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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Autonomous Lunar Infrastructure Outfitting

The Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) project at NASA Ames Research Center is developing autonomous infrastructure, instrumentation, and spacecraft assembly and manufacturing capabilities for next generation exploration and science missions, with a goal to change the cost scaling of these missions relative to mission size and duration. Using a building-block approach with a 'kit of parts' composed of ultra-light, high-performance mechanical metamaterials, simplified robots leverage the period environment to achieve high levels of autonomy and reliability for in-space and surface assembly of large-scale apertures, solar-arrays, towers, habitats, and other infrastructure. Robots and structure break down into a compact form factor for launch. By leveraging economies of scale and achieving high-packing ratios, ARMADAS technology can revolutionize space missions by breaking the tyranny of the launch shroud, decreasing development times, decreasing mission costs for transformative science capability, and providing a scalable and versatile space infrastructure strategy. An ecosystem of reconfigurable infrastructure modules can be reused, repaired, expanded reconfigured to meet emergency or unforeseen needs, and reduce spare parts.

Christine Gregg↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Cis-Lunar Propellant Infrastructure for Flexible Path Exploration and Space Commerce

This paper describes a space infrastructure concept that exploits lunar water for propellant production and delivers it to users in cis-lunar space. The goal is to provide responsive economical space transportation to destinations beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) and enable in-space commerce. This is a game changing concept that could fundamentally affect future space operations, provide greater access to space beyond LEO, and broaden participation in space exploration. The challenge is to minimize infrastructure development cost while achieving a low operational cost. This study discusses the evolutionary development of the infrastructure from a very modest robotic operation to one that is capable of supporting human operations. The cis-lunar infrastructure involves a mix of technologies including cryogenic propellant production, reusable lunar landers, propellant tankers, orbital transfer vehicles, aerobraking technologies, and electric propulsion. This cislunar propellant infrastructure replaces Earth-launched propellants for missions beyond LEO. It enables users to reach destinations with smaller launchers or effectively multiplies the user s existing payload capacity. Users can exploit the expanded capacity to launch logistics material that can then be traded with the infrastructure for propellants. This mutually beneficial trade between the cis-lunar infrastructure and propellant users forms the basis of in-space commerce.

Oeftering, Richard C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Design of a minimum level lunar base infrastructure

The minimum necessary planet infrastructure required to support a lunar base is discussed. Various mission architectures are studied to illustrate the strategy of the minimum service level infrastructure (MSLI). These architectures encompass a standard suite of lunar surface elements (habitats, rovers, and power and communications systems), which are absolutely required to create and support the lunar base. Scientists are considered to be the most probable initial customers of a lunar base, and the initial lunar base is envisioned to provide the level of services required to support the scope of scientific activities. MSLI is considered to represent various additional services which cannot be justified by private investment or parochial interests and thereby must be provided by NASA or the government to encourage outside participation.

Connolly, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Orion Navigation Sensitivities to Ground Station Infrastructure for Lunar Missions

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) will replace the Space Shuttle and serve as the next-generation spaceship to carry humans to the International Space Station and back to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo program. As in the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, the Mission Control Navigation team will utilize radiometric measurements to determine the position and velocity of the CEV. In the case of lunar missions, the ground station infrastructure consisting of approximately twelve stations distributed about the Earth and known as the Apollo Manned Spaceflight Network, no longer exists. Therefore, additional tracking resources will have to be allocated or constructed to support mission operations for Orion lunar missions. This paper examines the sensitivity of Orion navigation for lunar missions to the number and distribution of tracking sites that form the ground station infrastructure.

Getchius, Joel↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Considerations for Ground-based Testing of Lunar Construction Technologies

The Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) project, under NASA’s Game Changing Division (GCD) aims to research, develop, and demonstrate lunar surface construction capabilities[1].A fundamental step in lunar infrastructure development is to quantify the geotechnical properties of lunar regolith, such as shear strength (Mohr-Coulomb cohesion and angle of internal friction), com-pression and bearing properties, and angle of re-pose. Knowledge of these geotechnical properties enables the prediction of forces and displacements associated with lunar infrastructure development processes including excavation and constructing landing pads, habitats, shelters, and roadways. Through ground-based testing of autonomous lunar systems performed using relevant hardware (e.g., robotic arms) in appropriate lunar regolith simulants, the developed hardware/technology and tool paths can be validated. Such testing also generates data to give insight into the geotechnical regolith properties on the lunar surface.

Regolith↗
NASA NTRS2019

Lunar Hydrogen Infrastructure

This presentation uses recent developments and discoveries to provide a high-level technical overview of a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure that supports sustained exploration of the moon. Combining creative orbital mechanics, robotic mining and process automation techniques, humanity can use lunar resources to generate the necessary propellant to support the transportation of cargo and humans between multiple points in the cis-lunar space. Robotic systems could collect water by either directly collecting the water entrained in the lunar regolith or by processing minerals found in the lunar regolith. These robotic systems could then electrolyze the water to generate high quality hydrogen and oxygen propellant and capitalize on the very low temperatures (< 15 Kelvin) in permanently shadowed regions (PSR) to maintain these propellants in a cryogenic state. Uncrewed service vehicles could distribute this lunar-generated resource throughout the cis-lunar space to intermediary waystations, like the Gateway. These platforms enable larger payloads into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by providing the propellant necessary to travel through the cis-lunar space without requiring launch mass to lift the propellant and supporting tankage into LEO from the Earth's surface. Delivering 1 kg to LEO from the lunar surface reduces the propellant mass of the launch vehicle from Earth by 7 kg to 11.3 kg, depending on the final destination. By leveraging resources among multiple nations and corporations, this exploration infrastructure potentially can be both fiscally self-supporting and enable more organizations to sustain a human presence on the moon.

Lunar Architecture↗
NASA NTRS2016

Contour Crafting Simulation Plan for Lunar Settlement Infrastructure Build-Up

Economically viable and reliable building systems and tool sets are being sought, examined and tested for extraterrestrial infrastructure buildup. This project focused on a unique architecture weaving the robotic building construction technology with designs for assisting rapid buildup of initial operational capability Lunar and Martian bases. The project aimed to study new methodologies to construct certain crucial infrastructure elements in order to evaluate the merits, limitations and feasibility of adapting and using such technologies for extraterrestrial application. Current extraterrestrial settlement buildup philosophy holds that in order to minimize the materials needed to be flown in, at great transportation costs, strategies that maximize the use of locally available resources must be adopted. Tools and equipment flown as cargo from Earth are proposed to build required infrastructure to support future missions and settlements on the Moon and Mars.

Infrastructure↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Playing with DIRT: Building the Framework for a Comprehensive In-Situ Soil Materials Testing Database

Long-term, sustainable planetary exploration will require the ability to "live off the land," relying on In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and In-Situ Construction as core capabilities. Reduction of both risk and launch mass for lunar construction will require evaluating and comparing regolith materials for use as feedstocks suitable for in-situ beneficiation and fabrication of building components. These material assessment capabilities will inform lunar infrastructure design decisions, with co-benefits for terrestrial construction using in-situ materials. Current planetary construction technology development relies on lunar mapping and orbital data, Apollo-era sample analyses, current simulant inventories, and tests conducted using analog site soils. Requirements for lunar infrastructure design decisions and construction systems will be determined based on specific environmental conditions, mission architectures, and the materials available within traverse range of lunar feedstock processing depots. Critical for success is the capability to identify, evaluate and make effective use of a wide range of materials as they are found in-situ on the lunar surface. This paper discusses the development of a digital repository for data on soil and regolith properties, beginning with their structural performance in both cementitious and non-cementitious building material formulations. The Database for In-situ Resource Testing (DIRT) compiles a catalog of raw materials, additives, and formulations, with notations pertaining to material sources and preparation techniques entered via a web-based user interface. Design of consistent data schemas for site-sourced materials evaluation will facilitate linkage with relevant terrestrial and planetary materials databases while enabling guided data input via templates for participation by broader groups of collaborators. Results of these analyses are compiled in a centralized repository to generate insights applicable for regolith resources and landing sites yet to be precisely defined. Collection of thorough records of material characteristics, applications and performance will support innovative construction solutions not only for space infrastructure but for sustainable, resilient design in the terrestrial built environment.

Sarah Joey Seitz↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling Deformable Linear Objects for Autonomous Robotic Outfitting of Lunar Surface Systems

This paper presents structural models of deformable linear objects (DLOs). DLOs are a subclass of deformable objects that encompasses common outfitting elements such as cables and ropes. Models are validated through hardware experiments, and integration in a robotic autonomy architecture for space environments is discussed. A persistent human presence on the lunar surface is one of the next major milestones in space exploration. This requires the development of robust extraplanetary construction technologies including structures and materials modeling and robotic systems. Previous robotic construction technology development has primarily focused on structural assembly, with significantly less focus on robotically performed outfitting tasks to instantiate subsystems providing power, data, life support, etc. These tasks involve manipulation of highly flexible elements, which are difficult to model, such as cable harnesses, ropes, and hoses. Robotic manipulation of DLOs, especially cable harnesses, is an active area of research as cable harnesses are essential for providing power and data to space assets. DLO models that can be used for robot manipulator trajectory generation are necessary for autonomous operation of lunar infrastructure. There are many proposed methods for modeling DLOs, and they primarily fall into three types: 1) discrete model-based, 2) continuum model-based, and 3) Neural Network-based. These types each have pros and cons, and the tradeoff between model accuracy and computational speed informs which type should be used. An understanding of this trade-off is imperative for real-time control of autonomous systems. High computational requirements reduce the speed of the model, making real-time control difficult, while accuracy is critical to preventing collisions. Discrete models, such as a mass-spring multibody representation, require relatively few calculations, and accuracy is directly tied to the step size of the discretization. Continuum models, such as a B-spline representation or a Cosserat rod model (a mix of continuous and discrete), are more informed of the structural properties of the cable and are much more accurate than a rigid body mass-spring model, but at significant computational cost. A Neural Network approach can provide an online solution with very few computational steps, but properly generating training data can be difficult and validation for an in-space application is not trivial. This paper explores the trade-off between different modeling approaches and compares accuracy and computational speed/complexity of the three types mentioned above. Model accuracy is evaluated using a cable in a static configuration. True cable shape is obtained using a depth camera for RGB images and point-cloud segmentation. The purpose of this experiment is to evaluate the trade-offs of different approaches to the DLO modeling problem. Understanding the tradeoffs between different cable modeling techniques paves the way for developing robotic control and planning architectures necessary for real-time manipulation of DLOs for lunar infrastructure outfitting. Real-time control is required for robotic systems to be able to actively manipulate a cable in a harsh environment where model and sensor errors compound, and environmental conditions can cause significant disturbances. Cable routing must be performed in areas with high density of objects/obstacles: through truss structures, near solar panels or mirror arrays, next to bundles of electrical equipment. Understanding the best way to plan and manipulate a cable without disrupting the environment or damaging the cable is imperative to robotic outfitting operations on the lunar surface.

Amy M Quartaro↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Interest in 3GPP Mobile Telecommunications Protocols for Near Earth Space and the Lunar Surface

In the next several years, NASA intends to return astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis Program. Under Artemis, NASA plans to collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Near-term Artemis missions will be analogous but much more sophisticated versions of the last couple of Apollo missions. For example, the first area expected to be explored by an Artemis mission is near the south pole as opposed to the mid-latitudes visited by the Apollo astronauts, which makes direct communications with Earth more complicated. Lunar infrastructure will eventually be built over time by many organizations, public and private, to support sustained human exploration, science, and industrial activities on the Moon. A robust lunar communications and navigation infrastructure will be essential to realizing this long-term vision. Meanwhile, on Earth, major advances are being made as5G mobile telecommunications rollout across the globe. Furthermore, the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) is beginning to define future 6G capabilities. NASA envisions a lunar communications and navigation network with capabilities similar to those of communication networks we enjoy here on Earth. Building such a network will require participation by many organizations. NASA’s Tipping Point program seeks industry-developed space technologies that can both foster commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. This paper provides an overview of NASA’s interest in 3GPPanddescribescurrent work based on 3GPP standards within NASA or funded by NASA, such as Nokia’s upcoming Tipping Point demonstration of 4G/LTE on the lunar surface in early 2023.

Bernard L Edwards↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Behavior of High-Velocity Dust Generated by Lander Plumes in the Lunar Environment

Lunar lander plumes are known to accelerate fine dust to speeds exceeding 2 km/s, and the resultant ejecta may remain in lunar orbit for extended periods of time. Such ejecta could become hazardous to objects in lunar orbit as well as systems on the surface. In order to understand the impact on orbiting lunar infrastructure such as Gateway, as well as assets on the lunar surface, here we consider the dynamics of the resultant high-velocity plume ejecta. Initial conditions were set by the expected near-term lunar activity and the known cone of accelerated dust generated by previous lunar landings. The effects of regular 3-body gravitation, solar radiation pressure, and electric field are included in the model. It is found that although the majority of sub-μm dust is carried away by solar wind and electric fields, about ~10% of the dust between 1.7 km/s and 2.3 km/s reimpacts the surface, much of it near the landing site. The hazard posed by that debris is a function of lander mass and distance from the landing site. The Gateway, when orbiting in the nominal NRHO at the time of a landing, is not expected to be significantly affected by the dust. However, other spacecraft in less elliptic orbits may be at greater risk.

Ejecta↗
NASA NTRS2017

Lunar COTS Mission Concept: Using the Moon's Resources to Enable an Economical and Sustainable Pathway to Mars and Beyond

To support and enable future human missions to the surface of the Moon, a new plan was formulated to gradually develop an economical, evolvable and sustainable lunar infrastructure using a public/private partnerships between NASA and industry to share cost and risk in the development phase and ultimately transfer operation of these infrastructure services to its industry owners. These infrastructure services may include but are not limited to the following: lunar cargo transportation, power stations, energy storage devices, communication towers and relay satellites, and resource extraction operations. The plan is called the Commercial Orbital Transfer Services (COTS) Program, using NASA's well-proven Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Program acquisition model.

Zuniga, A. F.↗