Small lunar lander/hopper performance analysis

Middleton, Akil J.; Paschall, Stephen; Cohanim, Babak E.

doi:10.1109/aero.2010.5446728

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…(56-59) , wheeled rovers (38-40) , or even line-thrower-type rockets (of Congreve heritage) and trebuchet throwers. Instead of assessing all these options, this article simply presumes the use of a propulsive microprobe that flies or hops (60,61) from a prescribed landing site to the interior of the targeted pit. This propulsive flight approach arguably has a strong technical heritage and is a likely concept solution for the presumed preliminary reconnaissance mission.…”

Section: Exploration Conceptsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rationale and concept for a lunar pit reconnaissance probe

Dorrington

2018

Aeronaut. j.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Speculation on near-term scientific reasons for the exploration of lunar pits is offered alongside comments on possible longer-term human exploitation. It is proposed that in order to determine whether or not one or more of the pits offer access the large subsurface voids e.g. a non-collapsed lava tube, a preliminary reconnaissance mission solely focused on obtaining lateral images (and/or LiDAR maps) is needed. Possible concept options for such a preliminary reconnaissance mission are discussed. It is suggested that one of the best possible strategies is to employ a micro-sized probe (~0.3 m) that would hop from a nearby main landing spacecraft to the selected pit. After the surface position of the main lander is determined accurately, the probe would perform a ballistic hop, or hover-traverse, a distance of ~3 km over the lunar surface using existing propulsive and guidance technology capability. Once hovering above the pit, the probe or a separate tethered imaging unit would then be lowered into the pit to acquire the necessary subsurface void topology data. This data would then be transmitted back to Earth, directly, via the lander, or via a store-and-forward orbiting relay. Preliminary estimates indicate that a probe of ~14 kg (dry mass) is viable using a conventional hydrazine monopropellant system with a propellant mass fraction of less than ~0.2 (20%) including margins, suggesting a piggyback architecture would be feasible.

show abstract

Section: Exploration Conceptsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rationale and concept for a lunar pit reconnaissance probe

Dorrington

2018

Aeronaut. j.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous 978-1-4577-0557-1112/$26.00 ©2013 IEEE IEEEAC Paper #2511 papers describe hopper trajectories, including the hover hop trajectory [3][4][5]. The hover hop trajectory maintains a fixed attitude and fixed altitude during traverse, providing a stable platform to perform exploration and scientific observations during flight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hazard detection for small robotic landers and hoppers

Cohanim

Hoffman

Brady

2013

2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Planetary hoppers are a new class of vehicle being developed that will provide planetary surface mobility by reusing the landing platform and its actuators to propulsively ascend, translate, and descend to new landing points on the surface of a planetary body. Hoppers enhance regional exploration, with the capability of rapid traverse over 100s-1000s of meters, traverse over hazardous terrain, and exploration of cliffs and craters. These planetary mobility vehicles are fuel limited and as a result, are enabled by carrying sensor payloads that require low mass, low volume, and low on board computational resources. This paper describes a method for hoppers to traverse and land safely in this constrained environment. The method uses optical detection of shadows to provide coarse hazard detection at shallow path angles and long ranges. As a hopper approaches the landing site, a short-range range sensing method is used to determine the local slope and roughness just ahead of the vehicle's flight path. These two techniques are used together to safely land a hopper at downrange locations. The paper presents the method and provides analysis showing the performance and limitations of using this method for hopper traverse.

show abstract