Effective Integration of Rapid Prototyping into Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for the Development of Human Spacecraft

A full-scale mockup of the future Lunar Lander habitat was constructed based on the dimensions defined in NASA's November 2005 Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS). An initial goal of the project was to establish methods and procedures for constructing a rapidly reconfigurable engineering prototype while concurrently using the analogue as a means of developing systems-level requirements based on anticipated operational concepts. The use of cost effective materials in the mockup provided a simplified approach for construction of system concepts and readily allowed subsequent configuration changes. The application of rapid prototyping provides a means of incorporating a hands-on `human in the loop' component to spacecraft system design and technology test bed. This ongoing effort is intended to be used to help evaluate vehicle configuration options, determine subsystem mass and volume budgets, reduce risk factors and derive requirements before the Lunar Lander preliminary design review (circa 2013).