Enabling Technologies for Space Exploration: Developments in the Piedmont Aerospace District

Paper number

IAC-14,D3,2,2,x23868

Author

Dr. Maria Antonietta Perino, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Piero Messidoro, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Enrico Gaia, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Dario Boggiatto, Finpiemonte, Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Dario Moncalvo, Finpiemonte, Italy

Year

2014

Abstract

The Space Exploration scenario and the associated Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) have been recently updated by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) involving several international Space Agencies. 
The so-called GER 2.0 roadmap identifies the International Space Station (ISS) as the starting point of the human and robotic exploration of the Solar System, and Mars as the target for human presence by the middle of the century. Additional intermediate destinations are indicated such as Moon surface and vicinities, Asteroids, Mars moons, and the associated technical capabilities derived.
In this context, a list of enabling technologies was derived by Thales Alenia Space (TAS) and their developments proposed in a co-financed scheme to the Piedmont Region in Italy inside the Piedmont Aerospace District (PAD).
This initiative, called STEPS (Sistemi e Tecnologie per l’EsPlorazione Spaziale), was carried on in the 2009-2012 timeframe. Its second phase STEPS 2 is in progress since beginning 2013 and is supposed to terminate by end 2014. A subsequent phase STEPS 3 is under investigation and might start in 2015.
The STEPS project was specifically aimed at developing the following space exploration enabling technologies up to TRL 2/3:

\begin{itemize}\item Entry Descent and Landing, Surface Navigation\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Surface Mobility\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Rendez-vous and Docking (RVD)\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Protection from planetary environment\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Inflatable structures and multifunctional Smart Skin\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Landing legs including shock absorbers\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Thermal protection and Aerothermodynamics\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Energy management and Regenerative Fuel Cells\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Health Management System (HMS) and composite structures modeling\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Human Machine Interfaces (HMI)\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Virtual Reality and Collaborative Engineering\end{itemize}
	
At the end of the project in May 2012, a series of real and virtual demonstrators (i.e., Pressurized Rover and Lander), demonstrated the validity of the adopted approach and of the technical choices performed during the project.

A continuation of the project (STEPS 2) was then proposed to the Piedmont Region and approved in January 2013, carrying on the technologies with higher possibility to be validated in space in a short-term timeframe:

\begin{itemize}\item Precision Landing\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Surface Navigation\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Smart Skin\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Landing Legs\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Regenerative Fuel Cells\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item RVD & Mechanisms\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Inflatable and Environmental Protection\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Ablative / Aerothermodynamics\end{itemize}
\begin{itemize}\item Health Management Systems / Ultralight Structures\end{itemize}

The paper will present the STEPS 2 recent results and their perspectives.

Abstract document

IAC-14,D3,2,2,x23868.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-14,D3,2,2,x23868.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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