brt@pyuxvv.UUCP (06/05/83)
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)