Living on the Moon Why, When, Where, Who
Living on the Moon Why, Where, When, Who, How Professor Alan Smith Director Space Domain Space and Climate Physics UCL UCL
NASA NASA NASA Why? Why? Why?
Why? NASA Why? Why? Because it’s in our nature Why
• Lunar science • Life sciences from on the Moon • Other science on the Moon • Astronomy • A haven from a damaged Earth • A vehicle for international collaboration • A vehicle for economic and technological progress • A stepping stone to Mars • Because its there Where?
Apollo NASA Where? P Permanent or Semi-Permanent Living on the Moon
Power The Sun
Water Polar Ice
Mineral Resources Lunar material Where?
Moon Earth 1.5o 23.5o
ESA Lunar Lander Concept de Gerlache Hayworth
Shoemaker Faustini
Shackleton
Bussey et al, 2010 Kaguya laser altimeter Where?
NASA LRO Where?
NASA LRO Who?
• 1994: Lunar Prospector • 2003: Smart-1 • 2007: SELENE (Naguya) / Okina / Ouna • 2007: Chang’e 1 • 2008: Chandrayaan-1 / MIP • 2009: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Successful • 2009: LCROSS Lunar Missions • 2010: Chang’e 2 • 2011: Ebb / Flow Since 1994 • 2013: LADEE • 2013: Chang’e 3 / Yutu • 2014: Manfred Memorial Moon Mission • 2018: Queqiao / Longjiang-2 • 2018: Chang’e 4 / Yutu-2 • 2019: Chandrayaan-2
Who? Artemis
Space Launch Systems, SLS
Boeing By NASA How?
How?
Gateway Orbit
Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit
Special case of a L2 orbit When?
2024? How?
How? Phase
• Precursor • Pioneering • Consolidation • Settlement
‘Start with the end in mind’ How? Phase
• Precursor LRO + • Pioneering Artemis • Consolidation Pilot Power Plant Pilot Resource Plant • Settlement Pilot Regolith moving equipment
Lunar Base Construction Shack
Will NASA’s Artemis programme turn into Apollo 18? How? Elements
• Landing and Launch • Power Plant • Habitation • Transport • Resource extraction • Resource processing • Laboratory How? Issues
• Sustainability • Dust • Radiation • Human Safety
• Low technological maturity of almost every aspect How? Dust
• Abrasive • But, Equipment needs – Rubbing to be: – Equipment wear – Safe and reliable – Viewing surfaces – Low maintenance • Electrostatic – Easy to repair • Vacuum seals – Low mass
• Irritant
• Difficult to remove – E.g. from Velcro fasters
NASA NASA How? Space Suits
• Apollo: 88 kg • ISS: 285 kg
• 0 g =/= 1/6th g
• Apollo suits not good for long duration – Wear – Uncomfortable – Tiring – Bulky
NASA How? Two possible routes
• Human pioneers who • Largely robotic build the infrastructure assembly with ready for consolidation controllers either on the and settlement Moon (in relative • Robotics and AI used safety) or Earth increasingly to replace • Permanent human human presence of the presence follows surface How? Concept of Operations
• Humans live mostly below the surface • Much work is performed either autonomously or through local tele-robotics • Some is performed by tele-robotics from the Gateway or from the Earth Whys
• Lunar science • Life sciences from on the Moon • Other science on the Moon • Astronomy • A haven from a damaged Earth • A vehicle for international collaboration • A vehicle for economic and technological progress • A stepping stone to Mars • Because its there Thank You
Professor Alan Smith Director Space Domain Space and Climate Physics UCL UCL