Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

RedStreak · 2007-01-15 15:44:27

They'll probably run into huge cost over-runs, repeatedly scale back the concept, eventually settle for sending up a few scientists at a time to keep the lights on and do "moon science" and just manage to get the drastically scaled back "moon base" finished in time to abandon it. Instead of complaining about the space program "going in circles for 30 years", it'll be "the space program has been sitting on a dead end moon for 30 years"

I'd rather have a crappy Moonbase than the ISS anyday. Unlike Skylab (and eventually ISS) the base'd stay there instead of burning up after a useless lifetime.

NASA can't conjur up miracles and neither can commerical space programs; both take time to develop and, more likely, a solid need needs to smack the public square in the face.

I agree on the Lunar Resources focus: that's where the Moon has weight versus the ISS, you have something to study and work with.

cIclops · 2007-02-01 14:24:54

Wanted: Home-builders for the moon by Alan Boyle, Science editor, MSNBC 01 Feb 2007

"We will be looking outside the agency quite a bit as well as inside the agency," said Larry Toups, habitation systems lead for NASA's Constellation Program Office. "We have a lot of folks here who are very innovative and understand the space environment quite a bit, but you do have a lot of expertise outside NASA as well, and we intend to involve those folks."
Those folks include the twin giants of America's space industry, The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin. But some less conventional players are involved as well:
* Illinois-based Caterpillar and allied companies have been advising NASA on the dynamics of dirt and the challenges of moving heavy equipment over the lunar surface.
* Canada-based Norcat and Electric Vehicle Controllers are working together to develop a drill suitable for mining on the moon. Norcat is traditionally better-known for its industrial safety training programs, but this June the company is sponsoring a planetary mining conference, with the moon in its sights.
* Delaware-based ILC Dover, which manufactures components for NASA's spacewalk suits as well as the airbags used by NASA's Mars rovers, is branching out to develop inflatable prototypes for lunar habitats. Nevada-based Bigelow Aerospace may offer its own inflatable modules for future moon outposts.
* The National Science Foundation is working with NASA and ILC Dover to build and deploy an inflatable test habitat in Antarctica later this year.

cIclops · 2007-02-13 10:58:08

Robust Implementation of Lunar Settlements with Commercial and International Enterprise [Moon Base 2015]

RECOMMENDATIONS
The AIAA/SCTC recommends that the following actions be implemented by the Administration, U.S. Congress, and supporting Government agencies as appropriate:
The Early Period [The Present-2015]:
• Implement a suite of orbital and lander precursor missions to the Moon to collect highresolution data on: the Lunar environment; water, hydrogen and other resources to establish ground truth on resource distribution; and surface property characterization. The lander missions should demonstrate technologies and methods for establishing Lunar and space settlements.
• Establish and implement a strategic plan for use of space resources with substantial funding for SRU payloads, launch vehicles, robotic vehicles, landers for dedicated Lunar SRU missions, and Lunar surface testbeds.
• Develop an “in-situ’, self-sustaining infrastructure of solar energy production and storage derived mostly from Lunar materials, and wireless power distribution (power beaming) for both nuclear and solar energy transmission on the Moon.
• Deploy communications and navigation satellite system capability for cis- and transLunar space to support Lunar development.
• Establish cost-effective crew and cargo space transportation systems with the capability to utilize Lunar-supplied propellants.
• Implement testbeds on the Earth, ISS and the Moon for human health issues related to long-term space flight, including tele-medicine, low-g environments, radiation and psychological issues.
• Implement testbeds for closed life support systems for sustaining a Lunar base.
• Implement testbeds for in-situ manufacturing systems for sustaining a Lunar base.
• Develop a human Lunar south pole base where valuable water/hydrogen, material, mineral resources can be explored/used and continuous sunlight can be utilized in a less extreme thermal environment.
• Develop technologies for Lunar surface and subsurface mining and excavation.
• Develop needed Lunar-specific resource production equipment to foster expansion of Lunar/terrestrial commerce.
• Initiate a D/He3 fusion reactor development program to resolve the usefulness of He3 from the Moon.
• Extend current advanced technology programs including electromagnetic, momentum transfer and other fuel-less launch technologies to establish capabilities that can be applied on the Moon.
Mid-Period [2015-2025]:
• Develop solar, nuclear and other advanced energy systems to support Lunar base and orbital power needs.
• Deploy and operate a group (condominium) of observatory facilities on the Moon for observations of the Earth, the Sun, the Solar System and the Universe – providing a stable, nearly limitless aperture across the electromagnetic spectrum
• Substantially expand the Lunar resource and space transportation infrastructures.
• Develop pressurized, crewed rovers and flight hopper technologies for Lunar operations.
• Establish large-scale manufacturing of Lunar base hardware elements from in-situ resources to enable among other things, construction capabilities for habitats, domes and mining machinery.
• Expand the production of Lunar water, hydrogen and oxygen to support transportation and life support.
• Construct planetary testbeds on the Moon, as needed, in preparation for future space exploration.
• Develop autonomous robotic mining and excavation technologies for the Moon.
• Develop Lunar construction technologies including landing-launch facilities, habitats, dome construction, building wall materials, roads, radiation shielding, free-form fabrication using regolith, Lunar concrete and inflatable structures.
Far-Period [2025-2050]
• Establish the first self-sustained, permanent Lunar settlement of ~1000 humans.

cIclops · 2007-02-18 12:29:38

The Moon is a School for Exploration

On the Moon, astronauts can develop and test techniques for building habitats, harvesting resources and operating machinery in low gravity, high vacuum, harsh radiation, pervasive dust and fantastic extremes of temperature—an environment whose prolonged combination is simply impossible to duplicate on Earth. What they learn will be useful not only on the Moon, but also essential for preparations in going to Mars.
One research project topping the curriculum: What is the best combination of humans and robots? Unmanned orbiting spacecraft and rovers have returned millions of gigabytes of high-quality data from the Moon and planets, revolutionizing our understanding of the solar system. But for geological field work, says Spudis, nothing can replace a trained geologist with a rock hammer, experienced eyes, and the knowledge to "understand rocks in the context of their environment."

cIclops · 2007-02-26 01:53:12

WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LUNAR EXPLORATION ARCHITECTURE - 27 Feb 2007

The Science Committee of the NASA Advisory Council and its Subcommittees will host the Workshop for the purpose of reviewing science themes and objectives that can be accomplished within the framework of, or enabled by, the lunar exploration architecture.
The Workshop will feature plenary sessions by NASA officials on the lunar exploration architecture and by members of the science community on potential science activities and objectives. Following the opening plenary session, the Workshop will break out into meetings of the Astrophysics Subcommittee, Earth Sciences Subcommittee, Heliophysics Subcommittee, Planetary Sciences Subcommittee, and Planetary Protection Subcommittee, and into cross-cutting topical sessions.

Lots of abstracts here

cIclops · 2007-03-07 03:27:08

ILC Dover inflatable planetary surface habitat and airlock unit

Camping on the Moon Will Be One Far Out Experience - 23 Feb 2007

The first steps in making a lunar outpost a reality are being taken now, as planners intensify their efforts to determine what it will take for humans to safely live and work on the lunar surface.
One team of experts from NASA's Langley Research Center, NASA's Johnson Space Center and NASA contractor ILC Dover LP is looking at inflation-deployed expandable structures as one possible building block for a lunar base.
"Inflatables can be used as connectors or tunnels between crew quarters and can provide radiation shelter if covered with lunar regolith (soil)," said Chris Moore, Exploration Technology Development Program program executive at NASA Headquarters.
As a starting point, ILC Dover has delivered a 12-foot (3.65 meter) diameter inflatable structure made of multilayer fabric to Langley for ground-based evaluation of emerging technologies such as flexible structural health monitoring systems, self-healing materials and radiation protective materials. Attached to the structure is a smaller inflatable structure that serves as a demonstration airlock. Both are essentially pressurized cylinders, connected by an airtight door.
The "planetary surface habitat and airlock unit" can also be used to evaluate materials, lightweight structure technologies, astronaut interfaces, dust mitigation techniques, and function with robotics and other lunar surface equipment.

dicktice · 2007-03-07 09:03:09

Why not think: the Moon is to the International Space Station as the ISS is to the Earth. Think of LEO as analogous to a conditioning base camp on the way up Everest. Makes sense to me.

cIclops · 2007-04-08 02:41:49

Audio interview with Lunar Scientist Paul Spudis

Spudis discusses Lunar outposts and settlements, using the moon for preparing Mars missions and commercial activities, Lunar science and his new SF book about a family living there. He thinks a Lunar settlement will be established within 25 years.

cIclops · 2007-04-21 02:40:01

US UK agreement on Lunar exploration studies - PDF 19 Apr 2007

NASA and BNSC confirm their mutual desire for detailed discussions on specific areas of potential collaboration involving lunar science and exploration. These cooperative efforts may range from the exchange of information related to research and development to actual hardware contributions for particular missions.

More details from BNSC

The UK has already completed a feasibility study of two robotic mission options to the surface of the Moon focused on exploiting the UK's leadership in small satellites and miniaturised science instruments. MoonRaker, a small propulsive Lander to provide in-situ geological dating, and MoonLITE equipped with missile-shaped penetrators carrying seismometers to investigate the lunar interior and a telecommunications capability to demonstrate high data rate telecoms at the Moon.

cIclops · 2007-04-22 04:55:49

New NASA "Trailer" for Lunar Exploration program (25MB .mov)

- superb animation of Ares I/Orion, LSAM and Lunar Outpost

GCNRevenger · 2007-04-22 06:09:38

Why not think: the Moon is to the International Space Station as the ISS is to the Earth. Think of LEO as analogous to a conditioning base camp on the way up Everest. Makes sense to me.

Perhaps not for the astronauts themselves, but for the whole agency of NASA. The Moon is a worthwhile place to visit anyway too.

RedStreak · 2007-04-22 09:15:22

Why not think: the Moon is to the International Space Station as the ISS is to the Earth. Think of LEO as analogous to a conditioning base camp on the way up Everest. Makes sense to me.
Perhaps not for the astronauts themselves, but for the whole agency of NASA. The Moon is a worthwhile place to visit anyway too.

Agreed. Even if its a dead world geologists find 'fossils' good ways to explore the past.

cIclops · 2007-04-22 09:26:41

One possibility is that there will be earth rocks sitting on the moon blasted off by impacts. Some of these rocks may be older than any existing rocks on Earth because of tectonic subduction, and within these rocks may be real fossils of the earliest forms of life.

RedStreak · 2007-04-22 10:06:56

A rare find but a very intruiging possibility!

cIclops · 2007-04-24 05:34:03

(copied from a message by noosfractal)

Here is another road map that I am sure will be of interest. Surface Manufacturing with In Situ Resources Element: ISRU Capability Roadmap Progress Review

Very fun. I've never seen one document so comprehensive. Good to see planning for automated manufacture of a solar cell power grid.

More from the same site ...

Lunar mining (including current multi-million dollar projects for resource processing equipment) ...
http://www.sop.usra.edu/rasc-al/forum_2 … essing.pdf

Lunar roads and habs and launch pad construction ...
http://www.sop.usra.edu/rasc-al/forum_2 … uction.pdf

cIclops · 2007-04-24 05:34:56

Also from the same site given in the previous message:

Development of a Sustainable Lunar Base (PDF - Sep 2006)

Detailed vision of a nuclear powered Lunar base covering construction, module features, ISRU, human factors and commerce. Estimated cost: $88 Billion, timeline: 2017-2030.

X · 2007-05-15 22:46:39

Unpressurized surface rover is something like the Apollo rovers. Pressurized surface rover is for trips that are going to take long enough for the crew to need to sleep away from base. Surface mobility carrier is like a tractor.

Is that correct?

X · 2007-05-15 23:39:25

Does any of the stated research in preparation for Mars relate to food production?

cIclops · 2007-05-16 01:33:10

Unpressurized surface rover is something like the Apollo rovers.

Yes, the astronauts would require spacesuits and ride exposed in the vacuum.

Pressurized surface rover is for trips that are going to take long enough for the crew to need to sleep away from base.

Not necessarily. The main difference is that astronauts will not need to wear spacesuits when inside. They may enter via a docking port with the Outpost or directly with spacesuits and then remove them. It enables them to better operate equipment internally and provides a more comfortable environment for longer duration missions, it also has better radiation protection.

Surface mobility carrier is like a tractor.

Could be, or a platform to move large objects such as equipment or even base modules. ATHLETE is a good example

cIclops · 2007-05-16 02:03:48

Does any of the stated research in preparation for Mars relate to food production?

Yes. In the Life Support & Habitat category (mLSH) of the list of lunar exploration objectives there's a description of it, for example:

Emplace agriculture systems on the Moon to produce food and plants for lunar operations.
Agricultural systems include the operation of a greenhouse or farm using either imported soil from Earth, lunar regolith, or hydroponic systems as the growing medium.

Because of budget restrictions NASA may not have the funding for this type of research. However, it's possible that international partners or other groups (Mars Society?) may do this.

cIclops · 2007-05-24 14:30:56

Constellation Program system requirements reviews complete - 24 May 2007

The program also closely followed the work of NASA's Lunar Architecture Team, which is formulating the requirements for a lunar surface outpost development and scientific research activities. A lunar architecture system requirements review is expected in spring of 2009. "This is an impressive accomplishment in a short period of time, and I'm pleased with the dedication and cooperation across projects and attention to detail that has gotten us this far," said Chris Hardcastle, Constellation Program systems engineering and integration manager at Johnson.

cIclops · 2007-06-21 12:04:00

New Science on the Moon - 21 Jun 2007

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected proposals for future lunar science activities and established two new programs that will enhance research made possible by the Vision for Space Exploration.
...
The seven selected proposals will result in advanced development for simple, autonomous instrument packages deployed on the lunar surface by astronauts. Such "suitcase science" packages could open up a wide variety of research applications regarding the moon and the lunar environment.
...
"The proposals we received show that the scientific community is excited about the opportunity to capitalize on the nation's planned lunar outpost. The moon has much to teach us about itself, the history of our solar system, and even the history of the sun. In the future, more and more scientists will be able to participate in lunar research as we focus attention on Earth's fascinating satellite," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
Selected proposals are:
-- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., William Banerdt, Principal Investigator (PI) "Autonomous Lunar Geophysical Experiment Package"
-- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Slava Turyshev (PI) "Lunar Laser Transponder and Retroreflector Science"
-- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Daniel Glavin (PI) "Volatile Analysis by Pyrolysis of Regolith on the Moon using Mass Spectrometry"
-- Goddard Space Flight Center, Patrick Taylor (PI) "Seismology and Heat flow instrument package for Lunar Science and Hazards"
-- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo., Donald Hassler (PI) "Lunar Radiation Environment and Regolith Shielding Experiment"
-- U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Fort Wainwright, Ark., Jerome Johnson (PI) "Lunar Suitcase Science: A Lunar Regolith Characterization Kit"
-- Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., Christian Grund (PI) "Autonomous Lunar Dust Observer"

cIclops · 2007-07-08 08:05:55

Ripped from: Home on the Moon - (PDF 1.5MB) Aerospace America Jul 2007

Out of the design for a permanent lunar base will come the first ideas on what the Mars element of Constellation will require. A Mars reference mission will be developed once the basics of the lunar facility have been detailed.

SpaceNut · 2007-07-22 09:10:59

NASA Robots Practice Moon Survey in the Arctic Circle

The study will help scientists learn how robots could evaluate potential outposts on the moon or Mars. Each of the four-wheel-drive machines weighs 165 pounds and can carry a payload up to 110 pounds.
The robots navigate using the Global Positioning System, stereo cameras, laser scanners and sun trackers.
The robots, K10 Black and K10 Red, carry 3-D laser scanners and ground-penetrating radar. The robots are using different techniques than the goal-directed traverses and isolated sampling tasks that Mars scientific rovers have used to explore the Red Planet. K10 Black and K10 Red are using a mix of information previously obtained by aerial and satellite imaging and data that the robot survey team is gathering.

NASA is planning to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020. Prior to establishing a lunar outpost, the agency must conduct detailed surveys at a variety of locations to produce maps, look for minerals and water, and learn other details. NASA plans to accomplish its surveys with an automated orbiting spacecraft, not a robotic lander, but the agency still has a keen interest in advancing the laser scanning technology.

cIclops · 2007-07-23 00:40:16

Why would it be necessary to survey the area around the Outpost in such detail? Photographic survey should be sufficient.

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#26 2007-01-15 15:44:27

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#27 2007-02-01 14:24:54

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#28 2007-02-13 10:58:08

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#29 2007-02-18 12:29:38

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#30 2007-02-26 01:53:12

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#31 2007-03-07 03:27:08

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#32 2007-03-07 09:03:09

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#33 2007-04-08 02:41:49

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#34 2007-04-21 02:40:01

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#35 2007-04-22 04:55:49

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#36 2007-04-22 06:09:38

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#37 2007-04-22 09:15:22

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#38 2007-04-22 09:26:41

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#39 2007-04-22 10:06:56

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#40 2007-04-24 05:34:03

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#41 2007-04-24 05:34:56

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#42 2007-05-15 22:46:39

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#43 2007-05-15 23:39:25

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#44 2007-05-16 01:33:10

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#45 2007-05-16 02:03:48

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#46 2007-05-24 14:30:56

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#47 2007-06-21 12:04:00

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#48 2007-07-08 08:05:55

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#49 2007-07-22 09:10:59

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

#50 2007-07-23 00:40:16

Re: Armstrong Lunar Outpost - status

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