Start Date
27-4-1989 3:00 PM
Description
This paper will discuss the conceptual design of a transportation system for supporting a permanent base on the surface of the Moon, early in the Twenty-first Century. There is a brief description of a particular lunar base development scenario from which the requirements for the transportation system were derived. The lunar base concept was developed as part of the Lunar Base Systems Study at the Johnson Space Center.
The transportation system consists of a node in low Earth orbit, an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), and a landing craft. The OTV provides transportation between Earth orbit and lunar orbit. The landing craft transports payloads between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. Each of the vehicles can be operated in an expendable mode or a reusable mode. If the OTV is to be re-used, its return to Earth orbit is accomplished with an aerobraking maneuver. If the landing craft is to be re-used, it is stored on the lunar surface between missions and refueled in lunar orbit by an OTV. Both vehicles use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants.
The lunar vehicles are intended to be operated either as automated cargo vehicles or for transport of personnel. The payload capacity ranges from 6,000 kilograms for a round-trip mission with a crew, to 25,000 kilograms for a one-way cargo delivery mission. The techniques used in developing the conceptual design will be discussed as will other transportation options, which were considered in system selection.
Paper Session III-B - A Transportation System for a Lunar Base
This paper will discuss the conceptual design of a transportation system for supporting a permanent base on the surface of the Moon, early in the Twenty-first Century. There is a brief description of a particular lunar base development scenario from which the requirements for the transportation system were derived. The lunar base concept was developed as part of the Lunar Base Systems Study at the Johnson Space Center.
The transportation system consists of a node in low Earth orbit, an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), and a landing craft. The OTV provides transportation between Earth orbit and lunar orbit. The landing craft transports payloads between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. Each of the vehicles can be operated in an expendable mode or a reusable mode. If the OTV is to be re-used, its return to Earth orbit is accomplished with an aerobraking maneuver. If the landing craft is to be re-used, it is stored on the lunar surface between missions and refueled in lunar orbit by an OTV. Both vehicles use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants.
The lunar vehicles are intended to be operated either as automated cargo vehicles or for transport of personnel. The payload capacity ranges from 6,000 kilograms for a round-trip mission with a crew, to 25,000 kilograms for a one-way cargo delivery mission. The techniques used in developing the conceptual design will be discussed as will other transportation options, which were considered in system selection.
Comments
Exploration Missions: Lunar and Mars
Session Chairman: Jimmy Underwood, Director of Mission Studies, Office of Exploration, NASA HQ, Washington, D.C.
Session Organizer: Dennis Mathews, Advanced Projects, Technology and Commercialization Office, NASA KSC