Concept of a Human-Attended Lunar Outpost

Paper ID #16714 Concept of a Human-Attended Lunar Outpost Mr. Thomas W. Arrington, Texas A&M University Thomas Arrington worked as the student Project Manager for the Human Attended Lunar Outpost senior design project for the the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station. He has interned with Boeing Research and Technology three times, and was an active member of the Texas A&M University Sounding Rocketry Team. Mr. Nicolas Federico Hurst, Texas A&M 2015 Capstone Design Spacecraft Nico Hurst is a student of Texas A&M University. He recently graduated from the Aerospace Engineering department with my bachelor’s of science and will be continuing his education with a master’s of science in finance. Mr. David B. Kanipe, Texas A&M University After receiving a BS in Aerospace Engineering in May 1970, followed by a MS in Aerospace Engineering in August 1971 from Texas A&M University, Mr. Kanipe accepted a position with NASA at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston and began his professional career in November 1972. A month after his arrival at NASA, the last Apollo mission, Apollo 17, was launched. Obviously, that was exciting, but in terms of his career, the commencement of the Space Shuttle Program in November 1972 was to have far more impact. As a result, David was able to begin his career working on what he says was the most interesting and exciting project he could possibly imagine: the Space Shuttle. Over his career, David held successively influential management positions including Deputy Branch Chief of the Aerodynamics Branch in the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, Chief of the GN&C Analysis and Design Branch, Deputy Chief of the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, and for the final 10 years of his career, Chief of the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division in the Engineering Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. Dave retired from NASA at the end of 2010 after more than 38 years of service in the US Space Program. His career spanned numerous projects and programs, including both crewed and robotic spacecraft. After retiring from NASA, the Head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University asked him to come to A&M as a Senior Lecturer to teach a Senior Capstone Design course focusing on Spacecraft Design. In September 2014 he became an Associate Professor of Practice in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M. He began his fourth year of teaching at Texas A&M in September 2014. Joanna M. Schiefelbein , Texas A&M University Joanna M. Schiefelbein is a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. Looking forward to a career in the space industry, Joanna customized her degree by pursuing minors in mathematics and astrophysics, taking electives in rocket propulsion and human spaceflight operations, and by working in an astronomical instrumentation lab. While at Texas A&M, she was active in Aggie Aerospace Women in Engineering (AAWE), Texas A&M Ballroom Dance As- sociation (TAMBDA), and the local chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Joanna also received an Associate of Science in Engineering from South Texas College and is a member of Kappa Theta Epsilon and Phi Theta Kappa. Prof. David Charles Hyland, Texas A&M University Educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Hyland served at the MIT Lincoln Labora- tory for 14 years until 1983. He then worked at the Harris Corporation as a Senior Scientist until 1996 at which time he joined the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as Professor and Chairman of the Aerospace Department. He went to Texas A&M University in 2003 as Associate Vice Chancellor of Engineering, and Associate Dean. Dr. Hyland, is currently Royce E. Wisenbaker Chair of Engineering, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, and Adjunct Professor of Physics. Dr. Hyland’s current research interests in- clude nanotechnologies for power collection and transmission and quantum processes for novel distributed imaging systems. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Human Attended Lunar Outpost HALO Abstract This paper documents the impact on student education of a Capstone Design project in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. The goal of this project was to not only design a lunar outpost suitable for supporting a permanent human presence on the moon, but also to produce a workable launch manifest to send the elements of the base to the moon, and develop construction processes that could be employed to actually build such a lunar base. The development of any extraterrestrial outpost is a complicated endeavor involving the integration of multiple disciplines. Those are the characteristics that made this project attractive as the basis for a capstone design experience. The capstone design series provides the students with valuable experience in their final undergraduate year by allowing them to participate in a team- oriented design project much like the world they will enter as professional engineers. To provide order to the organization and maximize the efficiency of performance, the fundamental principles and tools of Systems Engineering formed the foundation upon which the work was based. The students developed and refined the requirements, organized themselves into disciplinary teams, established milestone schedules, and developed a working structure focused on communication and accountability. Introduction The Capstone Design series is critical to the undergraduate engineering curriculum in terms of preparing the graduating students to more easily transition from the academic environment to the professional engineering environment. At Texas A&M there are three options available to students taking Capstone Design: 1) Aircraft Design, 2) Rocket Design, and 3) Spacecraft Design. While the stated objective of all Capstone Design courses is the design project, the pursuit of a successful design provides an invaluable opportunity for students to learn how to utilize the principles and tools of Systems Engineering to logically and systematically produce a coherent design. In addition, by applying these tools, the students learn: 1) to apply the technical skills they’ve been taught over the previous three years; 2) the power of teams and teamwork; and 3) the importance of communication skills. In most cases, the Capstone Design series is the last opportunity prior to graduation to impress upon the student the importance of these principles. The Human Attended Lunar Outpost (HALO) was developed in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M as a senior-level capstone design project in the area of Spacecraft Design. The class of 14 students began the design process in January 2015 and concluded in December 2015. During this period, the team participated in a preliminary design review (PDR) in May, a faculty review in November, and a critical design review (CDR) in December. Both the PDR and the CDR are presented to faculty and industry experts who ask questions of the team and grade their efforts according to ABET principles. As mentioned earlier, the work reported herein was conducted in the domain of Spacecraft Design. The challenge of Spacecraft Design is that several of the technologies required to design a credible spacecraft system are typically not covered in detail in the basic aerospace engineering curriculum. This includes disciplines such as telecommunications and antenna design, power generation and distribution, command and data handling, and regenerative life support. This becomes a benefit, however, not a handicap. The professor includes lectures covering the technical fundamentals and applications of these disciplines; but the student teams must perform additional literature research into the details as they apply to the project design. The professor also provides relevant reference material and, when possible, invites subject-matter experts to be guest lecturers in class and answer student questions. Fortunately, most students eagerly embrace the challenge of investigating a new technology and learning to apply that knowledge to the project. As a result, this activity provides a tangible example of the necessity for life-long learning as required by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET): General Criterion 3(i). In the process of accreditation, ABET assesses the degree to which a university curriculum satisfies its published outcomes. As mentioned above, Capstone Design classes provide an excellent laboratory for learning to use the principles and tools of Systems Engineering. If developed properly, the Capstone Design series of courses can satisfy a significant number of the ABET Student Outcomes. The Student Outcomes, Program Outcomes, and Assessment Methods and relevant to the Capstone Design class discussed in this document can be found below in Table 1. The ABET Criterion 3 Student Outcomes referred to in Table 1 can be found in Appendix A. Table 1 ABET Student Outcomes Relevant to Capstone Design: Spacecraft ABET Program Outcomes Assessment Method Student Outcomes 3(c), Understand the basic Systems Class project, homework, 3(i), 3(k) Engineering processes and how quizzes, mid-term written report, they apply to spacecraft design faculty review board, and end-of- term design review board 3(a), Apply technical skills learned in the Class project, homework, 3(c), undergraduate curricula to real- quizzes, oral status reports, mid- 3(e), world problems. term written

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