Astronaut training in geosciences
Astronaut training in geosciences through use of lecture series, laboratory sessions, and field trips to provide background for lunar explorations
GEOPHYSICS↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “lunar exploration”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Lunar Resources Catalog (LRC): Viper Pathfinder Dataset
Introduction: A new era in lunar exploration has recently begun. Through NASA’s robotic Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, international and the human Artemis programs, multiple assets are being deployed to explore the Moon and at a rapid cadence. There will be a huge expanse in lunar surface exploration with mobility (e.g., rovers). Several missions are focused on collecting data for assessing lunar resources for potential In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). With this expansion in exploration there will be a commensurate expansion in the volume and variety of data. Work has begun on establishing a measurement plan (i.e., what data is needed) for ISRU [1] but how to integrate these data into the broader Planetary Data Ecosystem (PDE) following FAIR (i.e., Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse) data practices has not been addressed. The VIPER team intends to engage this challenge.
VIPER↗
Report of lunar atmospheres working group
Measurement of neutral and ionized components of atmosphere during lunar explorations, and development of sensitive mass spectrometric devices
LUNAR EXPLORATION↗
Apollo 15 mission report.
Apollo 15 was the first of the 'J' Mission Series designed to conduct an extended scientific exploration of the moon, both from lunar orbit and on the surface. The powered descent into the Hadley-Apennine site is discussed. The major hardware innovation for the lunar exploration phase on Apollo 15 was the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Lunar orbit SIM operations are considered together with transearth coast extra-vehicular activity, and entry.
Scott, D. R.↗
Assessment of lunar sources of He-3 for use on earth
As a gross measure of the economics of mining lunar sources of He-3, the energy densities (GJ/ton) of lunar soils were compared with the energy densities of various existing and future terrestrial sources of energy. On this basis, only the very richest lunar ores appear competitive with coal. Future lunar exploration might emphasize identification of lunar soils having higher concentrations of He-3.
English, Robert E.↗
SEI: An update
An update on the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) is given in viewgraph form. Topics covered include the key prerequisites of human exploration, project planning, Mars and lunar explorations, supporting technologies, near-term strategies for SEI, human support elements, and Space Station Freedom SEI accommodations.
Peach, Lewis L., Jr.↗
Dawn of a New Space Age: Developing a Global Exploration Strategy.
Jeff Volosin is an aerospace engineer with over 20 years of experience in the design, development, and operations of both robotic and crewed spacecraft. Mr. Volosin is currently leading the NASA effort to develop and integrate a global exploration strategy which reflects the lunar exploration interests of international space agencies, academia and commercial stakeholders. Prior to joining NASA as a member of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in 2004, Jeff was an aerospace contractor, serving in a number of leadership positions including: Operations Manager for the NASA Communications Network and Flight Operations Manager for the Advanced Composition Explorer, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, and the NOAA Polar and Geostationary satellite constellations. Earlier in his career, Jeff spent 4 years as a system engineer supporting the Space Exploration Initiative studies on human voyages to the Moon and Mars and also supported the Space Station program as an advanced life support engineer.
Volosin, Jeff↗
Evaluating Heat Pipe Performance in 1/6 g Acceleration: Problems and Prospects
Heat pipes composed of titanium and water are being considered for use in the heat rejection system of a fission power system option for lunar exploration. Placed vertically on the lunar surface, the heat pipes would operate as thermosyphons in the 1/6 g environment. The design of thermosyphons for such an application is determined, in part, by the flooding limit. Flooding is composed of two components, the thickness of the fluid film on the walls of the thermosyphon and the interaction of the fluid flow with the concurrent vapor counter flow. Both the fluid thickness contribution and interfacial shear contribution are inversely proportional to gravity. Hence, evaluating the performance of a thermosyphon in a 1 g environment on Earth may inadvertently lead to overestimating the performance of the same thermosyphon as experienced in the 1/6 g environment on the moon. Several concepts of varying complexity have been proposed for evaluating thermosyphon performance in reduced gravity, ranging from tilting the thermosyphons on Earth based on a cosine function, to flying heat pipes on a low-g aircraft. This paper summarizes the problems and prospects for evaluating thermosyphon performance in 1/6 g.
Jaworske, Donald A.↗
Correlation of LEND and Diviner Data
Correlated results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's (LRO) Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) and Lunar Orbiting Laser Altimeter (LOLA) suggest insolation effects influence the spatial distribution of Lunar H poleward of 60deg latitude. Diviner results indicate an insolation induced thermal contrast between pole-facing and equator-facing slopes of crater walls. Our research shows that the contrasting thermal conditions observed in pole-facing vs equator-facing slopes and epithermal neutron rates from LEND are positively correlated. Numerical transformations of LOLA topography facilitated a systematic decomposition of LEND epithermal maps as a function of insolation effects. The results suggest a significantly positive local epithermal contrast in these regions. Comparing pole-facing and equator-facing slopes, we find that the pole-facing slopes show epithermal neutron suppression ranging from -0.005 to 0.02 cps relative to the equator-facing slopes .. We further investigate insolation effects on epithermal neutrons by comparing the predicted insolation contrast derived from the 3-D LOLA topography model with the LEND results. We also investigate and discuss the possibility of slope mass wasting effects being correlated with our insolation-effect hypothesis
McClanahan, Tim↗
An Overview of LO-DuSST (Lunar Occupancy Dust Surface Separation Technologies) Objectives
Of the myriad of issues facing lunar exploration and maintaining an extended lunar presence, lunar dust is possibly the most pervasive. These jagged, chemically reactive, electrostatically charged, sometimes magnetic particles can impact every aspect of a lunar surface mission ranging from abrading extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suits to disrupting lunar vehicle thermal management systems to impeding efficacy of excavation equipment to impacting lunar inhabitant health. NASA’s Lunar Occupancy Dust Surface Separation Technologies (LO-DuSST) task, as a part of the broader Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) project, seeks to implement synergistic active and passive lunar dust management and mitigation technologies for an array of applications. One such application is protection of power generation capabilities via solar panel arrays. Plasma dust lofting coupled with a piezoelectric-driven vibration technology will be demonstrated on solar panel surfaces contaminated with lunar dust simulant. Intrinsically low adhesion coatings will be applied to these surfaces to enhance dust removal. Electrostatic repulsion in confined geometries and materials to manage high velocity lunar dust wear will also be investigated. Collectively, these active and passive mitigation technologies will facilitate lunar surface operations including occupancy logistics, landing pad operations, power generation, and transportation. Initial results regarding lunar simulant-contaminated solar panel performance experiments, dust lofting using an electron beam, surface interactions of high velocity lunar dust arising from lunar lander plume-surface interactions, and lunar dust simulant-material interaction experiments will be discussed.
Lunar dust↗
The future impact of space technology news release no. 62-30
Impact of space technology - plans for lunar exploration and space research
SPACE SCIENCE↗
Resource Prospector: Mission Goals, Relevance and Site Selection
Over the last two decades a wealth of new observations of the moon have demonstrated a lunar water system dramatically more complex and rich than was deduced following the Apollo era. Observation from the Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer (LPNS) revealed enhancements of hydrogen near the lunar poles. This observation has since been confirmed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) instrument. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission targeted a permanently shadowed, enhanced hydrogen location within the crater Cabeus. The LCROSS impact showed that at least some of the hydrogen enhancement is in the form of water ice and molecular hydrogen (H2). Other volatiles were also observed in the LCROSS impact cloud, including CO2, CO, an H2S. These volatiles, and in particular water, have the potential to be a valuable or enabling resource for future exploration. In large part due to these new findings, the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) have selected a lunar volatiles prospecting mission for a concept study and potential flight in CY2020. The mission includes a rover-borne payload that (1) can locate surface and near-subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile-bearing regolith (up to 1 meter), and (3) demonstrate the form, extractability and usefulness of the materials.
Moon↗
Evaluation of Materials and Surfaces for Lunar Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) Payload Samples
As the quest for long term lunar exploration and habitation comes closer to reality, widespread efforts are ongoing to effectively mitigate lunar dust surface contamination and infiltration. This dust is hazardous to humans and tends to adhere tenaciously to all exposed surfaces, causing performance issues and ultimately failure. While several active and passive technologies have been developed to address this challenge, assessing the performance of these technologies in the actual lunar environment is extremely important. The regolith adherence characterization (RAC) experiment payload provides an important opportunity for this evaluation. The RAC payload is designed by Alpha Space for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)and scheduled to be flown to the moon in 2023 on the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander. As there were a limited number of slots available for materials to be chosen for this mission, it was critical to make an informed selection. Two polymers, a carbon fiber reinforced composite and a metal alloy were chosen to be a diverse selection of structural materials from NASA Langley Research Center. Each material was topographically modified using laser ablation patterning. This article briefly describes the selection and testing procedure and some of the results obtained for the passive dust mitigating materials and surfaces selected for this lunar surface experiment.
Lunar Dust↗
Interface for Physics Simulation Engines
DSS-Prototyper is an open-source, realtime 3D virtual environment software that supports design simulation for the new Vision for Space Exploration (VSE). This is a simulation of NASA's proposed Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, second mission (RLEP2). It simulates the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), which is designed to carry up to four astronauts to the lunar surface for durations of a week or longer. This simulation shows the virtual vehicle making approaches and landings on a variety of lunar terrains. The physics of the descent engine thrust vector, production of dust, and the dynamics of the suspension are all modeled in this set of simulations. The RLEP2 simulations are drivable (by keyboard or joystick) virtual rovers with controls for speed and motor torque, and can be articulated into higher or lower centers of gravity (depending on driving hazards) to enable drill placement. Gravity also can be set to lunar, terrestrial, or zero-g. This software has been used to support NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in simulations of proposed vehicles for robotically exploring the lunar surface for water ice, and could be used to model all other aspects of the VSE from the Ares launch vehicles and Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to the International Space Station (ISS). This simulator may be installed and operated on any Windows PC with an installed 3D graphics card.
Damer, Bruce↗
Lunar Overview
This slide presentation reviews the programs and missions that are being planned to enhance our knowledge of the moon. (1) Lunar Precursor Robotics Program (LPRP): the goal of which is to undertake robotic lunar exploration missions that will return data to advance our knowledge of the lunar environment and allow United States (US) exploration architecture objectives to be accomplished earlier and with less cost through application of robotic systems. LPRP will also reduce risk to crew and maximize crew efficiency by accomplishing tasks through precursor robotic missions, and by providing assistance to human explorers on the Moon. The missions under this program ae: the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), Lunar Mapping Project. (2) The Altair Project, the goal of which is to land a crew of 4 to and from the surface of the moon. The vehicle, the 3 design reference missions (DRMs) and a Draft Lunar Landing schedule are briefly reviewed. (3) Lunar Science Program (LSP) which describes two different lunar missions: (1) Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), and (2) International Lunar Network (ILN).
Clinton, Raymond G., Jr.↗
Instruments of space
Space instrument systems to measure and obtain engineering, scientific, and medical data in fields of aeronautics, atmospheric structure, solar observation, and lunar exploration
SPACECRAFT INSTRUMENTATION↗
Metabolic heat balances in working men wearing liquid-cooled sealed clothing.
Liquid cooled space suit for metabolic heat balancing during lunar exploration
METABOLISM↗
Mission to the Moon: An ESA study on future exploration
The increasing worldwide interest in the continuation of lunar exploration has convinced ESA to carry out an investigation of the motivations to return to the Moon to establish a permanent or a semi-permanent manned lunar base. This study also considers the possible role Europe could play in the future exploration and possible utilization of the Moon. The study concentrated in this first phase mainly on scientific questions, leaving technological issues such as transportation, the role of humans, infrastructure, and policy matters to a later phase. It only partially considered questions relating to the exploitation of lunar resources and the impact of human activities on science.
Chicarro, A. F.↗