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Moon Base baby steps
Two interesting quotes from Prez. Bush's speech:
"We will begin the effort quickly, using existing programs and personnel.... We'll make steady progress, one mission, one voyage, one landing at a time." Assuming an incremental approach, even if the grand program (new vehicle and eventual Mars landing) falls by the wayside, what small, initial steps can be taken before political momentum fades? I suggest we: 1) Use an existing rover design, tweaked slightly to allow teleoperation from Earth; 2) Design a lander to take the rover from lunar orbit to the lunar surface, maybe a solid rocket motor to slow it down and an airbag system for actual landing; 3) launch it on a Delta II; 4) Once on the Moon, use the rover to explore possible lava tube sites. A simple and inexpensive inflatable structure can be quickly set up later in a lava tube since the structure will only have to retain air pressure, while the lava tube itslf will provide meteor, radiation, and thermal protection. See http://www.halien.com/TAS/Gallery/apollo/ for a nice picture of Aristarchus crater (at lower right). Notice the rille/valley to the left of the 25 mile diameter crater with the possible remaining intact section of lava tube; 5) Use a similar rover (one with the spectrometer capability of the Mars Rover) at the lunar poles to search for ice/hydrated minerals. Any reason this couldn't be done within a year or two? Then, even if Bush's particular iteration of the perennial Moon-Mars Vision falters, we'd at least have useful data to plan the next iteration. |
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Moon Base baby steps
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#3
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Moon Base baby steps
Oren Tirosh wrote:
(Bill Bogen) wrote in message . com... .. 4) Once on the Moon, use the rover to explore possible lava tube sites. A simple and inexpensive inflatable structure can be quickly set up later in a lava tube since the structure will only have to retain air pressure, while the lava tube itslf will provide meteor, radiation, and thermal protection. I agree that lava tubes could make a huge difference for the viability of a lunar base. Our ancestors took shelter in caves. There's no reason why we shouldn't have lunar cavemen. But finding such lava tubes could be tricky. A rover has very limited range and speed. You have to scout for likely sites first. You can always dig a hole. The big enabler would be water resources. That will drive site selection and tech development. |
#4
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Moon Base baby steps
Charles Buckley wrote in message ...
Oren Tirosh wrote: (Bill Bogen) wrote in message . com... .. 4) Once on the Moon, use the rover to explore possible lava tube sites. A simple and inexpensive inflatable structure can be quickly set up later in a lava tube since the structure will only have to retain air pressure, while the lava tube itslf will provide meteor, radiation, and thermal protection. I agree that lava tubes could make a huge difference for the viability of a lunar base. Our ancestors took shelter in caves. There's no reason why we shouldn't have lunar cavemen. But finding such lava tubes could be tricky. A rover has very limited range and speed. You have to scout for likely sites first. You can always dig a hole. How, exactly? A low cost mission won't include a massive backhoe. Explosives? We'd still have to move lots of rubble. By hand, with a shovel while wearing a pressure suit? Much better to set up a roomy, inflatable permanent base quickly in a lava tube, even if we have to drive/send rovers 100s of kms to interesting sites. The big enabler would be water resources. That will drive site selection and tech development. Another post states that the interior of lava tubes is probably at a constant -21 degrees C. Comet impacts on the Moon could well have flung some ice/water vapor down a lava tube where it condensed. This is one resource our rover could look for. For a technical reference, see 'The Adventures of Tin Tin: Destination Moon' by Herge. |
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Moon Base baby steps
Bill Bogen wrote:
Charles Buckley wrote in message ... Oren Tirosh wrote: (Bill Bogen) wrote in message . com... .. 4) Once on the Moon, use the rover to explore possible lava tube sites. A simple and inexpensive inflatable structure can be quickly set up later in a lava tube since the structure will only have to retain air pressure, while the lava tube itslf will provide meteor, radiation, and thermal protection. I agree that lava tubes could make a huge difference for the viability of a lunar base. Our ancestors took shelter in caves. There's no reason why we shouldn't have lunar cavemen. But finding such lava tubes could be tricky. A rover has very limited range and speed. You have to scout for likely sites first. You can always dig a hole. How, exactly? A low cost mission won't include a massive backhoe. Explosives? We'd still have to move lots of rubble. By hand, with a shovel while wearing a pressure suit? Much better to set up a roomy, inflatable permanent base quickly in a lava tube, even if we have to drive/send rovers 100s of kms to interesting sites. Mostly, it would be more a case of finding a place where there is an existing depression or hole such as a crater or rille. Then, adding a bulldozer attachment to the rover and just scrape over the surface. there were a number of suitable sites near all of the Apollo landing sites which indicates that the condition is common to the moon. The big enabler would be water resources. That will drive site selection and tech development. Another post states that the interior of lava tubes is probably at a constant -21 degrees C. Comet impacts on the Moon could well have flung some ice/water vapor down a lava tube where it condensed. This is one resource our rover could look for. For a technical reference, see 'The Adventures of Tin Tin: Destination Moon' by Herge. That odds of that are essentially zero. Most of the hypothesis for water on the moon are based around solid water deposits being flung around. Water vapor would remain gaseous in the lunar environment. Vapor spreads evenly around the entire moon, from what they determined from the Apollo expirements, then is swept away. The vacuum of the normal environment would essentially evacuate any tube prior to any condensation. |
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Moon Base baby steps
The big enabler would be water resources. That will drive site selection and tech development. Another post states that the interior of lava tubes is probably at a constant -21 degrees C. Comet impacts on the Moon could well have flung some ice/water vapor down a lava tube where it condensed. This is one resource our rover could look for. For a technical reference, see 'The Adventures of Tin Tin: Destination Moon' by Herge. That odds of that are essentially zero. Most of the hypothesis for water on the moon are based around solid water deposits being flung around. Water vapor would remain gaseous in the lunar environment. Vapor spreads evenly around the entire moon, from what they determined from the Apollo expirements, then is swept away. The vacuum of the normal environment would essentially evacuate any tube prior to any condensation. That's why a polar base would be more desirable - the lunar polar ice hypothesis was finally confirmed by observations made by the Lunar Prospector spacecraft in 1998. Once liquid water is manufactured, one could then fill parts of the external bladders of Lunar Transhabs with water as a radiation sheild. |
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Moon Base baby steps
Oh, to add to my post on tax credits to space developers:
The point is that it would kick start investment that isn't purely motivated by the tax credits so by printing say 5 billion in 'funny money' we might reap benefits far in excess of the face value of those tax credit certificates as many investors who haven't traditionally supported space R&D are attracted to the sector. -McDaniel |
#8
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Moon Base baby steps
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#9
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Moon Base baby steps
the cost of lunar exploration and development depends directly on the
cost of the rocket technology we rely upon to impart momentum to the payloads we send to the moon to support this development. To that end it makes sense to rely upon proven technologies and systems that are derived from incremental improvements made to reduce the cost of imparting momentum to payloads. It also makes sense to develop commercial interest in space faring technology by elucidating a program that provides for significant commercial payback for private investment in technology development. So, we have the following possibilities; (1) Take reusable and restartable high-performance engines and adapt them to reusable airframes made at low-cost. The engine program that could be a model for this is the proposed STME program. This program would make the Ferrari like SSME into a Chevy-like Space Transportation Engine - of lower performance, but higher economic value. http://www.astronautix.com/engines/stme.htm A program to make SSME and RL10 engines into low-cost, highly efficient space transportation engines is well worth the effort. (2) Make low-cost reusable airframes with existing technologies. Reducing structural fractions is an important goal. But reduced structural fractions can become an obstacle if purchased at too high a price. Reasonable structural fractions using reasonably robust materials built at reasonable prices flown at reasonable flight rates should provide very good economic performance. (3) Make the necessary investments in launch center upgrades to safely support larger launch rates. With these three core programs in place, programs which by the way would bear a total cost of about 5% that of the money already spent on the ISS, we could envision another 5 billion spent to develop the following; (a) A fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit Atlas class launcher built around a single SSME in the first stage and four RL10 engines in the second stage. This vehicle would take off and land vertically, and the first stage booster would be capable of being refueled, and boosted back to the launch center for reuse in hours. (b) A fully reusable booster built around the existing Shuttle ET - that is powered by 7 SSME in its tail. This vehicle would take off vertically, and land horizontally. Upgrading the booster described above so that it may operate as an upper stage would provide a means to put Saturn class payloads into orbit - and give us a secure foundation with which to return to the moon. (c) Develop a cross-feed capacity so that three fully reusable ET based boosters described above could operate as a two-stage launcher. This vehicle consists of three ETs launched in parallel, and is capable of putting Nova class payloads into orbit (about 250 metric tons into LEO). This would permit payloads to support lunar bases and mars expeditions. (c) Extend a cross-feed capacity to that seven fully reusable ET based boosters could operate as a three stage launcher. This vehicle is capable of placing 500 ton payloads into LEO. This would permit payloads in space that would support a mars base and industrialization of the moon. (d) Revitalize the NERVA thermal rocket program (125 ton thrust) and build an upper stage to the large rocket above to provide direct industrial access to the inner solar system. (e) Modify the NERVA type thermal rocket to provide a GW of space electrical capacity - and use this to power (i) Space cities and industry, (ii) Powerful ion rockets this provides us a capacity to extend our reach to the outer solar system very cheaply. (f) ON THE MOON - develop a nuclear research program that develops peaceful nuclear pulse rocket technology built on the moon and flown from there. This tpe of rocket will never be flown within 90,000 km of Earth (where the VanAllen belts could capture radioactive materials and bring them to Earth) - but would give humanity commercial access to the solar system. This development would be supported in conjunction with an enhanced nonproliferation treaty where all nuclear weapons materials and nuclear research would be taken over by this international body. The commercial aspect of this includes; (a) Enunciate a vision of a global wireless internet beamed directly from space that would make use of the TSTO-RLV described in (a) above. (b) Enunciate a vision of a global wireless powernet beamed directly from space that would make use of the 500 ton capacity described in (c) above. (c) Enunciate a vision of a global manufacturing network delivering products made in space delivered directly from space that would make use of the nuclear pulse rockets built in (f) above. People on Earth will work in space by telerobotics; http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/ http://www.pulsar.org/archive/int/ti...dataglove.html http://robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/ Basically, they'll don a datasuit and goggles, and drive humaniform robots around their remote work areas by interacting with the remote environment very naturally. Thus, they can live anywhere and work anywhere. This includes living on Earth and workin in space. Pulling a rich asteroid into Earth orbit and linking to a remotely controlled factory robot is the cheapest way to get billions of workers into space. Putting a factorysat into orbit above Earth also gives that factory direct access to the Earth's entire population as consumers of that factory's products. Ultimately, biospheres would be produced on orbit that would be used to create orbiting farms and forests - to provide food and fiber or Earth's population - in an environmentally friendly way. The telecom market would exceed $100 billion, the power market would exceed $1 trillion, the manufacturing market would exceed $10 trillion. With each step we remove a technical burden on Earth's biosphere. Beyond this we can promote the development of laser powered rockets with laser energy being derived from solar pumped lasers in Earth orbit. This will provide a means to produce rockets of extraordinarily low cost and great capacity. This will have a commercial implication of creating a global transportation network - supported by beamed laser energy from space. Expanding upon this capacity would allow broad access to orbit by the bulk of humanity. This combined with expanded industry on orbit could provide access to Earth orbiting space colonies, and the exodus of billions of people off Earth. Larger sun orbiting solar laser stations could provide power across the solar system, and drive billions of interplanetary capable laser rockets. These rockets could move the personally owned space colonies across the solar system - this would be the goldenn age of interplanetary development. Large sun orbiting solar laser stations could be adapted to support interstellar journeys and ultimately, interstellar movement of small colonies to other star systems. Replicating the space infrastructure around a remote star that exists around Sol would allow any star system to support millions of people - anywhere in the galaxy. Ultimately a network of star systems will create a vast human controlled space with vast possibilities for the production of wealth in an environment of high adventure. (Bill Bogen) wrote in message . com... Charles Buckley wrote in message ... Oren Tirosh wrote: (Bill Bogen) wrote in message . com... .. 4) Once on the Moon, use the rover to explore possible lava tube sites. A simple and inexpensive inflatable structure can be quickly set up later in a lava tube since the structure will only have to retain air pressure, while the lava tube itslf will provide meteor, radiation, and thermal protection. I agree that lava tubes could make a huge difference for the viability of a lunar base. Our ancestors took shelter in caves. There's no reason why we shouldn't have lunar cavemen. But finding such lava tubes could be tricky. A rover has very limited range and speed. You have to scout for likely sites first. You can always dig a hole. How, exactly? A low cost mission won't include a massive backhoe. Explosives? We'd still have to move lots of rubble. By hand, with a shovel while wearing a pressure suit? Much better to set up a roomy, inflatable permanent base quickly in a lava tube, even if we have to drive/send rovers 100s of kms to interesting sites. The big enabler would be water resources. That will drive site selection and tech development. Another post states that the interior of lava tubes is probably at a constant -21 degrees C. Comet impacts on the Moon could well have flung some ice/water vapor down a lava tube where it condensed. This is one resource our rover could look for. For a technical reference, see 'The Adventures of Tin Tin: Destination Moon' by Herge. |
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