Callie Burke’s scientific contributions

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-4266.vid NASA is currently developing concepts for sustained crewed missions to the lunar surface. Sustained missions will occur on annual basis for durations of 30 days or more. To house and support the crew, NASA is exploring the use of a lunar Surface Habitat. NASA relies on conceptual spacecraft design to assist in planning and mission analysis. A crucial component of this habitation design is the internal layout: the interior location of systems, workstations, crew quarters, etc. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and resulting layout of a specific Surface Habitat design. This paper describes the SH’s hybrid inflatable structure then details the habitat’s interior layout. The proposed SH’s internal layout is depicted inside a hybrid inflatable structure using a low-fidelity CAD model. Multiple NASA references were consulted to determine the SH’s required functionality, minimal Net Habitable Volume, and minimal functional dimensions. These functions and volumes contribute to the placement and location of systems and spaces inside the habitat. In addition to functional volume, the layout includes systems and logistics placement. The resulting design will aid NASA in mission planning and further systems analysis.

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continues planning for long-duration space missions, specifically to Mars, it will be necessary to understand the requirements for a “transit habitat”, the element that the crew will live in as they travel to and from Mars. In particular, understanding volume requirements for the transit habitat is of significant importance because the volume is a first order driver of the habitat size and mass, and therefore the propulsion and propellant requirements for future Mars missions. Despite this importance, there is significant uncertainty regarding how much habitable volume is required to support the crew on these missions. Prior studies provide valuable background, but their focus has largely been on investigating historical analogs in order to develop parametric sizing formulas. Other research has focused on specific drivers of habitat volume and stressors to the crew. However, there has been limited focus on establishing a comprehensive minimum required habitable volume based on crew activity needs and crew health requirements. This paper will describe a detailed effort to establish the minimum required net habitable volume for a Mars Transit Habitat employing a bottom-up methodology. The process used to establish volumetric requirements involves the definition of a set of specific “crew functions” and the assignment of required volumes to each function. This type of bottom-up approach is the most accurate method to establish required habitat volume and is specifically recommended by the NASA Chief Medical Officer for future space missions. The authors established a taxonomy of crew functions that could be required during a Mars transit. These functions include direct operational activities, such as command and control or system maintenance, habitation activities, such as eating and sleeping, or health maintenance activities, such as exercise and leisure. Health maintenance activities also include “pseudo-activities”, such as psychological wellbeing, that are directly related to habitat volume. The authors then defined required volumes for each defined activity, based on habitat analogs, prior research, and SME input. The potential for various activities to share volumetric space was then evaluated, based on temporal usage, compatibility of tasks, and crew health. Finally, the required minimum net habitable volumes for four crew and six crew Mars Transit Habitats were assessed, including consideration of specific geometrical constraints. Results of this study will be used to evaluate deep space habitat options and help formulate future Mars mission requirements. Ultimately, results of this study will support the refinement of NASA’s Mars Design Reference Architectures and help realize future long duration exploration missions.