Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!cca!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxi!mhuxa!mhuxm!pyuxi!pyuxvv!brt From: brt@pyuxvv.UUCP Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Lunar Bases II Message-ID: <152@pyuxvv.UUCP> Date: Sat, 4-Jun-83 17:18:38 EDT Article-I.D.: pyuxvv.152 Posted: Sat Jun 4 17:18:38 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 6-Jun-83 20:51:18 EDT Lines: 169 Since I posted the first of several articles on the manned Lunar base a week ago , I've received several letters asking me to post more . So here is the next one . Again , it is posted with the permission of the author. Ben Reytblat (...!pyuxvv!brt) ________________________________________________________________________ A MANNED LUNAR BASE AND THE NASA BUDGET : IS THERE ROOM FOR ANOTHER PIG IN THE PYTHON ? W.W.Mendell and M.B.Duke , NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston , TX 77058 . We have argued that a manned research laboratory on the surface of the Moon is part of NASA's future and , in particular , that NASA must begin very preliminary work now (1) . Any version of the Space Transportation System (STS) which can serve geosynchronous orbit also can service Lunar orbit because the energy requirements for the two type of mission are very similar. After maturation of the STS , Lunar exploration and exploitation is a certainty at some point because such projects will present only modest technical challenges . Within the next ten years elected officials will become aware that manned Lunar activity is very much an evolutionary extension of the STS. A declaration of national commitment to return to the Moon will become a viable political option . Needless to say , such a declaration would have tremendous significance for NASA . Unfortunately , the space agency has a recent history of being ill-prepared when possible opportunities for new initiatives arise unexpectedly (2) . We propose here a programmatic approach which will permit NASA to perform a thorough and realistic evaluation , in the early 90's of a possible manned Lunar laboratory . We require no new funding for what will turn out to be the first step in a three-part program to return to the Moon. We assume the NASA budget will be approximately constant in real terms over the next ten years . We also assume that the budget will continue to be programmed as it has been historically . The greatest part of the budget will go to a major project associated with manned spaceflight , e.g. Apollo , Shuttle , or Space Station . A minor but significant fraction will go toward spade science . In FY83 the space science programs ( physics and astronomy , planetary , life ) consume approximately 1/8 of the total research and development budget . Over the past 15 years planetary science and physic & astronomy have summed to more than 90% of the space science budget (3) . the proportion going to each of the two large programs varied , depending on mission costs . In FY74 77% went to planetary ( Viking ) ; in FY83 67% goes to physics and astronomy ( Space Telescope ) . We assume that 40% to 70% of the total space science budget could be allocated to planetary science over the next ten years if there were valid programmatic reasons for doing so . Under our stated assumptions we propose the following programmatic thrusts , requiring no additional funding over the next 7 or 8 years . First , prepare the necessary information base concerning the Moon in support of a detailed definition of the Lunar laboratory program . Data would be collected by a long-lived unmanned satellite in Lunar polar orbit. Second , a Lunar research and analysis program must be maintained , with special emphasis on Lunar resource utilization . Third , a coordinated point for Lunar requirements and studies must be established in NASA headquarters. A possible fourth element involves decisions regarding the design of the OTV/Lunar ferry . If the arguments presented by Davis (4) are valid , and oxygen produced from Lunar materials in situ could double or triple payload capacity of the shuttle fleet , then the development of an efficient hydrogen-oxygen vehicle becomes an important issue . The Earth and Planetary Exploration Division (EPED) in NASA Headquarters has been studying future planetary programs with the aid of a scientific group , The Solar System Exploration Committee . As a result of these deliberations , the current EPED strategy emphasizes small missions to the terrestrial planets . First priority goes to the Venus Radar Mapper (VRM). A Lunar geochemical orbiter is included in the proposed core program , but its priority seems linked to an assumed commonality with a Mars geochemical orbiter . We argue , of course , that the Lunar mission has a higher priority and that it should be given a new start as soon as possible , in FY85 . A launch could take place in the late 80's and the new data base would be available in the early 90's for planning a manned surface laboratory. The planetary programs budget could accommodate both VRM and the Lunar orbiter because both missions are much less costly than Mariner-class missions in the 70's . At the present time EPED is unable to consider such arguments because the organization is chartered to develop exploration strategies based only on scientific rationale . Thus the first element of our program , which can be accomplished by simple rearrangement of priorities , can be implemented only if decisions on the importance of Lunar studies are made at the Associate Administrator level or higher . The second element of our programmatic approach is the maintenance of a healthy Lunar research program with special emphasis on Lunar resource utilization . Studies associated with the Lunar orbiter mission would be sufficient to stimulate Lunar science . However , very little work is being done on the potential exploration of Lunar resources ; and an infusion of research funds on the order of a million dollars would have a dramatic effect on utilization studies . A funding enhancement of that order would be insignificant in the total NASA budget . The establishment of a manned Lunar laboratory is a complex enterprise whose requirements will impact every part of NASA research and development organization . As a space station is designed , as a Lunar orbiting spacecraft is developed , as advanced propulsion systems are considered , choices are being made which an affect a future Lunar base program . For example , good maps of the Moon might be important for siting a Lunar base; yet cartography ordinarily would not be part of the science package for a Lunar orbiter . The economic advantages of oxygen for fuel imported from the Moon would be lost if the OTV is not a H2-O2 vehicle . Some arbitrary payload limit on an OTV design could preclude its use as a Lunar ferry . Is there an orbital inclination for a space station which would optimize its performance as a node in the Lunar transportation system ? Storage of cryogenic fuels in space becomes a more pressing technological issue when the significance of the Lunar connection is understood . These considerations demonstrate the need for an active coordination function for Lunar base requirements within NASA Headquarters , the third element in the first phase of the Lunar initiative . Since no major funding can be made available for that function , it must reside in an advanced planning office and it must carry the Administrator's blessing . Once established , the coordination office should sponsor a blue ribbon workshop to establish the validity of a lunar presence as a national goal and to outline the tasks to be accomplished for an eventual return to the Moon . We already are aware of leaders in government , science and the technical community who would be interested in participating in such a workshop . After the initial requirements are identified , low level funding should be available for studies of specific issues as well as the important work of coordinating within NASA . We have discovered groups around the country who are interested in studying the specific issues without funding and who ask for relevant problems to work on ( e.g. 5 ) . At the end of the first phase of the Lunar initiative in the early 90's , the American space program should possess the scientific information and technological elements necessary for a realistic appraisal of the Lunar option . We believe that an increased understanding of the Moon's potential will make it economically and politically attractive national objective . Exploration of the Moon will yield rich scientific dividends and will contribute to a new optimism in America with regard to her technological capabilities . The second phase of the Lunar initiative will bring unmanned roving vehicles to the surface of the Moon for site evaluation , civil engineering measurements , and sophisticated scientific experiments . Development of the Lunar transportation system will take place , and automated factories will be placed on the Lunar surface to initiate economic utilization of Lunar materials prior to the establishment of a permanent manned presence. >From the second phase we will gain experience operating in the Lunar environment , learning the advantages and the difficulties . The third phase of the Lunar initiative will see establishment of a permanent manned base in time for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Space Age . The first habitat module will be landed at a location where an automated factory is already producing oxygen from lunar soil . A remotely controlled earth mover , the last launch in the Phase Two robotic exploration , is also there . After the module is dragged to the specific site in a small depression , it is covered with soil for protection from solar flares . Over the succeeding months , other specialized modules are landed , and the initial crew of 12 gradually grows . As research facilities come on line, scientists are brought from all over the world , after survival training , to perform proposed experiments in astronomy , high energy physics , geology , and life sciences . Live television coverage will bring people of the world in contact with the activities on the Moon . As life becomes routine and the exotic flavor passes , school children will wonder why anyone ever doubted that the Moon would be an integral part of our destiny . REFERENCES: 1. Mendell,W.W. and M.B.Duke (1983) Lunar & Plan. Sci. XIV 2. Phone call from President to NASA Administrator following Viking lander touchdown . 3. Andelin,John et al . (1982) Space Science Research in the United States, Office of Tech. Assess. , U.S. Congress, Washington D.C. 20510 4. Davis,Hubert (1983) Lunar & Plan. Sci. XIV 5. Evans,David (1983) Lunar & Plan. Sci. XIV _______________________________________________________________________ P.S. I realize that posting the article in this newsgroup amounts to preaching to the converted ( or does it ? ) . Nevertheless , I'm sure there are as many opinions on the subject as there are readers . I would welcome any suggestions on how to make this dream ( shared by so many ) come through . All of the comments on the subject will be forwarded to Dr. Mendell . I will personally incinerate the authors of the comments not related to the subject :~} If the interest stays high , I will post more . Ben Reytblat (...!pyuxvv!brt)