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SinterPad�A Dust-free Springboard on our Nearest Cosmic Stepping Stone!

ASTE 527, Fall 2017

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Suman Balagere Ramaiah

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New Administration

Return to Moon

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"We will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but [also] to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond,"

"The moon will be a stepping stone, a training ground, a venue to strengthen our commercial and international partnerships as we refocus America's space program toward human space exploration,"

"We will renew America's commitment to creating the space technology needed to protect national security”

"We will promote regulatory, technological and educational reforms to expand opportunities for American citizens and ensure that the U.S. is at the forefront of economic development in outer space,"

"We won the race to the moon half a century ago, and now we will win the 21st century in space,"

"In the years to come, American industry must be the first to maintain a constant commercial human presence in low-Earth orbit, to expand the sphere of the economy beyond this blue marble."

“America must be as dominant in the heavens as it is on Earth"

-- Mike Pence, Vice President of USA; October 5, 2017; National Space Council meeting.

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New Administration

Return to Moon

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-- Donald Trump, President of USA; US Space Policy Directive signing, December 11, 2017, DC . (CNBC News)

Next steps… (year long interplay) !

“ This time we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation to an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday to many worlds beyond”

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Space Architecture in the 21st Century�

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  • Stakeholders viewpoints
  • Minimum Viable Product
  • Elegant design
  • High TRL and success rate
  • ISRU & COTS equipment
  • Reusability is a new space norm
  • Establish baseline infrastructure, Commercial ROI
  • Robotic operation
  • Multi purpose
  • 3D printing
  • Science & Exploration

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Moon as a Destination

Lunar Crustal Abundance & Uses

  • O2 is most abundant element on Moon ( 42% of regolith)
  • Metals ( Fe, Al, Ti) & Silicon for wiring, semiconductors & electronics.
  • Regolith: Basalt is abundant (Sintered blocks, Tiles, Concrete, Glass)
  • Water found at poles ( Food, Molded Ice radiation shield, Fuel, O2)
  • Solar wind deposited volatiles; CO2 for vegetation, Welding, Melting.
  • Powdered metal for solid rocket propellant (ex. Aluminum)

Mare

Mare

Highlands

Temperature��Day (+ 127 0C)

Night (- 173 0C)� at the Equator

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Need for Lunar Landing infrastructure

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  • Retro rocket expels lunar dust at high speeds during landing & Liftoff; sandblasts sensitive equipment.�
  • Sharp microscopic dust levitates in lunar plasma cloud and causes many problems to astronauts.

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  • Obscure vision, respiration, static discharge, equipment malfunction, clings to space suit.

Commercial Technology ROI

  • Single most important infrastructure before any permanent planetary settlement activity can start
  • Structural Components Manufacturing Tech Development
  • Technology applicable for Mars missions too
  • Commercial Lunar port as a service in future
  • Sustainable long term Moon settlement activity
  • Space Tourism & Lunar FedEx (ref: Astrobotics)

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Lander Dust Effect Regime

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Source: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/main.html

Source:https://www.zazzle.com/apollo_eagle_lunar_module_mouse_pad-144390210112647898

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Lander Blast Zones

“The largest blast zones, those of Apollo, were measured to be only ∼150–260 m in diameter, but modeling and analysis of dust particle velocities and trajectories indicate that most particles probably traveled kilometers and some may even have reached the escape velocity of the Moon.”��Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2013.09.013

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Landing Pad Requirements

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  • Design for 100kN Ultimate strength (failure mode)
  • Withstand repeated impact loads & high temperature plumes.
  • Flat, Stable and spatially interlocked structure
  • Dust-free / Curtail ejecta-debris production
  • Serviceable
  • Robotic Assembly (Minimum steps or Post processing)
  • Robotic Repairable
  • Reusable (100 sorties)
  • ISRU

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“Landing pads offer a flat, stable surface to prevent damages that occur when spacecrafts take off or land on planetary objects”. - PISCES

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Landing Location

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Nearly 26% of the near side of the Moon is basalt and only 2% of the far side is basalt.

Source: http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/topics/001159.html

Source:https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/5279640jpg?id=5279

Note: Shackleton crater rim near south pole has good sunlight but has no Basalt access & Terrain is not so good for landing.

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Basalt Tile vs Concrete Tile

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Basalt rock can be 4 - 7 X stronger in compression than normal Portland cement concrete typically used on Earth.

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Can Basalt rock be formed to be comparable to concrete as a construction material?

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  • Sintered basalt regolith has achieved 206 Mpa (30,000 psi) in compression tests
  • 5X stronger than Portland Cement concrete – turning regolith into rock!

Source: ref: KSC Swamp Works and PISCES collaboration, Big Island, Hawaii.

Properties of strength

Portland cement concrete

Basalt rock

Density

2500 - 2900 kg/m3 (140 - 150 lb/ft3)

2630 +/- 140 kg/m3 (164 lb/ft3)

Compressive strength

~ 20 - 40 MPa (~3000 - 6000 psi)

~ 144 - 292 MPa (20,885 – 42,351 psi)

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Flexural Strength

500 psi - 2000 psi

716 psi - 5852 psi

Source:http://www.isruinfo.com/docs/srr18_ptmss/5-1%20Basalt%20Derived%20Feedstock%20for%20ISRU%20Manufacturing-Hamilton.pdf

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Selected Technologies�

Additive Manufacture or Subtractive ?

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Basalt ⇒ Sintering, Melt, Cast, Extrusion, 3D print, Fiber weaving, compact forging, Grind/Machining�

Tiles from Lunar basalt�

  • 3D printed tile using Selective sintering + Interlocked
  • Lunar rock grind-finished + Interlocked
  • Solar heat sintering + Die forging + Interlocked
  • Forged tile from molten regolith + Interlocked
  • Regolith + High temperature Epoxy polymer mix + Casting + Interlocked

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�Refractory Tile Concept�

  • Foaming the molten regolith (with CO2 volatile) + perforate to cast refractory tiles
  • Vacuum is best insulator!

�Sintered Tile concept

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  • Sintering regolith and machined

Source: Regolight (A TRL 5 Solar Sintering Technology)

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Sintering Types

Sintering: Make (a powdered material) coalesce into a solid or porous mass by heating it (and usually also compressing it) without liquefaction.

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Based on source/method of heating: Selective v/s Uniform heating

  1. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) (Selective heating)
  2. Microwave Sintering (Uniform heating)
  3. Solar concentrator heat Sintering
  4. Electric Arc Sintering

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Important factors in 3D printing with sintering:�

Grain size, Feed rate, melt temperature, melt viscosity, setting time, compressive strength.

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PISCES

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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jhYShYccA&t=15s (PISCES)

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Big Vision = Big Site Plan = Big Task�

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Site Preparation

Robotic Tonka trucks involved in ground preparation for Landing Pad and Blast Walls construction

Helelani Rover (PISCES)

Multifunctional Robotic precursor missions on Moon will be intended towards ground preparation for future Lunar construction operations.

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Better Tile Design needed

Autonomous Robotic construction

  • New 3D interlocking tile design is needed.

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  • Multi-functional, autonomous robotic manufacturing & construction cooperation is needed.

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3D Interlocking Tiles

  • Firm & interlocked by geometry
  • Simple , Robot friendly modular design

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Tile Design Process...

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3D Interlocking Bricks

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Zip-brick Concept for walls�

Source:https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=3621

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Final Designs

Alternative Notch concept for Tiles

Zip-Brick Concept for Walls

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Tessellation

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Tile Cladding + Interlocking

  • Suitable Tile cladding methods for different construction layout plans is currently being undertaken at USC.�
  • Geometric and Topological build sequence (simulations) will be done in next stage.

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Tessellation (Build sequence)

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Conical Roof Tiles

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Homing Beacon

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  • Ground based homing beacon for direction & speed tracking
  • Triangulation Algorithm + Image processing of Lander camera during VTVL
  • Landing Pad has accurate known radius for image processing
  • Solar powered + Radiation hardened electronics

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Future Applications

Heat Shields, Blast walls, Roads, Structural Components

… can be used for Mars settlement also!�

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Thank you!�Email: balagere@usc.edu�

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References

  • Bennett, F.V., 1972. Apollo experience report: Mission planning for lunar module descent and ascent.
  • Brady, T. and Paschall, S., 2010, March. The challenge of safe lunar landing. In Aerospace Conference, 2010 IEEE (pp. 1-14). IEEE.
  • Heiken, G., Vaniman, D., & French, B. M. (Eds.). (1991). Lunar sourcebook: A user's guide to the Moon. CUP Archive.
  • Hintze, P., Curran, J. and Back, T., 2009. Lunar surface stabilization via sintering or the use of heat cured polymers. In 47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including The New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition (p. 1015).
  • Hintze, P.E., 2010. Building a vertical take off and landing pad using in situ materials. Space Manufacturing, 14, pp.29-31.
  • Hogue, M. D., Mueller, R. P., Hintze, P. E., Sibille, L., & Rasky, D. J. (2012). Regolith-Derived Heat Shield for Planetary Body Entry and Descent System with In Situ Fabrication. In Earth and Space 2012: Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments (pp. 526-536).
  • Jolliff, B. I. (2006). New views of the Moon; Ed.: BI Jolliff et al. Washington: Miner. soc. of America; Geochem. soc..
  • Jones, E. M. (1995). The Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal (No. LA-UR-95-1400). Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States).
  • Khoshnevis, B., Carlson, A., Leach, N. and Thangavelu, M., 2012. Contour crafting simulation plan for lunar settlement infrastructure buildup. In Earth and Space 2012: Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments (pp. 1458-1467).
  • Khoshnevis, B., Thangavelu, M., Yuan, X. and Zhang, J., 2013. Advances in contour crafting technology for extraterrestrial settlement infrastructure buildup. In AIAA SPACE 2013 Conference and Expo (p. 5438).

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References Contd.,

  • Khoshnevis, B. and Zhang, J., 2015. Selective Separation Sintering (SSS)-An Additive Manufacturing Approach for Fabrication of Ceramic and Metallic Parts with Application in Planetary Construction. In AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference and Exposition (p. 4450).
  • Lee, J., Chang, B.C., Lee, S. and Lee, T.S., 2012. Feasibility study on lunar concrete landing pad. In Earth and Space 2012: Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations Challenging Environments (pp. 128-134).
  • Mendell, W. W. (1985). Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century.
  • Metzger, P., Li, X., Immer, C. and Lane, J., 2009. ISRU implications for lunar and martian plume effects. In 47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including The New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Expo (p. 1204).
  • Mueller, R. P. (2006, October). Surface support systems for co-operative and integrated human/robotic lunar exploration. In 57th International Astronautical Congress, October (pp. 2-6).
  • Nohmi, M. and Miyahara, A., 2005, August. Modeling for lunar lander by mechanical dynamics software. In AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference and Exhibit (p. 6416).
  • Schrunk, D., Sharpe, B., Cooper, B. L., & Thangavelu, M. (2007). The moon: Resources, future development and settlement. Springer Science & Business Media.
  • Spudis, P., & Lavoie, A. (2011, September). Using the resources of the Moon to create a permanent, cislunar space fairing system. In AIAA SPACE 2011 Conference & Exposition (p. 7185).
  • Taylor, L. A., & Meek, T. T. (2005). Microwave sintering of lunar soil: properties, theory, and practice. Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 18(3), 188-196.
  • Thangavelu, M. and Mekonnen, E., 2009. Preliminary Infrastructure Development for Altair Sortie Operations. In AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference & Exposition (p. 6422).

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References Contd.,

  • Thangavelu, M., Albarico, K., Enomoto, J., Doyle, M., Harmon, C., Mekonnen, E., Stuppy, W., Pugh, D., Shrestha, R., Moring, J. and Jordan, N., 2009. Return to the Moon: Looking Glass 204. In AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference & Exposition (p. 6612). Thangavelu, M., Khoshnevis, B., Carlson, A. and Leach, N., 2012. Architectural concepts employing co-robot strategy and contour crafting technologies for lunar settlement infrastructure development. In AIAA SPACE 2012 Conference & Exposition (p. 5173).
  • Thangavelu, M. (2012). Living on the Moon. Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering.
  • Thangavelu, M. (2014). Planet Moon: The Future of Astronaut Activity and Settlement. Architectural Design, 84(6), 20-29.
  • Thangavelu, M., & Chao, A. M. (2016). PocketPadTM: Concept for an Expendable Safe Lander Touchdown Accessory. In AIAA SPACE 2016 (p. 5355). Thangavelu, M., & Adhikari, P. (2017). MPIT: Minimally Processed ISRU Technology Structures for Rapid Extraterrestrial Settlement Infrastructure Development. In AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition (p. 5208).

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References Contd.,

b. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/leag2012/presentations/Kelso.pdf

c. http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/09/24/pisces-signs-agreement-nasa-lunar-landing-pad-project/

d. https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/leag2015/pdf/2002.pdf

e. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20150015509.pdf