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A cis-lunar propellant infrastructure for flexible path exploration and space commerce
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Oeftering, Richard C. |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Description | This paper describes a space infrastructure concept that exploits lunar water for propellant production and delivers it to users in cis-lunar space. The goal is to provide responsive economical space transportation to destinations beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) and enable in-space commerce. This is a game changing concept that could fundamentally affect future space operations, provide greater access to space beyond LEO, and broaden participation in space exploration. The challenge is to minimize infrastructure development cost while achieving a low operational cost. This study discusses the evolutionary development of the infrastructure from a very modest robotic operation to one that is capable of supporting human operations. The cis-lunar infrastructure involves a mix of technologies including cryogenic propellant production, reusable lunar landers, propellant tankers, orbital transfer vehicles, aerobraking technologies, and electric propulsion. This cislunar propellant infrastructure replaces Earth-launched propellants for missions beyond LEO. It enables users to reach destinations with smaller launchers or effectively multiplies the user s existing payload capacity. Users can exploit the expanded capacity to launch logistics material that can then be traded with the infrastructure for propellants. This mutually beneficial trade between the cis-lunar infrastructure and propellant users forms the basis of in-space commerce. |
| File Size | 1984591 |
| Page Count | 32 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20120008515 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t1ng9n674 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2012-04-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Astronautics (general) Aeroshells Orbit Transfer Vehicles Costs Commerce Cislunar Space Space Transportation Propellants Low Earth Orbits Lunar Resources Lunar Logistics Cryogenics Extraterrestrial Water Space Exploration Geosynchronous Orbits Lunar Surface Aerobraking Cryogenic Rocket Propellants Lunar Landing Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
