Lunar outpost geo-laboratory concept
- Paper ID
6034
- author
- company
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC)
- country
United States
- year
2010
- abstract
We focus on the requirements and possible equipment for a Lunar Outpost Geo-laboratory, using lessons learned from Apollo modules and traverses. This could be an element of a minimal base immediately operational in scientific experimentation and exploration, but not immediately autonomous [1-7]. Through a modular concept, this outpost will be possibly evolved into a long duration or permanent base. We will analyse the possibilities of settling such a minimal geo-laboratory. A near polar location will be beneficial for the evolution of the outpost using local resources, solar illumination and access to ice deposits. A human/ robotic partnership will allow deeper research through well chosen geological samples. WE validate some of the concepts by using experience from terrestrial analogue field campaigns. A polar lunar outpost can serve to prepare deep missions to asteroids and Mars, as they can validate system and crew safety aspects, use of local resources, operations on farside with limited communication to Earth, planetary protection protocol, astrobiology and life sciences. References: [1] Cape Canaveral Lunar Declaration 2008 (sci.esa.int/ilewg) [2] Integrated Exploration Architecture", ESA, 2008. [3] 9th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration Utilization of the moon, 2007, sci.esa.int/ilewg [4] Schrunk et al , \The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization", 1999. [5] The Moon as a Platform for Astronomy and Space Science", B.H. Foing, ASR 14 (6), 1994. [6] Boche-Sauvan L. Foing B (2008) MSc/ESTEC report. [7] Calzada A. (2010) in preparation We acknowledge the contribution from ILEWG Lunar Base task group and from collaborators: A. Calzada(1,6,11), C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), B.H. Foing(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)*, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1), EuroGeoMars team(1,4,5); 1)ESTEC/SRE-S Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, NL, 2)NASA Ames , 3)Delft TU , 4)ESTEC TEC Technology Dir., 5)ESTEC HSF Human Spaceflight, 6)VU Amsterdam, 7)ESTEC Education ffice, 8)FU Berlin, 9)Max Planck Goettingen, 10)Leiden/GWU , 11)ILEWG ExoHab Team, * EuroGeoMars crew