Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020 (LPI Contrib. No. 2241) 5077.pdf LUNAR LIFE SCIENCES PAYLOAD ASSESSMENT. S. C. Sun1, F. Karouia2, M. P. Lera3, M. P. Parra1, H. E. Ray4, A. J. Ricco1, S. M. Spremo1. 1NASA Ames Research Center, 2Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 3KBR, 4ASRC Federal Space and Defense, Inc. Introduction: The Moon provides a unique site to ISS, including systems that integrate into EXPRESS study living organisms. The fractional gravity and (EXpedite the PRocessing of ExperimentS for Space) unique radiation environment have similarities to Mars Racks or are external space exposure research facilities. and will help us understand how life will respond to These same systems can be the basis for future payload conditions on the red planet. Martian and lunar envi- systems for experiments to be performed beyond Low ronments can be simulated on the ground but not to high Earth Orbit. Such facilities would need to be adapted to fidelity. Altered gravity and increased radiation are dif- be compatible with the new research platforms and ficult to replicate simultaneously, which makes study- function in the harsher radiation environment found out- ing their combined effect difficult. The International side the magnetosphere. If Gateway and a lunar based- Space Station, and previously, the Space Shuttle, pro- lab could provide EXPRESS-compatible interfaces, lev- vided a microgravity environment, and could simulate eraging hardware developed for ISS would be more fea- fractional-g only via an onboard centrifuge. Because sible. the ISS and Space Shuttle orbits were within the Earth’s Gaps in Capabilities: Many of the payload systems magnetosphere, experiments on those platforms have that have been developed require human tending. Com- not been exposed to the same level of galactic cosmic mercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads will rays and solar radiation than what would be seen on mis- need to be completely autonomous. Human Landing sions to Mars. System (HLS) payloads should also be highly auto- The Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and mated, as crew time on the human lander missions will Applications (SLPSRA) Division in the Human Explo- be extremely limited. Currently, only the smallsat bio- ration and Operations Mission Directorate commis- logical payload systems can function without any hu- sioned this study to assess what systems are needed to man tending. Hence, more automated payload systems study microbiology and cell biology utilizing Gateway, need to be developed. General robotic capabilities, such free flyers, and lunar landers. Even though SLPSRA as robotic arms and free flying robots like Astrobee, are focuses on Space Biology and the Human Research Pro- also needed to provide the ability to physically interact gram, this assessment looked at life sciences more as a with and manipulate the experiments and payload sys- cross-program discipline including astrobiology and tems. planetary protection, as well as biotechnology applica- CLPS payloads –CLPS provides a broad set of pay- tions. For this abstract, only the study results specific to load transport capabilities that will greatly enable life lunar surface science are presented. sciences research on the Moon. Early lunar life sciences Study Methodology: The authors of the assessment experiments will last for the lunar day and will rely on scoped the study to be as broad and inclusive as possi- telemetry to provide scientific data. Sample return will ble, examining payload systems that have already flown not be required. Organisms will need to stay in stasis in space as well as systems that are under development. for many months as a late-load integration process will The study encompassed US systems, including those not be afforded, and must be hardy enough to endure a developed by NASA centers and non-government insti- range of harsh environmental conditions. To provide tutions, as well as systems developed outside of the US. the proper thermal environment to sustain life, the pay- Each of the systems was examined relative to 78 dif- load would provide an internal heating capability. ferent criteria, grouped within categories including: sci- Lander location, shading of the payload, insulation, and ence and technical capabilities; programmatic factors multiple other parameters will need to be defined to pro- such as cost and technology readiness levels; logistics vide the proper thermal conditions. and operational requirements; and interface require- Through the development of a number of life sci- ments. Assessments were based on publicly available ence smallsats such as: GeneSat, PharmaSat, EcAMSat, information, in-house expertise, and in instances where O/OREOS-SESLO, EuCROPIS Powercell, and Bio- information could not be found, direct contact with the Sentinel, NASA has multiple flight-qualified technolo- payload developers. gies to support biological research in 1-4U (U = cubesat Assessment: Over 60 payload systems supporting unit, a 10-cm cube) system configurations. Many of the microbiology, cell biology, molecular biology, biotech- technologies were designed to function in an environ- nology, and astrobiology experiments were identified. ment similar to what is expected on the Moon, and could Many were developed for experiments performed on the Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020 (LPI Contrib. No. 2241) 5077.pdf support a range of microbiology experiments. Assum- Cube payload interface: Because cube-size instru- ing the BioSentinel system meets its year-long inter- ments are already onboard the ISS (e.g., Nanoracks and planetary mission requirements, it is assessed to be the TangoLabs) and in smallsats, this study recommends most capable system that could be adapted for CLPS to that NASA develops a cube-payload interface to allow provide a near term research capability. BioSentinel ex- such systems to integrate easily with the different CLPS periments are already being developed to be performed vehicles and to be more interchangeable with other on Earth, the ISS, and in heliocentric orbit, so adapting space research platforms. the system to function on the Moon should require only Regolith Radiation Shielding Experiment: Ex- limited development. periments on the lunar surface can help determine the Subsequent to BioSentinel-based experiments, fu- shielding that will be needed to protect the astronauts ture payloads could incorporate new and more powerful living in a lunar habitat. Lunar regolith is one candidate imaging systems that are in development. These instru- shielding material. Experiments on Foton [1] and the ments were originally designed to detect new life forms ISS [2] have examined the effects of space radiation on in our solar system; this study determined that they can bacteria, including bacteria shielded by simulated Mar- be used in combination with other smallsat microfluid- tian regolith. Similar experiments should be performed ics systems to study life from Earth living in deep space. on the Moon to evaluate the effectiveness of different As the CLPS payload capabilities grow, including shielding designs and materials, including lunar rego- greater payload mass and power, longer experiment du- lith. rations, and the provision of a sample return capability, Future Work: More detailed experiment require- the complexity of the experiments will increase. Pay- ments need to be defined in order to perform a more fo- loads up to 8U in size may be landed on the Moon. Sam- cused evaluation of payload systems and determine ples returned could be in the configuration of sealed mi- what new technologies need to be developed. As these crowell plates, small sample vials., or a small self-con- requirements become more clear, the payload require- tained sub-unit of the payload. Assuming there will not ments on CLPS and HLS will be more precisely speci- be any active thermal control of returned samples, bio- fied. logical organisms will need to be returned in stasis or Summary: To perform life science experiments on fixed in a chemical preservative. the Moon, this study determined that CLPS and HLS HLS payloads – Experiments utilizing the Human should plan to support payloads with the general char- Landing System are expected to take advantage of acteristics summarized in Table 1 below. These exper- larger power, mass, and volume envelopes for payloads; iments will answer critical research questions for multi- a small amount of crew time for manipulation and ser- ple NASA programs, alleviating risks associated with vicing of the experiment; and the possibility to return long duration human spaceflight, and understanding the samples in a thermally controlled environment. fundamental nature of life in our solar system. If there is a lunar base with a shirt-sleeve internal environment and a laboratory capability, a core life sci- References: ence research facility could comprise of multiple lock- [1] Rettberg P. et al (2004) Advances in Space Re- ers similar to the EXPRESS lockers on ISS, including a search Vol 33, Issue 8, 1294-1301 [2] Wassman M. et small centrifuge, a refrigerator/freezer, imaging sys- al. (2012) Astrobiology, Vol. 12, No. 5, 498-507. tems, molecular biology analytical instruments, and a small glovebox. Table 1: Summary of life science payload characteristics Mission Type Mass Volume Power Description Early CLPS mission 2.5 – 7 kg 1 - 4 liters Nominal 6 watts; 1- 4U cube-size instruments peak 12 watts Later CLPS mission 2.5 - 14 kg 1 - 8 liters Nominal 12 watts; 1- 8U cube-size instruments peak 24 watts Lunar Lab biospecimen facil- < 30 kg 71 liters Nominal 80 watts; Project to need 4 - 8 lockers for ity (single locker) peak 300 watts experiment hardware HLS Refrigerator/Freezer/In- 25 kg 71 liters Steady state: 100 Based on locker-size system de- cubator watts veloped for ISS .