A Novel Aerobrake Design for a Mars Lander
A flexible/inflatable aerobrake is proposed for delivering small payloads to Mars as an alternative to propulsion landing. Some results that demonstrate feasibility are presented....
Structural Considerations in the Design of a Mars Mission Aerobrake
A new area of civil engineering is emerging. This area will provide structures for outposts on the moon, resource development and exploration of Space. Spacecraft traveling at very high...
On-Orbit Assembly and Refurbishment of Lunar Transfer Vehicles
Initial flights of space-based manned lunar transfer vehicles (LTV) will require some on-orbit assembly and checkout due to mass and volume limitations of the Earth-to-orbit (ETO) launcher....
Tethers and Their Role in the Space Exploration Initiative
This paper addresses some potential applications for tethers in space, and describes a mission designed to deploy a satellite from a Delta II launch vehicle, by NASA's Small Expendable...
Response of Space Structures Under Sudden Local Damage
Damages to space structures can come from such adverse events as impact by foreign objects, docking, drastic temperature changes, and exposure to radiation and charged particles. This...
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...
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...
Evolution of the Space Station Freedom Module Pattern
The Space Station Freedom (SSF) is being designed to serve as a permanently manned platform in space to accommodate a growing amount of supported scientific research and, ultimately, to...
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...
Cargo Transport to the Lunar Surface Using a Three Rotor Sling
The three rotor sling, a momentum transfer device, is described. The dynamics of multi-rotor systems are explained, and the three rotor system is shown to be favored over one and two rotor...
Structural Design Methodology of Large Space Structures
This paper discusses considerations and outlines a methodology for structural design of large space structures (LSS) deployed in low earth orbit. It includes definition of mission requirements,...
A Methodology for Development of Spaced-Based Assembly Operations
Designing and constructing a large space-based science facility requires the integration of constraints and design variables with assembly operations. Development of such a facility requires...
Extraterrestrial Resources: A Perspective from Terrestrial Economic Geology
Terrestrial mining experience indicates that the overwhelming criterion of a potentially economic deposit is its recoverable concentration of the desired mineral or element. These criteria...
Beneficiation of Lunar Rocks and Regolith: Concepts and Difficulties
Considerations of the resources which can provide feedstocks of ilmenite, glass, agglutinates, anorthite, etc. at a lunar base require an appreciation of the geology of the situation....
Mobile Continuous Lunar Excavation
The purpose of this paper is to explore the two main problems regarding current approaches to lunar mining and to recommend three candidate solutions which will be shown to have potentially...
Lunar He-3 Mining: Improvements on the Design of the UW Mark II Lunar Miner
One of the minor consituents of the solar wind which has been implanted in the lunar regolith over its several billion year history, is helium 3 (He-3), a rare isotope of helium which...
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