Manufacturing of Lunar Basaltic Glass Substrates
- Paper number
IAC-17,A5,IP,6,x39785
- Author
Mr. Juergen Schleppi, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Nick Bennett, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Matthias Maurer, ESA/EAC, Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Aidan Cowley, ESA, Germany
- Coauthor
Ms. Bethany Lomax, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Mr. Joseph Gibbons, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
- Year
2017
- Abstract
Future exploration missions outlined in the ISECG's Global Exploration Roadmap - including human missions to the Moon and Mars - will have increasingly demanding payload requirements. Even with advances in the development of heavy lift systems, such missions will have significantly constrained masses. Resupply flights will be limited, and in some cases impractical. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) has been suggested as a solution to this problem since the 1960s and many investigations on lunar regolith as a potential building material have been conducted ever since. Support for manned exploration missions using ISRU is a technology theme identified by ESA in its ``ESA Space Exploration Strategy - 2015'' and NASA in its ``NASA Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan - 2015''. Within these plans ``Space Power and Energy Systems'' and ``Human Exploration Destination Systems'' are areas that have been identified that can be augmented utilizing ISRU. Based on the works carried out until today, it was analyzed that the need for local energy harvesting can be combined with the use of local resources by he means of ISRU as a way to augment these categories. At present, a burden of proof exists on ISRU-related technology and integration of such technologies and methodologies for future exploration missions is only realistic if they prove to be feasible. This requires a low-tech approach, capable of handling a wide range of different input materials as well as using well understood, simple, small and light equipment. Analysis of current terrestrial equipment has shown that it is possible to utilize conventional heating methods to manufacture glass-like substrates using a variety of ``raw'' lunar regolith. These low-tech technologies are likely to fit the requirements for lunar missions and to be capable of working on the lunar surface. The produced substrates can be the basis for electronics and/or lunar solar conversion devices. We investigated the manufacturing of such ``Moon-made'' substrates, under lunar conditions, and performed analysis of their physical properties as well as their suitability for further use. The influence of different raw material compositions with respect to chemical and physical properties have been analyzed as well as their energy consumption and production time. The augmentation of lunar missions by Moon-made devices will reduce the number of re-supply flights needed. Hence, it can significantly reduce the overall cost of undertaking manned exploration and can make a significant contribution by opening-up new approaches to mission design.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)