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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Planetary Protection Lunar Policy: A Case Study in Balancing COSPAR Guidelines, Scientific Consensus, NASA Policy, and Mission Implementation

With the increase of missions to the Earth’s Moon over the next decade, NASA initiated an assessment and review of the policy and protection of Earth’s Moon to enable scientific exploration. The assessment involved gathering scientific consensus regarding the Earth’s Moon and proposed mission operations considering an understanding of the desired science needs for the Moon. This process involved seeking advice from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Committee on Planetary Protection, engagement with the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Planetary Protection Panel (PPP), and consultation within NASA. To begin this process, NASA issued a NASA Interim Directive (NID) 8715.128 entitled, “Planetary Protection Categorization for Robotic and Crewed Missions to the Earth’s Moon” in July of 2019. This NID defined sensitive regions (e.g., permanently shadowed regions) on the Moon and required reporting on missions to these sensitive areas. Meanwhile, a NASEM study on the impact of human activities on lunar polar volatiles and the scientific value of protecting the surface and subsurface regions of the Earth’s Moon from organic and biological contamination was initiated. This resulted in a NASEM report entitled, “Planetary Protection for the Study of Lunar Volatiles” which enabled further dialogue within NASA and with COSPAR. COSPAR PPP then leveraged this scientific consensus along with multi-agency input to develop an updated COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection in June 2021 resulting in updated mission categorizations for Earth’s Moon (existing Category II for orbiters, and new categories IIa and IIb for landed missions). NASA then updated its current planetary protection policy to apply directly to NASA and NASA partnered missions in NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 8715.24 entitled, “Planetary Protection Provisions for Robotic Extraterrestrial Missions”. Along with the policy update NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection has worked with mission and programmatic teams to streamline reporting requirements to a simplified checkbox and fill-in-the-blank type of template. Throughout the abovementioned process, open and transparent communication between the policy makers and implementers was essential to ensure a balance with the updated policy, scientific intent, and practicality for each mission to be responsive and achieve mission success, including Artemis I and each of its secondary payloads, Gateway, CAPSTONE and Lunar Trailblazer.

James Benardini↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Near-Term Policy Considerations for Lunar Missions

Near-Term Policy Considerations for Lunar Missions. Therese Jones1, Gabriel Swiney,1 and Katie McBrayer,2 1NASA HQ, 300 Hidden Figures Way SW, Washington, D.C. 20546, 2NASA Langley Re-search Center, 1 NASA Drive, Hampton, VA, 23666. (Contact: therese.m.jones@nasa.gov) Introduction: More than two dozen lunar missions are planned prior to the Artemis III crewed lunar landing, from Russian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and U.S. government orbiters and landers to Commercial Lunar Payload Ser-vices missions to commercial crewed flybys. While the Artemis Accords have established an international consortium of countries seeking to mitigate interference between operations on the Moon, a number of unaddressed policy issues remain that may be critical to lunar operations. In this lightning talk, we build upon NASA’s Of-fice of Technology, Policy, and Strategy’s Sep-tember 2022 Report “Lunar Landing and Oper-ations Policy Analysis” [1], to give an overview of policy questions that remain open, including: whether to prioritize certain landing locations or avoid certain scientifically valuable locations, design and coordination of safety zones, notifi-cation of other actors of potential dangers posed by landing, whether to avoid placing equipment in operationally valuable locations, and end-of-life disposal. We will also discuss how these policy implications could apply to planned missions.. References: [1] Swiney, G., and Hernandez, A. Lunar Landing and Operations Policy Analy-sis, NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, September 30, 2022 https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/nasa-otps-lunar-landing-and-operations-policy-analysis-final-report_2.pdf

Therese Jones↗
NASA NTRS2023

Lunar Landing and Operations Policy Analysis

At least 22 lunar missions are planned in the next four years. Half of these missions will occur in the Moon’s south polar region. Due to this upcoming proliferation of actors and activities at or near the lunar south pole, and due to the potential close proximity of operations, NASA and other operators will face challenges never faced before. NASA’s Deputy Administrator and Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate tasked the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy with answering two questions related to the Artemis campaign: (1) what technical and policy considerations should NASA take into account in the selection of lunar landing and operations sites, and (2) what technical and policy considerations should NASA take into account when implementing tools such as safety zones in order to protect these operations and U.S. interests? We present policy tools (options and recommendations) to NASA leadership and program planners so that they can consider policy measures to respond to challenges inherent in landing and operating at the lunar South Pole—this answers question one. We also describe a set of options (transparency, coordination, and implementation) to increase the effectiveness of these tools—this answers question two.

Lunar policy↗
NASA NTRS2022

Lunar Landing and Operations Policy Analysis

Just within the next four years, we expect to see at least 22 lunar surface missions. Half of these missions will occur in the Moon’s south polar region. Due to this upcoming proliferation of actors and activities at or near the lunar south pole, and due to the potential close proximity of operations, NASA and other operators will face challenges never faced before. NASA’s Deputy Administrator and Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) tasked the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) with answering two questions related to the Artemis campaign: (1) what technical and policy considerations should NASA take into account in the selection of lunar landing and operations sites, and (2) what technical and policy considerations should NASA take into account when implementing tools such as safety zones in order to protect these operations and U.S. interests? In addition to the challenges inherent in lunar operations, NASA subject-matter experts (SMEs) are concerned about certain challenges to NASA operations that may require policy solutions. The goal of this report is to provide options and recommendations to NASA leadership and program planners so that they can consider policy measures to respond to those challenges. This report also describes options for transparency, coordination, and implementation to increase the effectiveness of these measures.

lunar policy↗
NASA NTRS1992

From a lunar outpost to Mars - Science, policy and the U.S. Space Exploration Initiative

The technological developments required for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) objectives are discussed in terms of scientific investigation and present U.S. space policy. The results of the 90-Day Study are listed which include explicit suggestions for the successful exploration of the moon and Mars. The Outreach/Synthesis program is described which provides four methods for eliciting ideas, technologies, and research venues for lunar and Martian missions. The results of the studies include 5 scientific objectives such as the relationship between the sun, planetary atmospheres, and climate. The protection of human life from potential extraterrestrial hazards such as radiation is also found to be a key objective of SEI as are the theoretical and practical issues of scientific research.

Pilcher, Carl B.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Policies and Procedures for Accessing Archived NASA Lunar Data via the Web

The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) was established by NASA to provide for the preservation and dissemination of scientific data from NASA missions. This paper describes the policies specifically related to lunar science data. NSSDC presently archives 660 lunar data collections. Most of these data (423 units) are stored offline in analog format. The remainder of this collection consists of magnetic tapes and discs containing approximately 1.7 TB of digital lunar data. The active archive for NASA lunar data is the Planetary Data System (PDS). NSSDC has an agreement with the PDS Lunar Data Node to assist in the restoration and preparation of NSSDC-resident lunar data upon request for access and distribution via the PDS archival system. Though much of NSSDC's digital store also resides in PDS, NSSDC has many analog data collections and some digital lunar data sets that are not in PDS. NSSDC stands ready to make these archived lunar data accessible to both the research community and the general public upon request as resources allow. Newly requested offline lunar data are digitized and moved to near-line storage devices called digital linear tape jukeboxes. The data are then packaged and made network-accessible via FTP for the convenience of a growing segment of the user community. This publication will 1) discuss the NSSDC processes and policies that govern how NASA lunar data is preserved, restored, and made accessible via the web and 2) highlight examples of special lunar data requests.

James, Nathan L.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Artemis Curation: Preparing for Sample Return from the Lunar South Pole

Space Policy Directive-1 mandates that “the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.” In addition, the Vice President stated that “It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon within the next five years,” that is, by 2024. These efforts, under the umbrella of the recently formed Artemis Program, include such historic goals as the flight of the first woman to the Moon and the exploration of the lunar south-polar region. Among the top priorities of the Artemis Program is the return of a suite of geologic samples, providing new and significant opportunities for progressing lunar science and human exploration. In particular, successful sample return is necessary for understanding the history of volatiles in the Solar System and the evolution of the Earth-Moon system, fully constraining the hazards of the lunar polar environment for astronauts, and providing the necessary data for constraining the abundance and distribution of resources for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Here we summarize the ef-forts of the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (hereafter referred to as the Curation Office) to ensure the success of Artemis sample return (per NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10E).

Mitchell, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Influence of Planetary Protection Guidelines on Waste Management Operations

Newly outlined missions in the Space Exploration Initiative include extended human habitation on Mars. During these missions, large amounts of waste materials will be generated in solid, liquid and gaseous form. Returning these wastes to Earth will be extremely costly, and will therefore likely remain on Mars. Untreated, these wastes are a reservoir of live/dead organisms and molecules considered to be "biomarkers" i.e., indicators of life). If released to the planetary surface, these materials can potentially confound exobiology experiments and disrupt Martian ecology indefinitely (if existent). Waste management systems must therefore be specifically designed to control release of problematic materials both during the active phase of the mission, and for any specified post-mission duration. To effectively develop waste management requirements for Mars missions, planetary protection guidelines must first be established. While previous policies for Apollo lunar missions exist, it is anticipated that the increased probability of finding evidence of life on Mars, as well as the lengthy mission durations will initially lead to more conservative planetary protection measures. To facilitate the development of overall requirements for both waste management and planetary protection for future missions, a workshop was conducted to identify how these two areas interface, and to establish a preliminary set of planetary protection guidelines that address waste management operations. This paper provides background regarding past and current planetary protection and waste management issues, and their interactions. A summary of the recommended planetary protection guidelines, anticipated ramifications and research needs for waste management system design for both forward (Mars) and backward (Earth) contamination is also provided.

Hogan, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA’s Human Landing System: The Strategy for the 2024 Mission and Future Sustainability

In response to the 2018 White House Space Policy Directive- sustainable lunar exploration, and to the Vice President’s March 2019 direction to do so by 2024, NASA is working to establish humanity's presence on and around the Moon by: 1) sending payloads to its surface, 2) assembling the Gateway outpost in orbit and 3) demonstrating the first human lunar landings since 1972. NASA’s Artemis program is implementing a multi-faceted and coordinated agency-wide approach with a focus on the lunar South Pole. The Artemis missions will demonstrate new technologies, capabilities and business approaches needed for future exploration, including Mars. Assessing options to accelerate development of required systems, NASA is utilizing public-private engagements through the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate’s NextSTEP Broad Agency Announcements. The design, development and demonstration of the Human Landing System (HLS) is expected to be led by commercial partners. Utilizing efforts across mission directorates, the Artemis effort will benefit from programs from the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). SMD’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative will procure commercial robotic lunar delivery services and the development of science instruments and technology demonstration payloads. The Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) portfolio of technology advancements relative to HLS include lunar lander components and technologies for pointing, navigation and tracking, fuel storage and transfer, autonomy and mobility, communications, propulsion and power. In addition to describing the objectives and requirements of the 2024 Artemis mission, this paper will present NASA’s approach to accessing the lunar surface with an affordable human-rated landing system, current status and the role o a sustainable lunar presence.

Chavers, Greg↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Systems Capability Gaps for Enabling NASA’s Sustainable Lunar Operations

This paper discusses the NASA Ground, Test, and Surface Systems Taxonomy (TX-13) related capability gaps, including details of architecture, technology, engineering, and policy gaps for enabling sustainable lunar surface operations and subsequent Mars missions. Architecture gaps include standardized architectures and interfaces, multi-element systems engineering and integration, design for supportability, and nuclear payload processing and launch approach. Technology gaps, primarily focused on uncrewed surface operations, include automated/autonomous cryogenic loading, transfer, servicing, and storage of commodities; health determination and fault management; automated/autonomous planning and scheduling; automated/autonomous inspection, maintenance and repair; logistics management and reliability; launch and landing site preparation; commodity management; and advanced umbilicals and dust tolerant interfaces. Engineering gaps include high-purity propellant production for ground and surface applications and large-scale xenon servicing capabilities. The policy gap includes nuclear propulsion acceptance testing and qualification approach. Strategically identifying human/automation roles and tasks and infusing automation and autonomy practices early in a system’s lifecycle is essential for achieving the mission objectives for a sustainable human lunar presence, improving performance and mission effectiveness, reducing operations costs and reliance on humans to perform tasks, and accommodating ground communication delays.

Surface Systems↗
NASA NTRS2019

NASA's Human Lunar Landing Strategy

In response to the 2018 White House Space Policy Directive-1 to lead an innovative and sustainable lunar exploration, and to the Vice President’s March 2019 direction to do so by 2024, NASA is working to establish humanity's presence on and around the Moon by: 1) sending payloads to its surface, 2) assembling the Gateway outpost in orbit, and 3) conducting the first human lunar landings since 1972. NASA’s Artemis program is implementing a multi-faceted and coordinated agency-wide approach with a focus on the lunar South Pole. The Artemis missions will demonstrate new technologies, capabilities and business approaches needed for future exploration, including Mars. Assessing options to accelerate development of systems, NASA is utilizing public-private engagements to develop and demonstrate capabilities that meet the agency’s human space exploration objectives while stimulating the commercial space industry. Utilizing efforts across mission directorates, the Artemis effort will benefit from programs such as the Science Mission Directorate’s Commercial Lunar Payloads Services program and the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Tipping Point partnerships for Moon and Mars technologies. This paper will discuss the strategic landscape for NASA's exploration campaign, the agency's approach to accessing the lunar surface with an affordable human-rated landing system, current status and role of U.S. industry, and future plans.

Human landing system↗
NASA NTRS2009

Current Status of the International Lunar Network (ILN) Anchor Nodes Mission

NASA's Science Mission Directorate s (SMD) International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes Mission continues its concept development and is scheduled to complete the first formal milestone gate of a Mission Concept Review (MCR) in Autumn 2009. The mission will establish two-four nodes of the International Lunar Network (ILN), a network of lunar geophysical stations envisioned to be emplaced by the many nations collaborating on this joint endeavor. This mission will operate over six years or more and make significant progress in satisfying many of the National Research Council s lunar science objectives, while strategically contributing to the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration Policy's objective for a robust robotic lunar program. This paper will provide a status report on the ILN Anchor Nodes mission and overview of the concept to date, which is being implemented jointly by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Cohen, Barbara A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Principles for a Practical Moon Base

NASA planning for the human space flight frontier is now coming into alignment with goals promoted by other planetary-capable national space agencies. US policy aims to achieve the “horizon goal” of Humans to Mars through significant learning about systems, operations, and partnerships in the cislunar and lunar-surface environment first. US Space Policy Directive 1 made this shift explicit: “the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations”. The stage is now set for sufficient public and private American investment in a wide range of lunar activities. Assumptions about Moon base architectures and operations are likely to drive the invention of requirements that will in turn govern development of systems, commercial-services purchase agreements, and priorities for technology investment. Yet some fundamental architecture-shaping lessons already captured in the literature are not evident drivers, and remain absent from most depictions of lunar base concepts. A prime example is general failure to recognize that most of the time (i.e., before and between intermittent human occupancy), a Moon base must be robotic: most of the activity, most of the time, must be implemented by robot agents rather than astronauts. This paper reviews key findings of a seminal robotic-base design-operations analysis commissioned by NASA in 1989. It culminates by discussing implications of these lessons for today’s Moon Village and SPD-1 paradigms: exploration by multiple actors; public-private partnership development and operations; cislunar infrastructure; production-quantity exploitation of volatile resources near the poles to bootstrap further space activities; autonomy capability that was frontier in 1989 but now routine within terrestrial industry. We need to engineer today’s generation of practical, justifiable, and inspirational Moon base concepts.

Sherwood, Brent↗
NASA NTRS2008

Twentieth Century Moon: The Evolution of Lunar Science, 1955 - 2002

Here we discuss thc bibliographic record of Lunar Science as published in refereed journals from 1955 to 2002. New tools in bibliometrics, i.e. the study of publications and citations, reveal the structure of this scientific field by measuring and visualizing connections between published papers. This approach is especially powerful when applied to a well defined field such as Lunar Science, which is strongly affected by policy and the actions resulting from policy, most obviously gathering samples from the Moon. This poster presents some results obtained by processing a dataset of lunar science bibliographic records through a bibliographic visualization program.

Templeton, T. C.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Distributed Lunar Data Platform with Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Science and Exploration

The United States 2020 Space Policy directive declares that NASA, in cooperation with private industry, will “extend human economic activity into deep space by establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon”. This goal will require advanced data management, as well as analysis, modeling and representation of lunar information in order to prepare for Artemis human missions, lunar science investigations and exploration. To meet this requirement, we conceptualize and present an implementation strategy for a distributed platform for lunar data retrieval, inferencing and analysis, which will be based on federated learning and the NASA Celestial Mapping System (CMS). In addition to demonstrating the imperative of enabling lunar-borne data to remain in-situ but still accessible, this presentation will also include examples of how third parties could contribute both datasets and new functionality into this platform using an AI-based data import pipeline and a plug-in architecture respectively.

Artificial Intelligence↗