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James Mantovani

Publications and source records attributed to James Mantovani.

6 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

NASA Kennedy Space Center Swamp Works: Innovation Methods for Advanced Research & Technology Development

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 agile, innovative and cost effective exploration mission solutions through leveraging of partnerships across NASA, industry and academia. Concepts start small and build up efficiently, 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. This paper will summarize the state of the art in innovation methods, and it will compare the various other methods to how innovation is accomplished at the NASA KSC Swamp Works. Since 2013, Swamp Works has developed a wide variety of technologies, and has demonstrated viable methods for innovation while also collaborating with other government agencies, industry and academia to support space exploration. These methods focus on agile design, test, build iterations where each cycle of prototyping results in improved knowledge and designs. Failures are tole rated in the early stages of these iterations, since the overall development cycle is shorter more efficient and cost effective by retiring risk early in the cycle. Momentum is maintained and the development teams remain highly motivated by the high level of team work, technical excellence, engagement and creative freedom.

Robotic Mining↗
NASA NTRS2022

Regolith Simulant Preparation and Geotechnical Characterization for Plume Surface Interaction Testing

Descent engine plumes interact with the lunar surface and accelerate regolith particles to potentially high velocities. These ejecta create risks to surface assets that have yet to be fully assessed. To better understand these risks, plume surface interactions can be simulated on the ground by firing a test engine plume into a bin of lunar regolith simulant under vacuum conditions. The dynamics of the resultant ejecta can then be recorded. In this technical memorandum we discuss the processes used in preparing a 150 kg bin of lunar regolith simulant for plume surface interaction ground tests under vacuum conditions for the NASA STMD Plume Surface Interaction project. We present our approach to mitigating regolith simulant eruptions during pump-down, the methods used to fill and reset the regolith simulant bin for each test, and the techniques used to characterize the consistency of regolith simulant geotechnical properties before each new firing. The challenges of preparing a regolith simulant test bin below an ambient pressure of one atmosphere, particularly on the large scale, could largely be overcome with a system that could fill the test bin with simulant inside the chamber and under vacuum conditions.

lunar regolith↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Understanding the Impact of High-Velocity Dust Due to Lunar Landings

Evidence from earlier landings by Surveyor and Apollo have provided ample evidence regarding the dangers of high-velocity ejecta. These dangers include the generation of dust that settle on equipment, posing a hazard to equipment fol-lowing landing, the sandblasting of objects near the landing site, and the spead of high-velocity dust over the entire lunar surface and in lunar orbit that may remain for long periods of time. Recent work has provided valuable insight into the behavior and nature of the dust as a function of lander size, but further work is needed to gain a better understanding of the initial trajectories of this high- velocity dust.

lunar↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Regolith Trajectories as a Result of Plume Surface Interactions

Lunar regolith is ejected from the impingement points of descent engine plumes. Such particles pose potential risks to surface operations, sites of scientific and historical interest, and orbiting spacecraft. Consequently, determining the resultant trajectories of these particles is necessary in order to estimate and mitigate risk. Here we present the ranges, impact latitudes, times of flight, and maximum altitudes for particles accelerated by a plume surface interaction at the lunar south pole. Using launch angles determined from observations and simulations, and for velocities <1:6 km/s, particles pose little risk. However, above 1:6 km/s the risks increase, and the results become highly sensitive to the initial angle. In addition, gravitational and non-gravitational processes will introduce perturbations to high-velocity trajectories resulting in a reduction in precision. Therefore, while local topography or artificial berms may mitigate trajectories with low initial angles, it remains important to place tight constraints on the potential launch angles of particles accelerated by plume surface interactions through simulations and experimentation. If these angles are indeed constrained to within a few degrees of the horizon, the risks posed by accelerated regolith particles at any velocity will be minimal.

Daniel Batcheldor↗
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↗