Establishing aLunar Resource Base Beginning the renewed exploration of space

1
Establishing aLunar Resource Base Beginning the
renewed exploration of space

• To
• 6th Annual Space Resources Round Table
• November 2004
• Hubert P. Davis Dr. Ted Talay
• [phone]
• hudavis_at_gvtc.com

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Space Exploration is a Renewed Goal of this Nation

• How?
• When?
• What must we invest?
• What are the benefits?

3
The Transportation Elements
Aquila Heavy-lift 56 mt to orbit Derived from
STS
and EELV elements Ready in 2010
Reusable Space Stage RSS Derived From EELV Up
per
Stage Many applications
Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) - Versions for
Crew Transfer
to L1 and Lunar Surface
Lunar Vehicle Reusable - Landing Cargo Crew
4
Mission Scenario

• Gateport Facility established at L-1 using Aquila
  RSS launches
  
• 80-ton Lunar Resource Base established at South
  Pole of Moon
  
• Initial propellant deliveries from Earth soon
  replaced entirely by lunar-produced propellants
  assumes that lunar ice is confirmed and is
  recoverable.

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L-1 Libration Point Marshalling Yard

• A place in space to gather resources from Earth
  for assembly, propellant loading and dispatch to
  the lunar surface for the purposes of building
  and operating a resource base thus is built
  first
• A place to assemble and test the Lunar Vehicle,
  propelled by 2 RSS stages with landing gear and
  other systems delivered to L-1 separately
  
• A way station for the crews going to the lunar
  base to change steeds for descent, to rest and
  to return to Earth but need not be permanently
  occupied.
• A place for storage of lunar-produced propellants
  using expended RSS propellant tanks
  
• Will make heavy use of robotic devices, derived
  from those now in use on ISS supervised from
  Earth.

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Results of Simulation

• L-1 Marshalling Yard delivered by five Aquila
  launches
  
• 80 ton Lunar Resource Base is delivered to L-1 by
  another five Aquila launches, re-packaged at L-1
  
• Two other launches required for Crew Exploration
  Vehicle crew
  
• LRB placed near South Pole with 3 flights of the
  Lunar Vehicle, assisted by one 6-person crew
  visit to the Moon the design driver mission, as
  its return propellant must be sent down to the
  Moon!
• These four lunar landings require delivery to L-1
  of 515 tons of propellants requiring 32 Aquila
  flights
  
• Since these propellants are inexpensive payloads
  and hence low risk, perhaps we can contract their
  delivery to L-1 to a commercial launch provider

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Results of Simulation

• Once the LRB is functional producing
  propellants, no further propellant deliveries are
  required including those needed for other space
  exploration missions.
• Departure from L-1 greatly eases the burden of
  such future missions
  
• Departure from L-1 provides a safe place to begin
  use of nuclear propulsion for fast trips to Mars
  and
  
• For example, we can fly dual missions to Mars,
  with over 40 mass margins, for the same mass in
  LEO it will take to depart from LEO with one Mars
  spacecraft
• Or, a single stretched stage can send 110 tons
  onto a trans-Mars trajectory or up to 2.6 tons
  to over 12 km/sec beyond Low Earth Orbit with
  no propellants from Earth!

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Costs and Schedule8-year build program, fly in
year 5

• RDTE 15.5B
• Systems Acquisition 12.5B
• Aquila Launch Costs 44 FLTS 15.1B
  
  
• System Integration Oversight 38.2B
  (people)
  
• Establishment of L1 GP LRB 81.2B
• Over an interval of 8 years
  10B/year
  
• Continue at about that same rate for L1 GP LRB
  operations, including support of an array of
  other exploration missions, departing from L-1
  using lunar-produced propellants.
• Builds, over ten years of operation, to a LRB of
  320 tons with a staff of 66 persons rotated
  semi-annually

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Benefitsboth immediate far term

• Gain us our beach head on the real estate of the
  Moon for future benefits to our nation and to the
  free world - a national security imperative.
  
• Open all of space to future exploration by the
  United States and others at an affordable cost
  due to the use of lunar-produced propellants and
  easier departures from L-1.
• Provide large-scale commercial opportunities to
  build, grow and operate these facilities
  
• Inspire our young people to gain a good education
  in the most productive fields for our future
  economy and provide the United States with up to
  100,000 new jobs.

10
Conclusions

• This scenario is not optimized, but is a
  viable option
  
• The schedule and costs are greatly reduced by the
  use of present equipment
  
• Estimated cost of 10B/year (20 of Highway Bill
  now pending in Congress) may be difficult but is
  not impossible - international cooperation and
  commercial opportunities can help to make it
  happen
• Refinement is needed to improve the scenario, but
  the elements are here.