A Blueprint For Cis-Lunar Exploration: A Cost-Effective, Building-Block Approach For Human Lunar Return

Bocam, Kenneth J.; Walz, Carl; Bodkin, David K.; Pappageorge, Charlotte; Hutchinson, Virgil L.; Dennis, Matthew; Cugno, W.

doi:10.2514/6.2012-5338

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…James Webb Space Telescope) [23] [24] [25]. In addition, multiple studies have concluded the favorability of these orbits for future human missions [6] [7].…”

Section: Near-rectilinear Orbits (Nros)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies have been commissioned by NASA this millennium to identify potential next steps including the Trans Hab and several iterations of the Gateway concept, developed by the Decade Planning Team [4] and its successor the NASA Exploration Team (NExT) [5]. As the architectures have been considered, additional studies have assessed potential locations [6] [7] and potential functional requirements [8] for assets deployed beyond LEO.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Options for staging orbits in cislunar space

Whitley

Martinez

2016

2016 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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NASA has been studying options to conduct missions beyond Low Earth Orbit, but within the Earth-Moon system, in preparation for deep space exploration including human missions to Mars. Referred to as the Proving Ground, this arena of exploration activities will enable the development of human spaceflight systems and operations to satisfy future exploration objectives beyond the cislunar environment. One option being considered includes the deployment of a habitable element or elements, which could be used as a central location for aggregation of supplies and resources for human missions in cislunar space and beyond. Characterizing candidate orbit locations for this asset and the impacts on system design and mission operations is important in the overall assessment of the options being considered. The orbits assessed in this paper were previously identified in work conducted by NASA and others. In this paper orbits are assessed for their relative attractiveness based on various factors. First, a set of constraints related to the capability of the combined Orion and Space Launch System (SLS) system to deliver humans and cargo to and from the orbit are evaluated. Second, the ability to support potential lunar surface activities is considered. Finally, deployed assets intended to spend multiple years in the Proving Ground would ideally require minimal station keeping costs to reduce the mass budget allocated to this function. Additional mission design drivers include potential for uninterrupted communication with deployed assets, thermal, communications, and other operational implications. The results of the characterization and evaluation of the selected orbits indicate a Near Rectilinear Orbit (NRO) is an attractive candidate as an aggregation point or staging location for operations. In this paper, the NRO is further described in terms which balance a number of key attributes that favor a variety of mission classes to meet multiple, sometimes competing, constraints.

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“…James Webb Space Telescope) [23] [24] [25]. In addition, multiple studies have concluded the favorability of these orbits for future human missions [6] [7].…”

Section: Near-rectilinear Orbits (Nros)mentioning

confidence: 99%