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Lunar In Situ Materials-Based Habitat Technology Development Efforts at NASA/MSFC
Abstract
For long duration missions on other planetary bodies, the use of in situ materials will become increasingly critical. As man's presence on these bodies expands, so must the structures to accommodate them including habitats, laboratories, berms, garages, solar storm shelters, greenhouses, etc. The use of in situ materials will significantly offset required launch upmass and volume issues. Under the auspices of the In Situ Fabrication & Repair (ISFR) Program at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Habitat Structures project has been developing materials and construction technologies to support development of these in situ structures. This paper will report on the development of several of these technologies at MSFC's Prototype Development Laboratory (PDL). These teckologies include, but are not limited to, development of extruded concrete and inflatable concrete dome technologies based on waterless and water-based concretes, development of regolith-based blocks with potential radiation shielding binders including polyurethane and polyethylene, pressure regulation systems for inflatable structures, production of glass fibers and rebar derived from molten lunar regolith simulant, development of regolithbag structures, and others, including automation design issues. Results to date and planned efforts for FY06 will also be presented.
... Current construction materials research focus on the possibility of using spatial resources in the construction process to build economic habitats. The possibility of using lunar in-situ materials including lunar regolith in constructing space-habitats was investigated, and humanhabitat structure-size scale was produced using 3-D printing (Benaroya, 2018 andBodifford et al., 2006). This developed NASA technology, known as Additive Construction using Mobile Emplacement (ACME), allows for the 3-D printing of human habitats, spatial infrastructure, and launching pads using local space resources, thereby tremendously reduce the logistics cost of construction (Mueller et al., 2017. ...
NASA announced its anticipated dates to send humans to an asteroid in year 2025 and to Mars in 2030s which requires the preparation of habitats on space for human accommodation. Due to the high cost of shipping construction materials to space, it is required to utilize in-situ materials for the development of concrete mixes. In this research, cement matrix using regular portland cement, and stucco will be tried. In addition, martian and lunar regolith will be utilized as aggregate due to their high availability. Utilized aggregates were sieved and grouped into different sizes to find the optimum aggregate size for concrete properties. Research findings proved that smaller regolith particles tend to produce concrete mixes with higher strength due to the improved packing order. The findings of this research present a step forward into producing economic concrete mixes, using local spatial materials for the development of space habitats.
... Multiple materials are under study as planetary construction materials, including sulfur, various thermoplastic polymers, sintered and melted basalt, and cementitious materials (e.g., Bodiford et al., 2006;Toutanji et al., 2012;Mueller et al., 2014;Werkheiser et al., 2015;Khoshnevis et al., 2016;Mueller et al., 2016). Under the ACME project, sintering, polymer extrusion, and cementitious materials have been explored. ...
... Similar to regolith, simulants can be melted when heated to above the liquidus temperature (roughly 1300°C) and produce cast regolith-like products. Bodiford et al. [137] also reported the successful development of glass rebars (with diameters of 9.5-12.5 mm) and fibers (with diameters of 0.01-0.76 mm) from molten JSC-1 regolith simulant (see Fig. 11). ...
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), together with the European Space Agency (ESA), revealed plans to resume manned exploration missions and to establish permanent human presence in outposts (habitats) on the Moon and Mars by 2040. In order to promote feasible and sustainable space exploration, these habitats are envisioned to be built from lunar and Martian in-situ resources. Our understanding of such indigenous resources, from materials science, construction and structural engineering points of view, is lacking and continues to hinder further development of Earth-independent habitats. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, a comprehensive assessment on the physical features and property characteristics of extraterrestrial construction materials such as those exploited from the Moon and Mars, mined from near-earth objects (NEOs), or cultured through modern technologies is presented herein. This review explores the suitability of construction materials derived from lunar and Martian regolith along with concrete derivatives, space-native metals and composites, as well as advanced and non-traditional materials for interplanetary construction. This review also identifies processing techniques suitable to produce non-terrestrial construction materials in the alien environment of space (i.e. vacuum, low gravity, etc.) and highlights emerging trends and future directions to stimulate further research in this area.
... Bindemittel sind Reaktionsharze mit Härter-und Beschleunigungsstoffen [21]. Am Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville/USA) wurde Polymerbeton ohne Wasser aus JSC-1-Regolithsimulat mit verschiedenen polymerbasierten Bindemitteln untersucht [22]. Das größte Problem bei der lunaren Anwendung wäre, das diese dort nicht verfügbar sind und folglich in großen Mengen transportiert werden müssten. ...
The purpose of this study was to deploy a Delphi expert elicitation methodology to better understand the technical and policy challenges facing the development of a sustainable lunar outpost in 2040, including the types and scale of ISRU deployment. We used a three-round Delphi survey with an open first round and specific questions in later rounds using a four-point Likert scale and two ranking exercises to assess energy technologies and inhibiting factors. In order to provide more certainty to our potential participants regarding their input, and boost engagement, the study deployed a three-round approach that was communicated to our potential participants and decided ex-ante. Potential participants were identified from the literature and academic networks as those who had made significant contributions to the fields of; ISRU technologies, space architecture, space-qualified power systems, and space exploration. The study identified around 20 major themes of interest for researchers in the first round and asked participants to rate their agreement with a number of statements about a hypothetical lunar outpost in 2040. From the group responses, we identified three major technical challenges for the development of a lunar outpost in 2040; developing high power energy infrastructure, lander and vehicle ascent capacity, and mission architectures and technical approaches. We also identified three major policy challenges for the development of a lunar outpost in 2040; US and global political instability, possibility of an extended timeframe for the first lunar landing, and political distaste for nuclear energy in space. The group was uncertain about the precise energy mix at the outpost as a result of uncertainty regarding electrical loads, but there was general agreement that solar PV would be a significant contributor. Whether nuclear power sources might play a useful role proved to be very uncertain, with some participants noting a political distaste for space nuclear power systems. However, the proposition gained two votes in each ranking position, suggesting it has a flat distribution including both supporters and detractors.
The use of Lunar regolith for the creation of construction materials to build habitats and other infrastructure required for a Lunar base is an example of in situ resource utilization (ISRU), an important strategy for minimizing the launch mass associated with a NASA mission to the Moon. One class of solidified regolith, Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites (BSC), consists of regolith mixed with a small amount of biopolymer binding agent (10% w/w). This paper characterizes BSC's micrometeoroid impact performance using experimental and numerical methods. Micrometeoroids are a notable hazard of the Lunar environment and pose a challenging design consideration. A total of 17 hypervelocity impact experiments were conducted on BSC targets at NASA's White Sands Testing Facility. Numerical simulations of the hypervelocity impact experiments were carried out using CTH, a shock physics code developed by Sandia National Laboratories. Comparisons between the experimental craters and the simulation results indicate that there is good agreement between crater dimensions of the hypervelocity impact experiments and the CTH model. The CTH model developed in this paper provides (1) a damage prediction tool that allows for the necessary extrapolation of micrometeoroid impact velocities beyond what is experimentally achievable and into the velocity regime that is relevant for micrometeoroids and (2) a material design tool that is capable of varying material parameters computationally, ultimately allowing for the engineering and optimization of BSC's performance under impact loading.
Much like their Earth-based counterparts, the requirements of future space habitat structures can be defined by their ability to protect their occupants and provide usable space to live and work in an extreme, isolated environment. Due to the high cost of transporting resources off of Earth’s surface, recent efforts focus on developing increasingly Earth-independent structural designs. These new designs use local regolith-based materials as a possible solution for long-term extraterrestrial sustainability. With a focus on an Earth-independent habitat, this research looks at architectures that use spherical regolith-based concrete shells with carbon fiber polymer reinforcement. The research approach is to formulate the structural design problem as a multi-objective optimization of the habitat shell. The objectives that apply to the shell geometry and cross section include the minimization of transportation and construction costs, and the minimization of the probability of loss due to radiation and micrometeorite events. Direct trade-offs arise. The multi-objective optimization applies Pareto optimization to determine which design elements or options afford the greatest effectiveness or efficiency. The authors examine candidate design solutions based on priorities and performance thresholds which indicate that ISRU-based reinforced concrete may be a valuable future investment. While the cases presented here are limited to lunar surface systems, both the general architectures and the methodology for analysis and design are applicable to future Mars settlements.
As the nation prepares to return to the Moon and subsequently to Mars, it is apparent that the viability of long duration visits with appropriate radiation shielding/crew protection, hinges on the development of habitat structures, preferably in advance of a manned landing, and preferably utilizing in-situ resources. A relatively large number of habitat structure configurations can be developed from a relatively small set of in-situ resource-based construction products, including, blocks, raw regolith, reinforced concrete, and glass products. A much larger group of habitat designs can be developed when "imported" material are brought from Earth, including thin films and liners, and foldable, or expandable metal structures. These, and other technologies have been identified, and subjected to a rigorous trade study evaluation with respect to exploration and other performance criteria. In this paper, results of this trade study will be presented, as well as various habitat structure design concepts and concepts for construction automation. Results of initial tests aimed at concrete, block and glass production using Lunar regolith simulants will also be presented. Key issues and concerns will be discussed, as well as design concepts for a Lunar environment testbed to be developed at MSFC's Microgravity Development Laboratory. (MDL).
Lunar base structures can be constructed in situ and/or shielded using unprocessed or minimally processed lunar resources with technologies utilized in harsh terrestrial regions for the past four millennia. Single- and double-curvature compression shell structures constructed using the techniques of building without centering can be applied on the lunar surface, where the low gravity and resultant small angle of repose allow for greater spans than under terrestrial condition. Suggested construction materials range from meteorites and lunar rocks to lunar adobe created from unprocessed regolith. Magma structures can be generated and cast based on natural formation, such as lava tubes and voids, using focus sunlight, microwave, plasma, and nuclear energy. Ceramic modules can be “thrown” on a centrifugally gyrating platform. These techniques integrate high-tech and low-tech construction methods of Western, Eastern, and Native American cultures, allowing for direct interaction with nature while working to economical and technical advantage by using primarily local lunar resources and human skills.
Development of Lunar "Concrete" for Habitat Structures
- H Toutanji
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Lunar contour crafting -A novel technique for ISRU-based habitat development
- H Toutanji
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Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Paper AIAA-2005-0538, January.
A New Pneumatic Technique for the Construction of Thin Shells
- Dante Bini
Bini, Dante, (1 967) "A New Pneumatic Technique for the Construction of Thin Shells,"
Proceedings of the First International Association for Shell Structures (LASS),
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