LDC 2023 Topic: Microwaving Regolith for Dust and Radiation Protection and Resource Acquisition
Abstract:
Controlling lunar dust, radiation protection and harvesting water for oxygen and propellant are top priorities for a lunar enterprise. This mission concept utilizes a derivative of the Chariot lunar rover prototype with the LANCE blade augmented with a dual band microwave array for regolith sintering, habitat construction and harvesting of subsurface water ice. Roadways between the landing site and habitat location and between the habitat and the nearby permanently shadowed regions will be sintered to eliminate most dust on these frequently traversed routes. For construction of the inflatable habitat, the rover will remove the top 2 meters of regolith from the habitat site, sinter a habitat foundation, deploy the bladder then bury the bladder to a depth of 2.5-3 meters. Once the habitat bladder is inflated, the rover will sinter the lower 1 to 2 meters of the walls where the slope is close to the regolith angle of repose. Following completion of the habitat, the rover will deploy to nearby permanently shadowed regions to begin sublimating and capturing water ice and other volatiles.
Bio:
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Associate Technical Director-Surveillance & Intelligence Division, MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA.
Retired 2004 after 30 years.
Group Leader-Systems Engineering Division, Grumman Aerospace Corporation, Bethpage, NY.
- Apollo Lunar Module Program-Flight Anomaly Investigation Team
- Member-Grumman Mission Support Team for all manned Apollo missions
- Edited 300+ page Analysis of LM Pressure Vessel Explosion Risks following Apollo 13
- accident.
- Space Shuttle Proposal Team.
RECENT SPACE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ACTIVITIES
- Moon Society Moon Base Design Contest-2nd Place Prize, 2020
- Mars Habitat Design Study Presentation, Mars Society Conference 2021
- Mars Aquaponics System for Crew Nutrition Presentation, Mars Society Conference 2021
- Mars Society Telerobotic Mission Design Competition-3rd Place prize 2022
- Mars Robot for Analyzing Metabolism and DNA abstract accepted for presentation at Mars Society Conference 2022
- Methalox In-situ Experiment (METHALOXIE) abstract accepted for presentation at Mars Society Conference 2022
- Mars Society Ambassador
- Lunar Living Challenge 2022-Finalist
- Rothblatt Space Settlement in our Lifetime Business Plan Competition 2023-Finalist
- Concept for Mining by Microwaves and Regolith Sintering-abstract accepted for 2023 Lunar Development Conference