Alpha and X-ray spectrometers: Apollo lunar orbital science program
Design, development, fabrication, test, checkout, and support activities for delivery of integrated X ray and alpha particle spectrometer systems for lunar orbiter
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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.
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Survey of the Physical and Environmental Parameters of the Moon
This document presents, in summary, a compilation of the physical and environmental parameters of the moon. A determined attempt has been made to be objective at all times. Many of the physical sciences are presented in sufficient depth to adequately identify the basic information available. It is expected that the appropriate references will be consulted when additional detail is required. It is obvious both from the text and the reference material that divergent opinions prevail and uncertainties exist in almost every phase of lunar science; e.g., the existence of the lunar bulge, the thickness of the dust layer, etc. No pretense is made to resolve these differences, but by bringing together many references, it is hoped that some contribution will be made in lunar science. The subject index will be of particular value since it relates the reference section by subject. A glossary of terms used throughout the text is also provided.
Niedz, F. J.↗
Lunar Surface Science Workshop Summary: The First Steps in A Bold New Era of Human Discovery: Candidate Artemis III Landing Sites
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Artemis III↗
Apollo Lunar Sample Photographs: Digitizing the Moon Rock Collection
The Acquisition and Curation Office at JSC has undertaken a 4-year data restoration project effort for the lunar science community funded by the LASER program (Lunar Advanced Science and Exploration Research) to digitize photographs of the Apollo lunar rock samples and create high resolution digital images. These sample photographs are not easily accessible outside of JSC, and currently exist only on degradable film in the Curation Data Storage Facility
Lofgren, Gary E.↗
Lunar Habitation Science Opportunities and Constraints
NASA and its international and commercial partners are assessing new habitation concepts for Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars. The functional needs of such habitats will increase as missions progress across the Human Lunar Return (HLR), Foundational Exploration (FE) and Sustained Lunar Evolution (SLE) architectural segments. These increasing needs will be met with scalable increases in volume, power, and larger crew sizes over longer mission durations which will provide numerous scientific and exploration opportunities.
Science↗
Apollo lunar orbital sciences program alpha and X-ray spectrometers
The development of the alpha and X-ray spectrometers which were used on the Apollo 15 and 16 flights is discussed. Specific subjects presented are: (1) lunar program management, (2) scientific and technical approach, (3) major test programs, (4) reliability, quality assurance, and safety, and (5) subcontract management.
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Proceedings of the 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
The 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference included sessions on: Phoenix: Exploration of the Martian Arctic; Origin and Early Evolution of the Moon; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Astrobiology: Meteorites, Microbes, Hydrous Habitats, and Irradiated Ices; Phoenix: Soil, Chemistry, and Habitability; Planetary Differentiation; Presolar Grains: Structures and Origins; SPECIAL SESSION: Venus Atmosphere: Venus Express and Future Missions; Mars Polar Caps: Past and Present; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part I; 5 Early Nebula Processes and Models; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Cosmic Gymnasts; Mars: Ground Ice and Climate Change; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part II; Chondrite Parent-Body Processes; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Salubrious Surfaces; SNC Meteorites; Ancient Martian Crust: Primary Mineralogy and Aqueous Alteration; SPECIAL SESSION: Messenger at Mercury: A Global Perspective on the Innermost Planet; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Small Bodies: Shapes of Things to Come; Sulfur on Mars: Rocks, Soils, and Cycling Processes; Mercury: Evolution and Tectonics; Venus Geology, Volcanism, Tectonics, and Resurfacing; Asteroid-Meteorite Connections; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Mars: Aqueous Processes; Magmatic Volatiles and Eruptive Conditions of Lunar Basalts; Comparative Planetology; Interstellar Matter: Origins and Relationships; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Mars Analogs I: Geological; Exploring the Diversity of Lunar Lithologies with Sample Analyses and Remote Sensing; Chondrite Accretion and Early History; Science Instruments for the Mars Science Lander; . Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Volcanism; Early Solar System Chronology; Seek Out and Explore: Upcoming and Future Missions; Mars: Early History and Impact Processes; Mars Analogs II: Chemical and Spectral; Achondrites and their Parent Bodies; and Planning for Future Exploration of the Moon The poster sessions were: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1; LRO and LCROSS; Geophysical Analysis of the Lunar Surface and Interior; Remote Observation and Geologic Mapping of the Lunar Surface; Lunar Spectroscopy; Venus Geology, Geophysics, Mapping, and Sampling; Planetary Differentiation; Bunburra and Buzzard Coulee: Recent Meteorite Falls; Meteorites: Terrestrial History; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Volatile and Organic Compounds in Chondrites; Crashing Chondrites: Impact, Shock, and Melting; Ureilite Studies; Petrology and Mineralogy of the SNC Meteorites; Martian Meteorites; Phoenix Landing Site: Perchlorate and Other Tasty Treats; Mars Polar Atmospheres and Climate Modeling; Mars Polar Investigations; Mars Near-Surface Ice; Mars: A Volatile-Rich Planet; Mars: Geochemistry and Alteration Processes; Martian Phyllosilicates: Identification, Formation, and Alteration; Astrobiology; Instrument Concepts, Systems, and Probes for Investigating Rocks and Regolith; Seeing is Believing: UV, VIS, IR, X- and Gamma-Ray Camera and Spectrometer Instruments; Up Close and Personal: In Situ Analysis with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry; Jupiter and Inscrutable Io; Tantalizing Titan; Enigmatic Enceladus and Intriguing Iapetus; Icy Satellites: Cryptic Craters; Icy Satellites: Gelid Geology/Geophysics; Icy Satellites: Cool Chemistry and Spectacular Spectroscopy; Asteroids and Comets; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Hypervelocity Impacts: Stardust Models, LDEF, and ISPE; Presolar Grains; Early Nebular Processes: Models and Isotopes; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Education and Public Outreach; Mercury; Pursuing Lunar Exploration; Sources and Eruptionf Lunar Basalts; Chemical and Physical Properties of the Lunar Regolith; Lunar Dust and Transient Surface Phenomena; Lunar Databases and Data Restoration; Meteoritic Samples of the Moon; Chondrites, Their Clasts, and Alteration; Achondrites: Primitive and Not So Primitive; Iron Meteorites; Meteorite Methodology; Antarctic Micrometeorites; HEDs and Vesta; Dust Formation and Transformation; Interstellar Organic Matter; Early Solar System Chronology; Comparative Planetology; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta; Mars: Volcanism; Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Martian Stratigraphy: Understanding the Geologic History of Mars Through the Sedimentary Rock Record; Mars: Valleys and Valley Networks; Mars: Aqueous Processes in Valles Marineris and the Southern Highlands; Mars: Aqueous Geomorphology; Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Remote Sensing; Mars: Geologic Mapping, Photogrammetry, and Cratering; Martian Mineralogy: Constraints from Missions and Laboratory Investigations; Mars Analogs: Chemical and Physical; Mars Analogs: Sulfates and Sulfides; Missions: Approaches, Architectures, Analogs, and Actualities; Not Just Skin Deep: Electron Microscopy, Heat Flow, Radar, and Seismology Instruments and Planetary Data Systems, Techniques, and Interpretation.
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Application of Solar-Electric Propulsion to Robotic Missions in Near-Earth Space
Interest in applications of solar electric propulsion (SEP) is increasing. Application of SEP technology is favored when: (1) the mission is compatible with low-thrust propulsion, (2) the mission needs high total delta V such that chemical propulsion is disadvantaged; and (3) performance enhancement is needed. If all such opportunities for future missions are considered, many uses of SEP are likely. Representative missions are surveyed and several SEP applications selected for analysis, including orbit raising, lunar science and robotic exploration, and planetary science. These missions span SEP power range from 10 kWe to about 100 kWe. A SEP design compatible with small inexpensive launch vehicles, and capable of lunar science missions, is presented. Modes of use and benefits are described, and potential SEP evolution is discussed.
Woodcock, Gordon R.↗
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIV
The 34th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference was held March 17-21, 2003. Topics included planetary exploration, crater research on Mars, Earth, Moon, and other planets or satellites, imaging techniques and image analysis, age determination, albedo studies, petrographic studies, isotope composition studies, instrument design, sampling methods, landform analysis, asteroids, impact analysis, impact melts, and related research.
Lunar and Planetary Institute↗
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV
The 35th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference covered topics on Mars, planetary origins, planetary analog studies, education,chondrite studies, and meteorite composition. Over 1000 reports were presented at the conference in over 100 sessions. Each session, and presentations,was processed separately for the database.
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Enhancing the Payload Development Process for Lunar Gateway and Lunar Surface Science & Exploration: Space Biology Beyond Low-Earth-Orbit Instrumentation and Science Series (BLISS) Science Working Group 2023-2024 Annual Report
Space biology BLEO research is inherently driven by the differences between the LEO and BLEO environments, which can be broadly characterized by the five-hazard “RIDGE” paradigm (Radiation, Isolation, Distance, Gravity, Environment, e.g., similar to Figure 2 in (1)). Thus, the envisioned goals over the next decade will include using the cislunar and lunar surface environments to (A) characterize deep-space environments including biological effects of radiation and other stressors, (B) gain experience from isolation of very small groups in very small enclosures, (C) learn to compensate for distance from Earth via in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and bioregenerative life support, (D) gain assurance that all aspects of deep-space exploration can proceed in altered or artificial gravity environments, (E) develop essential adaptation scenarios for the built (e.g., low pressure) and external (e.g., temperature extremes, dust) environments.
Biology↗
NASA's Space Launch System: Payload Opportunities for Lunar Exploration, Science Missions
Nearing its first launch, the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s new super heavy-lift launch vehicle, offers highly energetic launches that deliver more mass and provide more volume in 8.4 m-diameter and potentially larger fairings to make a new generation of deep space missions possible. An evolvable launcher available in crew, crew with a co-manifested payload (CPL) and cargo-only configurations, SLS is a crucial capability to enable astronauts to return to the Moon, but it also offers key benefits for science missions. NASA’s 21st-century return to the Moon recently received a formal name: the Artemis program. In addition to the core enabling capabilities of SLS and the Orion crew spacecraft, NASA will also enlist international and commercial partnerships for Artemis. The Agency intends to build a scientific outpost in lunar orbit, the Gateway, from which human and robotic missions to and from the surface can rendezvous. SLS will launch Orion on a series of missions leading to landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon as part of Artemis. SLS uses proven propulsion systems: two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25s engines that have been upgraded to provide more thrust and operate in the SLS environment. SLS Block 1 uses a modified Delta IV Heavy upper stage, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) and lifts at least 26 metric tons (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI). The Block 1 vehicle can also be outfitted with a 5 m-diameter fairing. Block 1B, the next major variant, also uses solid rocket boosters and RS-25 engines to achieve Earth escape velocity, but replaces the single-engine liquid hydrogen (LH2)/liquid oxygen (LOX) ICPS with a four-engine LH2/LOX Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) to increase mass to TLI to 34-37 t, depending on crew or cargo configuration. In the Block 1B crew configuration, a 10 m-tall Universal Stage Adapter (USA) connects the vehicle to Orion and can carry a CPL up to 10 t. The USA provides 286 m3 of unpressurized volume for payloads. For large payloads, 8.4 m- and 10 m-diameter cargo fairings in 19.1 m and 27.4 m lengths are possible. The ultimate SLS vehicle, Block 2, incorporates evolved boosters to reach a lift capacity of more than 45 t to TLI. The capabilities of SLS not only make new missions to the Moon possible, but also game-changing science missions, such as deployment of large-aperture space telescopes, spacecraft to the ice giants or even probes to the interstellar medium. This paper will discuss the capabilities of SLS, the vehicle’s planned evolution, missions that can effectively utilize the vehicle and manufacturing status of the vehicle.
Creech, Stephen D.↗
NASA's Space Launch System: Payload Opportunities for Lunar Exploration, Science Missions
Nearing its first launch, the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s new super heavy-lift launch vehicle, offers highly energetic launches that deliver more mass and provide more volume in 8.4 m-diameter and potentially larger fairings to make a new generation of deep space missions possible. An evolvable launcher available in crew, crew with a co-manifested payload (CPL) and cargo-only configurations, SLS is a crucial capability to enable astronauts to return to the Moon, but it also offers key benefits for science missions. NASA’s 21st-century return to the Moon recently received a formal name: the Artemis program. In addition to the core enabling capabilities of SLS and the Orion crew spacecraft, NASA will also enlist international and commercial partnerships for Artemis. The Agency intends to build a scientific outpost in lunar orbit, the Gateway, from which human and robotic missions to and from the surface can rendezvous. SLS will launch Orion on a series of missions leading to landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon as part of Artemis. SLS uses proven propulsion systems: two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25s engines that have been upgraded to provide more thrust and operate in the SLS environment. SLS Block 1 uses a modified Delta IV Heavy upper stage, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) and lifts at least 26 metric tons (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI). The Block 1 vehicle can also be outfitted with a 5 m-diameter fairing. Block 1B, the next major variant, also uses solid rocket boosters and RS-25 engines to achieve Earth escape velocity, but replaces the single-engine liquid hydrogen (LH2)/liquid oxygen (LOX) ICPS with a four-engine LH2/LOX Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) to increase mass to TLI to 34-37 t, depending on crew or cargo configuration. In the Block 1B crew configuration, a 10 m-tall Universal Stage Adapter (USA) connects the vehicle to Orion and can carry a CPL up to 10 t. The USA provides 286 m3 of unpressurized volume for payloads. For large payloads, 8.4 m- and 10 m-diameter cargo fairings in 19.1 m and 27.4 m lengths are possible. The ultimate SLS vehicle, Block 2, incorporates evolved boosters to reach a lift capacity of more than 45 t to TLI. The capabilities of SLS not only make new missions to the Moon possible, but also game-changing science missions, such as deployment of large-aperture space telescopes, spacecraft to the ice giants or even probes to the interstellar medium. This paper will discuss the capabilities of SLS, the vehicle’s planned evolution, missions that can effectively utilize the vehicle and manufacturing status of the vehicle.
Creech, Steve↗
Use of lunar orbiter photographs in earth science courses
Lunar Orbiter photographs utilization in earth science courses, illustrating geologic features, stratigraphy and historical geology
Chizook, P. A.↗
Instrument to Study Plume Surface Interactions (PSI) on the Lunar Surface: Science Motivation, Requirements, Instrument Overview, and Test Plans
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Ariana Bueno↗
Finite element analysis of elasto-plastic soils. Report no. 4: Finite element analysis of elasto-plastic frictional materials for application to lunar earth sciences
The behavior of finite element models employing different constitutive relations to describe the stress-strain behavior of soils is investigated. Three models, which assume small strain theory is applicable, include a nondilatant, a dilatant and a strain hardening constitutive relation. Two models are formulated using large strain theory and include a hyperbolic and a Tresca elastic perfectly plastic constitutive relation. These finite element models are used to analyze retaining walls and footings. Methods of improving the finite element solutions are investigated. For nonlinear problems better solutions can be obtained by using smaller load increment sizes and more iterations per load increment than by increasing the number of elements. Suitable methods of treating tension stresses and stresses which exceed the yield criteria are discussed.
Marr, W. A., Jr.↗
Planetary science: A lunar perspective
An interpretative synthesis of current knowledge on the moon and the terrestrial planets is presented, emphasizing the impact of recent lunar research (using Apollo data and samples) on theories of planetary morphology and evolution. Chapters are included on the exploration of the solar system; geology and stratigraphy; meteorite impacts, craters, and multiring basins; planetary surfaces; planetary crusts; basaltic volcanism; planetary interiors; the chemical composition of the planets; the origin and evolution of the moon and planets; and the significance of lunar and planetary exploration. Photographs, drawings, graphs, tables of quantitative data, and a glossary are provided.
Taylor, S. R.↗
RESOLVE (Regolith & Environmental Science Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction) Project
The RESOLVE Project is a lunar prospecting mission whose primary goal is to characterize water and other volatiles in lunar regolith. The Lunar Advanced Volatiles Analysis (LAVA) subsystem is comprised of a fluid subsystem that transports flow to the gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer (GC-MS) instruments that characterize volatiles and the Water Droplet Demonstration (WDD) that will capture and display water condensation in the gas stream. The LAVA Engineering Test Unit (ETU) is undergoing risk reduction testing this summer and fall within a vacuum chamber to understand and characterize component and integrated system performance. Testing of line heaters, printed circuit heaters, pressure transducers, temperature sensors, regulators, and valves in atmospheric and vacuum environments was done. Test procedures were developed to guide experimental tests and test reports to analyze and draw conclusions from the data. In addition, knowledge and experience was gained with preparing a vacuum chamber with fluid and electrical connections. Further testing will include integrated testing of the fluid subsystem with the gas supply system, near-infrared spectrometer for the Surge Tank (NIRST), WDD, Sample Delivery System, and GC-MS in the vacuum chamber. Since LAVA is a scientific subsystem, the near infrared spectrometer and GC-MS instruments will be tested during the ETU testing phase.
LAVA↗