The Application of Open System Architecture to Planetary Surface Systems
This paper investigates the issues that future planet surface activities must confront, defines the basic concepts that provide the basis for establishing an Open System Architecture,...

Lunar Resource Base
A lunar base that exploits local resources to enhance the productivity of a total SEI scenario is discussed. The goals were to emphasize lunar science and to land men on Mars in 2016 using...

Indigenous Planetary Construction Material Through Soil Modification
This paper will discuss the theory of soil modification and its potentials for producing planetary construction materials. The authors will also present the results of prelimnary experriments...

Frontloading for Successful Team-Built Projects
A customized, team-buit, Project Management STrategy is having exetraordinary success on a number of very demanding construction projects for the government and private industry. This...

Structural Materials from Lunar Simulants Through Thermal Liquefaction
Thermal liquefaction that allows development of intermediate ceramic composites from a lunar simulant with various admixtures is used to develop structural materials for construction on...

In-situ Release of Solar Wind Gases from Lunar Soil
A concept is described which has the potential to perform the in-situ heating of the lunar regolith in order to release the solar wind gases. The poor thermal conductivity of the lunar...

Isotopic Separation of ?He/4He From Solar Wind Gases Evolved from the Lunar Regolith
The potential benefits of 3He when utilized in a nuclear fusion reactor to provide clean, safe electricity in the 21st century for the world's inhabitants...

Assessing Lunar Resources with Remote Sensing
Four strategic architectures have been identified as part of the U.S. Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) to achieve U.S. goals with respect to the Moon. One of these architectures, space...

Lunar Oxygen ? The Reduction of Glass by Hydrogen
The direct reduction of volcanic glass by hydrogen has been proposed as a method of extracting oxygen from the lunar soil. Experiments using lunar simulant glasses reacted with flowing...

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...

Production of Oxygen by Electro-Reduction of Lunar Ores
Anorthositic Lunar ores contain approximately 42 wt. pct. of oxygen. An electrolytic dissociation of the ore can provide a rich source of gaseous oxygen with silicon, aluminum, calcium,...

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...

Structural Studies of Two Aerobrake Heatshield Panel Concepts
Structural sizing and performance data are presented for two different aerobrake hexagonal heatshield panel structural concepts. One concept features a sandwich construction with an aluminum...

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...

Orbital Construction of a NTR Mars Transfer Vehicle
This paper examines a reference Nuclear Thermal Mars Transfer Vehicle (NTMTV) in terms of on-orbit construction. The identification of subassemblies, payload manifesting, on-orbit connections,...

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...

 

 

 

 

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