Terrestrial Trends for Building Technology in North America
This paper discusses new building technologies that will develop in the early 1990's to become significant technologies by the mid 1990's. The perspective is...
Constraints on Lunar Base Construction
This article discusses the development of scenarios and designs for the construction of a lunar base or network of bases, which will require close attention to the natural and human constraints...
Environmental Considerations for Lunar Base Engineering
Currently a large number of conceptual designs are being offered for the lunar base involving various types of structural materials and equipment for construction or resource recovery....
Extraction of Light Gasses from Mars or its Moons
The light elements H, C, N, O and S are important for propellant production and life support in space. These light elements occur on Mars, and may occur on the martian moons Phobos and...
Carbonyl Extraction of Lunar and Asteroidal Metals
The century-old Mond process for carbonyl extraction of metals from ore shows great promise as an efficient, low energy scheme for producing high-purity Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, and Co from lunar...
A Methodology for Modeling Construction Requirements for a Manned Lunar Base
Before accurate modeling and planning of a manned lunar base can be accomplished, a methodology representing the construction-and-assembly process of lunar surface facilities must be developed....
Transportation by Pipelines in Space Colonies
The use of pipelines in space colonies to transport liquid, gas, solids and even passengers is not only feasible but also desirable. For many applications, pipelines offer a number of...
Use of Non-Terrestrial Materials for Large-Scale Space Activities
As the space program matures, space construction will evolve from assembly and deployment of systems fabricated on the Earth to projects constructed from locally available resources. The...
The Role and Functions of an Analog Moon Base
Over the past two decades numerous studies, workshops and symposia have identified the rationale for and characteristics of a permanently inhabited base on the Moon. This paper discusses...
Extraterrestrial Applications of Solar Optics for Interior Illumination
The major purpose of this paper is to introduce a terrestrial technology that we believe has potential extra-terrestrial applications. The technology is Solar Optics, which is subdivided...
Extraterrestrials Excavation and Mining with Explosives
Explosion excavation technology may become a valuable tool for economic and efficient base station construction on extraterrestrial bodies. Criteria for explosives which can safely be...
Structures for a Lunar Base
Constructed facilities will play the key role in the establishment of a lunar base. Such a base is essential in the development of the space frontier and the expansion of humans into space....
Plasma Processing of Lunar Ilmenite to Produce Oxygen
In order to make a space industry economic, a reliable extraterrestrial source of oxygen must be identified for immediate use. Lunar ilmenite has recently been considered as a candidate...
Basing Options for Lunar Oxygen for Manned Mars Missions
The use of lunar oxygen to support lunar space transportation reduces Earth launch mass requirements by a factor of 2. In this paper, the authors show that lunar oxygen can also reduce...
A Space-Based Communications Concept to Support Mars Exploration Missions
Both the Soviet Union and the United States have expressed a desire to conduct further exploration of Mars and both sides have raised the possibility of joint Mars missions. In addition,...
Candor Chasma Camp
This paper proposes a camp at Mars, in the Coprates region of the Valles Marineris rift, just below the equator on Candor Mensa 6�-12'S, 73�-30'W. Beginning at...
Homesteading Mars
The author gives serious study to setting up a permanent Martian base during the first or second manned Mars mission. The savings of fuel and equipment for the return trips might pay for...
Spacecraft Environments: Design Considerations
Design, launch, assembly in orbit, and operation of large space-based systems involve much detailed analysis to ensure mission success. The area of contamination control and environmental...
Radiation Hazards to Space Construction - The Energetic Particle Environments
Many aspects of the space environment are recognized hazards for activities above the Earth's atmosphere. One of the most dramatic hazards is that posed by the diverse energetic...
Containerless Coating Processes for Large Space Structures
Large space structures (LSS) in low earth orbit (LEO) must be able to withstand the deleterious effects of in situ ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, and thermal-cycling-induced microcracking....
Return to search