lunar skgs: what’s really needed and what do we …
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LUNAR SKGs: WHAT’S REALLY NEEDED AND WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?
J. Plescia
Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Laurel MD
2017 LEAG Meeting
Columbia MD
Lunar Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKG)
• Understand the lunar resource potential
• Understand the lunar environment and its effects on human life
• Understand how to work and live on the lunar surface
• Time-frame and criticality are a function of objective.
• NASA hasn’t defined where it’s going, why it’s going, how long it’s going to stay, or what it’s going to do when it gets there.
• Assessment of closure can be somewhat subjective
• Conclusions
• Revisit the SKGs.
• SKGs should identify critical knowledge gaps whose closure makes a significant difference (not just incremental advances). Traceable back to the mission.
• SKGs need to be specific – not just “measure” – how many? what precision? where?
• SKGs need to be defensible.
• Role of commercial enterprises v. NASA?
• Brad Bailey SSERVI developing digital compilation of SKGs.
Understand the lunar resource potential
• Solar illumination mapping
• Quality / quantity / distribution / form of H and other volatiles in mare and highlands regolith – Apollo heritage
• Quality / quantity / distribution / form of H and other volatiles in mare and highlands regolith – Robotic missions
• Composition / quantify / distribution of water / H species and other other volatiles associated with lunar cold traps.
• Composition / volume / distribution / form of pyroclastic / dark mantle deposits and characteristics of associated volatiles
• Lunar ISRU production – Determine likely efficiency of ISRU processes with simulants in relevant environments
• Lunar ISRU production – Measure actual efficiency of ISRU processes in lunar environment.
Water / H species and other volatiles associated with lunar cold traps
• Extent, magnitude, and age of cold traps
• Correlation of cold traps and permanent darkness
• Geotechnical characteristics of cold traps
• Physiography and accessibility of cold traps (robotic and human)
• Charging and plasma environment within and near PSRs
• Earth visibility timing and extent
• Concentration of water and other volatiles species with depth at 1-2 m scales
• Variability of water concentration on scales of 10’s meters
• Mineralogic, elemental, molecular, isotopic makeup of volatiles
• Physical nature of volatiles species (e.g., pure concentrations, intergranular, globular)
• Spatial and temporal distribution of OH and H2O at high latitude
• Detect and measure exospheric water in association with surface correlated deposits
• Monitor and model movements towards and retention in PSR
• Solar Activity
• Solar event prediction
• Radiation at the lunar surface
• Surface radiation – model primary and secondary radiation, confirm secondary models by laboratory studies
• Surface radiation – in situ measurements
• Radiation shielding – model and measure shielding properties of lunar regolith
• Radiation shielding – in situ measurement of shielding properties of regolith
• Biological impact of dust
• Biologic effects of lunar dust – Earth based reactivity testing with Apollo samples and simulant
• Biologic effects of lunar dust – in situ reactivity tests
• Maintain peak human health
Understand how to live and work on the lunar surface
Understand how to work and live on the lunar surface
• Resource Production
• Technology for excavation of lunar resources
• Technology for transporting lunar resources
• Technology for comminution of lunar resources
• Technology for beneficiating lunar resources
• Geodetic Grid and Navigation
• Lunar geodetic control
• Lunar topographic data
• Autonomous surface navigation
• Surface Trafficability
• Lunar surface trafficability – modeling
• Lunar surface trafficability – in situ measurement
• Dust and Blast Ejecta
• Lunar dust remediation
• Regolith adhesion
• Descent/ascent engine blast velocity – entrainment mechanism – modeling
• Descent/ascent engine blast velocity – entrainment mechanism – in situ observations
• Plasma Environment and Charging
• Near-surface plasma environment and nature of differential charging
• Energy Storage and Power Generation
• Energy storage non polar missions
• Energy storage polar missions
• Power generation non polar missions
• Power generation polar missions
• Lander propellant scavenging
• Radiation shielding
• Test radiation shielding technologies
• Micrometeorite Protection
• Test micrometeorite protection technologies
• Lunar Mass Concentrations and Distributions
• Gravity anomalies
• Habitat, Life Support, and Mobility
• Fixed and mobile habitat
• Mobile habitat
• Semi-closed life support
Resources - Water
• Objective
• Life support – small volumes, inefficiency may not be a big deal
• Fuel – large volumes, inefficiency may significantly impact cost-benefit
• Hydrogen is everywhere
• Oxygen is everywhere
• Water is only in some places
• Rate and volume requirements are key
• Cost effectiveness not yet demonstrated
H2O / OH Reservoirs
Water bound in minerals
Surface H2O OH Surface Frost
Hydrogen – at least some of it is H2O
H2O / OH Reservoirs
Water bound in minerals
Surface H2O OH Surface Frost
Hydrogen – at least some of it is H2O
SLS Core Stage 2,032,766 l hydrogen 741,940 l oxygen
Shoemaker – Ore Definition - Verification
Determine the type, form and distribution of subsurface volatiles in a permanently shadowed crater(s). Understand the geotechnical properties of the shadowed regolith. Survey landing site. Sample subsurface materials (depths 1-2 m) Measure multiple locations Determine type of volatile (H2O, et al.) Conduct geotechnical experiments
Shoemaker – Scale Relevant Demonstration / Operations
• Operations
• Excavation
• Transport
• Beneficiation
• Extraction
• Storage
• Use