DOCSLIB.ORG

HUMAN-AIDED CONSTRUCTION of a LARGE LUNAR TELESCOPE By

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
HUMAN-AIDED CONSTRUCTION of a LARGE LUNAR TELESCOPE By HUMAN-AIDED CONSTRUCTION OF A LARGE LUNAR TELESCOPE by Paul van Susante A thesis submitted to the Faculty and the Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Engineering Systems) Golden, Colorado Date ___________ Signed: ________________________ Paul van Susante Approved: ________________________ Dr. R.H. King Thesis Advisor Golden, Colorado Date ____________ ________________________ Dr. D. Munoz Department Head Division of Engineering ii ABSTRACT The Moon is an excellent platform for operations for astronomical purposes while at the same time it is possible to combine such scientific activities with exploration and resource utilization. The purpose of this NASA-sponsored study was to find out how a large infrared telescope can be built inside a permanently shadowed crater on the Moon using humans and robots, to define the required infrastructure. The results will give NASA a lunar reference to compare to a telescope mission to free-space. The alt-azimuth telescope design will consist of a 25 m diameter segmented primary mirror. The secondary mirror will be 50 meter above the primary and will be supported by three truss structures. It will use super-conducting magnetic bearings and a counterweight / instrument housing. The required infrastructure for constructing this telescope includes space- and surface transportation. A (temporary) lunar base will need to be established and a smaller construction outpost will be required. The surface transportation will consists of robots and a ski-lift-type cable system. Communication links will be needed at Malapert Mountain and at the rim of Shackleton crater to guarantee continuous communications. Power for the telescope and the lunar base will be iii generated at the so-called Peak of Eternal Light and transported using the lift cables. To construct this telescope five different types of robots will be needed and two humans will be supervising the robots during certain phases while the robots will be remotely controlled from the lunar base or from Earth. During this report it is shown that for such large telescopes, it is possible to think of ways to deal with the perceived negative aspects of the Moon such as dust, gravity, temperatures, etc. The choice between free space (Sun-Earth L2) and the lunar surface for a large infrared telescope is not immediately clear. Both locations have advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage of S-E L2 is the possibility to observe the whole universe, while the major advantage of the lunar South Pole is the possibility to operate for many years longer and at the same time allowing easier maintenance and expansion than possible in S-E L2. For a choice it is not only important to look at the possible astronomy, but also to the construction, operations and other factors such as maintenance options, efficiency, expansion possibilities and the support of a larger infrastructure. Many improvements will be required in many technological areas dealing mostly with the capabilities of robots, the extension of operational environment into the extremely cold regions of 40 K, remotely operated performing delicate construction tasks, the creation of infrastructure, the super-conducting magnetic iv bearings in a much larger type and their required three orders of magnitudes increase in precision, but none seem unacceptably far in the future. Next to technology improvements, there is also the need to know more about the lunar local environment such as the dust behavior, the topography with a vertical and horizontal spatial resolution better than one meter, absolute temperature measurements and the temperature fluctuations. Some of these measurements will be done by lunar missions that will reach the Moon in the coming years such as SMART-1, LUNAR-A and SELENE. As far as humans are concerned it will require augmentations in the space-suits of the astronauts, such as enhanced sensors, artificial muscles in the suit and display capabilities in the helmet, to make sure the humans are optimally equipped to handle all situations during the construction process. A change in philosophy will be required in scientists and other involved partners to build and invest in infrastructure instead of going the path of "throw- away" missions every few years. This change in philosophy might prove to be the most difficult of all steps forward. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................xi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................xiv LIST OF ABREVIATIONS ................................................................................xvi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................... xviii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................... 6 2.1 Transportation to the lunar surface ................................................ 6 2.2 Power generation ........................................................................... 8 2.3 Power storage .............................................................................. 13 2.4 Power transmission...................................................................... 13 2.5 Communication ............................................................................ 15 2.6 Lunar base ................................................................................... 16 2.7 Lift system.................................................................................... 17 2.8 Transportation on the lunar surface ............................................. 20 2.9 Construction site .......................................................................... 22 Chapter 3. STATE OF THE ART OF ROBOTICS IN SPACE & CONSTRUCTION ........................................................................................... 23 3.1 Earth construction robotics........................................................... 23 3.2 Earth mining automation .............................................................. 24 3.3 Space robotics ............................................................................. 25 3.4 Space construction....................................................................... 26 3.5 General research ......................................................................... 27 3.6 Supervised autonomy and teamwork .......................................... 29 vi Chapter 4. THE LUNAR ENVIRONMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE TO TELESCOPE-DESIGN AND OPERATIONS .................................................. 31 4.1 Location topography..................................................................... 31 4.2 Gravity.......................................................................................... 33 4.2.1 Effect of zero- or micro-gravity on a large telescope .......... 33 4.2.2 Deformation of the mirror due to gravity ............................. 34 4.2.3 Vibration generation and damping in the structure ............. 40 4.2.4 Pointing and tracking of the telescope................................ 42 4.2.5 Construction ....................................................................... 43 4.2.6 General influences on engineering ..................................... 44 4.3 Vacuum........................................................................................ 45 4.3.1 No atmospheric absorption................................................. 45 4.3.2 Contamination of the vacuum............................................. 45 4.3.3 Thermal heat rejection........................................................ 46 4.4 Dust.............................................................................................. 46 4.4.1 Contamination of surfaces and sensitive elements............. 47 4.4.2 Wear and tear of moving parts ........................................... 48 4.4.3 Foundation design .............................................................. 48 4.5 Temperature................................................................................. 49 4.5.1 Absolute temperature must be very low ............................. 50 4.5.2 Thermal gradients............................................................... 52 4.5.3 Thermal control................................................................... 52 4.6 Lighting conditions ....................................................................... 53 4.7 Seismicity..................................................................................... 53 4.8 Meteoroid impacts........................................................................ 54 Chapter 5. TELESCOPE DESIGN & DESIGN DECISIONS .......................... 57 5.1 Relevant general parameters for a telescope & its construction .. 57 5.2 Requirements for a large lunar telescope .................................... 65 5.3 Space transportation influences on elements............................... 67 5.4 Optimization of construction elements, transportation and robots 69 vii 5.5 Phases in the construction process.............................................. 69 5.5.1 Main Phases....................................................................... 70 5.5.2 Subphases ........................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Deutsche Nationalbibliografie 2013 T 09
    Deutsche Nationalbibliografie Reihe T Musiktonträgerverzeichnis Monatliches Verzeichnis Jahrgang: 2013 T 09 Stand: 18. September 2013 Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main) 2013 ISSN 1613-8945 urn:nbn:de:101-ReiheT09_2013-6 2 Hinweise Die Deutsche Nationalbibliografie erfasst eingesandte Pflichtexemplare in Deutschland veröffentlichter Medienwerke, aber auch im Ausland veröffentlichte deutschsprachige Medienwerke, Übersetzungen deutschsprachiger Medienwerke in andere Sprachen und fremdsprachige Medienwerke über Deutschland im Original. Grundlage für die Anzeige ist das Gesetz über die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNBG) vom 22. Juni 2006 (BGBl. I, S. 1338). Monografien und Periodika (Zeitschriften, zeitschriftenartige Reihen und Loseblattausgaben) werden in ihren unterschiedlichen Erscheinungsformen (z.B. Papierausgabe, Mikroform, Diaserie, AV-Medium, elektronische Offline-Publikationen, Arbeitstransparentsammlung oder Tonträger) angezeigt. Alle verzeichneten Titel enthalten einen Link zur Anzeige im Portalkatalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek und alle vorhandenen URLs z.B. von Inhaltsverzeichnissen sind als Link hinterlegt. Die Titelanzeigen der Musiktonträger in Reihe T sind, wie sche Katalogisierung von Ausgaben musikalischer Wer- auf der Sachgruppenübersicht angegeben, entsprechend ke (RAK-Musik)“ unter Einbeziehung der „International der Dewey-Dezimalklassifikation (DDC) gegliedert, wo- Standard Bibliographic Description for Printed Music – bei tiefere Ebenen mit bis zu sechs Stellen berücksichtigt ISBD (PM)“ zugrunde.
    [Show full text]
  • Galaktika Group: Orbital City «EFIR» «Ethereal Dwelling» Space Colony Concept by Tsiolkovsky
    Galaktika group: Orbital city «EFIR» «ethereal dwelling» space colony concept by tsiolkovsky BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTING A SPACE COLONY UPON THE CONCEPT BY K.E. TSIOLKOVSKY: IN-SPACE ASSEMBLING MANKIND WILL NOT FOREVER REMAIN ON EARTH, BUT IN THE PURSUIT OF LIGHT AND SPACE WILL FIRST USING MATERIALS FROM PLANETS AND ASTEROIDS TIMIDLY EMERGE FROM THE BOUNDS OF THE ATMOSPHERE, AND THEN ADVANCE UNTIL HE HAS CONQUERED THE WHOLE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY OF CIRCUMSOLAR SPACE. PLANTS CULTIVATION HE PRESENTED HIS RESEARCHES IN THE BOOKS: BEYOND THE PLANET EARTH, BIOLOGICAL LIFE IN COSMOS, ETHEREAL ISLAND, ETC. COLONY CONCEPTS [SHORT] REVIEW BERNAL'S SPHERE, STANFORD TORUS, O’NEILL’S CYLINDER BERNAL’S SPHERE STANFORD TORUS O’NEILL’S CYLINDER JOHN DESMOND BERNAL 1929 POPULATION: STUDENTS OF THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY 1975 GERARD K. O'NEILL, 1979 POPULATION: 20 MLN. 20—30 THOUSAND INHABITANTS DIAMETER POPULATION: 10 THND. AND MORE INHABITANTS INHABITANTS DIAMETER OF CYLINDERS: 6.4 KM ABOUT 16 KM DIAMETER1.8KM AND MORE LENGTH OF CYLINDERS: 32 KM ORBITAL CITY «EFIR» scheme and characteristics TOP VIEW residential torus ASSEMBLY DOCK radiators electric power station elevator 10,000 INHABITANTS DIAMETER OF TORUS – 2 KILOMETRES variable gravity module MASS OF ORBITAL CITY – 25 MLN. TONS RESIDENTIAL AREA DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR AREA RESIDENTIAL AREA CHARACTERISTICS DIAMETER OF TORUS - 2 KILOMETRES ROTATION PERIOD - ONE FULL-CIRCLE TURN PER 63 SECONDS RESIDENTIAL AREA WIDTH - 300 METERS RESIDENTIAL AREA HEIGHT - 150 METERS AREA OF RESIDENTIAL ZONE - 200 HA MAXIMUM POPULATION - 10-40 THOUSAND DESIGNED POPULATION DENSITY IS 50 PEOPLE/HA TO 200 PEOPLE/HA RESIDENTIAL AREA DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR AREA LOGISTICS transport plans for passengers and cargoes ORBITAL CITY AT THE LAGRANGIAN POINT INTERPLANETARY 25 MLN.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Lunar Exploration?
    Why lunar exploration? • The Moon gives witness of 4.5 billion years solar system history, particularly for the Earth-Moon system • Planetary processes can be studied in its simple state – Initial crust development – Differentiation – Impact and chronology – Volcanism und thermal evolution – Regolith processes and the early sun – Regolith processes and the current sun (evidence for global change) • Unique environment – Polar regions with ice? – Exosphere (space/surface interactions) – Stable platform Earth-Moon System • Unique constellation – compelling essential? – random? •Origin – mega-impact? – other reasons? • End-members of planetary evolution – dynamically changing young Earth – stable, cold, old Moon – fundamental for understanding planetary evolution • Stabilization of the system? – stability of the Earth’s climate? – implications for the evolution of life? Impact und impact chronology • Lunar surface keeps a unique record of 4.5 billion years of small body flux in the inner solar system. – The accuracy of dating planetary surfaces and extrapolation of impact chronology to the outer solar system depends on the exact knowledge of the lunar chronology. – Datation of the origin and evolution of life on Earth (e.g. »sterilization events«). – Implication of impact-induced »faunal break« on evolution – Knowledge about the hazard of earth crossing asteroids Geophysics: the “Core” • The internal structure of the Moon is still unresolved – (Mega-)Regolith/Crust – Mantle – Core? – Density increases towards the center but much less than on Earth – Models are ambiguous due to the poor knowledge about density and thickness of the individual parts Fe-Core with a radius of 220-450 km, about 5% of the lunar mass seems feasible (Earth’s core covers 33% of the total mass) (Bild: C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Peaks of Eternal Light
    The Peaks of Eternal Light: a Near-term Property Issue on the Moon Martin Elvis a,1, Tony Milligan b, Alanna Krolikowskic a Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge MA 02138, USA; [email protected]; b Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London, Virginia Wolf Building, 22 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NR. c Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Heinrich-Düker-Weg 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany; [email protected] ABSTRACT The Outer Space Treaty makes it clear that the Moon is the ‘province of all mankind’, with the latter ordinarily understood to exclude state or private appropriation of any portion of its surface. However, there are indeterminacies in the Treaty and in space law generally over the issue of appropriation. These indeterminacies might permit a close approximation to a property claim or some manner of ‘quasi-property’. The recently revealed highly inhomogeneous distribution of lunar resources changes the context of these issues. We illustrate this altered situation by considering the Peaks of Eternal Light. They occupy about one square kilometer of the lunar surface. We consider a thought experiment in which a Solar telescope is placed on one of the Peaks of Eternal Light at the lunar South pole for scientific research. Its operation would require non- disturbance, and hence that the Peak remain unvisited by others, effectively establishing a claim of protective exclusion and de facto appropriation. Such a telescope would be relatively easy to emplace with today’s technology and so poses a near-term property issue on the Moon. While effective appropriation of a Peak might proceed without raising some of the familiar problems associated with commercial development (especially lunar mining), the possibility of such appropriation nonetheless raises some significant issues concerning justice and the safeguarding of scientific practice on the lunar surface.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploration Strategies and Landing Sites at the Lunar South Pole
    Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIV (2003) 1265.pdf EXPLORATION STRATEGIES AND LANDING SITES AT THE LUNAR SOUTH POLE. P. J. Stooke1, 1 Departments of Geography and Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C2. ([email protected]; http://publish.uwo.ca/~pjstooke/). Introduction: Previous landing site studies for the rims define the 'peak'. Another crater (B) lies inside de lunar south pole have emphasized sites with maximum Gerlache. A light overprint shows the area of maxi- duration of sunlight for solar powered lander operation mum illumination. A dark overprint shows areas likely (Euromoon 2000 [1]; Lunacorp Icebreaker mission, to be in continuous darkness, hence possible volatile [2]). Using this plus two other site selection criteria, traps. These are considered individually in terms of access to South Pole/Aitken basin ejecta and conven- their accessibility by rover. Potential rover routes into ient rover access to perpetually shaded regions with these areas are shown as dark arrows. They have been possible volatile materials, I identify several candidate chosen to provide the shortest reasonable routes (be- landing sites for future missions. tween about 8 and 20 km), with reasonable slopes (e.g. South Pole rationale: The lunar south pole is in- mostly diagonal traverses of crater walls) and direct teresting for its proximity to the South Pole/Aitken line of site communications with Earth or the lander, or (SPA) basin, the potential for volatile materials includ- both. Note that knowledge of topography is extremely ing water in perpetually shaded areas, and (arising from limited in this area because of the effects of shadowing the latter) the potential for future human settlement.
    [Show full text]
  • Private Sector Lunar Exploration Hearing
    PRIVATE SECTOR LUNAR EXPLORATION HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 Serial No. 115–27 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 27–174PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon BILL POSEY, Florida ALAN GRAYSON, Florida THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky AMI BERA, California JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut RANDY K. WEBER, Texas MARC A. VEASEY, Texas STEPHEN KNIGHT, California DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia BRIAN BABIN, Texas JACKY ROSEN, Nevada BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia JERRY MCNERNEY, California BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana PAUL TONKO, New York DRAIN LAHOOD, Illinois BILL FOSTER, Illinois DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida MARK TAKANO, California JIM BANKS, Indiana COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii ANDY BIGGS, Arizona CHARLIE CRIST, Florida ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas NEAL P. DUNN, Florida CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana RALPH NORMAN, South Carolina SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE HON. BRIAN BABIN, Texas, Chair DANA ROHRABACHER, California AMI BERA, California, Ranking Member FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama DONALD S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Shackleton Crater Expedition: a Lunar Commerce Mission in the Spirit of Lewis and Clark
    The Shackleton Crater Expedition: A Lunar Commerce Mission in the Spirit of Lewis and Clark by William C. Stone, Ph.D., P.E. Stone AeroSPACE / PSC, Inc. 18912 Glendower Road Gaithersburg, MD 20879-1833 Ph: (301) 216-0932 evening / (301) 975-6075 day Email: [email protected] November 2003 StoneAeroSPACE / PSC, Inc., 18912 Glendower Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 V31 11-05-2003 Shackleton Crater Expedition Executive Summary The space program of the United States of America is in disarray. During the past 30 years it has failed to deliver what the American public most wants from it: routine, economical access to space that enables broad private sector involvement and the establishment of a burgeoning extraterrestrial economy. The agency charged with this task, NASA, has instead woven an intricate partnership with its Cold War era subcontractors that has sought to maintain its Apollo legacy through a series of costly mega-projects lasting decades. These projects – the space shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS) – have failed. The shuttle remains an inherently dangerous vehicle for human space operations (and will remain so even following upgrades as a result of the Columbia investigation commission). But more importantly, the shuttle is non- competitive with alternative – particularly Russian – means for transporting goods to low earth orbit. The ISS, after 25 years of effort, remains incomplete and is presently capable of supporting just three individuals in orbit. Both programs cost the nation billions of dollars every year, yet produce no tangible forward progress towards the creation of an environment in which private sector space opportunities can flourish – and thus dramatically expand human presence off Earth.
    [Show full text]
  • Affordable, Rapid Bootstrapping of Space Industry and Solar System Civilization
    Preprint. To appear in Journal of Aerospace Engineering. Affordable, rapid bootstrapping of space industry and solar system civilization Philip T. Metzger, Ph.D., A.M. ASCE1, Anthony Muscatello, Ph.D.2, Robert P. Mueller, A.M. ASCE3, and James Mantovani, Ph.D.4 1 Physicist, Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab, NASA Kennedy Space Center, [email protected], NE-S-1, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 2 Chemist, Applied Chemistry Lab, NASA Kennedy Space Center, [email protected], NE-S-2, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 3 Aerospace Engineer, Surface Systems Office, NASA Kennedy Space Center, [email protected], NE-S, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 4 Physicist, Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab, NASA Kennedy Space Center, [email protected], NE-S-1, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 Abstract: Advances in robotics and additive manufacturing have become game-changing for the prospects of space industry. It has become feasible to bootstrap a self-sustaining, self-expanding industry at reasonably low cost. Simple modeling was developed to identify the main parameters of successful bootstrapping. This indicates that bootstrapping can be achieved with as little as 12 metric tons (MT) landed on the Moon during a period of about 20 years. The equipment will be teleoperated and then transitioned to full autonomy so the industry can spread to the asteroid belt and beyond. The strategy begins with a sub-replicating system and evolves it toward full self-sustainability (full closure) via an in situ technology spiral. The industry grows exponentially due to the free real estate, energy, and material resources of space.
    [Show full text]
  • Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Maps Computed from Goldstone Solar System Radar Elevation Data
    IPN Progress Report 42-176 • February 15, 2009 Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Maps Computed from Goldstone Solar System Radar Elevation Data Scott Bryant* The Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) group at JPL produced a digital elevation model (DEM) of the lunar south pole using data obtained in 2006. This new DEM has 40-m hori- zontal resolution and about 5-m relative vertical accuracy. This article explains how this DEM was used to evaluate average solar illumination and Earth visibility near the lunar south pole. The elevation data were converted into local terrain horizon masks for the area within 100 km of the lunar south pole. These topocentric horizon masks were converted into selenographic latitude and longitude coordinates, then compared to regions bound- ing the maximum Sun and Earth motions relative to the Moon. Estimates of Earth visibility were computed by integrating the area of the region bounding the Earth’s motion that was below the horizon mask. Solar illumination and other metrics were computed similarly. Proposed lunar south pole base sites are examined in detail, with the best site showing multiyear averages of solar power availability of 92 percent and direct-to-Earth (DTE) com- munication availability of 51 percent. Results are compared with a theoretical model and with actual Sun and Earth visibility averaged over the years 2009 to 2028. Peaks near the lunar south pole with continuous DTE communications are also presented. Results for the lunar north pole were computed using the GSSR DEM of the lunar north pole produced in 1997. The article also explores using a heliostat to reduce the photovoltaic power system mass and complexity.
    [Show full text]
  • Planning for Sun-Synchronous Lunar Polar Roving
    Planning for Sun-Synchronous Lunar Polar Roving Nathan D. Otten CMU-RI-TR-18-21 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Robotics. The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 May 2018 Thesis Committee: David Wettergreen, Co-chair William \Red" Whittaker, Co-chair Alonzo Kelly Anthony Colaprete, NASA Ames Paul Tompkins, SpaceX Copyright © 2018 by Nathan Otten. All rights reserved. Abstract Lunar polar resources can accelerate deep space exploration by resupplying mis- sions with oxygen, water, and propellent. Before lunar resupply can be established, the distribution and concentration of water ice and other volatiles abundant at the poles of the Moon must be verified and mapped. The need for affordable, scalable exploration of the lunar poles motivates the deployment of solar-powered rovers and planning strategies that sustain robotic missions beyond a single two-week period of lunar daylight. Reliance on solar power at the lunar poles gives rise to significant challenges| and opportunities|for individual rovers to achieve multi-lunar-day longevity. Solar- powered rovers require persistent sunlight for power and heat, lest they succumb to the cryogenic temperatures of lunar night. Although constrained by thermal conditions and available power, opportunistic polar rovers can maintain warmth and ample solar power for several months by following sun-synchronous routes. Strategic, informed route planning that exploits polar lighting enables sustained lunar polar roving and resource prospecting not possible by other means. This research develops polar roving strategies and applies global path planning methods to generate spatiotemporal routes that provide multiple lunar days of un- interrupted sunlight while satisfying constraints on rover speed, terrain slope, and direct-to-Earth communication.
    [Show full text]
  • The CHARIOTEER an Annual Review of Modern Greek Culture
    The CHARIOTEER An Annual Review of Modern Greek Culture NUMBERS 33/34 1991-1992 SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE NIKIFOROS VRETT AKOS , C. Capri-Karka and R. M. Newton Y UNDER THE ACROPOLIS Tral'M:l~tterl by C. Capri-Karka and I. Karka CHORUS Translated by M. Chambers SELECTIONS FROM: COLLECTED POEMS VOL. 1 \ COLLECTED POEMS VOL. 2 PROTEST SUN LAMP GIFT IN ABEYANCE ENCOUNTER WITH THE SEA Tunslated by A. Michopoulos, G. Pilit9is, D. Connolly R. M. Newton, M. Chambers, I. Karka and M. Polis INTERVIEWS WITH NIKIFOROS VRETTAKOS Translated by A. Michopoulos and M. C. Pantelia A SELECTION OF CRITICAL ESSAYS by A. Argyriou, S. Geranis, K. Haralambides T. Patrikios and Vinzenzo Rotolo T<ranslated by M. C. Pantelia, R. M. Newton A. Michopoulos and C. Capri-Karka $15.00 THE CHARIOTEER AN ANNUAL REVIEW OF MODERN GREEK CULTURE Formerly published by P ARNASSOS Greek Cultural Society of New York NUMBERS 33/34 1991-1992 Publisher: LEANDROS PAPATHANASIOU Editor: c. CAPRI-KARKA Managing Editor: SOPHIA A. PAPPAS THE CHARIOTEER is published by PELLA PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. Editorial and subscription address: Pella Publishing Company, 337 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018. One year subscription $15; Two-year subscription $28; Three-year subscription $40. Copyright 1992 by Pella Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. by Athens Printing Co., 337 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018-6401-The CHARIOTEER solicits essays on and English translations from works of modern Greek writers. Translations should be accompanied by a copy of the original Greek text. Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.
    [Show full text]
  • Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Maps Computed
    Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Maps Computed from GSSR Elevation Data Scott Bryant California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, CA 91109 818-354-5979 [email protected] 1. INTRODUCTION Abstract—A Digital Elevation Model of the lunar south pole was produced using Goldstone Solar System RADAR The moon’s rotation pole is inclined 1.54 degrees to the (GSSR) data obtained in 2006.12 This model has 40-meter Ecliptic pole. This means the Sun never rises more than a horizontal resolution and about 5-meter relative vertical few degrees above the horizon in the lunar Polar Regions. accuracy [Ref 1]. This Digital Elevation Model was used to Many depressions and crater floors near the poles are compute average solar illumination and Earth visibility with permanently shaded from the Sun, producing permanent low-temperature areas. These permanently shaded areas 100 km of the lunar south pole. The elevation data were may be reservoirs for water ice deposits [Ref 2]. The converted into local terrain horizon masks, then converted potential for using lunar ice to produce oxygen, hydrogen into lunar-centric latitude and longitude coordinates. The fuel, and drinking water is driving investigations of human horizon masks were compared to latitude, longitude regions exploration bases at the lunar poles [Ref 3]. bounding the maximum Sun and Earth motions relative to the moon. Estimates of Earth visibility were computed by The same geometry that creates permanently shadowed integrating the area of the region bounding the Earth’s lunar polar craters also increases solar illumination on lunar polar mountains.
    [Show full text]