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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Regenerative ECLSS and Logistics Analysis for Sustained Lunar Surface Missions

As NASA begins to develop concepts for sustained crew missions to the lunar surface, it will be essential to evaluate the logistics requirements needed to enable such missions. Lunar surface missions will involve crews of four astronauts living on the surface for periods of 30 days or longer. Astronauts will either live in a surface habitat or transfer between a habitat and a pressurized rover. The amount of logistics that must be delivered to the surface to support the crew, support the surface systems, and conduct science could be substantial. Because NASA plans to conduct these missions on an annual basis, the complexity and cost of logistics delivery will likely drive campaign sustainability. The amount of required logistics is partially a function of the ECLSS system in the habitable elements on the surface. The higher the capability of regenerative ECLSS that can be accommodated, the lower the logistics requirements. However, the increased regenerative ECLSS capabilities will also increase the initial delivery mass of elements and require additional maintenance and spares to maintain the systems. This paper describes an effort to evaluate lunar sustained logistics requirements, including sensitivity analysis for ECLSS architecture options and their impact on requirements. The authors determine logistics requirements using an integrated surface ECLSS model. The model considers different configurations of rover and habitat setups with multiple ECLSS options on both. The tool can also model gas and liquid transfer options between the habitat and the rover. The authors use the model to evaluate several different ECLSS configurations and their logistics requirements. The authors then complete a sensitivity analysis that compares logistic requirements and the initial delivery mass over increasing ECLSS capabilities. Finally, the authors make recommendations for an ECLSS architecture option that balances the tradeoffs between logistics requirements and ECLSS mass.

Environmental Control and Life Support↗
NASA NTRS2008

Considerations Regarding the Development of an Environmental Control and Life Support System for Lunar Surface Applications

NASA is engaged in early architectural analyses and trade studies aimed at identifying requirements, predicting performance and resource needs, characterizing mission constraints and sensitivities, and guiding technology development planning needed to conduct a successful human exploration campaign of the lunar surface. Conceptual designs and resource estimates for environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) within pressurized lunar surface habitats and rovers have been considered and compared in order to support these lunar campaign studies. This paper will summarize those concepts and some of the more noteworthy considerations that will likely remain as key drivers in the evolution of the lunar surface ECLSS architecture.

Bagdigian, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1965

The distinction of rock types on the basis of their mass spectra, with special reference to lunar-surface applications

It is shown that the rock types most commonly expected to be encountered on the lunar surface can for the most part be readily distinguished, chemically, by plotting their relative concentrations of Fe, Mg, and Al on a ternary variation diagram. The necessary data for characterizing as unknown as to rock type can be quite easily extracted from complete or partial mass spectra such as may be obtained by means of a robot mass spectrometer on the lunar surface. For most compositions, determination of only two nuclide or element rations will characterize the sample. Fo others, the determination of one additional ratio or comparison with a few standard spectra previously obtained in the laboratory may be necessary to clarify the unknown in terms of the chemistry of the terrestrial or meteoritic equivalents. No quantitative assay of element concentrations is necessary for such a first classification.

LUNAR SURFACE↗
NASA NTRS2019

A Permanent Human Lunar Surface Presence Enabled by a CLV Class JUMP Lander

There are compelling advantages of a human presence on the surface of the Moon, as evidenced partly by the preponderance of lunar surface architectures that have existed throughout NASA, industry, and academia since the Apollo program. This paper specifically advocates and illustrates an example of a permanent human lunar surface presence enabled by a commercial launch vehicle (CLV) class Joinable Undercarriage to Maximize Payload (JUMP) lunar lander. The paper will discuss purposes for such a surface presence, including SPD-1 fulfillment, global collaboration, US industry advancement, US government leadership in spaceflight, a Mars dress rehearsal, Mars collaborative exploration, and lunar village development. An architectural description will be presented, including site selection, primary elements, and surface configuration. Element and lander allocation to CLV and Space Launch System (SLS) rockets will be discussed in terms of launch vehicle selection philosophy and allocation to specific launch manifests. This will enable a presentation of a lunar campaign spanning the period from 2026 to 2056. In conclusion, various aspects of the architecture will be suggested for further study.

Howard, Robert L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Internal Layout of a Lunar Surface Habitat

NASA is currently developing concepts for sustained crewed missions to the lunar surface. Sustained missions will occur on annual basis for durations of 30 days or more. To house and support the crew, NASA is exploring the use of a lunar Surface Habitat. NASA relies on conceptual spacecraft design to assist in planning and mission analysis. A crucial component of this habitation design is the internal layout: the interior location of systems, workstations, crew quarters, etc. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and resulting layout of a specific Surface Habitat design. This paper describes the SH’s hybrid inflatable structure then details the habitat’s interior layout. The proposed SH’s internal layout is depicted inside a hybrid inflatable structure using a low-fidelity CAD model. Multiple NASA references were consulted to determine the SH’s required functionality, minimal Net Habitable Volume, and minimal functional dimensions. These functions and volumes contribute to the placement and location of systems and spaces inside the habitat. In addition to functional volume, the layout includes systems and logistics placement. The resulting design will aid NASA in mission planning and further systems analysis.

Callie Burke↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

LANDO: Developing Autonomous Payload Offloading Capabilities for Lunar Surface Operations

Introduction: The Lightweight Surface Manipulation System (LSMS) AutoNomy capabilities Development for surface Operations and construction (LANDO) project is an Early Career Initiative selected for funding by NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate. LANDO is developing a general-purpose autonomy framework applicable to serial and tension-actuated manipulation agents, that will be validated using an existing prototype of the LSMS-L35 (35-kg wrist lift capacity on the lunar surface [Fig. 1], sized for a Commercial Lunar Pay-load Services (CLPS) mission). The autonomous LSMS-L35 will be used to demonstrate autonomous payload handling capabilities for Lunar and other planetary surfaces, directly addressing STMD capability gaps in autonomous excavation and construction operations, advanced robotics and spacecraft autonomy technologies, and technologies supporting emerging space industries including the In-Space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing national strategy. LSMS: The LSMS is a tension actuated robotic agent that is scalable (reach and lifting capacity in different gravity environments), versatile (types of surface operations), and reusable. Compared to serial arms, the LSMS provides significantly higher structural efficiency and mechanical advantage, enabling a greater payload lift capacity at a lower system mass. The LSMS is envisioned to be a crucial part of the excavation and construction portfolio, capable of supporting a variety of activities on the lunar surface. Autonomous payload handling is one of the first activities the LSMS can support that develops capabilities that are extensible to other surface operations. Payload handling is required to: remove payloads from a lander; place payloads on mobile agents for transport from a lander to construction site/assembly point; emplace payloads in their operational configuration, and aggregate components to create an asset. As an example of this critical gap, manifested CLPS missions do not currently have a ubiquitous payload offloading capability; payloads (excluding rovers) are designed to remain on the lander. Why Autonomy? Autonomous robotic systems capable of carrying out excavation and construction operations are a fundamental and critical capability required for realizing the NASA Artemis program vision to “emplace and build the infrastructure, systems, and robotic missions that can enable a sustained lunar surface presence.” While teleoperation is still feasible for lunar surface operations, increased latency at Mars will require validated supervised autonomous technologies capable of operating with minimal human involvement (human-on-the-loop) unless an unexpected event occurs requiring human intervention. Autonomy reduces operator burden, allows operations to continue during uncrewed periods, in-creases the safety of operations by automatically detecting and handling faults, and allows operating in high latency environments. Development Activities: LANDO is extending critical autonomous operations to the manipulation domain and creating an integrated system, based on reusable software modules, that is capable of planning and executing payload handling and autonomous surface operations without requiring hu-man intervention beyond a supervisory role. The priority features under development are 1) autonomously offload payloads from a tilted lander deck without buckling the LSMS; 2) sensing whether a payload is safe to lift and handle; and 3) integrate with Astrobotic’s CLPS lander. The poster presentation will highlight current development activities over the past year on LSMS-L35 prototype hard-ware design, and autonomy software.

in-space assembly↗
NASA NTRS1978

In situ reworking /gardening/ of the lunar surface - Evidence from the Apollo cores

The in situ reworking (gardening) of the lunar surface by impacting projectiles creates an in situ reworking zone extending horizontally over the entire regolith surface and extending vertically from the surface to a depth which varies from place-to-place on the moon. On the basis of available evidence, the 'high-maturity' zones observed at the top of the lunar cores have resulted from the in situ reworking of the present-day lunar surface. The temporal variation of the in situ reworking depth was investigated using depths inferred from maturity I sub s/FeO and Al-26 profiles of Apollo cores. The observed temporal variation of the in situ reworking depth in units of centimeters is equal to 2.2 times the time (in units of million years) to the 0.45th power.

Morris, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Study of isotopic composition of helium in the fine fraction of Luna 16 lunar surface material

The content of He isotopes is measured in two samples of the lunar surface material returned by the Luna 16 automatic station. Both samples consist of a fine fraction of lunar surface material and were samples from zone A (sample 3-2k) and from zone V (sample 9-1r). The value of He4/He3 and the concentration of the He isotopes are identical for both samples, within the limits of experimental error.

Boltenkov, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Meteoroid activity on the lunar surface from the Surveyor 3 sample examination

The Surveyor 3 television camera shroud and polished aluminum tube, retrieved as a result of the Apollo 12 mission after 2-1/2 years on the lunar surface, were examined at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center for evidence of meteoroid impact. The results of this examination were compared with other estimates of the meteoroid flux in the lunar vicinity and are shown to be in good agreement with the Lunar Orbiter penetration rates. In addition, the relationship between a derived lunar surface meteoroid cumulative-flux model and the comparable near-earth model is discussed in the light of theoretical predictions. It is shown that the effect of the gravitational field of the earth on the near-earth environment was greater than previously predicted. The implication is that the average meteoroid velocity relative to the earth is probably 17 km/s. The many low velocity impacts on the Surveyor 3 camera and tube are shown to be of lunar surface origin and to be primarily the result of rocket exhaust interaction.

Cour-Palais, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effects of levitated dust on astronomical observations from the lunar surface

It is believed that a substantial population of levitated dust is present in the terminator region of the moon. Stray light scattered by this dust layer may contaminate astronomical observations made from the lunar surface using infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. The evidence for dust levitation stems from: Surveyor vidicon images of horizon glow; anomalous brightness in photographs of the solar corona taken by Apollo astronauts while the spacecraft was just inside the moon's shadow; and observations by Apollo astronauts of streamers just prior to lunar orbital sunrise or just after lunar orbital sunset. It has been proposed that the differential charging of the lunar surface in the terminator region due to photoemission and the consequent strong local electric fields comprise the mechanism responsible for this levitation. Although quantitative data on the levitated lunar dust distribution are meager, it is possible to estimate column densities and sizes. In this paper we summarize the estimates of particulate sizes and number densities of previous authors, and construct a nominal terminator dust distribution, as a function of particulate radius and altitude above the lunar surface. Using the model we estimate the brightness of scattered sunshine for three wavelength bands. For the results in the visible wavelengths, we compare the estimated brightness with the known brightness of selected astronomical objects and discuss the implications for lunar-based astronomy.

Murphy, D. L.↗