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NASA NTRS2005

In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot Stepping Stone

An In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot (ISCPD) is an important stepping stone to provide the capability to preposition, store, manufacture, and later use the propellants for Earth-Neighborhood campaigns and beyond. An in-space propellant depot will provide affordable propellants and other similar consumables to support the development of sustainable and affordable exploration strategies as well as commercial space activities. An in-space propellant depot not only requires technology development in key areas such as zero boil-off storage and fluid transfer, but in other areas such as lightweight structures, highly reliable connectors, and autonomous operations. These technologies can be applicable to a broad range of propellant depot concepts or specific to a certain design. In addition, these technologies are required for spacecraft and orbit transfer vehicle propulsion and power systems, and space life support. Generally, applications of this technology require long-term storage, on-orbit fluid transfer and supply, cryogenic propellant production from water, unique instrumentation and autonomous operations. This paper discusses the reasons why such advances are important to future affordable and sustainable operations in space. This paper also discusses briefly R&D objectives comprising a promising approach to the systems planning and evolution into a meaningful stepping stone design, development, and implementation of an In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot. The success of a well-planned and orchestrated approach holds great promise for achieving innovation and revolutionary technology development for supporting future exploration and development of space.

Howell, Joe T.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Sustainable, Reliable Mission-Systems Architecture that Supports a System of Systems Approach to Space Exploration

A mission-systems architecture based on a highly modular "systems of systems" infrastructure utilizing open-standards hardware and software interfaces as the enabling technology is absolutely essential for an affordable and sustainable space exploration program. This architecture requires (a) robust communication between heterogeneous systems, (b) high reliability, (c) minimal mission-to-mission reconfiguration, (d) affordable development, system integration, and verification of systems, and (e) minimum sustaining engineering. This paper proposes such an architecture. Lessons learned from the space shuttle program are applied to help define and refine the model.

Watson, Steve↗

NASA NTRS2000

AI in Space: The Era of Autonomous Space Systems

The development of autonomy capabilities is the key to three vastly important strategic technical challenges facing NASA: the reduction of mission costs, the continuing return of quality science products through limited communications bandwidth, and the launching of a new era of solar system exploration characterized by sustained presence and in-depth scientific studies, including the search for life. Autonomy will benefit future NASA missions by migrating routine, traditionally ground-based functions to the spacecraft, by directly supporting the decoupling of spacecraft from the ground through new operations concepts, by enabling direct links between scientists and the space platforms carrying their instruments of investigation, and by the closing, of planning and control loops onboard, enabling space platforms to directly address uncertainty in the real-time mission context. The talk will survey ongoing, autonomy technology development projects at NASA, many of which have been or will soon be the subject of flight technology experiments, or are already targeted for mission use. The talk will also survey the exciting suite of future NASA space exploration missions, and make the case for the central role of autonomy in achieving the goals of these bold, unprecedented missions: cooperating rovers on the surface of Mars, the search for Earth-like planets around nearby stars, asteroid and comet landers, aerobots in planetary atmospheres, and a series of missions to intriguing Europa, perhaps culminating in a submersible to investigate its putative ocean. Finally, the talk will conclude with some farther-reaching speculations on how to create properties such as long-term survivability and evolvability in future space systems, such that they will be well equipped to extend humanity exploratory presence into the interstellar realm.

Doyle, Richard J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Affordability Approaches for Human Space Exploration

The design and development of historical NASA Programs (Apollo, Shuttle and International Space Station), have been based on pre-agreed missions which included specific pre-defined destinations (e.g., the Moon and low Earth orbit). Due to more constrained budget profiles, and the desire to have a more flexible architecture for Mission capture as it is affordable, NASA is working toward a set of Programs that are capability based, rather than mission and/or destination specific. This means designing for a performance capability that can be applied to a specific human exploration mission/destination later (sometime years later). This approach does support developing systems to flatter budgets over time, however, it also poses the challenge of how to accomplish this effectively while maintaining a trained workforce, extensive manufacturing, test and launch facilities, and ensuring mission success ranging from Low Earth Orbit to asteroid destinations. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in support of Exploration Systems Directorate (ESD) in Washington, DC has been developing approaches to track affordability across multiple Programs. The first step is to ensure a common definition of affordability: the discipline to bear cost in meeting a budget with margin over the life of the program. The second step is to infuse responsibility and accountability for affordability into all levels of the implementing organization since affordability is no single person s job; it is everyone s job. The third step is to use existing data to identify common affordability elements organized by configuration (vehicle/facility), cost, schedule, and risk. The fourth step is to analyze and trend this affordability data using an affordability dashboard to provide status, measures, and trends for ESD and Program level of affordability tracking. This paper will provide examples of how regular application of this approach supports affordable and therefore sustainable human space exploration architecture.

Holladay, Jon↗

NASA NTRS2009

A Lunar Surface System Supportability Technology Development Roadmap

This paper discusses the establishment of a Supportability Technology Development Roadmap as a guide for developing capabilities intended to allow NASA's Constellation program to enable a supportable, sustainable and affordable exploration of the Moon and Mars. Presented is a discussion of "supportability", in terms of space facility maintenance, repair and related logistics and a comparison of how lunar outpost supportability differs from the International Space Station. Supportability lessons learned from NASA and Department of Defense experience and their impact on a future lunar outpost is discussed. A supportability concept for future missions to the Moon and Mars that involves a transition from a highly logistics dependent to a logistically independent operation is discussed. Lunar outpost supportability capability needs are summarized and a supportability technology development strategy is established. The resulting Lunar Surface Systems Supportability Strategy defines general criteria that will be used to select technologies that will enable future flight crews to act effectively to respond to problems and exploit opportunities in a environment of extreme resource scarcity and isolation. This strategy also introduces the concept of exploiting flight hardware as a supportability resource. The technology roadmap involves development of three mutually supporting technology categories, Diagnostics Test & Verification, Maintenance & Repair, and Scavenging & Recycling. The technology roadmap establishes two distinct technology types, "Embedded" and "Process" technologies, with different implementation and thus different criteria and development approaches. The supportability technology roadmap addresses the technology readiness level, and estimated development schedule for technology groups that includes down-selection decision gates that correlate with the lunar program milestones. The resulting supportability technology roadmap is intended to develop a set of technologies with widest possible capability and utility with a minimum impact on crew time and training and remain within the time and cost constraints of the Constellation program

Oeftering, Richard C.↗

NASA NTRS2011

A Lunar Surface System Supportability Technology Development Roadmap

This paper discusses the establishment of a Supportability Technology Development Roadmap as a guide for developing capabilities intended to allow NASA s Constellation program to enable a supportable, sustainable and affordable exploration of the Moon and Mars. Presented is a discussion of supportability, in terms of space facility maintenance, repair and related logistics and a comparison of how lunar outpost supportability differs from the International Space Station. Supportability lessons learned from NASA and Department of Defense experience and their impact on a future lunar outpost is discussed. A supportability concept for future missions to the Moon and Mars that involves a transition from a highly logistics dependent to a logistically independent operation is discussed. Lunar outpost supportability capability needs are summarized and a supportability technology development strategy is established. The resulting Lunar Surface Systems Supportability Strategy defines general criteria that will be used to select technologies that will enable future flight crews to act effectively to respond to problems and exploit opportunities in an environment of extreme resource scarcity and isolation. This strategy also introduces the concept of exploiting flight hardware as a supportability resource. The technology roadmap involves development of three mutually supporting technology categories, Diagnostics Test and Verification, Maintenance and Repair, and Scavenging and Recycling. The technology roadmap establishes two distinct technology types, "Embedded" and "Process" technologies, with different implementation and thus different criteria and development approaches. The supportability technology roadmap addresses the technology readiness level, and estimated development schedule for technology groups that includes down-selection decision gates that correlate with the lunar program milestones. The resulting supportability technology roadmap is intended to develop a set of technologies with widest possible capability and utility with a minimum impact on crew time and training and remain within the time and cost constraints of the Constellation program.

Oeftering, Richard C.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Lunar Surface Systems Supportability Technology Development Roadmap

The Lunar Surface Systems Supportability Technology Development Roadmap is a guide for developing the technologies needed to enable the supportable, sustainable, and affordable exploration of the Moon and other destinations beyond Earth. Supportability is defined in terms of space maintenance, repair, and related logistics. This report considers the supportability lessons learned from NASA and the Department of Defense. Lunar Outpost supportability needs are summarized, and a supportability technology strategy is established to make the transition from high logistics dependence to logistics independence. This strategy will enable flight crews to act effectively to respond to problems and exploit opportunities in an environment of extreme resource scarcity and isolation. The supportability roadmap defines the general technology selection criteria. Technologies are organized into three categories: diagnostics, test, and verification; maintenance and repair; and scavenge and recycle. Furthermore, "embedded technologies" and "process technologies" are used to designate distinct technology types with different development cycles. The roadmap examines the current technology readiness level and lays out a four-phase incremental development schedule with selection decision gates. The supportability technology roadmap is intended to develop technologies with the widest possible capability and utility while minimizing the impact on crew time and training and remaining within the time and cost constraints of the program.

Oeftering, Richard C.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Constraints on Transport and Emplacement Mechanisms of Labile Fractions in Lunar Cold Traps

Sustaining the scientific exploration of the Solar System will require a significant proportion of the necessary fuels and propellants, as well as other bulk commodities, to be produced from local raw materials [1]. The viability of mineral production depends on the ability to locate and characterize mineable deposits of the necessary feedstocks. This requires, among other things, a workable understanding of the mechanisms by which such deposits form, which is the subject of Economic Geology. Multiple deposition scenarios are possible for labile materials on the Moon. This paper suggests labile fractions moved diffusely through space; deposits may grow richer with depth until low porosity rock; lateral transport is likely to have occurred with the regolith, at least for short distances; crystalline ice may not exist; the constituent phases could be extremely complex. At present we can constrain the sources only mildly; once on the Moon, the transport mechanisms inherently mix and therefore obscure the origins. However, the importance of expanding our understanding of ore-forming processes on the Moon behooves us to make the attempt. Thus begins a time of new inquiry for Economic Geology.

Rickman, D.↗

NASA NTRS2015

In-Space Manufacturing: Pioneering a Sustainable Path to Mars

ISM is responsible for developing the on-demand manufacturing capabilities that will be required for affordable, sustainable operations during Exploration Missions (in-transit and on-surface) to destinations such as Mars. This includes advancing the needed technologies, as well as establishing the skills & processes (such as certification and characterization) that will enable the technologies to go from novel to institutionalized. These technologies are evolving rapidly due to terrestrial markets. ISM is leveraging this commercial development to develop these capabilities within a realistic timeframe and budget. ISM utilizes the International Space Station (ISS) as a test-bed to adapt these technologies for microgravity operations and evolve the current operations mindset from earth-reliant to earth-independent.

Werkheiser, Niki↗

NASA NTRS2018

Building a Plastics Fabrication Laboratory on the ISS: FabLab, MANTIS, Refabricator, CRISSP, ERASMUS, and MAMBA

The objective of NASA's In Space Manufacturing program is to develop manufacturing technologies and processes necessary to provide "on-demand, sustainable operations for exploration missions." Using the ISS as a test bed, in 2014, NASA installed and successfully tested a 3D printer for in-space operations, demonstrating the 3D printing process as well as sending digital files for printing from earth to the printer. The success of this technology demonstration has shown that on-orbit manufacturing technologies can be used to limit the earth reliance for cis-lunar missions. Because of this success, numerous opportunities have been provided by NASA to further in-space manufacturing by focusing on the development of highly autonomous manufacturing systems, recycling technologies, and robotics with the ultimate goal of building a fabrication laboratory now within reach. From technologies developed for ISS activities and demonstration missions, Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) is building a Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory capable of fabricating parts on-demand and as-needed while recycling waste plastics with minimal human interaction required. Parts will be manufactured through additive manufacturing. Precision machining will ensure manufactured parts are in tolerance with the end-use requirements. Recycling waste plastics will enable both waste from the crew and waste from processing to be re-processed into something new. In addition, these manufacturing and recycling technologies are supported by part verification/validation technique and robotic servicing, minimizing human interaction with the system and eventually enabling unmanned off-world manufacturing.

Muhlbauer, Rachel↗

NASA NTRS2017

Parabolic Flight Testing of Aeroponic Plant Growth Systems and Super Omniphobic Surface Coatings

The purpose of this project is to gain valuable data from three separate experiments. One being an aeroponics watering system, another being a PONDS passive watering system, and the last a super omniphobic surface coating apparatus.There are two aeroponics watering systems that feed water and nutrients to "plant roots" inside of a contained box. The walls inside of the contained boxes have different surface textures and shapes but each contain the same nozzle and compressor set up as a control.There is one PONDS passive watering system that feeds water from a reservoir to a porous substrate utilizing wicking materials. There is one super omniphobic surface coating apparatus that feeds water into an apparatus allowing the water to make contact with three individual compartments in which glass beads with different coatings are carefully placed between two glass slides. The outcome will contribute to the advancement in self sustainment for space exploration. The status of the project when I started was to get the system built and ready for flight come November. My intended contributions are to assist with the build of the system.

Blockey, Jamie Lynn↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thermal Analysis of NRHO Entry Lunar Flyby Maneuver

NASA’s Gateway will serve as a platform for sustained human lunar exploration and an opportunity to gain experience with long duration deep-space architectures. The first two Gateway modules, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) are scheduled to launch together as a Co-Manifested Vehicle (CMV) in 2024. To reach the destination Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO), the CMV will perform a low-thrust electric propulsion spiral and a final transfer maneuver that will include a low altitude flyby of the lunar surface. This flyby thermal environment is more adverse than that expected during the NRHO itself and risks temperature exceedances on various spacecraft components. The highly transient nature of the flyby also required a different approach than the typical worst-case dissipation margins used to size the spacecraft thermal control systems. This paper presents analyses on the relative severity of different minimum perilune altitudes and results of an integrated CMV thermal model built in Thermal Desktop.

lunar flyby maneuver↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Moon’s Shadowed Regions

The Moon poles host large quantities of water-ice deposits in the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), which are vital for enabling sustainable human space exploration, making these regions high-priority targets for upcoming Artemis missions [1]. Unfortunately, today, the best available orbital lunar imagery [2, 3] lacks the meter-scale resolution and signal needed to understand the geomorphology and trafficability of PSRs, complicating the planning and execution of future missions seeking to explore PSRs. We have developed an image enhancement tool called HORUS (Hyper-effective nOise Removal Unet Software) [4, 5], designed to enhance LRO Narrow-Angle Camera (NAC) optical low-light imagery of permanently shadowed regions by effectively removing the CCD-related, photon, and other residual noises that corrupt the images. The tool is composed of two deep learning neural networks trained on environmental metadata and real and synthetic imagery, the latter generated by a physical noise model (LROC). We demonstrated that HORUS effectively produces low-noise, high-resolution images (~1.5m/px), achieving a 5 to 10x improvement over existing long-exposure images of PSRs. HORUS allows scientists and engineers to identify geomorphic features (e.g., craters and boulders) in shadowed regions as small as 3 meters across as well as to peek inside of small shadowed regions, for the first time. The tool was deployed and thoroughly validated for NASA's VIPER mission [6], where it was applied to 20 candidate target regions across the lunar South Pole. Additionally, we conducted different approaches to validate the resulting HORUS-processed images. With HORUS denoised images, VIPER scientists can increase their confidence on what surface features (previously unseen) exist in the shadowed regions, helping them plan rover traverses more safely and efficiently (e.g., Fig. 1) In this manuscript, we will describe how VIPER scientists are utilizing HORUS denoised images to extract new information from the terrain and increase their confidence in what surface features exist in the shadowed regions. In combination with other high-resolution images and digital elevation maps, HORUS images are helping the team analyze potential lading and science sites, as well as planning traverses more safely and efficiently (e.g., Fig. 1). Additionally, we will describe how HORUS tool unlocks a broad range of scientific and exploration applications to other Artemis and CPLS missions to the lunar poles, including (but not limited to) geomorphic analysis, change detection, surface hazard detection, and terrain relative navigation.

artificial intelligence↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Artemis Lunar Mission Availability & Design

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis Program is leading international spaceexploration in a return to human lunar missions. The mission design underpinning this program is a critical aspect inthe integration of the multiple vehicles, processes, and capabilities to execute the most demanding human spaceflightmissions to date. Frequently mission design is characterized solely by its trajectory and the associated delta-velocityto achieve the end-to-end mission on a single day of flight. However, in practical terms for spaceflight missions,actual performance must characterize the translation delta-velocity demand, integrated power and thermal, crew dayoperations, commodities limitations, launch vehicle opportunities, and numerous additional factors across numerouslaunch day dependent variables. These factors together provide a unified set of mission design constraints that mustall be met in order to execute a fully integrated mission. The frequency of achieving all of the mission designconstraints is thus characterized as mission availability. The mission availability reflects the number of opportunitiesin any given period (month, year, etc.) for which an end-to-end mission could be launched. Ensuring adequatemission availability for the Artemis Program is necessary to support long term viability and sustainability of humanlunar exploration. This paper will characterize the driving factors in the Artemis mission availability includingvehicle specific effects from the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Gateway, HumanLanding System (HLS) and other contributing projects. This analysis will also summarize the relevant factors thatfuture vehicles and projects should consider for the integration and expansion of exploration capabilities with theArtemis Program.

Nujoud Fahoum Merancy↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Computationally Guided Design of Polymer-Coated Microparticles as Reusable Materials

Long-duration space exploration missions and sustained lunar or Martian surface operations present greater demands for multifunctional and reusable materials. By scaling down the amount of material to be launched from Earth, both mission cost and risk can be reduced. In this regard, leveraging in-space manufacturing capabilities with reusable feedstock materials is an attractive option, as it will allow for articles to be generated on demand, utilized, and then recycled for additional use. NASA’s Enabling Sustained Presence Using Recyclables (ESPUR) project aims to develop reusable materials using polymer-coated microparticles that are bonded via reversible Diels-Alder reactions, where only modest heat is needed to trigger the reverse reaction and enable reuse. For proof-of-concept demonstration, research is currently focused on the fabrication of epoxy microparticles that contain a copoly(carbonate urethane) coating with maleimide and furan functionalities. Here, we discuss the integration of computational materials modeling approaches to help navigate the large design space in this development effort. We perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with atomistic and coarse-grained models of the copolymer, which allow us to evaluate the effects of design parameters like the molecular weight and composition on the molecular interactions and chain dynamics. We show how the properties change with the reversible bonds. We also leverage discrete element method (DEM) simulations to assess how microparticle design parameters like the size ratio and volume fraction can be tuned to increase the packing density and number of microparticle contacts to improve the mechanical properties. Our results demonstrate how computational tools can be used in close collaboration with experimental efforts to accelerate material design.

reusable materials↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbial Communities in Microgravity: Simulation in Lab and on the Computer

Microorganisms grow differently in spaceflight than they do on Earth. While much remains unexplained about how microgravity affects microbial growth, one dominant hypothesis is that the lack of density-driven convection in the liquid growth environment makes mixing diffusion-limited, and therefore slower. This is supported by evidence that individual microbial strains experience starvation and acid stress in microgravity. However, if it is true, then microgravity would also have measurable effects on microbes in mixed communities, because many interspecies interactions involve the exchange of soluble metabolites through the medium (cross-feeding). Specifically, cooperative cross-feeding communities would grow more slowly in microgravity, and cooperation would be less stable on evolutionary timescales. Here we describe our efforts to test this hypothesis by simulating microgravity in silico and in the lab, using a model system of Eschericia coli and Salmonella enterica that grow only when they can exchange methionine and acetate. We created CAMDLES (CFD-DEM Artificial Microgravity Developments for Living Ecosystem Simulation) as an extension of CFDEM®coupling software, to carry out computational modeling of biological flows, growth, and mass transfer in microgravity and also in laboratory artificial microgravity devices (rotating wall vessels, RWV). Using CAMDLES, we found distinct differences in growth rates between RWV and true microgravity, and we were able to identify several features, such as spatial distribution, biofilm formation, and product yield parameters, that influence the degree to which RWV growth recapitulates microgravity growth. In addition, we report on the development of a laboratory system for monitoring growth rates and species ratios of the community in RWVs, using fluorescent strains. Pairing CAMDLES with the laboratory model system allows us to generate quantitative predictions about the effects of spaceflight on organisms that will be essential to sustaining human space exploration in the long term.

microbiology↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Mining and Processing: Considerations for Responsible Space Mining & Connections to Terrestrial Mining

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America (US) has initiated the Artemis Moon to Mars program to send astronauts (the first woman and person of color) back to the lunar surface, create a sustainable human lunar exploration program, and lead the first human exploration mission to the Mars surface in the late 2030’s [1]. Besides reinvigorating human exploration beyond low Earth orbit not seen since the Apollo program and enabling new scientific activities and discoveries, a major objective of this program is to characterize the resources that exist on the Moon and Mars, and learn how to utilize them for human exploration and the commercialization of cis-lunar space. Commonly known as In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), the search for, acquisition, and processing of resources in space has the potential to greatly reduce the dependency on transporting mission consumables and infrastructure from Earth, thereby reducing mission costs, risks, and dependency on Earth. With the launch of Artemis I in November 2022 and the anticipation of several robotic missions to the Moon under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, greater recognition and excitement about NASA’s Artemis program and lunar exploration activities is growing in the public. With the recognition that past statements and concept videos of human exploration of the Moon are actually becoming real, there is also a growing awareness of the possible positive and negative consequences and impacts these exploration activities may have on the Moon and Mars. On the positive side, the development of ISRU and lunar mining and processing can enable and grow lunar surface exploration and cis-lunar commercial activities, as well as provide benefits to terrestrial industries through spin-in and spin-back of advanced technologies and autonomous operations. On the negative side, there is a perception that space mining will impact the lunar surface and environment negatively for science, and that cultural beliefs about the Moon need to be addressed and considered before these operations occur. This paper will begin to explore the potential driving attributes and guidelines that will address how best to maximize the lessons and connections to terrestrial mining to reduce the risk and cost of lunar ISRU and space commercial activities, enhance efforts to achieve the terrestrial ‘mine of the future’, and provide viable markets for space-derived technologies until commercial space mining is established. This paper will also begin to explore the potential driving attributes and guidelines that could address how to minimize the environmental and surface impacts of lunar ISRU and foster ‘responsible’ space mining that can be implemented until more official agreements and treaties are signed. The existing robust mining regulations adopted globally will be used as a basis for this examination and suggestions will be presented to adopt these agreements for use in space mining.

ISRU↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of the Volatile Monitoring Oxygen Measurement System

Extracting resources from the Lunar Regolith for oxygen production is a primary focus for the NASA in-situ resource utilization technology developments for the Artemis missions. The need to identify, separate, and purify extracted resources continuously evolves around state-of-the-art technology research and development and will also enable more sustainable space human exploration. A research team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center comprised of the Applied Chemistry Laboratory and the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Laboratory have developed a versatile system able to focus on the extraction and quantification of oxygen. The system, Volatile Monitoring Oxygen Measurement System (VMOMS), can identify extracted oxygen from regolith processing technologies such as molten regolith electrolysis. The technology can quantify oxygen levels from a few parts per million, ppm, up to a 95% oxygen environment and detect other volatiles.

D. E. Essumang↗