Lunar Rock Transportation & Processing

1. Lunar Rock Transportation & Processing Corey Harmon ASTE 527 Final Project December 15, 2008

2. Current NASA Plan for Lunar ISRU • ESAS Architecture includes pre-cursor missions to demonstrate ISRU capabilities • Crew support includes O2 and H2O production from lunar regolith • Ascent vehicles designed to be compatible with ISRU-derived propellants • Extraction of metals from regolith to produce items like solar arrays • What’s missing – a focus on simple construction using raw materials! Image: NASA

3. Surface Composition at Mons Malapert • The main base at Mons Malapert is located in the lunar highlands • Surface is covered with ancient “rubble” called breccia, which are angular rock fragments resulting from impacts • Rocks are igneous (similar to granite) and are rich in calcium and aluminum Image: Close-up of Feldspar mineral (Wikipedia) Image: Lunar surface (http://www.le.ac.uk/ph/faulkes/web/planets/r_pl_moon.html)

4. Construction Techniques • For the first crewed missions to the lunar surface, the available technology will limit the complexity of structures • Ancient civilizations were able to do much more with much less – we can do the same on the moon! Image: Pyramids at Giza (Wikipedia)

5. Material Collection and Transportation • To build landing pads and roads, the surface must be cleared and leveled • Rocks collected by the equipment with basket-type scoop • Rocks are placed in transport cars strung along tether line • A tether system has several benefits over a rover • Rovers can spend time collecting material, not hauling it back and forth • Fewer mechanisms that are exposed to the damaging lunar dust • Tether system set-up around the perimeter of the landing site, road, and habitat sites Habitat Image: Architecture and Vision Excavator Image: [2] Lander Image: [1]

6. Processing & Shaping Image: Diagram of VSI (http://www.bgs.ac.uk/planning4minerals/Resources_21.htm) • VSI Crusher • Final output is cube-shaped aggregates • Grade is determined by velocity of shaft – can be changed to create different sized aggregates • Material is fed into vertical shaft from the top from transport cars • Power provided by combination of batteries and solar power beaming

7. Applications • Rocks will be shaped for easy dry-packing • Rocks fit together without need for mortar or gluing material • What can be made? • Base layers for landing pads, roads, etc. • Shade walls and berms • Exposed platforms or towers • Unpressurized dome structures for storage • Outer protection for inflatable habitats  radiation shielding Image: Collage of lunar surface and terrestrial retaining wall (wall image from spanishwhitevillages.com) Image: Example of unpressurized dome (CalEarth)

8. Next Steps • More active processing techniques • Drill or cut away pieces from large outcrops and shape into slabs • Larger and more stable structures can be built (slabs, blocks, bricks, columns, beams) • Same methodology as ancient Egyptian’s used to build pyramids • There may be issues with thermal control – need to get dissipate heat from drill or saw bits in vacuum environment • Make sulfur concrete • Requires processing of regolith to remove sulfur • High heating needed to melt sulfur and regolith together to make concrete • Concrete may not be very strong • Rapid-prototyping using lunar regolith as sintering material • Can make items for use in habitats, crewed vehicles, etc. • May be able to replace failed components in some systems • Can make geometrically complex objects with very few components

9. References • Connolly, John. Altair Lunar Lander Design. Presentation at 59th International Astronautical Congress. Glasgow, October 2008. • Freitas, Robert A. Jr. Advanced Automation for Space Missions. Appendix 5D. NASA/ASEE Summer Study, 1980 • Mendell, W. W., Editor. Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century. Houston, TX, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1985, Ch. 6. • Shrunk, David, et al. The Moon: Resources, Future Development, and Settlement. Praxis Publishing, 2nd Edition, 2008. • Simon, Tom, et al. “NASA In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Development & Incorporation Plans.” Presentation at Technology Exchange Conference, Galveston, TX, November 2007. • Wilhelms, Don E. Geologic History of the Moon. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1987. • NASA’s Exploration Systems Architecture Study: Final Report. NASA-TM-2005-214062, November 2005. • http://www.synapses.co.uk/astro/moon3.html • “Lunar Mare” Wikipedia article. • “Egyptian Pyramid Construction Techniques” Wikipedia article • “Rock Crusher” Wikipedia article

10. BACKUP MATERIAL

11. Apollo & Luna Sample Composition

12. Pros & Cons of Using Lunar Rocks as Construction Material • PROS • Rocks are abundantly available • Low lunar gravity results in easier handling and the structures can be taller, more slender, and longer than on Earth • They are not susceptible to the harsh lunar environment • CONS • Processing must be done in a controlled environment to prevent high-energy debris from escaping • Adaptation of terrestrial processors needs significant testing