Engineering topics

Fiske, Michael R.

Publications and source records attributed to Fiske, Michael R..

10 records

NASA NTRS2018

The Disruptive Technology That is Additive Construction: System Development Lessons Learned for Terrestrial and Planetary Applications

Disruptive technologies are unique in that they spawn other new technologies and applications as they grow. These activities are usually preceded by the question, "What If?" For example, "What if we could use an emerging technology and in-situ materials to promote exploration on the Moon or Mars, and then use that same technology to keep our troops out of harm's way and/or help the worlds' homeless?" This question allows us to flip the mindset of "how can people create more valuable innovation?" to "how can innovation create more valuable people?." This approach allows us to view augmented human labor as an inclusive opportunity, not a threat. The discipline of Additive Construction is growing rapidly due to the flexibility, speed, safety and logistics benefits offered as compared to standard construction techniques. Additive construction is a disruptive technology in that it employs the principles of additive manufacturing on a human habitat structure scale. Developed initially for emergency management and disaster relief applications, additive construction has now grown into military infrastructure and planetary (Moon and Mars) surface infrastructure applications as well. Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) is a NASA technology development project that seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing shelters for human crews, and other surface infrastructure, on the Moon or Mars for a future human presence. The ACME project will allow, for the first time, the 3-dimensional printing of surface structures on planetary bodies using local materials for construction, thereby tremendously reducing launch and transportation mass and logistics. Some examples of infrastructure that could be constructed using robotic additive construction methods are landing pads, rocket engine blast protection berms, roads, dust free zones, equipment shelters, habitats and radiation shelters. Terrestrial applications include the development of surface structures using Earth-based materials for emergency response, disaster relief, general construction, and housing at all economic levels. This paper will describe the progress made by the NASA ACME project with a focus on prototypes and full scale additive construction demonstrations using both Portland cement concrete and other indigenous material mixtures. Rationale for the use of additive construction for both terrestrial and planetary applications will be explored and a thorough state-of-the-art of additive construction techniques will be presented. An evolutionary history of NASA's additive construction development efforts, dating back to 2004, will be included. The paper will then step through a series of trade studies performed to inform key processing and design decisions in the development of the full-scale ACES-3 system developed by NASA and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Construction Engineers Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign, IL. The selection of aggregate and binders, based on in-situ materials, will also be presented and discussed

Space Processing↗

NASA NTRS2015

Development of Additive Construction Technologies for Application to Development of Lunar/Martian Surface Structures Using In-Situ Materials

For long-duration missions on other planetary bodies, the use of in situ materials will become increasingly critical. As human presence on these bodies expands, so must the breadth of the structures required to accommodate them including habitats, laboratories, berms, radiation shielding for natural radiation and surface reactors, garages, solar storm shelters, greenhouses, etc. Planetary surface structure manufacturing and assembly technologies that incorporate in situ resources provide options for autonomous, affordable, pre-positioned environments with radiation shielding features and protection from micrometeorites, exhaust plume debris, and other hazards. The ability to use in-situ materials to construct these structures will provide a benefit in the reduction of up-mass that would otherwise make long-term Moon or Mars structures cost prohibitive. The ability to fabricate structures in situ brings with it the ability to repair these structures, which allows for the self-sufficiency and sustainability necessary for long-duration habitation. Previously, under the auspices of the MSFC In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) project and more recently, under the jointly-managed MSFC/KSC Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project, the MSFC Surface Structures Group has been developing materials and construction technologies to support future planetary habitats with in-situ resources. One such additive construction technology is known as Contour Crafting. This paper presents the results to date of these efforts, including development of novel nozzle concepts for advanced layer deposition using this process. Conceived initially for rapid development of cementitious structures on Earth, it also lends itself exceptionally well to the automated fabrication of planetary surface structures using minimally processed regolith as aggregate, and binders developed from in situ materials as well. This process has been used successfully in the fabrication of construction elements using lunar regolith simulant and Mars regolith simulant, both with various binder materials. Future planned activities will be discussed as well.

Werkheiser, Niki J.↗

NASA NTRS2006

In Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) Technologies; New Challenges for Exploration

NASA's human exploration initiative poses great opportunity and great risk for manned missions to the Moon and Mars. Engineers and Scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are continuing to evaluate current technologies for in situ resource-based exploration fabrication and repair applications. Several technologies to be addressed in this paper have technology readiness levels (TRLs) that are currently mature enough to pursue for exploration purposes. However, while many technologies offer promising applications, these technologies must be pulled along by the demands and applications of this great initiative. The In Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) Element will supply and push state of the art technologies for applications such as habitat structure development, in situ resource utilization for tool and part fabrication, and repair and non-destructive evaluation W E ) of common life support elements. As an overview of the ISFR Element, this paper will address rapid prototyping technologies, their applications, challenges, and near term advancements. This paper will also discuss the anticipated need to utilize in situ resources to produce replacement parts and fabricate repairs to vehicles, habitats, life support and quality of life elements. Overcoming the challenges of ISFR development will provide the Exploration initiative with state of the art technologies that reduce risk, and enhance supportability.

Bassler, Julie A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Back to the Future: A Historical Perspective of Lunar and Martian In-situ Fabrication and Repair

Scientists, engineers, and the general public have always speculated and dreamed about living and working on other planets. The allure and challenges of this endeavor have generated innumerable Conferences, feasibility studies and six manned Moon landings. As NASA prepares to return to the Moon and eventually Mars, it is only natural to stand on the shoulders of those giants who have gone before us. This time, as we go to stay, the development of processes that maximize the use of in-situ resources will become even more important. On demand fabrication of piece-parts to reduce required spares, development of habitat structures, and the ability to make repairs will all benefit from the use of in-situ materials including raw regolith and metals and/or gases extracted from regolith or planetary atmospheres. To support these activities, there will also be a need for recycling as well as non-destructive evaluation technologies. This paper will present a historical overview of technology development associated with In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) elements described above and discuss the ISFR program implemented at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center.

Bassler, Julie A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Are we There Yet? ... Developing In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) Technologies to Explore and Live on the Moon and Mars

NASA's human exploration initiative poses great opportunity and great risk for manned missions to the Moon and Mars. Engineers and Scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center are evaluating current technologies for in situ exploration habitat and fabrication and repair applications. Several technologies to be addressed in this paper have technology readiness levels (TRLs) that are currently mature enough to pursue for exploration purposes. However, many technologies offer promising applications but these must be pulled along by the demands and applications of this great initiative. The In Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) program will supply and push state of the art technologies for applications such as habitat structure development, in situ resource utilization for tool and part fabrication, and repair and replacement of common life support elements. This paper will look at the current and future habitat technology applications such as the implementation of in situ environmental elements such as caves, rilles and lavatubes, the development of lunar regolith concrete and structure design and development, thin film and inflatable technologies. We will address current rapid prototyping technologies, their ISFR applications and near term advancements. We will discuss the anticipated need to utilize in situ resources to produce replacement parts and fabricate repairs to vehicles, habitats, life support and quality of life elements. All ISFR technology developments will incorporate automated deployment and robotic construction and fabrication techniques. The current state of the art for these applications is fascinating, but the future is out of this world.

Bassler, Julie A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

In-situ Resource-based Lunar and Martian Habitat Structures Development at NASA/MSFC

As the nation prepares to return to the Moon and subsequently to Mars, it is apparent that the viability of long duration visits with appropriate radiation shielding/crew protection, hinges on the development of habitat structures, preferably in advance of a manned landing, and preferably utilizing in-situ resources. A relatively large number of habitat structure configurations can be developed from a relatively small set of in-situ resource-based construction products, including, blocks, raw regolith, reinforced concrete, and glass products. A much larger group of habitat designs can be developed when "imported" material are brought from Earth, including thin films and liners, and foldable, or expandable metal structures. These, and other technologies have been identified, and subjected to a rigorous trade study evaluation with respect to exploration and other performance criteria. In this paper, results of this trade study will be presented, as well as various habitat structure design concepts and concepts for construction automation. Results of initial tests aimed at concrete, block and glass production using Lunar regolith simulants will also be presented. Key issues and concerns will be discussed, as well as design concepts for a Lunar environment testbed to be developed at MSFC's Microgravity Development Laboratory (MDL).

Bodiford, Melanie P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

In Situ Resource-Based Lunar and Martian Habitat Structures Development at NASA/MSFC

Bodiford, Melanie P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Lunar Contour Crafting: A Novel Technique for ISRU-Based Habitat Development

1. Habitat Structures at MSFC is one element of the In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) Program: ISFR develops technologies for fabrication, repair and recycling of tools, parts, and habitats/structures using in-situ resources. ISRU - based habitat structures are considered Class III. 2. Habitat Structure Purpose: Develop Lunar and/or Martian habitat structures for manned missions that maximize the use of in-situ resources to address the following agency topics: bioastronautics critical path roadmap; strategic technical challenges defined in H&RT formulation plan: margins and redundancy; modularity, robotic network, space resource utilization; autonomy, affordable logistics pre-positioning.

Khoshnevis, Behrokh↗

NASA NTRS2004

Lunar Contour Crafting: A Novel Technique for ISRU-Based Habitat Development

As the nation prepares to return to the Moon, it is apparent that the viability of long duration visits with appropriate radiation shielding/crew protection, hinges on the development of Lunar structures, preferably in advance of a manned landing, and preferably utilizing in-situ resources. Contour Crafting is a USC-patented technique for automated development of terrestrial concrete-based structures. The process is relatively fast, completely automated, and supports the incorporation of various infrastructure elements such as plumbing and electrical wiring. This paper will present a conceptual design of a Lunar Contour Crafting system designed to autonomously fabricate integrated structures on the Lunar surface using high-strength concrete based on Lunar regolith, including glass reinforcement rods or fibers fabricated from melted regolith. Design concepts will be presented, as well as results of initial tests aimed at concrete and glass production using Lunar regolith simulant. Key issues and concerns will be presented, along with design concepts for an LCC testbed to be developed at MSFC's Prototype Development Laboratory (PDL).

Khoshnevis, Behrokh↗

NASA NTRS1986

Microstructural variations induced by gravity level during directional solidification of near-eutectic iron-carbon type alloys

The effects of gravity on the microstructure of directionally solidified near-eutectic cast irons are studied, using a Bridgman-type automatic directional solidification furnace aboard a NASA KC-135 aircraft which flies parabolic arcs and generates alternating periods of low-g (0.01 to 0.001 g, 30 seconds long) and high-g (1.8 g, 1.5 minutes long). Results show a refinement of the interlamellar spacing of the eutectic during low-g processing of metastable Fe-C eutectic alloys. Low-g processing of stable Fe-C-Si eutectic alloys (lamellar or spheroidal graphic) results in a coarsening of the eutectic grain structure. Secondary dendrite arm spacing of austenite increases in low-g and decreases in high-g. The effectiveness of low-gravity in the removal of buoyancy-driven graphite phase segregation is demonstrated.

Stefanescu, Doru M.↗