NIAC: TransFormers for Extreme Environments

Brian Wilcox, “An Architecture for Sustainable

Human Exploration of Mars Enabled by Water

from the Lunar Poles”, 2017 IEEE Aero Conf.

Continuous

production

on 26-month

cycles,

delivering

24 full tanks

to HEO

7.5 tons of LH2/LO2, 10 tons of water/day

Pre-Decisional Information – For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only

-Energy /power: (thermal) for water extraction -

from 0.54 MW (at 4.7 kJ/g, for 10% water in regolith)

to 1.58 MW (at 13.8 kJ/g, for 1% water in regolith).

- The separation through electrolysis (at 18 kJ/g)

would require ~2 MW (electric), i.e. ~6 MW solar

received from TF assuming ~33% efficiency.

Transform an extreme environment (cold & dark) into a hospitable one

Phase 1: Feasibility of operating rovers in Shackleton Crater,

powered by TF reflecting solar energy into the dark cold crater.

300

6 m2

solar panel

at ~16%

efficiency

100

A

B

Sola

r ir

rad

ian

ce (

W/m

2)

A 40 m diameter TF

(1256m2) to provide

~300 W/m2 @10 km

Phase 2: feasibility of providing continuous, year-round access to sunlight to a target area in/near out Shackleton Crater (from ~80% to ~100% time) using multiple reflectors• Optimal reflector placement locations• Size power infrastructure to ISRU mission

requirements• Evaluate structural designs and deployment

mechanisms

A SOLAR POWER INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND SHACKLETON CRATER

Adrian Stoica, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Acknowledgements

NIAC Team including M. Quadrelli, Brian Wilcox, et al at JPL, J. Mantovani at KSCJay Falker & Jason Darleth NIAC Program Exec , for funding NIAC Phases 1 & 2, “TransFormers for Extreme Environments”George Sowers, for acknowledging the NIAC work Ben Bussey, for being a pioneer and inspiration in the work of determining area with good illumination/communication Garry Burdick & Dave Eisenman, for funding me for this event

Diameter of reflectors

A 100-m tall tower made of 2-m diameter

inflatable beams, built with a 50 g/m2

inflatable surface, requires ~8 m3 and ~900 kg.

Tower plus two 40 m-diameter reflectors could

be built within the same mass and volume

constraints of an MSL-class mission.

Towers of Light

A 1000m2 TF reflector design with

a Kapton layer, stowed using a

spiral crease origami folding

pattern would have a mass of

235 kg and fit in 1.34 m3 volume.

KSC Co-I, Mantovani

40-m diameter reflector would provide ~1.2 MW @10km 100-m diameter reflector would provide ~8MW.

Pre-Decisional Information – For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only

A True Ring of Power Placing multiple TFs on the circular rim, achieves a ring of Power, able to achieve > 99%

continuous illumination on TFs, and reflect/beam into the crater.

Where to place the TF? How tall? What size?

95.9% 98.9% 99%

300 m above surfaceAnnual Illumination on at least one point

40-m 60-m

Potential illuminated space(region that can see all

reflectors – but they don’t reflect everywhere)

Oasis

Pre-Decisional Information – For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only

A Solar power infrastructure at lunar south pole could provide power 100% of the time

A Solar Power Infrastructure (SPI)tens of km from South Pole

- heat and power many robots

- provide sunlight for successive

missions for both NASA and its

partners, for robots and humans

- lower the barrier to entry for Moon

equipment - no thermal concerns;

and defer costs for thermal till

confirmed successful landing

- no longer necessary to interrupt

missions (hibernate)

Pre-Decisional Information – For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only

A new business model: smaller payments, incrementally as you go

- Instead of paying a large amount before you successfully land – all at risk

and communications