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#1 2018-09-25 01:31:25

louis
Member
From: UK
Registered: 2008-03-24
Posts: 7,208

NASA ISRU for Moon and Mars

NASA seem to be further down the ISRU road than I was aware...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0TPJQSmAHU

One hopes Space X will be able to draw on some of this research.


Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com

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#2 2018-09-25 16:40:54

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: NASA ISRU for Moon and Mars

The Moon and Mars insitu is different for equipment plus power and is not the same even if we want the same things from each planets resources.

Critical from both is Water or sources of Hydrogen or Oxygen from processing what ever has them.

Once at that level of decision making we are deciding on what fuel is to be created since that makes trips more economical.

Both items will be at what energy source cost is available for use and its only after the life support and return fuel that we can make any other decisions as to what we would want to do at either location.
.

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#3 2018-10-10 17:33:52

louis
Member
From: UK
Registered: 2008-03-24
Posts: 7,208

Re: NASA ISRU for Moon and Mars

Have people seen this part of the NASA website?

https://www.nasa.gov/isru

It's a fairly recent addition. Don't think I have seen it before though I linked to the above video before...

I like the look of the "autonomous robotic production and cryogenic storage of oxygen and methane rocket propellant using carbon dioxide from the Mars atmosphere and water from Mars soil".


Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com

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#4 2019-01-01 15:49:08

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: NASA ISRU for Moon and Mars

Moon Direct: How to build a moonbase in four years

The Falcon Heavy can lift 60 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO). Starting from that point, a hydrogen/oxygen rocket-propelled cargo lander could deliver 12 tons of payload to the lunar surface. The best place for it would be at one of the poles, because there are spots at both lunar poles where sunlight is accessible all the time, as well as permanently shadowed craters nearby where water ice has accumulated. Such ice could be electrolyzed to make hydrogen-oxygen rocket propellant, to fuel both Earth-return vehicles as well as flying rocket vehicles that would provide the lunar base’s crew with exploratory access to most of the rest of the moon. The first cargo lander carries a load of equipment, including a solar panel array, high-data-rate communications gear, a microwave power-beaming set up with a range of 100 kilometers, an electrolysis/refrigeration unit, two crew vehicles, a trailer, and a group of tele-operated robotic rovers. After landing, some of the rovers are used to set up the solar array and communications system, while others are used to scout out the landing area in detail, putting down radio beacons on the precise target locations for the landings to follow.

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