A Modified Sulfate Process to Lunar Oxygen
A modified sulfate process which produces oxygen from iron oxide-bearing minerals in lunar soil is under development. Reaction rates of ilmenite in varying strength sulfuric acid have...
Evaluation of Processing Options for Lunar Oxygen Production
Recent work on space resource utilization has lead to the identification of certain modifications of previously proposed processes which can be properly characterized as 'second generation'...
Materials and Structures Synergistic with In-Space Materials Utilization
The objective of this paper is to clearly demonstrate the significant advances made in recent months toward actual hardware realizations of various concepts for the utilization of in-space...
The Feasibility of Processes for the Production of Oxygen on the Moon
Twenty different processes for the production of oxygen on the Moon have been proposed. An evaluation of their perceived feasibility is presented. The lunar liquid oxygen (LLOX) production...
Modeling and Analysis of Doubly Curved Aerobrake Truss Structures
Recent studies have indicated that vehicles designed for a piloted mission to Mars may have their initial Earth Orbit mass reduced by nearly a factor of two if aerobraking is used rather...
The Affordable Space Platform: The STS External Tank
Future development of space requires establishing affordable work platforms in orbit. This paper surveys possible uses of the Space Transportation System's External Tank (ET) to provide...
Back to the Future: A Saturn V-Based Low Earth Orbital Transportation Node
The Space Exploration Initiative requires a heavy-lift launch vehicle to succeed. Reviving the Saturn V represents the best option for regaining heavy-lift. Utilizing the Saturn V's two-stage-to-orbit...
Impact Craters on Cosmic Dust: Do Damage to the Spacecraft
The discovery and study of impact crater on cosmic dust to understand the overall micrometeoroid environment and space engineering requirement are important. In this paper, we attempt...
On-Orbit Assembly of Large Space Structures: A Mars Aerobrake Mock-up Study
As design requirements for space structures become larger in dimension, the issues of shipping and assembling these structures in space become more critical. One example of such a structure...
Design Criteria for an Underground Lunar Mine
Underground excavation and construction techniques have been well developed terrestrially and provide an attractive option for lunar mining and habitat construction. The lunar mine, processing...
Optimum Design of Laminated Composites
The increased demand for high strength, light weight materials that function successfully in high temperature environments has caused the effective development of laminated composites...
Regolith Dynamics
Due to the differences of the gravitational accelerations of the Earth and Lunar environments, geotechnical engineering must be applied differently in the two environments. This study...
Telerobotic Field Geologist: Preliminary Results of a Feasibility Study
We conducted three laboratory studies to explore the feasibility of developing a telerobot to perform planetary field geology. In all, 72 college students attempted to match each of 15...
Modular Robot Testbed
One approach to non-terrestrial construction involves the use of small, inexpensive, modular robots rather than expensive one-of-a-kind construction tools. The Modular Robots Testbed at...
A New Era in Space Operations
The United States has embarked on a bold new course in space. We are in the process of deploying global missile defenses which promises to help realize an extended era of international...
The Initial Exploration of Mars: Rationale for a Return Mission to Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 Lander
The concepts behind planning a landing site on Mars are discussed. Based on the engineering constraints and the scientific objectives which will likely be imposed on the first few missions...
The Virtual Mission: A Step-Wise Approach to Large Space Missions
The new Virtual Mission concept will provide NASA's Science Program with a powerful new, 'go-as-you-pay,' flexible, and resilient way of accomplishing its science observing program. The...
ESCAPE: Small Payload Strategies
The Extreme ultraviolet Solar Contained Autonomous Payload Experiment (ESCAPE) is a small payload scheduled to fly on the Space Shuttle in April 1992. This payload has been developed at...
Architectures for Mission Control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
One of the most vital, but often overlooked, research areas for space missions is flight operations. The imbalance is caused by many factors. Among them, the manner in which space missions...
An Operational Evaluation Process for Long-Duration Mission Habitats in Space
In preparation for long-duration manned spaceflight into the 21st Century, the ergonomical and psychological aspects of space habitat architectures are being investigated in Europe. Used...
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