DARPA Lunar Study: Reducing the technical risk associated with lunar resource utilization and lunar surface presence

Transcription

1 Space Missions DARPA Lunar Study: Reducing the technical risk associated with lunar resource utilization and lunar surface presence International Lunar Conference 2005 Toronto, Canada Paul Fulford 1, Karen Wood 2, John Lymer 1, Andrew Allen 1, Ross Gillett 1 and, Carl Anders MDA, Brampton Ontario, Canada 2 - DARPA TTO, USA

2 Mission Objective To demonstrate that space is a fully viable operational theater by capitalizing on the moon's available resources. Space manufacture and the use of lunar resources are key enabling technologies in achieving this objective. 2

3 Mission Objectives Long Term Objective Establish a space presence at a scale that is unachievable utilizing Earth resources and Earth launch alone Near Term Objective Resolve unanswered questions surrounding lunar resources and their suitability to cislunar transformation The Goal Substantially reduce the technical risk associated with lunar resource utilization and lunar surface presence 3

4 Cislunar Operations 4

5 Project Objectives Identify key enabling technologies that support the Mission Objectives Define a technological roadmap leading to full-scale production Design a demonstration mission that satisfies the requirements of the mission objective 5

6 Assumptions Spacecraft propellant is in demand Propellant is a fundamental resource for cislunar operations at any scale Most common resource is oxygen Oxygen comprises ~45% of the regolith by mass Reduction of oxides and Solar Wind Volatiles are likely sources Space market would embrace LOX/LH 2 as fuel for cislunar operations 6

7 Key Mission Trades Propellant for future full-scale cislunar operations: What type of regolith should be processed? Where do we land to mine it? The results of these trades ultimately define the architecture of the mission 7

8 Regolith Type Process Pyroclastic Glass Ilmenite SWV % Mass Recovery 4.5 (oxygen) 0.7 (oxygen) (hydrogen) Defined in conjunction with M.Duke et. al Colorado School of Mines 8

9 Landing Locations Abundant surface deposits of pyroclastic glass 40 micron-sized glass beads require no additional processing Apollo 17 Landing site is rich in this glass Hydrogen signatures in the South Pole Permanently shadowed craters Apollo

10 Demonstration Mission

11 Mission-Level Requirements Lunar Orbiters launched in 2006 Landed elements launched together on an Atlas V in the 2009 timeframe. Polar One-Shot-Prospector Equatorial Regolith Processor and Lunar Ascent Vehicle $500 M for full mission (~$380 M for OSP and RP/LAV missions) Cost excludes launch 11

12 Mission Concept 12

13 System Requirements One-Shot Prospector Determine the presence of water and/or the state of hydrogen Assay to depth of 40 cm <200 kg landed mass Land with an accuracy of 1000 m Regolith Processor Reduction of pyroclastic glass in the presence of terrestrial hydrogen Deliver water to LAV <400 kg landed mass LAV Deliver 10 kg of water to Earth orbit Atlas V volume 13

14 Lunar Ascent Vehicle (LAV)

15 LAV Configuration Payload Payload LH2 LOX LH2 LOX Bipropellant LH2/LOX Lunar Ascent Vehicle Bipropellant LH2/LOX Lunar Ascent Vehicle - "Top Up" Fuel Tanks with manufactured liquid O2 (some liquid H2) - LAV Engine selection dictated by payload Launch from Lunar Surface using Manufactured Cryogenics "Top Up" Lunar Ascent Vehicle with Manufactured Cryogenics Ice Payload Increasing Cost/ Complexity LOX Payload Bipropellant LH2/LOX VS Solid VS Bipropellant Hypergolic Lunar Ascent Vehicle Hybrid VS RP-1 (kerosene) Lunar Ascent Vehicle - Launch 1 kg (TBD) of ice - LAV Engine selection can be made independent of payload Launch Manufactured Propellant as Payload on Lunar Ascent Vehicle Launch from Lunar Surface with Manufactured Oxydizer 15

16 One-Shot Prospector

17 Prospector Key Questions What instruments unambiguously detect H/H 2 O for all of the possible conditions/occurrences? Do we need to go below the surface? Can we avoid complex instruments (mass spec)? How long does the mission need to be to fulfill the primary mission? What is the mass and cost of the resulting system and does it compliment the Regolith Processor mission and resource needs? 17

18 Prospector Instrumentation Trade Access Strategy Sensor Options Best Case Results Vehicle Functions Increasing Complexity, Cost, Mass Remote Sensing Auger Auger Plus Fines Core Neutron Detector IR Spec LIBS/Raman Mass Spec EM Sensor Seismic GPR Visual Thermal Probe Conclusive detection of water/ice, other elements at surface only, some subsurface data Conclusive detection of sub-surface water, ice and other elements to depth of hole above plus some lithology above plus isotope ID Conclusive Lithology Simple deployment of non-contact sensors Drill mechanism plus deployment of down hole sensors As above plus deploy sensing to fines Fines handling and delivery to Mass Spec Core device and core handling plus sensor deployment to core Meets Prime Objectives Process Core Conclusive elements, isotopes, lithology As above plus core processor and delivery to Mass Spec 18

19 One-Shot Prospector Thermal Protection and Power for 8 days of life in permanently shadowed crater without RHUs/RTGs Central Auger mechanism capable of 1 m depth with down-hole science package: Neutron detector LIBS/Raman, IR and Thermal Probe Satisfies primary objectives if water/ice exists in any condition within 1 m of the surface. Will provide complete element identification up to 1 m below the surface. 19

20 Regolith Processor

21 Regolith Processor 21

22 RP Engineering Challenges Hydrogen source and storage method Moon s concentrations are too low Terrestrial LH2 (cryo-cooling needed) versus gas (high pressure tank) Sealing at high temperatures (to contain hydrogen and vapour) Heat rejection on lunar surface Radiator placement, solar panel placement Radiator design for cryo-cooling in lunar environment V- groove Power source Trade-off pointed to solar (with fuel cells if overnight stay required) 22

23 Conclusion and Way Ahead

24 Study Conclusions Given the constraints identified for this mission: It is feasible to land in a permanently shadowed crater and assay the regolith to a depth of 1 m. Within a single lunar day, it is feasible to land a system at the equator that will produce a small amount of oxygen via regolith reduction and then deliver it into orbit as water 24

25 If YOU Lived at L1, Where Would You Buy Your Gas? The physics of the situation indicates the following: A demand of 400 mt to L1 of propellant per year requires: ~6000 mt of launch mass (Earth) ~1000 mt of launch mass (Moon) Ratio is 6 : 1 Is terrestrial hydrogen needed to support lunar activities? ~2000 mt launch mass (Earth) Is it credible that the lunar supply chain cost will be less than 2-6 times that of an Earth-based system? 25

26 The Need for Lunar Hydrogen Full scale propellant manufacture operations is economically dependent upon the efficient exploitation of lunar hydrogen 26

27 Full Scale Lunar Mission Lunar propellant supply station to support operations at L1, GTO, GSO and LEO 27