Considerations for Return to the Moon and Lunar Base Site Selection Workshops
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 2
Abstract
The establishment of a lunar base with a permanent human presence is on the horizon. The scientific importance of the Moon and the potential use of local resources at a lunar base provide valuable concepts to consider. Importantly, there are significant ideas, concepts, and reports from the past, the products of a wealth of “mental calorie” inputs, which should be reconsidered; herein, many of these are placed within an historical perspective, in hopes that we may learn by our past experiences. The 1994 Clementine mission, its instrumentation and returned data, provides the first global coverage of the composition, structure, and topography of the Moon. The planned 1997 Lunar Prospector will add significantly to this database. These new global data are requisite for the selection of a lunar base. It is paramount to consider thoroughly the rationale for site selection, and much of the groundwork for this rationale has already been performed. The selection process should be led by a strategic purpose or vision that considers (1) scientific objectives, both on the Moon, as well as from the Moon (e.g., astronomy); (2) resource utilization; and (3) operational considerations, both orbital and surface. Many of the relationships between these factors were explored during workshops convened at Johnson Space Center by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in April and August 1990. However, these workshops have not resulted in official, catalogued NASA publications. The merits of numerous potential sites were analyzed in terms of lunar geoscience, geophysics, space physics, astronomy, and lunar resources, as well as operational constraints. The considerations and recommendations of the NASA Site Selection Committee should provide the basis for a realistic site selection for a human presence at an outpost on the lunar surface.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Chamberlain, P. G., Taylor, L. A., Podnieks, E. R., and Miller, R. J. (1993). “A review of possible mining applications in space.”Resources of near-Earth space, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Ariz., 51–68.
2.
Galloway, R. G., and Lokaj, S., eds. (1994). Engineering, construction, and operations in space IV. ASCE, New York, N.Y.
3.
Johnson, S. W., ed. (1996). Engineering, construction, and operations in space V. ASCE, New York, N.Y.
4.
Johnson, S. W., and Wetzel, J. P., eds. (1988). Engineering, construction, and operations in space. ASCE, New York, N.Y.
5.
Johnson, S. W., and Wetzel, J. P., eds. (1990). Engineering, construction, and operations in space II. ASCE, New York, N.Y.
6.
Lucey, P. G., Spudis, P. D., Zuber, M., Smith, D., and Malaret, E.(1994). “Topographic-compositional units on the moon and the early evolution of the lunar crust.”Sci., 266, 1855–1858.
7.
Lucey, P. G., Taylor, G. J., and Malaret, E.(1995). “Abundance and distribution of iron on the Moon.”Sci., 268, 1150–1153.
8.
Lucey, P. G., Blewett, D. T., Johnson, J. L., Taylor, G. J., and Hawke, B. R. (1996). “Lunar titanium content from UV-VIS measurements.”Proc., Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. XXVII, 781–782.
9.
McEwen, A. S., Robinson, M. S., Eliason, E. M., Lucey, P. G., Duxbury, T. C., and Spudis, P. D.(1994). “Clementine observations of the Aristarchus region of the Moon.”Sci., 266, 1858–1862.
10.
Morrison, D., et al. (1990a). “A site selection strategy for a lunar outpost: science and operational parameters.”Proc., Solar Sys. Exploration Div. Workshop, Nat. Aeronautics and Space Admin., Johnson Space Ctr., Houston, Tex.
11.
Morrison, D., et al. (1990b). “Developing a site selection strategy for a lunar outpost: science criteria for site selection.”Proc., Solar Sys. Exploration Div. Workshop, Nat. Aeronautics and Space Admin., Johnson Space Ctr., Houston, Tex.
12.
Nozette, A.(1994). “The Clementine mission to the Moon: scientific overview.”Sci., 266, 1835–1839.
13.
Pieters, C. M., Staid, M. I., Fischer, E. M., Tompkins, S., and He, G.(1994). “A sharper view of impact craters from Clementine data.”Sci., 266, 1844–1848.
14.
Sadeh, W. Z., Sture, S., and Miller, R. J., eds. (1992). Engineering, construction, and operations in space III. ASCE, New York, N.Y.
15.
Shoemaker, E. M., Robinson, M. S., and Eliason, E. M.(1994). “The South Pole region of the Moon as seen by Clementine.”Sci., 266, 1851–1854.
16.
Spudis, P. D., Reisse, R. A., and Gillis, J. J.(1994). “Ancient multiring basins on the Moon revealed by Clementine laser altimetry.”Sci., 266, 1848–1851.
17.
Stafford, T. P. (1991). America at the threshold: report of the synthesis group on America's space exploration initiative. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Printing Ofc., Washington, D.C.
18.
Taylor, L. A. (1990). “Hydrogen, helium, and other solar-wind components in lunar soil: abundances and predictions.”Engineering, Construction, and Operation in Space II, S. W. Johnson and J. P. Wetzel, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 68–77.
19.
Taylor, L. A. (1994). “Helium-3 on the Moon: model assumptions and abundances.”Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space IV, R. C. Galloway and S. Lokaj, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 678–686.
20.
Taylor, L. A., and Carrier III, W. D. (1992). “The feasibility of processes for the production of oxygen on the Moon.”Engineering, Construction, and Operations, in Space III, W. Z. Sadeh, S. Sture, and J. P. Wetzel, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 752–762.
21.
Taylor, L. A., and Carrier III, W. D. (1993). “Oxygen production on the Moon: an overview and evaluation.”Resources of near-earth space, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Ariz., 69–108.
22.
Taylor, L. A., and Lu, F. (1992). “The formation of ore mineral deposits on the Moon: a feasibility study.”Proc., 2nd Conf. on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, Vol. 2, Nat. Aeronautics and Space Admin., Washington, D.C., 379–383.
23.
Taylor, L. A., and McKay, D. S. (1992). “Beneficiation of lunar rocks and regolith: concepts and difficulties.”Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space III, W. Z. Sadeh, S. Sture, and J. P. Wetzel, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 1058–1069.
24.
Taylor, L. A., and Oder, R. R. (1990). “Magnetic beneficiation of highland and hi-Ti mare soils: rock, mineral, and glassy components.”Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space II, S. W. Johnson and J. P. Wetzel, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 143–152.
25.
Taylor, L. A., and Taylor, D.-H. S. (1996). “Location of a lunar base: a site selection strategy.”Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space V, S. W. Johnson, ed., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 741–755.
26.
Taylor, L. A.(1983). “Pre-4.2 AE mare-basalt volcanism in the lunar highlands.”Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, 66, 33–47.
27.
Taylor, G. J., Lucey, P. G., Hawke, B. R., and Spudis, P. D. (1996). “Compositions of the lunar maria.”Proc., Lunar Planet Sci. Conf. XXVII, 1317–1318.
28.
Zuber, M. T., Smith, D. E., Lemoine, F. G., and Neumann, G. A.(1994). “The shape and internal structure of the Moon from the Clementine mission.”Sci., 266, 1839–1843.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 10 • Issue 2 • April 1997
Pages: 68 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Apr 1, 1997
Published in print: Apr 1997
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.