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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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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Utilization of lunar materials in space

Reasons for conducting commercial mining operations on the moon are discussed with attention to physical parameters, material abundances, and economics. Adaptations of currently used mining techniques are considered, and space applications of moon-derived materials are suggested. Possible organization of the mining project is examined, and it is suggested that the transition from concept phase to implementation could proceed rapidly. Characteristics of maturing space industries and the roles of the public and the private sectors are considered.

Criswell, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Characterizing Lunar Polar Volatiles at the Working Scale: Going from Exploration Goals to Mission Requirements

The economic evaluation of natural resources depends on the accuracy of resource distribution estimates. On Earth such estimates are necessary in making decisions about opening new mines or in planning future investment for operating mines or industrial deposits. A frequently discussed lunar resource is water ice, however, we are only at the first stages of understanding its potential as a resource. In particular, we currently do not have a sufficient understanding of the distribution of water or its form at the scales it would be extracted and processed, that is, the “working scale”. Here the “working scale” is defined to be the scales at which sufficient material can be processed to meet some basic demand (for example, 100s of square meters), and the anticipated heterogeneity in the water distribution across those scales (scales <5 - 10s of meters). Several mission concepts have been developed to better understand lunar water, motivated by both scientific and exploration goals. This paper provides an analysis of the number and distribution of observations needed to provide the necessary next steps in lunar water ISRU. We use a combination of Monte Carlo studies and classic geostatistical approaches to go from the exploration goal of “understand the distribution of water” to quantification of specific mission sampling requirements.

Colaprete, A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

A Review of Lunar Regolith Excavation Robotic Device Prototypes

The excavation of lunar regolith is desirable for use as a feedstock for oxygen production processes as well as civil engineering purposes and for the fabrication of parts and structures. This is known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). More recently, there has been mounting evidence that water ice exists at the poles of the Moon, buried in the regolith where thermally stable conditions exist. This means that regolith excavation will be required to mine the water ice which is believed to be. mixed in with the regolith, or bonded to it. The mined water ice can then be electrolyzed to produce hydrogen and oxygen propellants which could form the basis of a cis-lunar transportation system using in-situ derived propellants. In 2007, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) sponsored a Lunar Regolith Excavation Competition as part of its Centennial Challenges program, The competition was not won and it was held again in 2008 and 2009, when it was won by a university team. A $500,000 prize was awarded to the winning team by NASA. In 2010, NASA continued the competition as a spinoff of the Centennial Challenges, which is restricted to university participation only. This competition is known as the "Lunabotics Mining Competition" and is hosted by NASA at Kennedy Space Center. Twenty three American university teams competed in the 2010 Lunabotics Mining Competition. The competition was held again in May 2011 with over 60 teams registered, including international participation. The competition will be held again in May 2012 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. . This paper contains a thorough review of the various regolith eX,cavation robotic device prototypes that competed in these NASA competitions, and will. classify the machines and their methods of excavation to document the variety of ideas that were spawned and built to compete at these events. It is hoped that documentation of these robots will serve to help future robotic excavation designers and provide a historical reference for future lunar mining machine endeavors.

Mueller, Robert P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Proposal for a lunar tunnel-boring machine

A need exists for obtaining a safe and habitable lunar base that is free from the hazards of radiation, temperature gradient, and micrometeorites. A device for excavating lunar material and simultaneously generating living space in the subselenian environment was studied at the conceptual level. Preliminary examinations indicate that a device using a mechanical head to shear its way through the lunar material while creating a rigid ceramic-like lining meets design constraints using existing technology. The Lunar Tunneler is totally automated and guided by a laser communication system. There exists the potential for the excavated lunar material to be used in conjunction with a surface mining process for the purpose of the extraction of oxygen and other elements. Experiments into lunar material excavation and further research into the concept of a mechanical Lunar Tunneler are suggested.

Allen, Christopher S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The future of manned spaceflight

This paper examines the future of manned spaceflight in context of past accomplishments and possible future benefits of space exploration. Three technological advances mentioned are a device called the rotating wall vessel, also known as the 'bioreactor,' which allows the study of the growth of cells in three dimensions; the use of microgravity to produce high-quality electronic, magnetic, and superconducting thin films; and mining of helium-3 from the lunar surface for use in future fusion reactions with deuterium. The author then makes recommendations on how NASA should meet the challenges of manned spaceflight.

Cohen, Aaron↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Experimental Study on Low Pressure Frost Formation for Lunar Polar Water Capture

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is a vital component of NASA’s mission to the Moon and beyond, as the extraction of resources from the environment can reduce payload weight and the frequency of resupply missions. Since the discovery of water in the regolith of the permanently shadowed regions (PSR) of the Moon, its extraction and transport has become an area of increasing interest for NASA. One proposed method is heating icy regolith to free the water before desublimating and transporting it as ice in a tanker. However, little is known regarding the dynamics of frost growth at low pressures, and an understanding of the heat transfer process is required to properly size the heat exchanger for the tanker. To investigate this phenomenon, a cold plate was placed in a vacuum chamber with water vapor directed at its surface. The chamber pressure (300 and 500 Pa) and cold plate temperature (–18 to –5 °C) were kept below the triple point and varied throughout the experiment to examine their impact on frost layer heat transfer. As water flowed into the chamber and deposited on the cold plate surface, the heat flux and temperature were measured along with the frost layer thickness and/or mass. Density calculated at the conclusion of each test suggests the frost layer is denser than that of frost grown at atmospheric pressure. The results demonstrate unexpected density and heat transfer characteristics and require development of a new model of frost growth for lunar conditions.

In situ Resource Utiliztion↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Can water mined on the moon save cost for life support?

The water needed for space life support has been so far provided by direct supply from Earth on most missions or by recycling on the International Space Station (ISS). With the recent reduction in launch cost, Earth resupply has become more attractive than recycling for lunar missions with smaller crews and briefer missions requiring less than 1,000 crew days. The third alternative supply method would use water mined from the lunar regolith. Continuing lunar research suggests that the moon may have more water, more widely distributed than previously expected. The cost of water mined on the moon will depend on its form and concentration, the machinery and operations required, and the overall demand for water. The use of oxygen and hydrogen for propulsion may greatly exceed the need for crew life support. The conditions under which water mined on the moon would be less expensive that water provided by resupply or recycling are described.

Harry W Jones↗
NASA NTRS2019

Lunar Hydrogen Infrastructure

This presentation uses recent developments and discoveries to provide a high-level technical overview of a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure that supports sustained exploration of the moon. Combining creative orbital mechanics, robotic mining and process automation techniques, humanity can use lunar resources to generate the necessary propellant to support the transportation of cargo and humans between multiple points in the cis-lunar space. Robotic systems could collect water by either directly collecting the water entrained in the lunar regolith or by processing minerals found in the lunar regolith. These robotic systems could then electrolyze the water to generate high quality hydrogen and oxygen propellant and capitalize on the very low temperatures (< 15 Kelvin) in permanently shadowed regions (PSR) to maintain these propellants in a cryogenic state. Uncrewed service vehicles could distribute this lunar-generated resource throughout the cis-lunar space to intermediary waystations, like the Gateway. These platforms enable larger payloads into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by providing the propellant necessary to travel through the cis-lunar space without requiring launch mass to lift the propellant and supporting tankage into LEO from the Earth's surface. Delivering 1 kg to LEO from the lunar surface reduces the propellant mass of the launch vehicle from Earth by 7 kg to 11.3 kg, depending on the final destination. By leveraging resources among multiple nations and corporations, this exploration infrastructure potentially can be both fiscally self-supporting and enable more organizations to sustain a human presence on the moon.

Lunar Architecture↗
NASA NTRS1997

There's Iron in Them Thar Hills: A Geologic Look at the Aristarchus Plateau as a Potential Landing Site for Human Lunar Return

Lunar pyroclastic deposits are unique among lunar soils. Composed of very fine grained glass beads rich in Fe, Ti and Mg they yield unique spectral signatures. From the spectra two major classes and five subclasses of lunar dark mantling deposits have been identified. Recent work by me and others has shown that the larger regional deposits are more numerous, extensive, thicker, and widely distributed than previously thought, leading us to suggest that they would make ideal resource feedstock for future lunar surface activities. Returned sample studies and the recently collected Galileo and Clementine data also corroborate these findings. Recent planning for return to the Moon indicates that large cost savings can result from using locally produced oxygen, and recent JSC laboratory results indicate that iron-rich pyroclastic dark mantling deposits may be the richest oxygen resource on the Moon. My earlier work demonstrated that instead of using regolith, bulk lunar pyroclastic deposits are better suited for beneficiation as they are thick (lO's m's), unconsolidated, fine-grained deposits. In addition, the lack of rocks and boulders and the typically flat to gently rolling terrain will facilitate their mining and processing. In preparation for the Human Lunar Return (HLR) I have characterized the Aristarchus Plateau (24 deg. N 52 deg. W) as a potential landing site for an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstration. The geologic diversity and large volume of Fe-rich pyroclastic material present at the Aristarchus site make it an ideal target for extracting O2, H2 and halogens. This paper (1) describes the current understanding of the geology of Aristarchus plateau; (2) describes the resource potential of the Aristarchus plateau; and (3) presents several candidate landing sites on the plateau for future lunar activities.

Coombs, Cassandra R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Space Resources Utilization Roundtable

This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the Space Resources Utilization Roundtable, October 27-29, 1999, in Golden, Colorado. The program committee consisted of M. B. Duke (Lunar and Planetary Institute), G. Baughman (Colorado School of Mines), D. Criswell (University of Houston), C. Graham (Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization), H. H. Schmitt (Apollo Astronaut), W. Sharp (Colorado School of Mines), L. Taylor (University of Tennessee), and a space manufacturing representative. Administration and publications support for this meeting were provided by the staff of the Publications and Program Services Department at the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Lunar resources - Evaluation and development for use in a lunar base program

The implications of lunar crust characteristics for human habitation on the moon are considered. Sources for propellants in the crust are discussed, and the rationale for including mining among base objectives is examined. Present opportunities for extracting lunar crust resources are addressed.

Burke, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Impact-Actuated Digging Tool for Lunar Excavation

NASA s plans for a lunar outpost require extensive excavation. The Lunar Surface Systems Project Office projects that thousands of tons of lunar soil will need to be moved. Conventional excavators dig through soil by brute force, and depend upon their substantial weight to react to the forces generated. This approach will not be feasible on the Moon for two reasons: (1) gravity is 1/6th that on Earth, which means that a kg on the Moon will supply 1/6 the down force that it does on Earth, and (2) transportation costs (at the time of this reporting) of $50K to $100K per kg make massive excavators economically unattractive. A percussive excavation system was developed for use in vacuum or nearvacuum environments. It reduces the down force needed for excavation by an order of magnitude by using percussion to assist in soil penetration and digging. The novelty of this excavator is that it incorporates a percussive mechanism suited to sustained operation in a vacuum environment. A percussive digger breadboard was designed, built, and successfully tested under both ambient and vacuum conditions. The breadboard was run in vacuum to more than 2..times the lifetime of the Apollo Lunar Surface Drill, throughout which the mechanism performed and held up well. The percussive digger was demonstrated to reduce the force necessary for digging in lunar soil simulant by an order of magnitude, providing reductions as high as 45:1. This is an enabling technology for lunar site preparation and ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization) mining activities. At transportation costs of $50K to $100K per kg, reducing digging forces by an order of magnitude translates into billions of dollars saved by not launching heavier systems to accomplish excavation tasks necessary to the establishment of a lunar outpost. Applications on the lunar surface include excavation for habitats, construction of roads, landing pads, berms, foundations, habitat shielding, and ISRU.

Wilson, Jak↗
NASA NTRS1992

Synergism of He-3 acquisition with lunar base evolution

Researchers have discovered that the lunar surface contains a valuable fusion fuel element that is relatively scarce on Earth. This element, He-3, originates from the solar wind that has bombarded the surface of the Moon over geologic time. Mining operations to recover this resource would allow the by-product acquisition of hydrogen, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen from the lunar surface with relatively minimal additional resource investment when compared to the costs to supply these resources from Earth. Two configurations for the He-3 mining system are discussed, and the impacts of these mining operations on a projected lunar base scenario are assessed. We conclude that the acquisition of He-3 is feasible with minimal advances in current state-of-the-art technologies and could support a terrestrial nuclear fusion power economy with the lowest hazard risk of any nuclear reaction known. Also, the availability of the by-products of He-3 acquisition from the Moon could significantly reduce the operational requirements of a lunar base and increase the commercialization potential of the base through consumable resupply of the lunar base itself, other components of the space infrastructure, and other space missions.

Crabb, T. M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Robust Exploration and Commercial Missions to the Moon Using Nuclear Thermal Rocket Propulsion and In Situ Propellants Derived from Lunar Polar Ice Deposits

The nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) has frequently been identified as a key space asset required for the human exploration of Mars. This proven technology can also provide the affordable “access through cislunar space” necessary for commercial development and sustained human presence on the Moon. It is a demonstrated technology capable of generating both high thrust and high specific impulse (I(sub sp) ~900 s)— twice that of today’s best chemical rockets. Nuclear lunar transfer vehicles—consisting of a propulsion stage using three ~16.5-klb(sub f) small nuclear rocket engines (SNREs), an in-line propellant tank, plus the payload—can enable a variety of reusable lunar missions. These include cargo delivery and crewed lunar landing missions. Even weeklong “tourism” missions carrying passengers into lunar orbit for a day of sightseeing and picture taking are possible. The NTR can play an important role in the next phase of lunar exploration and development by providing a robust in-space lunar transportation system (LTS) that can allow initial outposts to evolve into settlements supported by a variety of commercial activities such as in situ propellant production used to supply strategically located propellant depots and transportation nodes. The processing of lunar polar ice (LPI) deposits (estimated to be ~2 billion metric tons) for propellant production—specifically liquid oxygen (LO(sub 2)) and hydrogen (LH(sub 2))—can significantly reduce the launch mass requirements from Earth and can enable reusable, surface-based lunar landing vehicles (LLVs) using LO(sub 2)/LH(sub 2) chemical rocket engines. Afterwards, LO(sub 2)/LH(sub 2) propellant depots can be established in lunar polar and equatorial orbits to supply the LTS. At this point a modified version of the conventional NTR called the LO(sub 2)-augmented NTR, or LANTR, would be introduced into the LTS, allowing bipropellant operation and leveraging the mission benefits of refueling with lunar-derived propellants (LDPs) for Earth return. The bipropellant LANTR engine utilizes the large divergent section of its nozzle as an “afterburner” into which oxygen is injected and supersonically combusted with nuclear preheated hydrogen emerging from the engine’s choked sonic throat—essentially “scramjet propulsion in reverse.” By varying the oxygen-to-hydrogen mixture ratio, LANTR engines can operate over a range of thrust and I(sub sp) values while the reactor core power level remains relatively constant. A LANTR-based LTS offers unique mission capabilities including short transit time crewed cargo transports. Even a “commuter” shuttle service may be possible, allowing “one-way” trip times to and from the Moon on the order of 36 hr or less. If only 1% of the postulated trapped water ice were available for use in lunar orbit, such a supply could support routine commuter flights to the Moon for many thousands of years. This report outlines an evolving LTS architecture that uses propellants derived from LPI and examines a variety of mission types and transfer vehicle designs along with their operating characteristics and increasing demands on LDP production as mission complexity and velocity change ΔV requirements increase. A comparison of the LDP production and mining requirements using LPI and volcanic glass to produce lunar-derived liquid oxygen (LUNOX) via the hydrogen reduction process is included, and the synergy with an evolving helium-3 mining industry is also discussed.

Borowski, Stanley K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A lunar transportation system

Due to large amounts of oxygen required for space travel, a method of mining, transporting, and storing this oxygen in space would facilitate further space exploration. The following project deals specifically with the methods for transporting liquid oxygen from the lunar surface to the Lunar Orbit (LO) space station, and then to the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) space station. Two vehicles were designed for operation between the LEO and LO space stations. The first of these vehicles is an aerobraked design vehicle. The Aerobrake Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) is capable of transporting 5000 lbm of payload to LO while returning to LEO with 60,000 lbm of liquid oxygen, and thus meet mission requirements. The second vehicle can deliver 18,000 lbm of payload to LO and is capable of bringing 60,000 lbm of liquid oxygen back to LEO. A lunar landing vehicle was also designed for operation between LO and the established moon base. The use of an electromagnetic railgun as a method for launching the lunar lander was also investigated. The feasibility of the railgun is doubtful at this time. A system of spheres was also designed for proper storing and transporting of the liquid oxygen. The system assumes a safe means for transferring the liquid oxygen from tank to tank is operational. A sophisticated life support system was developed for both the OTV and the lunar lander. This system focuses on such factors as the vehicle environment, waste management, water requirements, food requirements, and oxygen requirements.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Martian Sub-surface Habitat Structure Technology Development and Application

NASA's human exploration initiative poses great opportunity and great risk for manned missions to the Moon and Mars. Subsidace structures such as caves and lava tubes offer readily available and existing in-situ habitat options. Sub-surface dwellings can provide complete radiation, micro-meteorite and exhaust plume shielding and a moderate and constant temperature environment; they are, therefore, excellent pre-existing habitat risk mitigation elements. Technical challenges to subsurface habitat structure development include surface penetration (digging and mining equipment), environmental pressurization, and psychological environment enhancement requirements. Lunar and Martian environments and elements have many beneficial similarities. This will allow for lunar testing and design development of subsurface habitat structures for Martian application; however, significant differences between lunar and Martian environments and resource elements will mandate unique application development. Mars is NASA's ultimate exploration goal and is known to have many very large lava tubes. Other cave types are plausible. The Moon has unroofed rilles and lava tubes, but further research will, in the near future, define the extent of Lunar and Martian differences and similarities. This paper will discuss Lunar and Martian subsurface habitation technology development challenges and opportunities.

Boston, Penelope J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vacuum Sintering of Highland Simulant CSM-LHT-1G

Sintering of lunar regolith is a process of interest to consolidate the ubiquitous granular material in durable structures on the lunar surface such as platforms, landing/launch pads, roads, and foundations for long-term robotic and human activities. Many publications do not report quantitative assessment of the effects of processing conditions on the strength properties of the sintered products. The work presented is an investigation into such effects on a carefully selected simulant, CSM-LHT-1G prepared for high temperature processing to eliminate undesired components that would not be present from lunar materials. Careful experiments under vacuum were conducted to identify the relevant factors that dominate the properties and the quality of the sintered product. CSM-LHT-1G simulant is a variant of the CSM-LHT-1 lunar highland simulant produced by Colorado School of Mines. The original mineralogical composition of CSM-LHT-1 (70 wt.% Greenspar, 30 wt.% Merriam Crater basalt) was modified to obtain a 30 wt.% glass content with the addition of NU-LHT-5M glass balanced with pyroxene (augite) to yield CSM-LHT-1G.

Vacuum Sintering↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advanced Metal Separation (AMS) via Marangoni Effect-driven Separation

For practical, economical, and sustainable human missions to the Moon, processing of lunar regolith and metal oxides is necessary for localized production of oxygen (O2) and metals that can be repurposed as rocket propellant, life support O2, and in-space manufactured parts. The primary candidates for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) regolith processing are carbothermic reductions and molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) which both produce oxygen and a reduced, deoxygenated metallic slag. A metal separation technique is still required to capture and purify metals from the deoxygenated slag for reuse in areas such as metallic part fabrication, structural or design frameworks, and metal catalyst production. The Marangoni Effect is best explained as mass transfer along an interface driven by surface tension gradients induced by temperature and concentration differences. Due to the temperature gradients, molten metal can be transported in this fashion to create thin films. This method can transport molten metal in the absence of gravity or mechanical motion and greatly increases the available surface area for a vacuum fractional separation process. In this study, a novel vacuum furnace induces the Marangoni Effect to fractionally decompose and separate valuable metals (e.g., aluminum) from thin films of molten metal via vacuum distillation. The proposed work will examine lunar regolith, metal-based recycling feedstocks, and metallic slags produced from the carbothermal reduction of regolith. Data and observations from this study could produce a simple yet effective method of refining lunar derived metals by taking advantage of the high vacuum environment present on the lunar surface.

ISRU↗