A VALUE PROPOSITION FOR LUNAR ARCHITECTURES UTILIZING ON-ORBIT PROPELLANT REFUELING By James Jay Young In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology May 2009 Copyright © 2009 by James J. Young A VALUE PROPOSITION FOR LUNAR ARCHITECTURES UTILIZING ON-ORBIT PROPELLANT REFUELING Approved by: Dr. Alan W. Wilhite, Chairman Dr. Douglas Stanley School of Aerospace Engineering School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Trina M. Chytka Dr. Daniel P. Schrage Vehicle Analysis Branch School of Aerospace Engineering NASA Langley Research Center Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Carlee A. Bishop Electronics Systems Laboratory Georgia Tech Research Institute Date Approved: October 29, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As I sit down to acknowledge all the people who have helped me throughout my career as a student I realized that I could spend pages thanking everyone. I may never have reached all of my goals without your endless support. I would like to thank all of you for helping me achieve me goals. I would like to specifically thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Alan Wilhite, for his guidance throughout this process. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Carlee Bishop, Dr. Trina Chytka, Dr. Daniel Scharge, and Dr. Douglas Stanley for the time they dedicated to helping me complete my dissertation. I would also like to thank Dr. John Olds for his guidance during my first two years at Georgia Tech and introducing me to the conceptual design field. I must also thank all of the current and former students of the Space Systems Design Laboratory for helping me overcome any technical challenges that I encountered during my research. I would especially like to thank Bob Thompson for the hours he spent editing and reviewing drafts of my dissertation and Dr. Robert Braun and Dr. Joseph Saleh for mentoring me throughout my time at Georgia Tech. Finally, I would like to thank my family for supporting me and encouraging me to strive for the best and to reach a future that I never though possible, my grandparents for always pushing me and my sisters for their loving support. I especially want to thank my future wife, Michelle Kassner, for always being there for me and keeping me focused no matter how stressful and difficult life became. We have both completed our Ph.Ds and will be moving on with the rest of our lives together. Michelle I love you xx. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................IV LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................VIII LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... X NOMENCLATURE..................................................................................................... XIV SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ XVII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 1.1 Motivation ...............................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 NASA’s Shift in Design Strategies.................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 A Summary of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study............................................................. 4 1.2 Problem Statement...................................................................................................................8 1.2.1 Introduction of Propellant Re-fueling as a Potential Solution ........................................................... 9 1.2.2 Understanding the Potential Value of Propellant Re-fueling........................................................... 14 1.3 Research Objectives and Goals .............................................................................................16 1.4 Dissertation Overview...........................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND...................................................................................... 21 2.1 Summary of ESAS Baseline Architecture.............................................................................21 2.1.1 Baseline Lunar Concept of Operations............................................................................................ 22 2.1.2 Cargo Launch Vehicle Summary..................................................................................................... 23 2.1.3 Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) Summary.......................................................................... 25 2.1.4 Crew Launch Vehicle Summary...................................................................................................... 27 2.1.5 Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Summary ................................................................................... 30 2.2 Previous Propellant Refueling Design Studies ......................................................................32 2.2.1 Propellant Refueling in Exploration Missions................................................................................. 33 2.2.2 Apollo Lunar Architecture .............................................................................................................. 34 2.2.3 Refueling with Current Space Transportation System..................................................................... 37 2.2.4 Refueling with Reusable Launch Vehicles...................................................................................... 38 2.2.5 Refueling in Destination Orbit for Return Maneuvers..................................................................... 41 2.2.6 Refueling with NASA Baseline Architecture.................................................................................. 43 2.2.7 NASA’s Refueling Studies.............................................................................................................. 45 2.2.8 Summary of Refueling Design Studies............................................................................................ 47 2.3 Current Propellant Refueling Technology Development ......................................................50 2.3.1 In-space Propellant Transfer Technologies ..................................................................................... 51 2.3.2 Long Term Propellant Boiloff Mitigation Techniques .................................................................... 54 2.4 Commercial Launch Industry ................................................................................................57 2.4.1 Delta Family of Vehicles................................................................................................................. 58 2.4.2 Atlas Family of Vehicles................................................................................................................. 59 2.4.3 Orbital Sciences’ Family of Vehicles.............................................................................................. 60 2.5 International Commercial Launch Industry...........................................................................60 2.5.1 Ariane Launch Vehicles .................................................................................................................. 61 2.5.2 Russian Launch Vehicles ............................................................................................................... 62 2.5.3 Asian Launch Vehicles.................................................................................................................... 62 2.5.4 US Responsive Launch Vehicles..................................................................................................... 63 2.5.5 NASA Exploration Architecture Elements...................................................................................... 64 2.5.6 Range of $/LB Considered for Propellant Refueling Study............................................................. 65 CHAPTER 3 PROPELLANT REFUELING DESIGN SPACE ................................ 70 3.1 Propellant Refueling Evaluation Methodology .....................................................................70 3.2 Propellant Refueling Design Space .......................................................................................73 v 3.2.1 Additional Ascent Propellant........................................................................................................... 75 3.2.2 Boiloff Thermal Management System............................................................................................. 76 3.2.3 LSAM Stage Re-fueled ................................................................................................................... 77 3.2.4 Lander Propellant Quantity Re-fueled............................................................................................. 79 3.2.5 LSAM Ascent Engine ..................................................................................................................... 79 3.2.6 LOI Maneuver................................................................................................................................. 81 3.2.7 LEO Required Stay Time ...............................................................................................................