Integrated Transportation System Design for Space Exploration Logistics

Paper number

IAC-06-D1.3.08

Author

Ms. Christine Taylor, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Coauthor

Dr. Olivier de Weck, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Coauthor

Dr. Diego Klabjan, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Coauthor

Dr. David Simchi-Levi, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Year

2006

Abstract

With the announcement of the space exploration initiative, we are given a new set of challenges for designing a space transportation system.  The directive given by President Bush dictates the design of a sustainable space exploration system for the Moon, Mars, and `beyond'.  Inherent to the problem of transporting people to the Moon and Mars is sustaining the people and the operations while in transit and at the respective destinations.  Especially for long-term missions, the amount of consumables required becomes a significant issue in terms of mass in LEO.  In order to develop a sustainable space transportation system architecture it is critical that interplanetary supply chain logistics be considered.

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate a design optimization methodology for space transportation systems that integrates the vehicle design with the design of the transportation network.  The definition of the system is expanded to include the vehicle or vehicles to be designed, the set of locations and connections that form the network that the vehicles traverse, and the vehicle operations required to travel between two locations.   Traditionally, each of these components or sub-systems has been analyzed and optimized separately and sequentially using previous design decisions as inputs.  However, for a systems level solution to be obtained, it is necessary to expand the definition of the system design problem to examine the vehicle, network and operations concurrently as a multi-disciplinary design optimization problem.

The methodology presented in this paper incorporates modeling techniques traditionally utilized to perform terrestrial logistics in the operations research community.  Specifically, a modeling technique known as a time expanded network is extended to incorporate the astrodynamic relationships of space travel, and the resulting network provides the underlying framework for optimizing exploration logistics architectures.  By viewing the demand generated from a series of exploration missions in this framework a coherent and integrated approach to exploration logistics is developed.  Recognizing that unlike terrestrial logistics, space exploration logistics transportation systems have yet to be developed, a unique opportunity is created to reduce operational inefficiencies in the transportation system by integrating the vehicle design into the logistics problem.  Due to the significant coupling inherent between the vehicle and operations, the concurrent optimization of the vehicle, network and operations planning creates a system level solution for interplanetary supply chain logistics.  

Abstract document

IAC-06-D1.3.08.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-D1.3.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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