NASA/TM-2014-217388 the Antarctic Search for Meteorites: a Model For
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NASA/TM-2014-217388 The Antarctic Search for Meteorites: A model for deep space exploration Stanley G. Love, Ph.D. NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Mail Code CB 2101 NASA Parkway Houston, TX 77059 281-244-2618 [email protected] National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 October 2013 1 Table of Contents List of figures ................................................................................................................................................ 5 List of tables .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Glossary and acronyms ............................................................................................................................... 12 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 16 1.01. Overview of Space Shuttle Missions .................................................................................... 17 1.02. Overview of International Space Station Missions ............................................................... 18 1.03. Overview of a Reference Future Mars Mission .................................................................... 18 1.04. Overview of NEEMO ........................................................................................................... 20 1.05. Overview of Desert RATS .................................................................................................... 20 1.06. Overview of PLRP ................................................................................................................ 20 1.07. Overview of ANSMET ......................................................................................................... 21 2. Comprehensive characterization of ANSMET ....................................................................................... 24 2.01. Description of the Mission .................................................................................................... 24 2.02. Transportation To, From, and Within Antarctica ................................................................. 51 2.03. Field Camp ............................................................................................................................ 63 2.04. Collecting Meteorites ............................................................................................................ 77 2.05. Crew Concerns ...................................................................................................................... 88 3. Data from ANSMET ............................................................................................................................. 100 3.01. 2004-2005 ANSMET Calendar Overview .......................................................................... 101 3.02. 2012-20013 ANSMET Calendar Overview ........................................................................ 103 3.03. Example Daily Timelines ................................................................................................... 105 3.04. Use of Time in Camp .......................................................................................................... 110 3.05. Fatigue and Sleep in Camp ................................................................................................. 113 2 3.06. Daily Distance Travelled .................................................................................................... 115 3.07. 2004-2005 Personal Gear Packing List ............................................................................... 117 3.08. 2012-2013 Personal Gear Packing List ............................................................................... 118 3.09. List of NSF-Issued Field Gear ............................................................................................ 119 3.10. Field Equipment Weight and Cube ..................................................................................... 120 3.11. Use of Volume and Consumables in Camp ........................................................................ 124 3.12. Workload and Exertion ....................................................................................................... 128 3.13. Data on McMurdo Station as a Model Space Settlement ................................................... 130 3.14. Informal Wind Speed Measurement Technique ................................................................. 131 3.15. An ANSMET Camp Recipe ................................................................................................ 132 4. Comparing ANSMET to space flight and to space flight analogs ........................................................ 134 4.01. Space Shuttle ....................................................................................................................... 134 4.02. International Space Station ................................................................................................. 139 4.03. A Future Mars Mission ....................................................................................................... 144 4.04. NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) ........................................... 148 4.05. Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) .................................................. 153 4.06. Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) ............................................................................. 158 4.07. Comparison of ANSMET Field Camp to Space Missions.................................................. 165 4.08. Comparison of ANSMET Field Camp to NEEMO, Desert RATS, and PLRP .................. 168 5. Observations and recommendations ..................................................................................................... 171 5.01. ANSMET Resembles Space Flight. NASA Should Treat It as a Space Flight Analog ...... 171 5.02. Astronaut Participation in ANSMET is Mutually Advantageous. It Should Continue ...... 171 5.03. Surface Mobility Enables Exploration. Future Missions Should Provide It ....................... 172 5.04. Surface Navigation Enables Exploration. Future Missions Should Provide It. .................. 172 5.05. Good, Varied Food is Key for Health and Morale. Space Missions Should Provide It ...... 173 5.06. ANSMET Provides a Wide Variety of Clothing. Deep Space Missions Should Too ........ 173 3 5.07. Logistics Occupy 50-75% of a Remote Site ....................................................................... 174 5.08. Support Takes Five Times as Much Work as Science ........................................................ 174 5.09. As in ANSMET, Space Mission Commanders Should Have a Say in Crew Selection ...... 175 5.10. ANSMET Cross-Trains Some Critical Crew Skills. It Should Train Even More ............... 175 5.11. ANSMET Plans for Some Contingencies. It Should Consider Even More ........................ 176 5.12. Most ANSMET Participants Have No Expedition Behavior Training. They Should ........ 176 5.13. As in ANSMET, Space Crew Commanders Should Adjust Crew Tasking ........................ 177 5.14. ANSMET Monitors Its Own Progress. So Should Deep Space Crews .............................. 178 5.15. As in ANSMET, Deep Space Crews Should Make Decisions Affecting Science .............. 178 5.16. ANSMET Operates With Limited Bandwidth, As Will Deep Space Missions .................. 178 5.17. ANSMET Uses Simple, Tough, Forgiving, Fixable Gear. So Should Space Missions ...... 179 5.18. ANSMET Does Its Own Manifesting and Stowage. So Should Deep Space Crews .......... 180 5.19. ANSMET Manages Its Own Daily Schedule. So Should Deep Space Crews .................... 180 5.20. Antarctica is a Good Place to Simulate a Mars Mission ..................................................... 181 6. Summary and conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 185 6.01. Key Results of This Work ................................................................................................... 185 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................................... 192 References ................................................................................................................................................. 193 Author vita ................................................................................................................................................ 196 4 List of figures Figure 1. ANSMET field camp at Larkman Nunatak ................................................................................... x Figure 2. McMurdo Station from Observation Hill ...................................................................................... x Figure 3. Logistics at McMurdo Station ......................................................................................................... Figure 4. Antarctic vista between McMurdo and the South Pole on an LC-130 put-in flight ........................ Figure 5. Bombardier "Ski-Doo" snowmobile, fully loaded and towing two sledges for a camp shift