Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile Family of ISRU ValueAdded Products Gary ROD Rodriguez, s

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Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile
Family of ISRU Value-Added ProductsGary
ROD Rodriguez, sysRAND Corporation Space
Resources Roundtable VI 2004 6034
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Foundry Processes

• Excavate or sweep regolith into the reactor
• Extract Oxygen using Hydrogen reduction
• Blend constituent powders
• Heat to Melt
• Pull glass fiber from melt
• Spool fabric and specialty filaments
• Weave figerglass fabrics, tapes cable
• Spool the woven glass fabrics

Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile
Family of ISRU Value-Added Products
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Fabrication Processes

• Place bulkheads or attachment forms on a mandrel
• Inflate mold form, if applicable
• Wrap fabric webbing around the entire assembly
• Optionally plate up inner and outer surfaces with
  CVDs

Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile
Family of ISRU Value-Added Products
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Wrapping Technologies
state-of-the-art circa 2004
Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile
Family of ISRU Value-Added Products
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Pressure Vessels
state-of-the-art circa 2004

• Dewars
• Propellant Tanks
• Habitats and Spacecraft compartments
• Air Bottles
• Thrusters

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Large Pressure Vessels are state-of-the-art
state-of-the-art circa 2004
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Structures from Glass Filament

• Beams
• Fabrics
• Fasteners
• Fillers

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Lunar and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile
Family of ISRU Value-Added Products