Journal of Aerospace Engineering

“Perhaps the single greatest contribution that could be made to environmental conservation would be the invention of a satisfactory fuel‐wood substitute” for developing nations. Providing electric power from orbit under a program of energy as foreign aid to developing nations will benefit the local and global environment and people living on the margins of existence, and it will provide technically challenging jobs to the engineers and scientists of all the nations that undertake such a massive project. Civil engineers can, if they and their professional societies so choose, play a significant, if not integral, role in using the resources of Earth and its surroundings for the benefit of mankind under a program of energy from space. This paper extends the concepts from a previous work by the writer to global rural electrification based on electric power from power stations, built in geosynchronous orbit out of lunar materials, distributed to individual villages and rural electric cooperatives via microwaves for a cost of between 6 cents and 45 cents per kilowatt‐hour. Power would be available in modular increments of 25–100 kilowatts with an average capital cost as low as $5,000 per kilowatt. The goals of the program for global rural electrification are twofold: to provide electric power from space at competitive costs, relative to current costs, to rural and agricultural areas, and to divert resources from weapons development to infrastructure development. The potential for involvement by civil engineers is limited only by their own lack of vision and daring.

This paper addresses the role of civil engineering in space operations and its impact on undergraduate education. The history of civil engineering and its role in society is discussed. The increasing complexity of the civil engineer's responsibilities from ancient times to the present is articulated. New civil engineering challenges fostered by man's quest to explore and inhabit the solar system and beyond are addressed. These challenges give rise to new requirements for the undergraduate education of tomorrow's civil engineers. The U.S. Air Force Academy's attempt to respond to these new undergraduate requirements is described. The civil engineering curriculum at the Air Force Academy emphasizes preparation for the unique challenges associated with space exploration and habitation. It is described and presented as a model for other undergraduate civil engineering programs that wish to focus on aerospace engineering activities into the 21st century.

A novel trend in engineering—space transport engineering—has been developing for more than 20 years. Undoubtedly, planet rovers also will occupy a prominent place in the study and development of the planets and their satellites. The results of the Lunokhod‐1 and Lunokhod‐2 operation on the Moon produced extensive scientific material for subsequent works. The Soviet Lunokhod and American LRV were machines with wheels. Years later, caterpillar, walking, wheel‐walking, and hopping machines have been studied. The choice of a mode of locomotion that is suitable for the conditions on the planet was not the only problem to be solved by scientists and designers. Another is the determination of the ground properties. A family of mobile apparatus and instruments is now intended for determining the surface properties of the Moon, Mars and its satellite Phobos, and Venus. One of the difficult problems to solve is to carry out tests on the Earth in view of the conditions on the planet. To perform the terrestrial tests, platforms, equivalent to the lunar and Martian surfaces, have been selected, and special equipment has been produced to simulate the conditions of gravitation. The next task is the development of the Marsokhod, a planet rover to operate on Mars. The advanced concept of the Marsokhod consists of a six‐wheeled, self‐propelled undercarriage, with a wheel‐walking mode of motion. The kinematic diagram of this undercarriage, due to several degrees of freedom, contributes to a good adaptation to an intricate relief of terrains.

Since the dawn of civilization, the civil engineering profession has served mankind. Civil engineers have provided humanity with safe, reliable, and economical facilities and a livable environment. This paper seeks to outline the potential applications of various Earth‐based civil engineering fields for the engineering, construction, and operation of facilities in space stations in Earth orbit, bases on the Moon and Mars, and the exploration of other extraterrestrial bodies. On Earth, civil engineers have played a key role in design, construction, and operation of ground‐support facilities since the beginning of the space program. The vast and diverse Earth‐based knowledge and experience earned by civil engineers could be applied to create a suitable infrastructure in space to satisfy human needs. Therefore, civil engineers can play a significant role in the future expansion of human endeavors into space. The time has come for civil engineers throughout the world to come together; take the challenge posed by time, human needs, and ambition; and extend their joint expertise toward large‐scale projects in space for the benefit of all.

As the manned exploration of space continues, many complex structural components are being developed to construct the orbital platforms that will be used to house communication hardware, personnel, and manufacturing complexes. These components are extremely flexible and complex in their behavior. There is a need for a simple method for determining the dynamic characteristics of these space structures with a minimum of effort. A mathematical model of one of these structural elements, an articulating truss beam, has been developed to predict its dynamic response. Assumptions of the force interaction between the beam elements and the joints have been made for using this model. Algorithms are provided to determine the flexibility matrix of the truss beam for use in the equation of motion. The natural frequencies obtained from using this method are compared with those obtained by the finite element method. An experimental procedure is planned to validate the results from the theoretical method.