The idea of utilizing lunar lava tubes for habitation is not new. Most of the scientific and popular literature on the subject focuses on benefits of their extremely favorable environmental conditions, the savings of energy and mass in construction, and concepts for habitable structures and enabling habitation technologies if a base were to be located inside a lava tube. However, prior to any construction or emplacement of infrastructure, reconnaissance and site characterization must occur. Defining a mission planning architecture for exploration missions of robotic and/or human first contact with recently discovered entrances to potential lunar lava tubes is discussed. The paper presents a framework for developing reference mission architectures in order to assess candidate technology elements of reconnaissance missions to a lunar lava tube. The overall goal is to get some understanding of first robotic and human contact with a lunar lava tube for developing associated technologies needed to support these activities, including techniques of entering and examining them robotically and by astronauts. We investigate operational scenarios, technologies, and human and robotic performance feats associated with the first missions of planetary cave exploration.
LUNAR SKYLIGHTS, PITS, AND TUBES
In 2007 a JPL Rapid Mission Architecture (RMA) analysis team identified and evaluated a broad set of mission architecture options for a suite of scientific exploration objectives targeting the Saturnian moon Enceladus. Primary science objectives were largely focused on examination of the driving mechanisms and extent of interactions by the plumes of Enceladus recently discovered by Cassini mission science teams. Investigation of the architectural trade space spanned a wide range of options, from high-energy flybys of Enceladus as a re-instrumented expansion on the Cassini mission, to more complex, multielement combinations of Enceladus orbiters carrying multiple variants of in-situ deployable systems. Trajectory design emerged as a critical element of the mission concepts, enabling challenging missions on Atlas V and Delta IV-Heavy class launch vehicles. Various Enceladus Flagship-class mission concepts identified were analyzed and compared against several first-order figures of merit, including mass, cost, risk, mission timeline, and associated science value with respect to accomplishment of the full set of science objectives. Results are presented for these comparative analyses and the characterization of the explored trade space.
At the request of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) in May of 2005, a team was assembled within the Prometheus Project to investigate lunar surface nuclear power architectures and provide design and implementation concept inputs to NASA's Exploration Systems Architecture 60-day Study (ESAS) team. System engineering tasks were undertaken to investigate the design and implementation of a Fission Surface Power System (FSPS) that could be launched as early as 2019 as part of a possible initial Lunar Base architecture. As a result of this activity, the Prometheus team evaluated a number of design and implementation concepts as well as a significant number of trades associated with lunar surface power, all culminating in a recommended approach. This paper presents the results of that study, including a recommended FSPS design and implementation concept.
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