Lunar lander propellant production for a multiple site exploration mission

A model has been developed to analyze the benefit of utilizing a processing plant architecture so that a lunar oxygen production demonstration mission can also provide a significant exploration and scientific return. This architecture will send one lander to the lunar surface with the capability of producing its own propellant to launch itself to multiple sites of scientific interest. It is compared with two other possible planetary exploration architectures: the multiple mission architecture which sends one mission to each landing site of interest, and the fully fueled architecture which sends one mission with enough propellant to launch itself to all selected landing sites. A value of the total mass savings of the processing plant architecture over these two architectures is used as a means of quantifying the benefit for future lunar exploration. The mass of the power system is found, to be the dominant component of the overall system mass for all cases using a Cassini type : RTG. Results from model runs have shown that at Cassini RTG efficiencies this architecture will not be beneficial in highland regions; however, a significant benefit is shown when using mare and glassy type feedstocks. Further data and analysis is needed to confirm the extent of this benefit. At Cassini RTG efficiencies, a processing plant architecture exhibits significant benefit in mare regions when launching once every [approximately] 2 months or longer. Launching every 2 months creates a benefit for a minimum of 12 launches with a launch range of up to [approximately] 10km. Using pyroclastic glasses as the feedstock produces a benefit when launching once every [approximately] 2 months or longer as well. Launching every 2 months creates a benefit for a minimum of 12 launches

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Neubert, Joshua, 1981-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jeffrey Hoffman.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28613

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28613