# Presentation: 509584

**The VSE Turns 3:**** **
**Perspectives from an           Exploration-Hugging Scientist**
***Laurie Leshin***
***Director of Sciences and Exploration***
***Synthesis Team, Global Exploration Strategy***
***Co-Lead, Science Capability Focus Element, Lunar ******	******	******Architecture Team***
***NASA GSFC***
- January 18, 2006

**Notes:**
  Conference is a collaboration between Boeing, 
   NASA ESMD and AIAA.
  Sponsorship packages are being offered to traditional and nontraditional partners mid August.

## A Bold Vision for Space Exploration, Authorized by Congress

**Complete the International Space Station**
**Safely fly the Space Shuttle until 2010**
**Develop and fly the Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014 (goal of 2012)**
**Return to the Moon no later than 2020**
**Extend human presence across the solar system and beyond**
**Implement a sustained and affordable human and robotic program**
**Develop supporting innovative technologies, knowledge, and infrastructures**
**Promote international and commercial participation in exploration**

- The Administrator shall establish a program to develop a sustained human presence on the Moon, including a robust precursor program to promote exploration, science, commerce and U.S. preeminence in space, and as a stepping stone to future exploration of Mars and other destinations.

**NASA Authorization Act of 2005**

## US Role in Exploration – Derived from the Vision

**Leadership in US Exploration Strategy and Architecture Development-**
-   A collaborative effort
-   Identifying common interests with others
**Provide the US Transportation and certain exploration infrastructure**
**Extend operational experience in a hostile planetary environment**
**Early US Robotic and Human mission definition**
**Prepare for Human exploration of Mars**
**Early experiments and demos to characterize the planetary environment and test feasibility of planned operations (ISRU for example)**
**Provide Educational Benefits**
**Provide and facilitate opportunities for:**
-   Science
-   Economic development
-   International participation

## Our Approach:  An Architecture Driven By A Strategy

***Global Exploration Strategy Development***

**Themes & Objectives**

## Development of Lunar ObjectivesInitial Data Collection

**Initial list of lunar **
**objectives developed**
**What would be accomplished?**
**What is the value of this accomplishment?**

**What can be accomplished through lunar exploration?**

**800 Initial Objectives**

**Similar objectives merged**
**Duplicates removed**

**85 Merged objectives**

**RFI & April Workshop**

**Ideas**

**Merge**

## Development of Lunar Objectives Thoroughness and Completeness Check

***Development of Lunar Objectives ******Thoroughness and Completeness Check***

**14 International Space Agencies identify gaps in initial **
**data set**

**Note:**
**Space agencies consulted with subject matter experts to identify gaps, for example NASA queried:**

**188 Refined objectives**

**All 10 NASA centers**
**NASA Advisory Council, Science Subcommittee**
**Lunar Exploration Analysis Group**
**Mars Exploration Planning & Analysis Group**
**Lunar Commerce Roundtable**
**Space Enterprise Council, US Chamber of Commerce**
**Next Generation Space Explorers Conference**
**Newspace 2006 Conference NASA Lunar Architecture Team**

**Meetings in :**
**Montreal**
**Rome**
**Valencia**
**Houston**

**85 Merged objectives**

## NASA Exploration Lunar Activities Addressing Themes 

- Human Civilization

- Scientific Knowledge

- Exploration Preparation

- Public Engagement

- Economic Expansion

- Global Partnerships

**Notes:**
As stated earlier, would like approval to start two studies.  The first study is to develop a coherent defendable case of why we are going to the Moon – i.e., what are we going to accomplish.

A lot of analyses has been performed over the past decades, however, many of the studies did not have a reference architecture and budget constraints.  

I put together a potential list of what potential activities could be relative to the strategic objectives.  Would like to get a team of experts together to update list and put more details behind it with within the architecture and cost constraints.  

Products would be results that can be used for communication and results that will be the foundation of future strategic architecture concepts and technology analyses.  

## What Is a ‘Global Exploration Strategy’ Used For?

**A high-level compelling story of the value of lunar exploration that can be used to explain this effort to policy makers and the general public**
**A blueprint that will serve as a starting point for:**
- Coordination:  coordination among participants to maximize what can be accomplished
- Collaboration:  discussions between participants regarding areas of potential collaboration
- Mission Design:  detailed technical analyses that address,
***Time Phasing*** of activities and identification of dependencies among them
***Prioritization*** based on individual stakeholder goals
***Operational and Architecture Impacts*** of implementation of the strategy

## What is the Lunar Architecture Study?

**Study Objectives**
- Define a series of lunar missions constituting NASA’s Lunar campaign to fulfill the Lunar Exploration elements of the Visions for Space exploration
- Multiple human and robotic missions
- Develop process for future Architecture updates
**Lunar Architecture Team (LAT) Charter**
- Develop a baseline architecture concept and establish a periodic architecture refinement by December 6, 2006
- Baseline Architecture traced to Objectives
- Concept of Operations
- Exploration Architecture Requirements Document – Level 1 Requirements
- Functional Needs / Technology Analysis

## What are the Big Lunar Architecture Questions?

**What are the US priorities and phasing for what we will achieve at the moon? **
**How do priorities drive important decisions?**
- Outpost vs. Sorties
- Landing site(s)
- Architecture flexibility to address lower US priorities or far-term interests
**What infrastructure is required to support priorities?** Considerations:
- Schedule/ flight rate
- Cost/ available budget
**What will we plan on developing ourselves?**
- Critical path hardware to achieve primary objectives
- Allowing for parallel developments from commercial and/or international communities
**What level of limiting resources will allow for optimum realizable capability?**
- Enabled by basic NASA transportation architecture
- Down-mass and up-mass at the Moon
- Power

## Lunar Architecture Development Process

**Iteration Loop**

***Lunar Architecture Development Process***

## Key Decisions:  Sortie vs. Outpost

- Courtesy Cornell University/Smithsonian Institution

- South Pole

- Bussey, et al, 1999

- 5 km

- “Winter” Monthly Illumination

- >70%

- >60%

- >50%

**First:  What is the fundamental lunar ****approach?**
**LAT concluded outpost first is best approach**
**Top 2 Themes – “Exploration Preparation” and “Human Civilization” drive to outpost**
**Enables global partnerships**
**Allows development and maturation of ISRU**
**Results in quickest path toward other destinations**
**Many science objectives can be satisfied at an outpost**

## Outpost Site Location

***Outpost Site Location***

_***Outpost Site:  Polar***_
**Safe**
- Thermally Moderate
**Cost Effective**
- High percentage of sunlight
- Allows use of solar power
- Least Delta V required
**Resources**
- Enhanced hydrogen (possibly water)
- Potentially other volatiles
- Oxygen
**Flexibility**
- Allows incremental buildup using solar power
- Enhanced surface daylight ops
- One communication asset (with backup)
- More opportunities to launch
**Exciting**
- Not as well known as other areas
- Offer unique, cold, dark craters

- Data obtained during southern winter (maximum darkness)

- Data obtained during northern summer (maximum sunlight)

**South Pole**

**North Pole**

## Shackleton Crater Rim with Notional Activity Zones

**Habitation Zone**
**(ISS Modules Shown)**

**Power Production Zone**

- 0

- 5 km

**Potential Landing Approach**

**50-60%**

**60-70%**

**>70%**

**Monthly Illumination**
**(Southern Winter)**

**Landing Zone**
**(40 Landings Shown)**

**Resource Zone**
**(100 Football Fields Shown)**

**Observation** **Zone**

**To Earth**

**South Pole**** (Approx.)**

**Potential Landing Approach**

## Key Points:  Lander Basic Architecture

***Key Points:  Lander Basic Architecture***

**Descent Module **

**Ascent Module **

**Design Goals**
- Minimize Ascent Module mass
- Minimize Descent Module mass
- Maximize landed “payload” mass
- Simplify interfaces
- Move functions across interfaces when it makes sense

- Landed Mass(Cargo, Habitat, Mobility, etc – Maximized for Mass)

***Point of Departure Only***

## Key Points: Outpost Build up

***Key Points: Outpost Build up***

***Point of Departure Only – Not to Scale***

**Year 5-B Starts 6 month increments**

## Lunar Robotic Exploration Architecture

**Robotic Precursor Missions**
**Landing Site Recon**
**Reduce the risk for human missions**
**Potential for ISRU demonstrations**
**Scientific Exploration**
**Early and sustained public ****engagement**
**Implementation**
**LRO/LCROSS (launching in 2008)**
**Medium Lander at potential Outpost site**
**	****(Launching in 2011 or 2012)**
**SmallSat for communications demo**
**	****(Launching in 2011 or 2012)    **
**Other mission opportunities afterwards ****for:**
- Human Mission Risk reduction
- Resource determination (especially Hydrogen and other volatiles)
- ISRU proof of concept/risk reduction (O2, H2, H2O, N2, structure fabrication, etc)
- Science

## Lunar Architecture Framework —Point of Departure

**Robotic missions will be used to: **
- Characterize critical environmental parameters and lunar resources
- Test technical capabilities as needed
**The ability to fly robotic missions from the outpost or from Earth will be a possible augmentation**

**Human lunar missions will be used to build an outpost at a polar site**
**The ability to fly human sorties and  cargo missions with the human lander will be preserved**
**Initial power architecture will be solar with the potential augmentation of nuclear power at a later time**

**Notes:**
Human lunar missions will be used to incrementally build an outpost
The outpost will be emplaced at a polar site
The ability to fly human sorties to other lunar locations as well as the ability to fly cargo missions with the human lander will be preserved
Robotic missions will be used to:
Characterize critical environmental parameters
Characterize lunar resources
Test technical capabilities as needed
The ability to fly robotic missions from the outpost or from Earth will be a possible augmentation
For robotic site investigations
To scout and prepare for human sortie missions to other locations of interest
The initial power architecture can be solar with potential augmentation of nuclear power at a later time

## NASA Implementation Philosophy

- The US will perform early demonstrations to encourage subsequent development
- External parallel development  of NASA developed capabilities will be welcomed

- The US will build the transportation infrastructure and initial communication & navigation and initial EVA
- Open Architecture:  NASA will welcome external development of lunar surface infrastructure

**Notes:**
The US will build the transportation infrastructure and basic level of capability that is critical path for achieving its primary goals
Open Architecture:  For most lunar surface infrastructure NASA welcomes external development of capabilities
The US will perform initial measurements and demonstrations to welcome and enable additional participation (Example: ISRU demos)
External parallel development of NASA developed capabilities will be welcomed for robustness
Augmentation of NASA developed capabilities by external parties will be welcomed

## Open Architecture: Infrastructure Open for Potential External Cooperation

***Open Architecture: Infrastructure ******Open for Potential External Cooperation***

**Lander and ascent vehicle**
**EVA system**
- CEV and Initial Surface capability
- Long duration surface suit
**Power**
- Basic power
- Augmented
**Habitation **
**Mobility**
- Basic rover
- Pressurized rover
- Other; mules, regolith moving, module unloading
**Navigation and Communication**
- Basic mission support
- Augmented
- High bandwidth
**ISRU**
- Characterization
- Demos
- Production

**Robotic Missions**
- LRO- Remote sensing and map development
- Basic environmental data
- Flight system validation (Descent and landing)
- Lander
- Small sats
- Rovers
- Instrumentation
- Materials identification and characterization for ISRU
- ISRU demonstration
- ISRU Production
- Parallel missions
**Logistics Resupply**
**Specific Capabilities**
- Drills, scoops, sample handling, arms
- Logistics rover
- Instrumentation
- Components
- Sample return

**** US/NASA Developed hardware**

## Forward Work (January – July 07)

- Develop global view and mature architecture
- Coordinate lunar exploration plans among international and commercial partners and continue to look for other collaboration opportunities
- Refine campaign and architecture concepts and  also element hardware concepts
- Update and baseline ESMD Requirements
- Develop Mars Reference Mission
- Continue to engage academia, the private sector, and other stakeholders in defining a sustainable program of exploration

**Using current architecture as a point of departure**

**Notes:**
Develop a global view and maturation of the architecture
Work to coordinate lunar exploration plans among the international and commercial partners, while looking for opportunities for collaboration where NASA and other stakeholders have mutual interests
Refine campaign and architecture concepts using:
Updated objectives
Prioritized science objectives
Identified driving requirements
External inputs
Continue refinement of element hardware concepts
Update and baseline ESMD Requirements
Develop Mars Reference Mission
Continue to engage academia, the private sector, and other stakeholders in defining a sustainable program of exploration

## Lunar Architecture Team Science Capability Focus Element Activities

**Each Objective Deconstructed to Define Needed Capabilities***** **

**Each Objective Mapped to Architecture for “Goodness of Fit”**

**Objectives from Global Strategy Team **

**ALL Science Objectives**** **

***Capabilities such as human or robotic mission, location, surface mobility, payload mass, sample return, data rates, power, subsurface access, etc.**

## Science Objectives – to – Architecture Rating Scheme

*Green* – objective can be substantially accomplished by 2025 within the current architecture assuming the priority and funding are allocated
*Orange* – objective will very likely take longer than the 2025 time horizon to accomplish, but could be accomplished in an outpost-based architecture
*Yellow* – some part of the objective can be accomplished within the current architecture by 2025
*Pink* – the objective can be accomplished with a combination of outpost-based science and robotic sorties
*Red* – the objective can really only be accomplished through addition of human sorties, or some other additional capability, to the current architecture

**1**

**2**

**3**

**4**

**5**

## Overall Assessment

**38 out of 69 rated objectives are GREEN (55%)**
**The NASA Architecture provides many opportunities for science!  **
**Priorities must now be considered -- we probably cannot accommodate all GREEN objectives, and some YELLOW and PINK objectives are likely to be of high science priority**

## Geology Objectives

**Most Geology objectives are GREEN (58%), requiring field work that is either non-site specific (geologic *****process***** studies) or polar-focused (volatiles) and that could be accomplished robotically and by humans**

**YELLOW objectives are largely field mapping and sampling objectives, where much progress can be made at the outpost site, but that will **_***absolutely require***_** human visits to non-outpost locations to fully achieve the objective**
**PINK objectives require deployment of sensors (seismometers, heat flow, etc.) at non-outpost sites – could probably be done robotically, at least for initial instruments**

## Science Opportunities Beyond the Current Architecture

***Yellow***** objectives typically require **_**geological field work and sampling**_** at the outpost location, PLUS other locations.  However, progress can be made at a single location.**

***Pink***** objectives typically require **_**deployment of instrument packages at sites around the Moon**_**, creating a “**_**network**_**” of sensors**

## Summary of LAT Science Focus Element

**The LAT Science Capability Focus Element deconstructed all science objectives provided by the Global Exploration Strategy Team and mapped the “goodness of fit” of these objectives onto the NASA Architecture**
**Many science objectives across multiple disciplines can be accommodated within the architecture**
**This work provides a foundation and possible starting point for community science prioritization discussions such as that to be held by the NASA Advisory Council at their Feb., 2007 Workshop**