Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Space resources”

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.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Asteroid Redirect Mission Concept: A Bold Approach for Utilizing Space Resources

The utilization of natural resources from asteroids is an idea that is older than the Space Age. The technologies are now available to transform this endeavour from an idea into reality. The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) is a mission concept which includes the goal of robotically returning a small Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) or a multi-ton boulder from a large NEA to cislunar space in the mid 2020's using an advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) vehicle and currently available technologies. The paradigm shift enabled by the ARM concept would allow in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to be used at the human mission departure location (i.e., cislunar space) versus exclusively at the deep-space mission destination. This approach drastically reduces the barriers associated with utilizing ISRU for human deep-space missions. The successful testing of ISRU techniques and associated equipment could enable large-scale commercial ISRU operations to become a reality and enable a future space-based economy utilizing processed asteroidal materials. This paper provides an overview of the ARM concept and discusses the mission objectives, key technologies, and capabilities associated with the mission, as well as how the ARM and associated operations would benefit humanity's quest for the exploration and settlement of space.

Mazanek, Daniel D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

In-space Fabrication and Repair Utilizing In Space Resources

Abstract: The microgravity research program, simply put, has the goal of doing science (which is essentially finding out something previously unknown about nature) utilizing the unique long-term microgravity environment in Earth orbit. Our new "strategic research" program is scientific research that enables safe and economical capabilities to enable humans to live, work and do science beyond Earth orbit. One new strategic research area focuses on In Space Fabrication and Repair. This research is to enable materials processing in space for use in space. The goal of this program is to provide scientific and technical research resulting in proof-of-concept experiments providing humans in space with an energy rich, resource rich, self sustaining infrastructure at the earliest possible time and with minimum risk, launch mass and program cost. The customers could include large space science experiments, human exploration, and space commercialization.

Curreri, Peter A.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Biology - Space Resources for Teachers

Aerospace biology curriculum for secondary schools including life support, physiological, and psychological aspects of manned space flight, and exobiology

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

High-autonomy control of space resource processing plants

A highly autonomous intelligent command/control architecture has been developed for planetary surface base industrial process plants and Space Station Freedom experimental facilities. The architecture makes use of a high-level task-oriented mode with supervisory control from one or several remote sites, and integrates advanced network communications concepts and state-of-the-art man/machine interfaces with the most advanced autonomous intelligent control. Attention is given to the full-dynamics model of a Martian oxygen-production plant, event-based/fuzzy-logic process control, and fault management practices.

Schooley, Larry C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Research on the use of space resources

The second year of a multiyear research program on the processing and use of extraterrestrial resources is covered. The research tasks included: (1) silicate processing, (2) magma electrolysis, (3) vapor phase reduction, and (4) metals separation. Concomitant studies included: (1) energy systems, (2) transportation systems, (3) utilization analysis, and (4) resource exploration missions. Emphasis in fiscal year 1982 was placed on the magma electrolysis and vapor phase reduction processes (both analytical and experimental) for separation of oxygen and metals from lunar regolith. The early experimental work on magma electrolysis resulted in gram quantities of iron (mixed metals) and the identification of significant anode, cathode, and container problems. In the vapor phase reduction tasks a detailed analysis of various process concepts led to the selection of two specific processes designated as ""Vapor Separation'' and ""Selective Ionization.'' Experimental work was deferred to fiscal year 1983. In the Silicate Processing task a thermophysical model of the casting process was developed and used to study the effect of variations in material properties on the cooling behavior of lunar basalt.

Carroll, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Comparative economics of space resource utilization

Physical economic factors such as mass payback ratio, total payback ratio, and capital payback time are discussed and used to compare the economics of using resources from the Moon, Mars and its moons, and near Earth asteroids to serve certain near term markets such as propellant in low Earth orbit or launched mass reduction for lunar and Martian exploration. Methods for accounting for the time cost of money in simple figures of merit such as MPRs are explored and applied to comparisons such as those between lunar, Martian, and asteroidal resources. Methods for trading off capital and operating costs to compare schemes with substantially different capital to operating cost ratio are presented and discussed. Areas where further research or engineering would be extremely useful in reducing economic uncertainty are identified, as are areas where economic merit is highly sensitive to engineering performance - as well as areas where such sensitivity is surprisingly low.

Cutler, Andrew Hall↗
NASA NTRS1992

Bioprocessing of ores: Application to space resources

The role of microorganisms in the oxidation and leaching of various ores (especially those of copper, iron, and uranium) is well known. This role is increasingly being applied by the mining, metallurgy, and sewage industries in the bioconcentration of metal ions from natural receiving waters and from waste waters. It is concluded that bioprocessing using bacteria in closed reactors may be a variable option for the recovery of metals from the lunar regolith. Obviously, considerable research must be done to define the process, specify the appropriate bacteria, determine the necessary conditions and limitations, and evaluate the overall feasibility.

Johansson, Karl R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Space Resources Roundtable VI

The topics addressed in the conference paper abstracts contained in this document include: extracting resources from the Moon and Mars, equipment for in situ resource utilization, mission planning for resource extraction, drilling on Mars, and simulants for lunar soil and minerals.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

In-situ Resources In Space

This tutorial is a primer on the motivational and materials science basis for utilizing space resources to lower the cost and increase the safety and reliability of human systems beyond Earth's orbit. Past research in materials processing in orbit will be briefly reviewed to emphasize the challenges and advantages inherent in processing materials in space. Data on resource availability from human Lunar and robotic/sensor missions beyond the Moon will be overviewed for resource relevance to human exploration and development of space. Specific scenarios such as propellant production on the Moon and Mars, and lunar photovoltaic power production from in-situ materials will be discussed in relation to exploration and commercialization of space. A conclusion will cover some of the visionary proposals for the use of space resources to extend human society and prosperity beyond Earth.

Curreri, Peter A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

In-Situ Resource Utilization for Space Exploration: Resource Processing, Mission-Enabling Technologies, and Lessons for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond

As humanity begins to reach out into the solar system, it has become apparent that supporting a human or robotic presence in transit and/or on station requires significant expendable resources including consumables (to support people), fuel, and convenient reliable power. Transporting all necessary expendables is inefficient, inconvenient, costly, and, in the final analysis, a complicating factor for mission planners and a significant source of potential failure modes. Over the past twenty-five years, beginning with the Space Exploration Initiative, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), academic collaborators, and industrial partners have analyzed, researched, and developed successful solutions for the challenges posed by surviving and even thriving in the resource limited environment(s) presented by near-Earth space and non-terrestrial surface operations. In this retrospective paper, we highlight the efforts of the co-authors in resource simulation and utilization, materials processing and consumable(s) production, power systems and analysis, fuel storage and handling, propulsion systems, and mission operations. As we move forward in our quest to explore space using a resource-optimized approach, it is worthwhile to consider lessons learned relative to efficient utilization of the (comparatively) abundant natural resources and improving the sustainability (and environment) for life on Earth. We reconsider Lunar (and briefly Martian) resource utilization for potential colonization, and discuss next steps moving away from Earth.

Hepp, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS2015

In-Situ Resource Utilization for Space Exploration: Resource Processing, Mission-Enabling Technologies, and Lessons for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond

As humanity begins to reach out into the solar system, it has become apparent that supporting a human or robotic presence in transit andor on station requires significant expendable resources including consumables (to support people), fuel, and convenient reliable power. Transporting all necessary expendables is inefficient, inconvenient, costly, and, in the final analysis, a complicating factor for mission planners and a significant source of potential failure modes. Over the past twenty-five years, beginning with the Space Exploration Initiative, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), academic collaborators, and industrial partners have analyzed, researched, and developed successful solutions for the challenges posed by surviving and even thriving in the resource limited environment(s) presented by near-Earth space and non-terrestrial surface operations. In this retrospective paper, we highlight the efforts of the co-authors in resource simulation and utilization, materials processing and consumable(s) production, power systems and analysis, fuel storage and handling, propulsion systems, and mission operations. As we move forward in our quest to explore space using a resource-optimized approach, it is worthwhile to consider lessons learned relative to efficient utilization of the (comparatively) abundant natural resources and improving the sustainability (and environment) for life on Earth. We reconsider Lunar (and briefly Martian) resource utilization for potential colonization, and discuss next steps moving away from Earth.

Specific impulse↗
NASA NTRS2017

Exotic Optical Fibers and Glasses: Innovative Material Processing Opportunities in Earth's Orbit

Exotic optical fibers and glasses are the platform material for photonics applications, primarily due to their superior signal transmission (speed, low attenuation), with extending bandwidth deep into the infrared, exceeding that of silica fibers. Gravitational effects (convection sedimentation) have a direct impact on the phase diagram of these materials and influence melting properties, crystallization temperatures, and viscosity of the elemental mix during the manufacturing process. Such factors constitute limits to the yield, transmission quality, and strength and value of these fibers; they also constrain the range of applications. Manufacturing in a gravity-free environment such as the Earth’s Orbit also helps with other aspects of the fabrication process (i.e., improved form factor of the manufacturing unit, sustainability). In this article, revolutionary developments in the field of photonics over the past decade merge with the paradigm shift in the privatization of government-owned capabilities supporting a more diverse infrastructure (parabolic, suborbital, orbital), reduced price, and increased frequency to access space and the microgravity environment. With the increased dependence on data (demand, bandwidth, efficiency), space and the microgravity environment provide opportunities for optimized performance of these exotic optical fibers and glasses underlying the development of enabling technologies to meet future data demand. Existing terrestrial markets (Internet, telecommunications, market transactions) and emerging space markets (onorbit satellite servicing, space manufacturing, space resources, space communications, etc.) seem to converge, and this innovative material processing opportunity of exotic optical fibers and glasses might just be that ‘‘killer app’’: technologically competitive, economically viable, and with the ability to close the business case.

Ioana Cozmuta↗
NASA NTRS2010

Habitat Size Optimization of the O'Neill - Glaser Economic Model for Space Solar Satellite Production

Creating large space habitats by launching all materials from Earth is prohibitively expensive. Using space resources and space based labor to build space solar power satellites can yield extraordinary profits after a few decades. The economic viability of this program depends on the use of space resources and space labor. To maximize the return on the investment, the early use of high density bolo habitats is required. Other shapes do not allow for the small initial scale required for a quick population increase in space. This study found that 5 Man Year, or 384 person bolo high density habitats will be the most economically feasible for a program started at year 2010 and will cause a profit by year 24 of the program, put over 45,000 people into space, and create a large system of space infrastructure for the further exploration and development of space.

Curreri, Peter A.↗