Progress Made in Lunar In Situ Resource Utilization under NASA’s Exploration Technology and Development Program
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 1
Abstract
Incorporation of in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and the production of mission-critical consumables for propulsion, power, and life support into mission architectures can greatly reduce the mass, cost, and risk of missions, leading to a sustainable and affordable approach to human exploration beyond Earth. ISRU and its products can also greatly affect how other exploration systems are developed, including determining which technologies are important or enabling. Although the concept of lunar ISRU has existed for more than 40 years, the technologies and systems had not progressed much past simple laboratory proof-of-concept tests. With the release of the Vision for Space Exploration in 2004 with the goal of harnessing the Moon’s resources, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated the ISRU project in the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) to develop the technologies and systems needed to meet this goal. In the 5 years of work in the ISRU Project, significant advancements and accomplishments occurred in several important areas of lunar ISRU. Also, two analog field tests held in Hawaii in 2008 and 2010 demonstrated all the steps in ISRU capabilities required, along with the integration of ISRU products and hardware with propulsion, power, and cryogenic storage systems. This paper will review the scope of the ISRU Project in the ETDP, ISRU incorporation, development strategies used by the ISRU project, and ISRU development and test accomplishments over the 5 years of funded project activity.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge all of the men and women in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, industry (both U.S. and international), academia, and partnering space agencies for all of the hard work and dedication that went into turning lunar ISRU concepts into reality. It is because of their efforts that ISRU is now more than just viewgraph engineering.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 1 • January 2013
Pages: 5 - 17
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 24, 2011
Accepted: Jan 10, 2012
Published online: Jan 14, 2012
Published in print: Jan 1, 2013
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