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Strategic Plan Elements: ISRU, Analog Outpost

Strategic Plan Elements: ISRU, Analog Outpost. Mike Duke November 10, 2008. Importance of ISRU to Lunar Exploration. Utilizing resources on the Moon is the only way in which a sustainable human presence on the Moon (and space beyond Earth orbit) can exist

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Strategic Plan Elements: ISRU, Analog Outpost

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  1. Strategic Plan Elements: ISRU, Analog Outpost Mike Duke November 10, 2008

  2. Importance of ISRU to Lunar Exploration • Utilizing resources on the Moon is the only way in which a sustainable human presence on the Moon (and space beyond Earth orbit) can exist • Lunar materials can be utilized to make propellants, gather and store energy, and fabricate a wide variety of materials for practical use at a lunar outpost • Development of ISRU can lead • to the capability to expand • infrastructure on the Moon • from internal resources • (energy, materials, food • production, etc.) to avoid • expensive imports from Earth

  3. PISCES’ ISRU Approach • The Centerpiece of PISCES will be a simulated lunar outpost • PISCES will investigate ISRU processes that can be used to manufacture important elements of the outpost from native lunar(Hawaiian) materials • PISCES will utilize Hawaiian basaltic materials as materials highly analogous to the lunar regolith • PISCES field sites on Hawaiian volcanic terrain will be used extensively for ISRU demonstrations by NASA, industry and others • PISCES will incorporate ISRU studies into UH curriculum and will promote ISRU in education outreach activities

  4. PISCES ISRU Strategic Plan • Support one or two ISRU demonstration projects each year • NASA demonstrations are underway in 2008 • Initiate ISRU research projects on energy, materials, food • PISCES proposed to become a node in the NASA Lunar Science Institute • Build an ISRU laboratory as part of PISCES infrastructure expansion plan • Recruit UH-Hilo faculty in ISRU • Introduce ISRU courses at UH-Hilo

  5. Emphases: Energy, Materials • NLSI proposal: Lunar Human Ecology • Explore the interactions between humans, the systems they bring from Earth, and the products made on the Moon, with all manifestations of the lunar environment, including energy and natural materials • Improve understanding of feasibility of producing, storing and transmitting energy using natural lunar materials • Extract “volatile” elements (particularly oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen) from the lunar regolith • Demonstrate the capability to produce building and manufacturing materials from lunar regolith by various processes • Produce a simulation/model of the interactions inherent in Lunar Human Ecology to guide future investigations

  6. Team Members • University of Hawaii – Hilo • Overall coordination • Agricultural applications • Colorado School of Mines • Materials Processing • University of Houston • Energy Systems • Advisory board • F. Schowengerdt, Chair • T. MacCallum, member • Other members TBD

  7. Analog Outpost Objectives • Provide a full-scale, highly accurate prototype for a NASA lunar outpost, for testing, technology demonstration and training • Conduct research on a wide variety of elements that would be required to maintain a permanent human outpost on the Moon • Life support systems • Energy systems • Lunar resource utilization • Communications • Operations • Etc. • Utilize the analog outpost as a student training and development facility

  8. Lunar Outpost Surface Systems (December) 10 kW Arrays (net) 2 kW Arrays (net) Habitation Element Logistics Pantry Small Pressurized Rover (SPR) Integrated Cargo Pallet (ICP) ( Supports / scavenges from crewed landers ) Habitation Element ICP (Facilitates SPR docking & charging) ATHLETE Mobility System (2) Unpressurized Rover Common Airlock With Lander ISRU Oxygen Production Plant

  9. Requirements • Provide high fidelity internal and external environments • Located on representative terrain • Pressurized to simulate and test ingress/egress • Representative external systems such as surface mobility systems • Modular • Compatible with space transportation capabilities • Accessible to users and the public • Supporting facilities • Environmentally friendly and acceptable to Hawaiian hosts

  10. Progress • Site selection: Considering sites near the Saddle Road • Accessible to Hilo, Hale Pohaku facilities • Volcanic terrain is lunar-like • better-characterized through current field tests • Preliminary design considerations • Elements: Habitats, Environmental control systems, agricultural enclosure, field area, simulated launch and landing pad, solar energy collection system, communications system • Environmental impact assessment

  11. Schedule • Schedule depends on funding • Infrastructure system development to be supported by private and governmental funds • Included in PISCES fund-raising strategy • Preliminary design included in coming year budget request to State of Hawaii • Using student space architects

  12. Interaction of Analog Outpost and ISRU • Elements of proposed NLSI research program lead toward use/demonstration in the analog outpost • Produce silicon PV energy collection systems using lunar resources • Develop materials suitable for habitat structures, agricultural support facilities • Extraction of volatiles from lunar regolith

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