CISLUNAR AMBULANCE for

Assured Crew Return Capability

Nicole Jordan

December 15 2008

Lunar Observatory “Looking Glass 204”

Nicole Jordan

Assured Crew Return Capability

• First priority in any crewed mission is to return the crew safely back to earth.

• Must provide a robust/reliable escape route just in case something goes wrong

• This has been and is a key consideration on past and future space missions

• ISS 3 occupants• ISS 6 occupants• Apollo13 Command module/lander

ECLSS• It adds $$$$ penalty to mission

architecture• Firmly establishing an ACRC is essential

for a manned Lunar Mission

Nicole Jordan

Our Mission

• Multinational collaboration – NASA in leadership role• First four flights by US transportation Architecture

– Fuel and crew rescue vehicle– Fuel only– Cargo 1 us based– Cargo 2 International– Cargo 3 International– Crew landing

• International collaboration trips• Chinese or Russia to Deliver crew vehicles and fuel• Private sector can be contracted for cheaper to just deliver fuel

SpaceX Falcon 9

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US Transport

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Lunar Sortie with Crew and Cargo

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Lunar Outpost Cargo Delivery

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Lunar Sortie for Crew Rescue Vehicle

Dec 15, 2008

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Emergency Scenarios

• Any sort of unpredicted sickness • Crew anomaly – aneurism or

cardiac failure, infection from contamination, solar flare radiation effects,

• All needing quick withdrawal to safe haven and possible evacuation to Earth.

• Accident while operating equipment – most difficult scenario.

Dec 15, 2008

Nicole Jordan

Now What?- Triage

• Contain the situation at the site and see if crew can be helped right there.

• If not possible, try to get help from base or other close location.

• If crew is in a condition that cannot be helped while on the moon and needs care on Earth...no choice but to evacuate...using the Cislunar ambulance !

Dec 15, 2008

Nicole Jordan

CisLunar Ambulance

•Cislunar Ambulance:•Descent stage: host majority of fuel and pick up crew moon van•Ascent stage: fuel •Command Module

•Propulsion for vehicle might have to withstand more than 50 MT.

•The propulsion system need to be capable to do midcourse corrections

•Needs to be self supportive for Moon to Earth Transit ( 3days, 3 hrs. 45 minutes)

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Orion CEV vs Ambulance CEV

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Things to consider for Evacuation

• A lot of fuel will be needed

• Difficulties associated with handling incapacitated crew members in EVA suits

• Delta V needed for lunar escape velocity of 2.4 km/s

• Cislunar Ambulance

• Better than docking up with CEV

• Too risky and difficult for an incapacitated crew to rendezvous and transfer back into command module while in orbit

• It might take up to several hours therefore it will need more fuel

• Crew rescue vehicle will be in proximity to the South pole and astronaut activity

• Ready to function on a 24/7 basis

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CEV Ambulance Seating

Dec 15, 2008

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Fuel Caching/Lunar Fuel Depot

•Location the south Pole

•Fuels need: The analysis of the ESAS report for the CEV focuses on LOX/LCH4 as well as LOX/LH2

• Liquid Methane and Nitrogen Tetroxide, used In Gemeni , Apollo and Space shuttle

•Four main types of storage have to be taken into account

•Gaseous - Cold Gas •Cryogenic liquid•Storables –N204 / Aerozine 50•Solids

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Fuel/Caching Depot Constraints

• Temperature: Shadowed polar craters can average a temperature of 40k. Specially the one in the south pole

– There is no ideal temperature range but energy is needed to keep the chosen storage method within the desire temperature range

– In order to store LOX and LH2 in a cryogenic stage , tanks able to maintain 90 K -20K and respectively are needed

• Prolonged periods: ( long nights/days) can aid the system to be more efficient but impose more design constrains such as on the tanks that are just designed for orbit might not be ideal for these long periods of time.

• Meteoroid collision: 10km/s to 160 km/s can be disastrous to a storage delivery system – not design requirement

• Refrigeration failure: Is the highest risk will be which will lead to cryogenic loss

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Storage location Criteria

•Physical parameters like temperature fluctuation on storage site, pressure and radiation•Proximity to crew rescue or access vehicle•Operational parameters like accessibility and dust and quick connects for modular tanks•Area must have a sufficient range safety distance and explosive containment systems

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Crew Evacuation

• Purpose: Launch the CisLunar Ambulance from Moon Direct to earth

• Launching Procedures

• Reentry and touch down will be determined in real-time after lunar surface lift off is initiated.

• Crew rescue procedures

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Ambulance Earth Return Profile

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Ambulance Re-entry Trajectory

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International Collaboration for Crew Rescue

•Lunar vehicles might not just be from the US

•Rescue humans anywhere on the earth/ earth entry trajectory too is unplanned.

•The creation of a International Landing and Rescue Federation Organization

•Understand all rescue crew capsules technical capabilities•Supervise re-entry trajectories and landing sites•Help moderate and protect international land marks•Train and assemble rescue team on site• International defense alert, search and rescue effort

Nicole Jordan

Further Studies

• Orbital Dynamics of this system for ACRC• Study ways to reduce the CM mass by at least 20%• Impact of Fuel Caching on NASA’s Lunar Return

Architectures• Alternative Applications – suborbital transport, lunar orbit

ferry, ISRU• How to quickly and safely get crew into Cislunar Ambulance

and strap them into the CEV• How will the Cislunar Ambulance collect crew that are

incapacitated in different locations of the moon – such as during a rover traverse accident

• Design of ballistic pickup moon crew van

Dec 15, 2008

Nicole Jordan

Bibliography

• NASA Exploration Systems Architecture Study• Human Space Flight Mission Analysis and Design, Wiley J Larson• International Space University, “Full Moon Report 2007”• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_(spacecraft)• http://images.spaceref.com/news/2007/AIAA.ESMD.SPACE.2007.p

df• http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/leag2007/presentations/

20071003.bienhoff.pdf• http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/index.html• http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/01/boeing-propellant-depot-useful-

space.html• http://www.universetoday.com/2008/04/10/how-long-does-it-take-to-

get-to-the-moon/• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinitrogen_tetroxide

Nicole Jordan

Questions