Characterization of Emplacement Strategies for Lunar and Mars Missions

by L. A. Pieniazek, Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co, Houston, United States,
L. D. Toups, Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co, Houston, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space III

Abstract:

In planning missions to the Moon and Mars, a significant activity will be the delivery of the crew and necessary equipment to the planet surface to enable the mission objectives. Because these objectives can cover a wide range of possibilities, from short term explorations to permanent facilities for long duration missions, the appropriate strategy for emplacement of crew and facilities will vary accordingly. An emplacement strategy is defined as development of a desired operational capability from a state of no capability on the planet surface. Several concerns must be addressed in defining a strategy. These concerns include sequencing of deliveries, interfaces with the space transportation system, payload packaging, offloading of these payloads, and control for these activities. This paper will characterize the range of mission objectives that are possible, the different options available during emplacement, and approaches that assist in assessing the relative merits of a particular strategy.

Subject Headings: Space exploration | Payloads | Moon | Equipment and machinery | Aerospace engineering | Planets | Mars

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