp Works was founded in January 2013 by a group of scientists and engineers at KSC with the over-arching vision of expanding humanity and civilization into the solar system by the use of space resources via advanced technology. Ultimately, this will create a solar system economy that will improve the human condition due to the abundance of energy and resources. This presentation will summarize the projects and technology development that have been performed by the Swamp Works to celebrate its 10th Anniversary of innovation success.

Swamp Works↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vacuum Sintering of Highland Simulant CSM-LHT-1G

Sintering of lunar regolith is a process of interest to consolidate the ubiquitous granular material in durable structures on the lunar surface such as platforms, landing/launch pads, roads, and foundations for long-term robotic and human activities. Many publications do not report quantitative assessment of the effects of processing conditions on the strength properties of the sintered products. The work presented is an investigation into such effects on a carefully selected simulant, CSM-LHT-1G prepared for high temperature processing to eliminate undesired components that would not be present from lunar materials. Careful experiments under vacuum were conducted to identify the relevant factors that dominate the properties and the quality of the sintered product. CSM-LHT-1G simulant is a variant of the CSM-LHT-1 lunar highland simulant produced by Colorado School of Mines. The original mineralogical composition of CSM-LHT-1 (70 wt.% Greenspar, 30 wt.% Merriam Crater basalt) was modified to obtain a 30 wt.% glass content with the addition of NU-LHT-5M glass balanced with pyroxene (augite) to yield CSM-LHT-1G.

Vacuum Sintering↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Moon-to-Mars Planetary Construction Technology (MMPACT) Scoop, Tamp, Filter (STF) Sub-System

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate “champions technologies needed to live on and explore the Moon” [1]. This includes capabilities that capitalize on existing lunar resources and carry out surface manufacturing and construction activities. The goal of the Moon-to-Mars Planetary Construction Technology (MMPACT) Project is to mature these two capabilities. The primary resource on the Moon and the primary feedstock for manufacturing and construction is regolith. In the past, astronauts launched, landed, and lived in a spacecraft. NASA envisions a future where we make living spaces on the lunar surface instead. The innovative technologies required for lunar surface construction may be something never seen before, or they may be adaptations of existing technologies. This paper summarizes recent efforts to develop and test a scoop, tamp and filter (STF) sub-system to prepare and deposit lunar regolith for a laser-based vitreous material transformation system being developed under a NASA contract by ICON, inc., which is hoped to eventually be used for automated additive construction with indigenous regolith on the Moon.

Moon↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Selection, Production, and Properties of Regolith Polymer Composites for Lunar Construction

NASA’s Artemis Program seeks to establish a long-term presence on the moon to enable scientific discoveries and utilization of lunar resources through public-private partnerships. Over the next decades, a lunar spaceport enabling regular transportation from and to Earth will need to be established to provide the services and facilities that are necessary to achieve this goal. Robotic construction technologies using in-situ materials must be developed to build up enabling infrastructure such as launch/landing pads, blast protection, power/communications towers, improved trafficability pathways and radiation protection shelters. Kennedy Space Center’s Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations laboratory at Swamp Works has partnered with AI SpaceFactory to develop the architectural and structural design of an unpressurized shelter. The shelter, called Lina, is designed to protect astronauts and surface assets from radiation, meteoroid impact, moon quakes and thermal gradients. Lina’s structural design criteria and the resulting structure design are detailed in separate papers. A Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) construction process using regolith polymer composites has been developed. This paper presents the material formulations and selection rationale for each of the composite components. Formulations include 70:30, 80:20, and 85:15 wt.% mixture ratios of lunar mare simulant Black Point-1 (BP-1): Polylactic Acid (PLA), 80:20 Lunar Highlands Simulant (LHS-1): PLA and an 80:20 BP-1:PLA formulation with a processing aid/compatibilizer additive. Test samples were printed in simulated lunar dirty thermal vacuum conditions (~-180 °C, ~10 -3 torr). The test environment evolved throughout the duration of the print process. A series of tests were performed to characterize the mixture ratios achieved for each formulation, the off-gassing products during vacuum printing, the strength properties, and porosity of printed products. The LHS-1: PLA formulation yielded an advantageous combination of properties and was used in a final test that additively constructed a sub-scaled Lina on regolith simulant in dirty vacuum conditions.

lunar infrastructure↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Selection, Production, and Properties of Regolith Polymer Composites for Lunar Construction

NASA’s Artemis Program seeks to establish a long-term presence on the Moon to enable scientific exploration and expand the cis-lunar economy by utilizing lunar resources through public-private and international partnerships. Over the next decades, a lunar spaceport will need to be established to provide the services and facilities that are necessary to achieve this goal. Robotic construction technologies using in-situ materials must be developed to build up enabling infrastructure such as launch/landing pads, blast protection, power/communications infrastructure, improved roads, improved operational surfaces, and radiation protection shelters. Kennedy Space Center’s Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations laboratory at Swamp Works has partnered with SpaceFactory and LERA Consulting Structural Engineers to develop the architectural and structural design of an unpressurized lunar shelter. The shelter, called Lunar Infrastructure Asset (LINA), is designed to support 2.3 m of regolith overburden to protect astronauts and surface assets from radiation, meteoroid impact, thermal gradients/cycling, and to withstand moonquakes. LINA’s structural design criteria and the resulting structure design are detailed in separate papers. A Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) construction process using regolith polymer composites has been developed and is detailed in a separate publication. This paper presents material formulations and selection rationale for each of the composite components that were examined. Formulations include 70:30, 80:20, and 85:15 wt.% mixture ratios of lunar mare simulant Black Point-1 (BP-1): Polylactic Acid (PLA), 80:20 Lunar Highlands Simulant-1 (LHS-1): PLA and an 80:20 BP-1: PLA formulation with a flow enhancer additive. Test samples were printed in simulated lunar dirty thermal vacuum conditions (-190 °C, 10-3 torr). A series of tests were performed on each formulation to characterize the achieved mixture ratio, mechanical strength properties, off-gassing products during vacuum printing, and porosity and density of printed products. The LHS-1: PLA formulation yielded an advantageous combination of properties and was used in a final test that additively constructed a sub-scaled LINA on regolith simulant in dirty vacuum conditions. The materials and construction process presented in this paper are considered to be at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 with additional testing necessary to characterize long term lunar environmental exposure effects.

lunar infrastructure↗