ISRU: Perspectives for Lunar Development
- Paper number
IAC-06-A5.1.04
- Author
Prof. Ernesto Vallerani, International Space Pioneers, Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Gian Gabriele Ori, Italy
- Coauthor
- Coauthor
Msc Alberto Della Torre, Carlo Gavazzi Space, Italy
- Coauthor
Msc Marco Grasso, Carlo Gavazzi Space, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Gian Paolo Guizzo, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Igor Vukman, Carlo Gavazzi Space, Italy
- Year
2006
- Abstract
An affordable, sustainable and beneficial lunar exploration roadmap must necessarily take advantage from in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technical capabilities. An effective in-situ resources exploitation, in fact, will reduce the launch costs and the number of launches required both by robotic and manned missions, due to the reduced masses which need to be transported from Earth; will reduce the overall mission risks thanks to increased logistic capabilities; will increase the mission flexibility, due to the increased surface mobility guaranteed to lunar vehicles which use consumables; will make possible to expand the human presence in space, thanks to the in-situ life-support consumables production; and, finally, will enable space commercialization, due to the construction of propellant/consumables depots or to the on-Earth exploitation of resources acquired from space. Lunar propellants and materials stored in Lagrangian points or in cis-lunar space depots can take to great advantages in scientific and commercial missions, like satellite servicing and refuelling, for human exploration programs and self-sustaining colonies; while the on-Earth exploitation of lunar in-situ extracted resources such as He-3 could be used in future nuclear fusion reactors. A trade-off study and a preliminary design between the most promising Lunar regolith processes, for the propellant production, will be proposed and one of these processes will be selected as candidate for a follow-on bread-boarding activity. Regolith is rich in oxygen that can be extracted in several technologically feasible and effective ways, and from almost all the lunar sites: it could be extracted from the polar ice if its presence will be confirmed, from anorthosite on the highlands, from ilmenite in maria with high titanium content, or from pyroclastic glasses in maria with low titanium content. The required technologies and infrastructures will be analyzed in function of the possible interesting sites for robotic or manned lunar exploration missions. An ISRU plant consisting of a series of modules necessary for: the material separation, the chemical reaction and the cryogenic storage will be preliminary designed providing an idea of budgets required and production capabilities.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-A5.1.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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