CSA Exploration Core 2009 Concept Studies: An Overview Eric Martin, Jean-Claude Piedbœuf Space Exploration, Canadian Space Agency 6767 Route de l'Aéroport, St-Hubert, Québec, Canada, J3Y 8Y9 e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract In 2009, the CSA awarded nine contracts for Space Within the Exploration Core context, the Canadian Exploration Concept Studies that could lead to the Space Agency (CSA) has awarded nine contracts in 2009 creation, approval and implementation of potential to conduct advanced concept studies. These studies focus Canadian space exploration activities. These studies on the identification of the technological and scientific focus on the identification of the technological and needs and on the mission analysis. As the initial phase in scientific needs and on the mission analysis. From the payload/mission development, it provides an opportunity nine studies, six were related to technology development for exploring truly innovative ideas. From the nine in the field of robotics while three studies were about the studies, six were related to technology development development of scientific instruments to achieve specific related to the field of robotics while three studies were science objectives. The key objectives of each of these about the development of scientific instruments to studies are described in the following sections. For each achieve specific science objectives. A description of study, an overview of the proposed concept to meet the the main objectives and the work accomplished in each mission requirements is presented. It is important to note of the six studies related to the robotics field is provided that these concepts represent the main results of the in this paper. studies. At the time of writing this paper, none of the proposed missions/concepts was approved for actual 1 Introduction implementation. However, most of these mission concepts resulted in early prototyping activities. Canada is one of the fourteen signers of the Global Exploration Strategy that establishes in 2007 an 2 Extraction Vehicle for In Situ Resource international framework for the exploration of our Moon, Mars and beyond. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is Utilisation (EVIS) evaluating potential participation in this renewed worldwide exploration effort building on its current 2.1 Objectives expertise in space exploration. Canada has been involved The EVIS Concept Study was focused on an in space exploration for more than 25 years with its Extraction Vehicle for In Situ Resource Utilization robotics, science and astronaut corps contributions. (EVIS) Mission. It was conducted by Neptec Design Group in partnership with COM DEV, McGill University, To ensure its readiness for future space exploration NORCAT, Ontario Drive and Gear, UTIAS, and missions, in 2007, the CSA has launched an Exploration ProtoInnovations. This group of companies and Core program. This program is developing the individuals is known as the Neptec Rover Team (NRT). requirements for future space missions and deploys prototypes in terrestrial missions reproducing some of The purpose of the Concept Study was to investigate the characteristics of planetary missions. The Exploration and prepare an operational concept and set of high level Core is preparing both the scientific community and requirements for a lunar surface mobility platform that Canadian industry, enabling them to make scientific and was adapted to tasks related to In situ Resource technological advances that will position Canada to make Utilization (ISRU). This work built on an earlier concept informed decisions on a participation in the global study conducted for the CSA but included updates drawn exploration. When a mission of interest to Canada arises, from a number of sources including NASA’s Exploration the existence of the Exploration Core will ensure that the Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) and Lunar required science and technologies have matured to the Architecture Team (LAT) updates, the March 2006 appropriate level, minimizing risk and cost of a mission. Canadian Space Agency publication, Serving and The results of this broad effort will allow Canada to Inspiring the Nation, and a number of relevant make more informed decisions concerning its conferences and seminars that took place between late contributions to, and participation in, the implementation 2008 and mid-2009. of the Global Exploration Strategy. Copyright© Canadian Space Agency 2010. All rights reserved. i-SAIRAS 2010 August 29-September 1, 2010, Sapporo, Japan 881 The proposed concept is a modular rover platform that is intended to support ISRU mission tasks through While there were subtle variations in the navigation, the sortie, extended stay and lunar outpost phases of the communications, thermal management, and power planned exploration of the Moon. subsystems concepts for the different configurations, the proposed implementation of the subsystems was The primary operational goal of the EVIS rover is to relatively consistent across the three configurations. The enable ISRU at an early stage of the campaign to explore main difference between the configurations was the and eventually establish habitable outposts on the Moon. implementation of the mobility function, and the Once established, this ISRU capability will be required positioning and interfacing of payloads, the other key to function throughout the complete operational phase of subsystems on the rover. lunar exploration. This operational goal is addressed with a vehicle that 3 Moon Mobility System: Canadian satisfies the following high level objectives: Contribution to the Manned Lunar Mission x Supports the extraction of resources from lunar (MLM) regolith to reduce the landed mass going to the moon, and 3.1 Objectives x Provides a means of moving and excavating the The MLM Concept Study looked at an exploration regolith in the near vicinity of a lunar outpost to concept that could lead to a critical and central Canadian aid in outpost deployment and emplacement. contribution to the international lunar surface mobility architecture. Its developed technologies and expertise 2.2 Concept Overview are also applicable to forward-looking CSA exploration While reviewing both primary and secondary milestones such as small-body missions and Mars sample objectives for the EVIS Rover, a series of scenarios that return, as well as other government-led initiatives in the such a vehicle could be used to support were identified. area of electric vehicles. The study was conducted by These scenarios can generally be grouped into the MDA Space Missions in Brampton, Ontario, in following categories: partnership with Bombardier Recreational Products/CTA, x Prospecting and Surveying Bristol Aerospace Limited, Carleton University, COM x Large-scale Resource Extraction, Transportation DEV, Defence Research and Development Canada, and Processing Hamilton Sundstrand, Hydrogenics Corporation, Johns x Utility and Mission Extendibility. Hopkins University - Applied Physics Lab, McGill University, MDA – Montreal, Optech Inc., Routes The rover objectives, capabilities and scenarios were AstroEngineering Ltd, Rune Entertainment, Simon enumerated, and then the rover-specific operational Fraser University, Université de Sherbrooke, University objectives and missions were decomposed and analyzed. of Guelph, University of Toronto – Institute for The result of this analysis was to arrive at some key Aerospace Studies, University of Western Ontario and operational/functional requirements for the rover. These University of Winnipeg. requirements were further decomposed to identify technical requirements that could be used in the The key objectives of the study were: evaluation of the concepts that were brought forward. x Assembly of a pan-Canadian industrial consortium of eight leading space companies Three rover configurations were identified as being and terrestrial technology providers to address relevant to the EVIS Rover operational requirements. the space-rating of a manned surface vehicle, The three configurations include a prospecting rover, an galvanise public interest, and spur industrial excavating rover, and a multi-purpose rover that momentum; represents a hybrid of the previous two that can also x Gathering of priorities from a diverse set of transport an EVA astronaut. All of these vehicles share a Canadian space stakeholders, including ten common skid-steer platform, U-shaped chassis and a academic science and technology partners, to relatively simple four-wheeled traction system with that promote ownership of Canada’s conceptual can be adapted from compliant wheels to non-rubberized lunar contribution; tracks with only minor modifications. Each of the three x Design of a human-rated surface mobility rover configurations consists of two of the four-wheeled system to be the foundation of Canada’s chassis interconnected by a linkage that allows the contribution to the international exploration chassis to be joined for some operations and separated in architecture; other cases. Figure 1 shows the EVIS rover concept and x Preparation of a budgetary ROM (Rough Order configurations. of Magnitude) cost to be used for planning Copyright© Canadian Space Agency 2010. All rights reserved. 882 purposes; Figure 1. EVIS Rover Concept and Configurations x Establishment of a Canadian Lunar Mobility Architecture to create national unity, program The MLM rover, shown in Figure 2, has been efficiency and guide technology development, designed