Conference 7.286::space

To answer your question "can we land men on the moon using the shuttle?",
the answer is YES.

    The Lunar Excersion Module (LEM) was very successful during the Apollo
missions.  The legs of the LEM are collapsable and with legs folded, the
LEM will fit in the cargo bay of the shuttle.  A booster rocket similar to
the one used with the Apollo would be needed. A living quarters module
will have to be built, or maby they could use Spacelab.

    The only problem is paying for all this stuff.  It would probably
take at least three or four Shuttle missions.  Right now NASA's working
on a space station, which is a logical next step towards mans expansion
into space.  The Shuttle is also being used for science research
and launching communications satelites.

	All of the engines used in the Apollo/Saturn configuration were
liquid fuel, using kerosene/LOX (Saturn first stage), LH2/LOX(2-3), or
hydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide? (Apollo modules and RCS). All of these are 
quite dangerous materials, and it is unlikely that NASA would allow them 
to be carried in the shuttle cargo bay. This is not to say that the 
shuttle couldn't ferry up an empty vehicle, and the fuel be orbited via 
unmanned vehicles, but it doesn't seem too likely. The shuttle ET is 
loaded with LH2/LOX, so a bigger tank could carry some extra into orbit, 
and the ET could even be modified for vehicle parts (like the Saturn 3rd 
stage was converted to Skylab).

	Still Earth orbit is an easier and more useful place to be than 
on the moon, unless you are looking to do lunar mining or something like 
that. Gravity sucks!

The Centaur upper stage in LH2/LOX and is planned to be carried in the shuttle
cargo bay. I think Salyut and Soyuz use some variant on Hydrazine/N2O4 and
they have fairly successful at things like fuel transfer, so the technology
exists to do this kind of thing in a manned vehicle.

gary

	The other problem with LH2/LOX is that it cannot be filled and stored.
Cryogenic propellants need to be temperature controlled, and used up shortly
after the tank is filled. That is why they drain and refil the Shuttle ET
when they do one of those 2 day recycles, as happened on the first flight.
Once in space, they still would be subject to heating from the sun, so I
don't thing that is enough to solve the problem. Hydrazine/N2O4, while VERY
toxic, could be stored and transfered easier. The Titan-II from the Gemini
program used this combination, as the Titan was designed to sit fueled up
in a silo for long periods of time.

Article: 73349
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: [email protected] (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Subject: NEW MANNED LUNAR SPACECRAFT - How does it work?
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet NEWS)
Organization: ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 14:08:26 GMT
 
   This month, POPULAR MECHANICS reports that General Dynamics has proposed a
low-budget return to the Moon. They believe the Shuttle and today's rockets
could supply all the lifting power to put men back on the Lunar surface.
---
   The idea is to launch a four-legged Lunar Excursion Vehicle with an
Apollo return capsule (the illustration shows what appears to be an
enlarged Lunar Module, with two huge spherical tanks (LOX/LH2 as fuel
rather than Unsymmetrical Monomethyl Hydrazine /N2O4?) attached to the
landing legs) from the Shuttle. This would dock with a modified
single-engine (SSME?) Centaur upper stage, brought into the Shuttle's
orbit by a Titan IV or European Ariane V. The Centaur then fires its
engine to rocket the whole assembly Moonward. 
---
   The PM article also mentions that two additional missions would be 
necessary to deposit a habitat and supplies on the Lunar surface for a 3-week 
stay. Total cost would be $6 billion, if the European Space Agency kicks in 
with some hardware. 
---
   Could it work...? The Shuttle's maximum capacity is about 29 metric tons
while the Titan IV can launch an 18-ton payload. The velocity requirement
would be:
 
Trans-lunar injection burn  = ~3.2km/s
Lunar orbit insertion burn  = ~0.9km/s
Lunar descent               = ~2.2km/s (=Apollo descent profile)
Direct return to Earth      = ~2.7km/s
--------------------------------------------
                               9.0km/s (approx. of course)
 
If the LEV has a mass of 29 tons, the 18-ton Centaur would do a great
job if it could provide a delta-V of 2km/s before running out of fuel.
The dry mass of the MEV would have to be at least 8 tons (Return
capsule of 6 tons (Apollo-style), powerplant, engines, insulated fuel
tanks), and a total delta-V of 6km/s sounds far too good to be true.
Does this mean General Dynamics proposes that the craft be refuelled
on the Lunar surface for the return trip back home?! 
 
MARCU$
 
                                   ////
                                  (o o)
------------------------------oOO--(_)--OOo-----------------------------------
                           Computer Science Department
                       University of Abo Akademi, Finland
 
Email: [email protected]
       [email protected]
MAIL:  Marcus Lindroos, PL 402 A, 07880 Liljendal, FINLAND

From:	US1RMC::"ASTRO%[email protected]" "Astronomy Discussion 
        List" 27-SEP-1993 14:18:51.26
To:	Multiple recipients of list ASTRO <ASTRO%[email protected]>
CC:	
Subj:	Lunar missions to be announced

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

              International Space Enterprises to
              Announce Joint Lunar Operation with
              Russian Space Industry in San Diego

On Wednesday, September 29, at 11:30 am, former General Dynamics
engineer Michael Simon will announce details of plans to launch a new
generation of lunar probes in conjunction with the Lavochkin
Association. Mr. Simon is the founder of International Space
Enterprises, a San Diego-based company that will manage a series of
lunar probes, including at least one lunar lander and a data relay
satellite. First launch of lunar probes is planned for 1996, with the
landing mission scheduled for 1997. 

The event will be held at the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater, in Balboa
Park, and is *not* open to the public. Those wishing to attend should
identify themselves as guests of San Diego L5, the local chapter of
the National Space Society. 

For more information, please call San Diego L5 at 619/295-3690.

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date:         Mon, 27 Sep 1993 14:17:28 EDT
% Sender: Astronomy Discussion List <ASTRO%[email protected]>
% From: Frank ROUSSEL <[email protected]>
% Subject:      Lunar missions to be announced
% To: Multiple recipients of list ASTRO <ASTRO%[email protected]>

Article: 74809
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: [email protected] ("Thomas J. Frieling")
Subject: NASA's Mission: Research or Exploration?
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: [via International Space University]
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 16:18:32 GMT
 
An astute observer noted at the time of Apollo 11 that:

"[A] manned Moon landing was an eminently worthy first objective for
any nation aspiring to a spacefaring role, and indeed for all mankind
as it entered the space age.  To Earthmen, space, almost by definition,
means in the first instance the Moon.  As men have dreamed over the
ages of escaping this planet, they have thought not of tumbling about
in a can some hundred or so miles above the Earth's surface, but of
going to other planets, and first of all to the Moon.  And they have
dreamed of going themselves, not going by proxy through some machine."

 -- Mose L. Harvey from Man on the Moon: The Impact on Science, Technology, 
    and International Cooperation, NY: Basic Books, 1969.
 
I post this quote as food for thought for those readers interested in a
discussion: Is the space station just going around in circles conducting
research better left to automated spacecraft (if it ever gets up there)
or should NASA dust off its lunar exploration plans from the recently
demised Office of Exploration? The First Lunar Baseline missions,
planned as 45 day lunar stays may be the only justifiable use for man in
space in the post-Cold War era. Finishing Apollo's geological survey of
the Moon, establishing lunar radio and optical observatories, and
learning to use indiginous materials (e.g., lunar oxygen) are important
and useful tasks for man on the Moon and might even be of some interest
to the American public and the international community as well.

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Jeff Bytof - SIO" 13-OCT-1993 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	ISE Press Release, 29 Sept. 1993

                   -------------------------------

                   Press Release -  29 September 1993
                   ----------------------------------

   International Space Enterprises (ISE), a commercial space
corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, will be conducting
a series of robotic missions to the moon beginning in 1996.  They will
conduct these missions in partnership with the Russian space firm,
Lavochkin Association (LA), who was responsible for designing,
producing and operating the landers and rovers for almost all previous
Russian lunar programs.  Five Russian scientists, including Dr. Garry
Rogovsky, the First Deputy Director of Lavochkin's Babakin Engineering
Research Centre joined Mr. Michael Simon, President of International
Space Enterprises and several key ISE executives in San Diego today to
announce that the two companies have formed a joint venture company
(ISELA) to market their regularly scheduled transportation to the
Moon.  "We are here today to announce that preparations are underway
for our first mission in July of 1996 and tickets are going on sale",
said Mr. Simon. 

   ISELA has planned a series of eight missions to lunar orbit and the
lunar surface through the year 2000.  The first mission, scheduled for
July of 1996, will deliver various scientific instruments and a
communication satellite into lunar orbit to aid in transmitting data
and communications from future missions.  This satellite will be
essential for returning data from missions where scientific
instruments such as telescopes have been located on the far side of
the moon.  The seven landing missions will be conducted at a rate of
approximately two per year and will carry government and commercial
payloads including telescopes, rovers, stereovision cameras, and
geological sample collection and analysis instrumentation. 

   Preparations for these missions have been underway for nearly a
year and a half.  ISE has recently completed the first phase of a
research program to develop data and capabilities in support of lunar
and planetary missions.  Senior scientists under the guidance of Dr.
Rogovsky have spent two weeks in San Diego and Los Angeles working
with the ISE mission planning and design team to complete the task. 
The next phase of the contract will be to develop more detailed
designs of lunar/planetary landing systems and specific mission plans.

   Following these activities, International Space Enterprises and the
Lavochkin Association will fabricate a fleet of lunar landing
vehicles.  The first, ISELA-600, is based on the Mars 94 spacecraft
and will be capable for delivering 1.5 metric tons to lunar orbit and
600kg to the lunar surface.  The second, ISELA-1500, will be capable
of delivering 3 metric tons to lunar orbit and 1500kg to the lunar
surface.  The use of flight proven hardware in both models will allow
operation five to seven years earlier than any competing system.  Both
landers will utilize a newly designed payload support structure, the
Universal Payload Adapter (UPA), which will provide electric, thermal,
and data relay services for up to 15 individual payloads.  The volume,
capability and flexibility of the ISELA system will reduce the cost of
lunar exploration by an order of magnitude, bringing it well within
reach of universities, scientists and commercial companies. 

   "Our unique combination of reliable and cost-effective
international space transportation systems will enable us to generate
the economies of scale necessary to make space exploration truly
affordable.", said Mr. Simon.  As a purely commercial firm, ISE has
selected the most capable, proven and cost-effective space hardware
from various international sources to form their transportation
system.  Concurrent with customizing the transportation system for its
series of missions, ISE is negotiating with companies worldwide to
deliver payloads on these company sponsored flights. "There has been
significant interest from university, government and commercial users
alike.", said Mr. David Mazaika, ISE's Vice President for Business
Development.  ISE is presently negotiating with 22 major U.S.
corporations representing both traditional markets such as
telecommunications, geology, mapping and astronomy and non-traditional
participants such as automobile, consumer electronics, and
entertainment firms.  In addition, ISE has been having ongoing
discussions with scores of scientists from around the globe who, after
two decades of being unable to purchase transportation to the moon to
conduct their experiments, are eagerly awaiting such capabilities. 

   Mr. Simon stresses that low cost access to the Moon will offer
significant national as well as international benefits.  "Our program
takes advantage of a new spirit of U.S. - Russian cooperation to open
up new frontiers of lunar science, exploration and business.  It will
promote private sector investment in science and technology programs
vital to U.S. competitiveness; will channel capital into high-wage,
high-skill jobs; will produce technology spin-offs that will create
new science and business markets; and will reinvigorate our children's
interest in science and technology by enabling students at all levels
to actively participate in lunar and astronomical science projects.
These same actions, in addition to benefiting the U.S., will aid in
the stabilization of the Russian economy while ensuring space assets
are used for peaceful scientific purposes." 

-----------------

For further information contact Mr. David Mazaika, Vice President
of Business Development at (619) 637-5777.

             International Space Enterprises
             4909 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 330
             San Diego, California 92123 

Article: 44767
From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof - SIO)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: International Space Enterprises - Prospectus
Date: 12 Oct 1993 22:54:40 GMT
Organization: San Diego Supercomputer Center @ UCSD
 
                    INTERNATIONAL SPACE ENTERPRISES
                    -------------------------------
 
The ISE Charter:  To develop and conduct commercial international
                  space science and exploration projects which
                  will reduce costs, stimulate business investment,
                  and improve U.S.-International relationships.
 
ISE: A New Force in Space Exploration
-------------------------------------
   
   International Space Enterprises (ISE) was founded as a       
corporation in 1992.  The company's primary purpose is to conduct
privately financed robotic lunar science and exploration programs
that are priced low enough to attract diverse international 
markets.  Acting upon a new spirit of East-West cooperation, ISE
is uniquely positioned to accomplish this goal through a
profit-sharing venture with Russian partners.
 
   ISE is a full service lunar transportation and mission support
company.  With company-owned satellites and landers, ISE offers
its customers a broad range of services, including mission
planning and coordination; payload design, fabrication, and
integration; launch and mission control; scientific equipment leasing;
data sales; and ancillary surface support.
 
Benefiting Science and Business
-------------------------------- 
 
   ISE's privately-managed space projects will provide a broad
range of national and international benefits.  They will promote
private sector investments in science and technology programs
vital to U.S. competitiveness; channel capital into high-wage,
high-skill jobs; and produce technology spinoffs that create 
new science and business markets.
 
   Planned educational programs will enable children as well as
advanced students to actively participate in lunar and astronomical
projects that stimulate interest in science and technology.
ISE's programs will also advance peaceful uses of Russian
technology, stimulate the U.S. and Russian economies, and serve as 
an innovative model for cooperative international space and 
business enterprises.
 
Return to the Moon in 1996
--------------------------
 
   ISE's agreements with leading U.S. and Russian aerospace 
organizations establish blueprints for a series of unmanned missions 
to the Moon through a private international joint venture initiative.
The first mission, scheduled to take place in 1996, will place
remote survey and mapping equipment, along with a company-owned
data relay satellite, into orbits around the Moon.  This will be
followed by a series of landing missions to deploy telescopes,
lunar rovers, and various experimental equipment on the Moon's
surface.
 
   The first landing mission, scheduled to occur in 1997, will place
scientific instruments on the Moon's Earth-facing side.  Plans for
later missions call for historic landings on the Moon's far side,
using ISE's data relay satellite to transmit data back to Earth.
 
Low-Cost Customer Services
--------------------------
 
   Through a joint venture partnership with Russia's Lavochkin
Association, one of the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft
and space systems, ISE will provide customers in industry and
government with access to the Moon at costs several times
lower than possible using alternative systems.  In addition,
this "ISELA" joint venture will provide ten times more cargo
delivery capacity to the Moon's orbit and surface than other 
proposed systems.
 
   This capability - more than a ton of payload to the surface - 
is essential for deploying many large, high priority surface
systems.  Included are lunar telescopes for deep space astronomy,
robotic surface vehicles, equipment for conducting many scientific
studies and technology demonstrations, and lunar sample return systems.
 
Commercial Business Approach
----------------------------
 
   ISE's service-oriented approach addresses the needs of 
commercial, profit-oriented customers as well as traditional
science users.  Costs and investment risks will be minimized
through efficient, streamlined business operations and by
motivating all members of ISE's international team with
meaningful performance incentives.
 
   Lavochkin will design and fabricate lunar landers and payload
support systems, building upon existing hardware that can be
rapidly and inexpensively modified.  The ISELA lander presently
under development will utilize a flight-proven propulsion system
but feature numerous upgrades to take advantage of current 
technologies.
 
   Boosting ISELA landers from Earth and into lunar trajectories
will be Proton rockets, which are among the world's largest,
most reliable launch vehicles.  Russia's Khrunichev Enterprises,
manufacturer of the Proton, has agreed to provide launch and
mission services to Lavochkin as a joint stock company partner.
Launches will be conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome complex
in Kazakhstan, site of the historic launch of Sputnik, and of all
Proton missions.
 
   Use of proven space systems will reduce costs, minimize technical
risks, and shorten schedules.  To enable additional cost savings
through economies of scale, ISE and its partners are developing
a Universal Payload Adapter, which will allow as many as ten to
fifteen payloads to be flown to the Moon on each lander mission.
Hence, the cost of a typical ISE mission will be shared among
several customers.
 
   ISE has recently obtained support from Rockwell International
in the area of lunar mission planning.  Rockwell is the prime
contractor for NASA's Space Shuttle, and during the Apollo program
developed the Command and Service Modules which carried astronauts
to the Moon.  Involvement of other science and technology organizations
in ISE's missions will result in creation of many new business
opportunities and high-skill jobs in the U.S., Russia, and around
the world.
 
New Frontiers of Opportunity
----------------------------
 
   ISE's international market base includes government organizations,
research institutions, schools, and private companies.  Some of
these customers will develop their own payloads, relying on ISE
to provide transportation services.  Other customers will be given
opportunities to purchase or lease equipment developed by ISE and
its partners.  ISE will also market scientific data generated by 
company-owned and operated instruments.
 
   Data from ISE-owned science equipment will enable both government
and private research organizations to investigate the origin
and features of Earth's closest neighbor.  Scientific pursuits that
will benefit from direct lunar access include studies of the Moon's 
gravitational field, surface irradiance and temperature, solar wind
pressure, solar and cosmic radiation, seismic activity and soil
composition.
 
   New opportunities to explore the Moon up close will afford
scientists their first chances to take advantage of new technologies
developed over the two decades following the Apollo missions.
As such technologies have matured, a backlog of experiments 
requiring lunar access has been created.  Additional demands will
be generated as flight opportunities are created and costs are reduced.
 
   Lunar-based astronomy presents especially exciting scientific
opportunities.  Outside the Earth's obscuring atmosphere and
cloud cover, telescopes will offer astronomers unparalleled views
of the Universe.  The far side of the Moon, shielded nearly entirely
from Earth light and radio interference, offers a particularly
attractive site for deep-space astronomy.
 
   Scientific customers, including NASA and universities, will
benefit from sharing mission costs with commercial customers.
They will also enjoy savings in R&D costs by purchasing or
leasing ISE-owned equipment, or by purchasing data from ISE.
ISE's ability to offer convenient payment terms will reduce
customers' up-front expenditures.
 
Bringing the Experience Back to Earth
-------------------------------------
 
   ISE's programs will rekindle the public's interest in space
exploration, perhaps returning excitement to levels not seen
since the glory days of Project Apollo.  Innovative educational
initiatives will translate space enthusiasm into learning at
all academic levels in schools around the world.
 
   Advanced high-resolution television cameras, mounted on ISE 
orbiters and surface rovers, will transmit live and recorded
images to Earth for research and educational purposes.  ISE
plans innovative initiatives to stimulate science education,
such as a program enabling students to remotely control rovers
on the Moon from classroom control stations on Earth.  By enabling
students to interactively participate in its lunar missions,
such ISE projects will help make the learning process more
rewarding and enjoyable.
 
Sharing the Experience
----------------------
 
   ISE will go beyond science and educational institutions by
bringing space exploration into living rooms, theaters, and 
entertainment centers around the world.  Dramatic views of 
ISELA launches, landings, and other mission events will be 
televised and made available on special mission videocassettes.
 
   To carry the sensation of space travel one step closer
to reality, ISE will take advantage of emerging technologies 
such as virtual reality.  Individuals wearing headsets 
programmed with lunar video images will be able to see,
in three dimensions, nearly exactly what an astronaut would
observe walking on the lunar surface, cruising on a lunar
rover, or even descending into a deep crater.  Such ISE programs 
will enable millions of people to vicariously share in one of
humanity's greatest adventures.
 
ISE's Team and Management
-------------------------
 
   The ISE management team is comprised of space and business
leaders with national and international credentials.  Their
combined backgrounds in government, industry, and academia provide
the breadth of experience necessary to manage complex space projects.
Key strengths include technical expertise in relevant space systems,
experience in creating successful commercial space enterprises,
familiarity with the needs of scientific, educational, and commercial
customers, and established working relationships with ISE's
aerospace partners.
 
Michael Simon, President and Board Chairman
-------------------------------------------
 
   As a former manager of advanced projects at General Dynamics,
Mr. Simon led lunar and Mars exploration studies.  He also helped 
establish the commercial Atlas launch vehicle program.  Previously
he was an advanced programs analyst with NASA Headquarters.
 
Valery Aksamentov, Vice President, Engineering
----------------------------------------------
 
   Dr. Aksamentov, a former Senior Research Fellow at the Moscow
Aviation Institute, has design experience with the Mir space station
and Buran orbiter.  He co-founded the International Center for
Advanced Studies in Russia and received the Yuri Gagarin Diploma.
 
Larry Bell, Board Vice Chairman
-------------------------------
 
   In addition to serving ISE, Professor Bell directs the Sasakawa
International Center for Space Architecture at the University of
Houston.  He is a co-founder of Space Industries International and
a recipient of the Yuri Gagarin Diploma and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Gold Medal.
 
David Mazaika, Vice President, Business Development
---------------------------------------------------
 
   Mr. Mazaika joined ISE following nearly a decade of experience
in international business development and strategic planning for
General Dynamics Space Systems Division.  He has also founded 
several private companies, including an international manufacturing
firm.
 
George Schuh, Vice President, Finance
-------------------------------------
 
   Mr. Schuh has a diverse background that combines technology and
finance.  Originally trained as an electro-optical engineer, he
worked as an optical computing and vision specialist at Sandia
National Laboratories.  He has earned an MBA degree and is a CPA.
 
Thomas Kessler, Director, Mission Integration
---------------------------------------------
 
   Mr. Kessler is a former project manager with General Dynamics.
His special areas of expertise include design of launch vehicles, 
orbital transfer systems, and landers, including projected cost
analysis.  He has earned an MBA in addition to his two engineering
degrees.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
                   International Space Enterprises
                   4909 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 330
                   San Diego, California 92123
 
                      For information contact:
 
                      David M. Mazaika
                      Vice President, Business Development
                      Phone: (619) 637-5777
                      Fax:   (619) 637-5776 
                 
                             -end- 
 

Article: 44950
From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof - SIO)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: ISE: Announcement to Potential Customers
Date: 16 Oct 1993 03:30:34 GMT
Organization: San Diego Supercomputer Center @ UCSD
 
 ---------------     -------------------------------       ----------
 15 October 1993     International Space Enterprises       ISEN No. 3 
 ---------------     -------------------------------       ----------
 
                    ISELA LUNAR LANDING VENTURE 
                     SEEKS INTERESTED CUSTOMERS
                    ---------------------------
 
The Moon is once again accessible!   International Space Enterprises,
headquartered in San Diego, California, and with offices in
Huntsville, Alabama and Houston, Texas, is teamed with Russia's
Lavochkin Association to provide routine, low cost, robotic
transportation to lunar orbit and the lunar surface, starting in 1996.
 ISE is staffed by engineers and business experts in space project
management and financing.  The Lavochkin Association designed and
built virtually all lunar and planetary probes launched by the former
Soviet Union. 
 
ISE is now seeking customers for the first lunar orbital mission in
July 1996 and a series of landing missions scheduled to begin in 1997.
 Landing missions may include a mission to the lunar far side as early
as 1998.  ISE is particularly looking for science and educational
payloads as well as corporate and government sponsors.  Under ISE's
preliminary pricing plan, a fifty pound payload can be delivered to
the lunar surface for less than $2.3M.  This kind of pricing is made
possible by extensive use of existing, flight tested, hardware and
cost-sharing among multiple payloads on each flight. 
 
ISE has already contacted dozens of interested users.  Many have
indicated that they could fund their payload today, completely
separate from any government commitment.  With serious customers, ISE
is signing a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to initiate
mission planning.  It is ISE's goal to completely fill the first two
missions within the next 60 days and hold its' first Payload
Integration Meeting in late December. 
 
If you have a serious interest in sending a payload to the Moon,
please contact ISE by phone, Fax or mail for a brochure and draft MOU.
ISE customer service representatives will be glad to discuss your
payload needs. 
 
     International Space Enterprises
     4909 Murphy Canyon Road
     Suite 330
     San Diego, CA 92123
 
     David Mazaika
     Vice President, Business Development
     (619) 637-5771 - Phone
     (619) 637-5776 - FAX
 
If you want to see the ISELA dream come alive, ISE appreciates your support! 
 
   1)  Contact your local Science Teachers Association, school
district, or college administration and describe the tremendous
educational benefits possible (see Potential Payloads for more info). 
 
   2)  Send a letter to your local congressman supporting the Lunar
Data Purchase Act and the ISELA venture in particular.  Be sure to
specifically include the ISE name. 
 
   3)  Send a letter to a personal contact within NASA or directly to
the NASA Administrator. Cite the advantages you see for the ISELA
program and again be sure to specifically include the ISE name.  It is
our understanding that Mr. Goldin personally reads most of his mail,
so this might have greater impact than you think.  Send your letters to: 
 
     Mr. Daniel Goldin
     NASA Administrator
     NASA Headquarters
     Washington, D.C. 20546
 
   4)  Send a letter to either President Clinton or Vice President
Gore.  Make your opinion known about the benefits of space exploration
and the ISELA program specifically.  Again, please mention ISE by
name.  Send your letters to: 
 
     Mr. Bill Clinton
     White House
     1600 Pennsylvania Avenue., N.W.
     Washington, D.C. 20500
     (202) 456-1111 - Phone
     (202) 456-2461 - FAX 
 
     Mr. Albert Gore
     White House
     1600 Pennsylvania Avenue., N.W.
     Washington, D.C. 20500
     (202) 456-1414 - Phone
     (202) 456-2461 - FAX 
 
                                -end-

Article: 44951
From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof - SIO)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: ISE: Background Information
Date: 16 Oct 1993 03:36:34 GMT
Organization: San Diego Supercomputer Center @ UCSD
 
 ---------------      -------------------------------     ----------
 15 October 1993      International Space Enterprises     ISEN No. 4
 ---------------      -------------------------------     ---------- 
 
                         ISELA BACKGROUND DATA        
                         ---------------------
 
 SPACECRAFT SUMMARY
 ------------------
 
 ISE plans to return to the Moon using flight proven
 spacecraft.  The first lander, the ISELA-600, uses the
 flight proven PHOBOS / MARS '94 spacecraft with landing
 legs derived from the highly successful LUNA series of
 soft landers.  The ISELA-600 will be capable of
 delivering 1.5 metric tonnes to lunar orbit and 600 kg
 to the lunar surface.  The second lander, the
 ISELA-1500, has larger propellant tanks derived from
 LUNA experience and will be capable of delivering 3
 metric tonnes to lunar orbit and 1,500 kg to the lunar
 surface.  The use of unique flight proven hardware in
 both models will allow operation several years earlier
 than any alternative system and with substantially lower
 risk and cost to users.
 
 The substantial payload capability of the ISELA landers
 (second only to the Apollo Lunar Module) and associated
 low cost, means that much larger experiments can be
 flown than have been considered in most recent lunar
 studies.  In addition to 20 lb micro-rovers which have
 limited data storage and range, ISE can accommodate
 rovers with 10 - 50 times greater mass.  In addition to
 flying small highly specialized telescopes weighing a
 hundred pounds at most, now almost Hubble class, 1,500
 Kg, instruments can be placed on the lunar far side
 offering much greater science potential.  To allow for
 this diversity of payloads, both landers will utilize a
 newly designed payload support structure, the Universal
 Payload Adapter (UPA), which can provide electric,
 thermal, and data relay services for up to 15 individual
 payloads.  The volume, capability, and flexibility of
 the ISELA system will reduce the cost of lunar
 transportation by an order of magnitude, bringing it
 well within reach of universities, scientists, and
 commercial companies.
 
 
 LAVOCHKIN BACKGROUND
 --------------------
 
 Lavochkin designed and built the LUNA series of Moon
 probes with 6 successful orbiters (out of 6 attempts
 after 1966), and 8 successful landers (out of 11
 attempts from 1966 - 1976) including 3 successful soil
 return landers.  Two of the landers also carried
 LUNOKHOD rovers.  The first traveled over 10 kilometers
 in 11 months in 1970 - 1971 and the second traversed 37
 kilometers in 4 months across the Sea of Serenity in 1973.
 
 Lavochkin also designed and built the highly successful
 VENERA series of probes (100% from 1970 - 1984),
 including two successful radar mappers in 1983 - 1984
 and 8 landers which successfully returned data from the
 surface for up to 127 minutes, despite pressures of 89 -
 94 atmospheres and temperatures of 446deg - 475degC.
 
 In 1985 Lavochkin started the design of a completely new
 spacecraft bus for Mars/lunar orbital studies,
 asteroid/Phobos/Deimos landings, and lunar landings.
  Two of these 3rd generation spacecraft were launched
 toward Phobos in 1989, one of which succeeded in imaging
 Phobos before an unexplained failure shut down
 communications.  The first spacecraft was inadvertently
 shut down by an erroneous command from the ground.
  Subsequent failure investigation resulted in: adding
 redundancy in the communications system & spacecraft
 pointing systems; a change in the programming format and
 use of a ground simulator to preclude inadvertent ground
 commands; and a number of other reliability enhancing
 improvements.  This upgraded spacecraft is being used
 for the Mars '94 and Mars '96 missions.
 
 In parallel with this effort, Lavochkin has partnered
 with VNII Transmash of St. Petersburg, Russia, to
 produce an advanced rover designed for semiautonomous
 travel across the rough surface of Mars.  This rover,
 called MARSOKHOD, has been successfully tested in
 numerous earth environments from volcanic fields in
 Kamchatka to Death Valley in California.  A
 demonstration test program performed in Death Valley in
 May 1992 clearly showed the enormous capability of this
 6 wheeled, articulated chassis rover to surmount even
 supercritical angle sand dunes (>30deg slope) and boulder
 fields where many of the rocks were taller than the
 rover wheels.
 
 
 POTENTIAL PAYLOADS
 ------------------
 
 ISE has discussed potential payloads with dozens of U.S.
 & foreign Corporations representing both traditional
 markets such as telecommunications, geology, mapping and
 astronomy and non-traditional participants such as
 automobile, consumer electronics and entertainment firms.  
 
 ISE believes that the low cost and heavy lift capability
 of the ISELA landers will enable major unmanned
 technology demonstrations on the lunar surface including
 the search for ice in the polar regions, He3 and LOX
 production, and solar power demonstrations. 
 
 Entertainment and education constitute other major
 non-traditional markets.  ISE envisions sending high
 resolution stereoscopic TV cameras on each rover
 mission.  These HDTV quality images will then be
 downloaded to Earth where they can be used to build up a
 complete 3 dimensional "world" database for virtual
 reality exploration and games.  Imagine being able to
 explore the Moon yourself in your living room - you
 select the direction to go, which mountain to climb,
 which canyon to descend, which rock to look behind.  We
 do not have to wait 20 years for low cost space tourism
 to develop - it can be a reality for the price of an
 HDTV (slated to become available in the spring of 1996).
  Even more importantly, the availability of the "virtual"
 product will demonstrate the demand and thereby expedite
 the commercial development of a space tourism transportation system.
 
 These same images and other scientific data being sent
 back also have great educational value.  ISE plans to
 make available a classroom program to schools across the
 world where live images from the rover(s) are fed right
 into the classroom.  Science competitions, similar to
 the Shuttle Student Involvement Project, would be held
 yearly.  High school students could compete in designing
 experiments using data being downloaded from ISELA
 instruments, or even for new experiments to be carried
 on the next ISELA lander.  Younger students could
 compete in a variety of ways for the opportunity to
 "drive" the rover from a portable ground station sent
 around to winning schools.  And all students would be
 able to participate in the excitement of exploring
 another world, spurring their interest in science.
 
 Besides lunar related technology demonstrations, there
 is excellent promise for more Earth related
 demonstrations.  Many commercial products would gain
 valuable technical and/or marketing benefits from
 demonstrations on the Moon.  For example, ISE engineers
 believe that standard 4 wheel drive vehicles (with
 electric motors and systems modified for vacuum
 operation) would be well suited to the lunar
 environment.  A space modified version of a newly
 introduced 4-wheel drive vehicle could be delivered to
 the surface, where it could be remotely controlled.
  Furthermore, the lift capability of the ISELA lander
 would allow a substantial science payload to be carried
 by the "rover" - so it is not just a publicity stunt but
 a means to finance lunar science.
 
 
 BASIC PRICING
 -------------
 
 ISE's target prices for basic transportation fees are
 $75,000 per kilogram of net payload delivered to lunar
 orbit and $125,000 per kilogram delivered to the lunar
 surface, excluding optional payload or mission support
 services.  Data service or leasing fees for ISE-owned
 payloads will be based on recovery of an equivalent
 amount for transportation plus costs associated with
 development, fabrication, and operation of the payload.
 
 Data transfer services will be handled by a combination
 of ISE owned ground stations using commercially
 available antennas and, possibly, NASA or Russian Space
 Agency communications & tracking facilities.  Fees for
 these services will be negotiated separately.
 
 
 CUSTOMER AGREEMENTS AND MISSION IMPLEMENTATION SEQUENCE
 -------------------------------------------------------
 
 ISE has a three step process for integrating payloads
 onto the ISELA spacecraft.  The first step is to jointly
 sign a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in
 which the customer states his intent to fly a payload to
 the Moon on an ISE spacecraft and fills out a brief
 questionnaire about his proposed payload.  ISE makes a
 tentative reservation and provides further interface
 data so that the customer can more fully design his
 payload.  A key benefit of the MOU is to assist both
 parties in planning and resource acquisition necessary
 to enter into a subsequent Mission Services Agreement (MSA).
 
 Once a payload concept has been more definitized, then a
 preliminary MSA is developed and signed. Upon signature,
 ISE will typically require a non-refundable deposit of 5
 percent of the estimated mission services price, which
 will be used to fund preliminary mission planning and
 integration.  At such time, ISE will guarantee the
 customer a specified mission service such as a payload
 reservation on a designated flight or a specified level
 of use of an ISE instrument.  This starts the formal
 payload integration process.  Working with the customer,
 ISE & Lavochkin engineers will develop specific,
 definitive mission plans, mechanical, power, data
 interfaces as well as other mission data such as payload
 environment, ground processing requirements, and mission
 control parameters.
 
 Upon the final definition of the customer's payload, a
 final MSA is executed and ISE will typically require a
 second installment representing 45 percent of the
 estimated mission services price, which will be used for
 full scale development of the systems needed to
 accommodate the customer's mission.  The remaining 50
 percent of the mission price would be due no later than
 90 days prior to launch of the customer's mission.
  Normally, the final two installments (representing 95%
 of the customer's total payments) would be fully
 refundable in the event ISE failed to launch the
 specified mission.
 
                      -end-
 

Article: 44977
From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof - SIO)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: New ISE Posting Policy
Date: 17 Oct 1993 22:31:51 GMT
Organization: San Diego Supercomputer Center @ UCSD
 
In the future, additional numbers of the International Space Enterprises
Note Series will be posted to sci.space and alt.sci.planetary in full
length.  Excerpts relating to the Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope, and
other lunar-based astronomy projects planned by ISE will be posted to
sci.astro.  Anyone wishing to be placed on ISE's emailing list please
make the request to [email protected].
 
-Jeff Bytof 

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" 20-NOV-1993 22:20:01.93
To:	distribution:;@[email protected] 
CC:	
Subj:	Space Frontier Foundation Conference III

**************************************************************************

                        The Space Frontier Foundation

                                    presents

                        Space Frontier Conference III
                  Apollo's Children: Taking Back the Dream!

                               March 18-20, 1994
                         Houston Hobby Hilton Hotel

**************************************************************************

It's been 25 years since humans walked on the Moon.  It may be 25 more
before we return -- if ever.  If this angers you, if this fills you
with questions, and if you want to do something about it, join us for
a stimulating and informative weekend at the Houston Hobby Hilton
Hotel.  You will join leading experts in the space field as we address
such important questions as: 

        -  Why are we still only spectators of our own space program?
        -  Why does it costs more to put a person into space now than 	
		during Apollo?
        -  How can we reduce the costs of entering space?
        -  Have we squandered the chance to open the space frontier?
        -  Is it time to replace NASA?  With what?
        -  What's gone wrong with the dream of Apollo - and how do we fix it?
        -  What new government space policies do we want?
        -  What kind of new industries can we create in space?
        -  What will space cities look like?  Who will build them?
        -  How do we create an open frontier in space in the next 25 years?
        -  What can you personally do to help win the fight for the frontier?

These are just a few of the questions we will try to answer during one 
of the most powerful weekends you will experience all year.

Events Include:
        -  The New American Space Agenda with Jim Muncy & Rick Tumlinson
        -  Breakthroughs with Peter Diamandis, co-founder of the Int'l 
                Space University
        -  Vision with Robert Zubrin of Martin Marietta Corp. and Marshall 
		Savage, author of The Millennial Project
        -  The Space Frontier Award Banquet
        -  Improving the Foundation's Message with Frank White, author of
           	The Overview Effect

Prices:
  Current Supporters  $70 (Donations of $25 or more during 1993)
  New Supporters       $95
  Late Fee       add     $15 after 31 Jan. 1994

Meals included in conference fee

To Register, send check/or money order to:
                Space Frontier Foundation
                16 First Avenue
  	        Nyack, NY  10960

For additional information call 1-800-78-SPACE
or e-mail: [email protected]

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 11:58:05 -0400 (EDT)
% From: [email protected]
% Subject: Space Frontier Foundation Conference III

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon"  6-FEB-1994 15:46:44.35
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Return to the Moon Update

                     Return to the Moon Campaign 
                                Update 2/6/94
  David Anderman, Chair, Return to the Moon Campaign

       Do you support commercial space development - getting the
government out of the way to let private companies explore and develop
space, where feasible? Do you support a Return to the Moon, picking up
America's lunar exploration program where it left off in 1972?  The
Omnibus Commercial Space Act, HR-2731, a new bill pending before
Congress, would both spur commercial space development and jump start
America's lunar exploration program. 

                                Status Report

     As the year begins, progress is being made on several fronts on a
Return to the Moon. It appears that, with sufficient support from the
grassroots, Section 507 of the Omnibus Commercial Space Act (HR-2731),
which contains  language authorizing the government to purchase lunar
science data from private companies, could become law with a big push
in 1994 by us. 

     The big news is that NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin has been
briefed on HR-2731 by a private company planning commercial lunar
exploration. A basic previous stumbling block for NASA support of a
commercial Return to the Moon is the lack of a secondary market should
the government act as an anchor tenant for private companies selling
lunar science data. This new private company will describe their
marketing efforts, and hopefully convince NASA that a secondary market
will exist should NASA spur the market by buying lunar science data
from private bidders. 

   Passage of the Omnibus Commercial Space Act is a key go/no go
decision in re-starting the lunar exploration program. Congress came
down hard on deciding against a resumption of NASA lunar missions
before the Mars Observer failure; the chances for funding of a NASA
mission now are extremely dim. The Clementine mission, despite its
worthy intent, is not going to lead to a new series of lunar science
missions. As a military sensor test, we can expect several more
asteroid rendezvous missions from the Clementine program, but no
resumption of lunar tests. 

     Should HR-2731 pass, we could then see a series of scientific
missions that would produce a geochemical lunar map, and probably
answer the questions of whether ice exists at the lunar poles.
Moreover, we would create a whole new sector of our economy, that
would presumably hire the next generation of space scientists. 

    The Omnibus bill contains much more than just lunar mission
support - there are tax incentives for private investment in space, an
extension of the Launch Services Purchase Act, and other support for
private space development. 

                          What to Do to Help

     1)   Stay in touch. Send E-mail to [email protected] for more
information,  contact your local chapter of the National Space
Society, or call 916/421-2621.  The status of the bill changes
rapidly, and the Return to the Moon campaign is going to need adequate
internal communication to keep up. 

    2)  Ask your congressperson for a copy of HR-2731, the Omnibus
Commercial Space Act - it's free, and they'll be happy to send you a
copy if you ask in writing. The address of your congressperson is:
{their name}, U.S. House of Representative, Washington, DC 20515. 

   3)   Once you've taken a look at the bill, ask your congressperson
to co-sponsor the bill  (co-sponsorship is an easy way, non-binding,
means for congresspersons to support pending legislation before a vote
is held). More co-sponsors mean the greater the chance of passage. 

  4)   If you are so inclined, set up a meeting with a local
congressional staffer about the bill. Contact the Return to the Moon
Campaign to find out if there are others in your district working on
the Campaign, or to get a 1994 briefing book. 

Quick!  I hope someone makes Tranquillity Base a National Park (or better, a
planetary park).

Burns
=================================

Article 1069 of clari.tw.space:
ACategory: usa
Slugword: Moon-Buggy
Priority: regular
ANPA: Wc: 531/0; Id: V0332; Src: ap; Sel: -----; Adate: 02-15-N/A; Ver: 0/1
Codes: APO-1110
Lines: 54
Xref: jac.zko.dec.com clari.biz.features:346 clari.tw.space:1069

	WASHINGTON (AP) -- Many uses have been proposed for the moon and
space: putting human ashes into eternal orbit, advertising on giant
signs seen from all of Earth, an orbiting sunlight collector to
beam down enough energy to electrify whole cities.
	Add the newest idea: An unmanned vehicle on the moon steered by
a theme park visitor on Earth. You pay your money and drive on
Tranquility Base.
	LunaCorp, a maker of space-oriented CD-ROMs, said Monday it will
try to raise $110 million to launch such a vehicle to the moon on a
Russian rocket. It would land at the same place where Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin put the first footsteps on the moon in
1969.
	Instead of one small step for a man, it would become a giant
leap for commercialism.
	``Our goal is to provide the world's first interactive space
exploration event by giving the public the opportunity to drive the
rover on the moon via telepresence,'' said David Gump, president of
the company, based in Arlington, Va.
	The earlier schemes came to naught. The ashes idea involved the
Celestis Group of funeral directors who wanted to charge $3,990 --
about the price of an upscale funeral and casket -- to put ashes
into orbit. They would stay up there for eternity or 63 million
years, whichever came first.
	LunaCorp hopes to raise the cash from theme park operators,
television networks, corporate sponsors and advertising agencies.
About 25 percent of the rover's work will be devoted to science,
Gump said, and the company is hoping for a little financial help
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
	The United States spent $24 billion to put 12 astronauts on the
moon between July 1969 and December 1972. But there has been no
program to return.
	The company has enlisted William Whittaker of Carnegie Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, an inventor of robotic vehicles, to
design its lunar rover. He told a news conference that the
technology for a rover has been developed by NASA and is there for
the taking.
	``A thousand days from now, the technology challenge will be
over,'' Whittaker said. He added that the moon offers significant
advantages: You can get there quickly, an abundance of solar power
is available and communication with Earth is good.
	LunaCorp hopes to finance two rovers and has plans for a third
if something goes wrong.
	Arrangements for carrying the robot to the moon will be made by
International Space Enterprises of San Diego, which will pay Russia
$50 million for use of a Phobos rocket. Each primary customer will
pay $6 million to $18 million, Gump said.
	The vision doesn't stop with the moon. On Earth, an automotive
company could have a replica visit dealerships, some firm could
sponsor a computer mailbox on the moon and a relay could be set up
so a long-distance telephone customers could have their calls
routed via another planet.
	And Gump sees the grandest stunt of all: a contest to find the
first person to steer the vehicle on the moon. ``I can just see
it,'' he said. ``Billy Smith from Peoria at the controls.''

====================================================
It strikes me that there are a LOT of problems on the surface of this, say
nothing of the details.  For example, they say that there is lots of solar power
on the moon and communications is easy.  Well, there is lots of solar power
roughly 14 days out of 28 (ignoring the sun angle problem on the ends of those
14 days).  And there is good communcations with a given location on earth for
roughly 12 out of every 24 hours.  And if you are going to spend $50-some
million (probably a lot more) to set this up, are you really going to let Joe
Schmo drive the vehicle, possibly into a rock or over the edge of a crater?  And
surely, they won't REALLY go bombing around desecrating Tranquillity Base, will
they?  I'd like to have a rover crawl within a few hundred feet and take nice
close up pictures, but I don't want it running over footprints, and otherwise
disturbing the site!

Burns

RE: <<< Note 50.13 by SKYLAB::FISHER "Carp Diem : Fish the Day" >>>

>...but I don't want it running over footprints, and otherwise
>disturbing the site!

Ditto for sure. That would be awful.
						-- Tom

  I can't imagine that they would ever get their money back. Talk about an
investment. And it's only good until it breaks down which, with joe amateur at
the controls, shouldn't take that long. 

  I'd be surprised if this ever gets off the ground much less into low earth
orbit.

  George

    	Granted that we're talking 1960s to early 1970s Soviet technology
    here, but the USSR had a heck of a time trying to control their two
    robot LUNOKHOD rovers on the Moon in 1970 and 1973.  One man was
    assigned to steering each wheel on the rover for hours at a time,
    complete with a two-second delay between each command and resulting
    action.  They found it to be very exhausting work.  I wonder if
    LunarCorp's plans will be any easier?
    
    	Not that I want to see a lunar venture fail, mind you, but I am
    not that thrilled there is only 25% of the time devoted to science.
    We're still far too early in the lunar exploration stage to be 
    conducting "joy rides" for profit, regardless of how much publicity
    and money for space exploration it may benefit.  And yes, they better
    not mess up the APOLLO landing sites - or the SURVEYOR and LUNA sites
    either, for that matter.
    
    	Larry
     

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Jeff Bytof" 18-FEB-1994 20:03:10.28
CC:	
Subj:	LunaCorp Announcement

 ----------------     -------------------------------     ----------
 18 February 1994     International Space Enterprises     ISEN No. 5
 ----------------     -------------------------------     ---------- 

                       >>> NEWS FROM LUNACORP <<<
                                                     Contact: David Gump
 For immediate release                                      or Jim Muncy
                                                            703-841-9500

      -------------------------------------------------------------
      LUNACORP ANNOUNCES RETURN TO THE HISTORIC APOLLO 11 MOON SITE
      -------------------------------------------------------------

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb 14) --- LunaCorp today announced plans to 
send a teleoperated rover to the Moon to visit the site where Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic first lunar walk.

    LunaCorp's goal is to provide the world's first interactive space
exploration event by giving the public the opportunity to drive the 
rover on the Moon via telepresence.

    Dr. William L. "Red" Whittaker of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics
Institute will develop the rover for LunaCorp.  It will send back high-
quality stereo TV signals from the Apollo 11 site and from Apollo 17,
the final NASA expedition.

    Dr. Whittaker, principal scientist at the Robotics Institute is the
researcher chosen by NASA to develop lunar rover technology.  LunaCorp,
an Arlington, Va., company that publishes multimedia CD-ROM programs
on space exploration, will pay to transfer this technology into an
operating lunar rover.

    Public access may take place at one or more theme parks that pay
LunaCorp a portion of the project's cost.  Alternatively, interactive TV
networks operating by 1997 could pay to give their subscribers direct 
access to the Moon.

    The public will also participate through virtual reality, because the 
rover will collect a 3-D terrain map as it travels.  A virtual reality
program can use this 3-D database to give the experience of walking in
Armstrong's footprints at the Apollo 11 site, for example.

    "Space exploration has been reserved for government employees for
too long," said David Gump, LunaCorp president.  "This will open exploration
to everyone."

    LunaCorp has invited theme park operators, television networks, 
corporate sponsors and advertising agencies to a March 25 conference at 
CMU's Robotics Institute for detailed briefing and planning sessions.

    "The costs will be paid by the people who are most interested in
space," Gump noted.  "Visitors to theme parks, television viewers and
contest entrants will be primary funding sources, instead of taxpayers."

    The company also announced it has reserved the primary cargo slot
on the first commercial flight to the Moon, to be provided in late 1997
by International Space Enterprises of San Diego.  ISE is a joint Russian-
U.S. venture using Russian launch vehicles and spacecraft.

    Total cost for the venture is approximately $110 million.  Each
primary customer will pay $6 million to $18 million, depending on the 
scope of the rights the customer purchased.

    Already supporting the effort is the Sandia National Laboratory, which
has contributed a rover that will be used in testing this summer, and 
NASA's Ames Research Center, which is providing virtual reality technology.
Dr. Whittaker is negotiating with additional entities to join the lunar
rover team.

    The rover's stop at Apollo 11 will be respectful and will not disturb
the site.  It will then drive north to visit the wreck of the Ranger 8 probe
and the Surveyor 5 spacecraft.  After examining the Apollo 17 site, it will
begin a search for the Soviet Lunakhod-2 rover north of LeMonnier crater.

    Lunar scientists will be offered approximately 25% of the rover's 
capacity for research funded by government agencies or philanthropic
organizations.

    The rover, using its high-quality stereo optics, will be able to 
study what three decades of exposure has done to the materials used in
the early Ranger and Surveyor spacecraft.  During its nearly 1,000-km
(625 mile) trek north to find the Lunakhod-2 rover, it also will collect
information on the lunar environment and terrain.

    In addition to Gump and Dr. Whittaker, speakers at the news conference
included:

    Philip Culbertson, former general manager of NASA and a LunaCorp advisor.

    David Mazaika, vice president of International Space Enterprises of
                   San Diego.

    James Dunstan, partner at Haley, Bader & Potts, a Washington, D.C.-area
                   law firm active in communications and space law.

    Rick Tumlinson, president of the Space Frontier Foundation of New York.

    Other members of the LunaCorp team include:

    Thomas F. Rogers, chairman of the board.  As the Pentagon's Deputy
                   Director of Defense Research and Engineering, he
                   was responsible for the general design and deployment 
                   of the first global satellite communications system.

    Walt Anderson, director.  Mr. Anderson was the founder of Mid Atlantic
                   Telecom, a long-distance carrier recently purchased by
                   Rochester Telephone.  He is now chairman of Esprit
                   Telecom, the first pan-European carrier in the newly
                   deregulated communications market in Europe.

    Dr. William C. Stone, director.  Dr. Stone is the developer of the
                   MK-2R backpack, a computer controlled diving rebreather.

    Scott Carpenter, advisor.  During the Mercury program, Scott Carpenter
                   was the second American to reach orbit, piloting his
                   Aurora 7 capsule in May 1962.  He later was a member 
                   of the Navy's Man-in-the-Sea project, becoming the
                   only person to earn the dual title of Astronaut/Aquanaut.

    Paul J. Coleman, Ph.D., advisor.  Dr. Coleman is professor of space
                   physics at UCLA and President of the Universities Space
                   Research Association, a 76-university consortium engaged
                   in space related research, technology development and
                   education.  He is a former head of NASA's interplanetary
                   sciences program.

    Patrick Quentin Collins, Ph.D., advisor.  Prof. Collins has been a 
                   consultant at the European Space Agency's Research and
                   Technology Centre.  Since 1983, Dr. Collins has taught
                   at Imperial College in London, and now is a visiting
                   professor in Japan.

    Allan S. Hill, advisor.  At the Boeing Co. and Northrup Space Labora-
                   tories, Mr. Hill was responsible for design and 
                   development of the Burner II and IIA Thor and Atlas upper
                   stages and the Saturn S-IC booster stage.

    Edward J. Martin, advisor.  During his fifteen years at the Communications
                   Satellite Corp. (COMSAT), Mr. Martin's posts included Vice 
                   President, Technology Management, and Vice President,      
                   International Operations.

    George E. Mueller, Ph.D., advisor.  Dr. Mueller is President of the 
                   International Academy of Astronautics.  He was NASA's
                   Associate Administrator for Manned Spaceflight from the
                   start of the Gemini program through the second 
                   Apollo flight.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lunar Exploration Dates:
 
       Ranger 8 - photographed Moon on way to impact.
       Launched Feb. 17, 1965 and crashed Feb. 20, 1965

       Surveyor 5 - photographed Moon after landing.
       Launched Sept. 8, 1967 and landed Sept. 10, 1967

       Apollo 11 - first humans on Moon
       Launched July 16, 1969 and landed July 20, 1969

       Apollo 17 - last humans on Moon
       Launched Dec. 7, 1972 and landed Dec. 11, 1972
      
       Lunakhod-2 - second Soviet rover
       Launched January 8, 1973 and landed January 16, 1973

--------------------------------------------------------------- 

                            LunaCorp
                4350 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 900
                        Arlington, VA 22203

                           703-841-9500
                      fax: 703-841-9503

--------------------------------------------------------------- 

                  International Space Enterprises
                 4909 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 330
                    San Diego, California 92123

                  For further information contact:

                         David M. Mazaika
                Vice President, Business Development
                       Phone: (619) 637-5777
                       Fax:   (619) 637-5776 

                              -end- 

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 16:17:04 -0800
% From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof)
% Subject: LunaCorp Announcement

    re .14-.16
    
    There seems to be a disconnect between the implications of .13 (driving
    via telepresence) and .17 (driving in virtual reality). I think maybe
    the latter is more plausible and .13 got it wrong.

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Jeff Bytof" 21-FEB-1994 17:49:18.57
CC:	
Subj:	ISE/LunaCorp article

 ----------------     -------------------------------     ----------
 21 February 1994     International Space Enterprises     ISEN No. 6
 ----------------     -------------------------------     ---------- 

[Following is an article from The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 17, 1994,
and is used with permission of The San Diego Union-Tribune.]

                       -----------------------------
                       ISE FINDS CUSTOMER FOR LAUNCH
                       -----------------------------

                     LunaCorp would put vehicle on Moon
                     ---------------------------------- 

                       By David Graham, Staff Writer
                       -----------------------------

   A fledgling local company that is offering launching services to the
Moon has found it first major customer --- an East Coast firm that wants
to put a remote-control rover on the lunar surface.

   International Space Enterprises (ISE) of San Diego would loft the 
payload under an arrangement it has to use Russian rockets launched from 
a site in the former Soviet Union.

   LunaCorp of Arlington, Va., said it hopes people will pay to guide
the 6-foot-long rover from remote-control sites they want to establish
at theme parks.  The rover will carry cameras and send back pictures of the
Moon that might become scenes for virtual-reality computer programs that
simulate the lunar environment.

   The two privately held companies have signed a memorandum of understanding,
and LunaCorp now is trying to raise money to pay for the rover mission.

   The rover project would cost LunaCorp about $110 million, including
about $50 million that would go to the San Diego firm for the launch,
scheduled for 1997, officials of the companies said.

   "They are an anchor tenant for that mission," said David Mazaika, ISE's 
vice president for business development. 

   ISE is seeking to establish a market for private Moon shots using 
Russian rockets and spacecraft for much less than what NASA would charge
if the nation's space agency were going there.  The last NASA mission
to the Moon was in December 1972.

   If the LunaCorp project gets off the ground, it would be a major step
toward bringing about the private launch service ISE first announced last
September, said ISE President Michael Simon.

   The 900-pound rover would be build by William Whittaker of the Carnegie
Mellon University's Robotics Institute.  LunaCorp makes CD-ROM programs
about the Moon and lunar exploration.

   Launching would be from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan in
Central Asia, and the mission would be controlled by Lavochkin Association,
a Russian manufacturer of aircraft and spacecraft.

   A craft carrying the rover would land about a mile from the site where
astronaut Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 became the first human to step on
the Moon in July 1969, Simon said.

   The rover would roll on wheels to that site, photograph it and travel
to past landing sites of American astronauts and Russian craft.  The
entire mission will be unmanned.

   This mission could also carry scientific experiments, and LunaCorp
is trying to interest scientists in the project, said the company's
president, David Gump.

   The rover will occupy only a portion of the payload capacity of the 
large Russian Proton rocket, and ISE is hoping other businesses and 
researchers will pay them to send payloads, Simon said.

   One project under discussion is a telescope that records ultraviolet  
light, he said.

   Simon and other company officials met with NASA administrator Daniel
Goldin recently to try to interest him in using ISE to send NASA payloads
to the Moon, but NASA officials were noncommittal, Simon said.

                                 -end- 

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Mon, 21 Feb 94 14:38:47 -0800
% From: [email protected] (Jeff Bytof)
% Subject: ISE/LunaCorp article

From:	US3RMC::"[email protected]" "jb  07-Mar-1994 1733"  7-MAR-1994 
CC:	
Subj:	Diaspar announcement

-----------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] (Diaspar Virtual Reality Network)
Subject: Home Tele-operations
Date: 6 Mar 1994 03:43:58 GMT

000146|David42       |030594|192048|Diaspar|News

          *** LTM1 rover completes a week of online testing ***

The miniature rover model used on our Moon base project has just
completed a week of successful testing online.  People all over the
country have "driven" the vehicle by tele-operations (remote control)
and seen video images from it.  When using Dmodem 2.12, it is possible
to receive video images from the model rover whiel driving and chatting 
with others. 

The Lunar Tele-operations Model 1 (LTM1) volunteer project uses a
control computer to operate the vehicle and convert the video images
from the onboard camera to the DMG video format.  While this computer
did crash several times during the week - the total uptime was an
average of over 20 hours a day.  We expect that over the next two weeks
for the various bugs to be ironed out. 

Since LTM1 is a volunteer project to build a lunar colony model with
multiple tele-operated model vehicles, we are always looking for a few
good "moonlighters" to volunteer some time and talent to the project.
Anyone interested should e-mail project leader Jzer0 (note the zero not
O in the name). 

LTM1 is sponsored by the Diaspar Virtual Reality Network and can be
accessed by modem at 714-376-1234 or via Internet telnet at diaspar.com 

The free Dmodem software allows operation and video images via dialup
or over Internet telnet - making it possible to tele-operate vehicles
using the Dmodem standard from anywhere in the world. 

*** Okay to cross-post this provided it is not altered ***

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Mon, 7 Mar 94 14:03:45 -0800
% From: [email protected] (jb)
% Subject: Diaspar announcement

Article: 1141
From: "Space Studies Institute" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: k12.ed.tech,sci.space.policy,sci.space.tech
Subject: Lunar Delay Teleoperated Robots Avaliable
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 94 16:03:05 -0500
Organization: Space Studies Institute
 
        Teachers:  Share the SSI Teleoperation Robot  Demonstration  with 
        your class! No charge to SSI Members.
        
        LUNAR TELEOPERATIONS
        
        Teleoperation  via radio links inevitably  involves  transmission 
        time  delays.   In many applications these time  delays  are  not 
        noticeable, but in deep space they can be significant.  Since the 
        Moon  is  about 400,000 kilometers from the  Earth,  the  one-way 
        signal  time at the speed of light (300,000 km/sec) is about  1.3 
        seconds.  Thus if a person on Earth sends a Moon rover a command, 
        the  rover  responds at least 1.3 seconds later,  and  the  Earth 
        operator  observes the response no sooner than 2.6 seconds  after 
        the  signal left the Earth antenna.  With allowances for hops  to 
        and  from synchronous communication satellites plus any  internal 
        system delays, a three-second response delay is likely.
        
        To examine the effect of lunar delays on the ability of humans to 
        execute  teleoperational tasks, Senior Associate, Rob  Lewis  and 
        researchers at SSI devised this simple and inexpensive system for 
        experiments.  The controls of the Radio Shack Armatron rover were 
        modified  by  inserting a three-second delay  into  each  command 
        channel.   Using joysticks, an operator can command the rover  to 
        move  forward  or back, turn left or right, raise  or  lower  its 
        shoulder or wrist joint, rotate the wrist, and open or close  the 
        claw.   The  responses are proportional to the duration  of  each 
        command input.  The command channels are independent,  permitting 
        multiple simultaneous inputs, but each response is delayed  three 
        seconds.
        
        This  equipment has been used in tests with students from  around 
        the  world,  and with engineering personnel at JPL.  There  is  a 
        similar  demonstration, developed by Space Studies Institute,  on 
        permanent exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.  
        
        The general conclusion from these experiments, with both  experi-
        enced and inexperienced operators, is that most people can quick-
        ly  learn  to cope with the three-second  time  delay.   However, 
        operator  fatigue was an important factor and a major  source  of 
        errors, making frequent relief of operators.  With this provision 
        it  appears  quite practical to carry out  even  complicated  and 
        long-term operations remotely on the Moon.
        
        This  exhibit is available on a free-of-charge,  short-term  loan 
        basis to all SSI Members and Senior Associates.  A credit card is 
        required  for security.  To reserve the exhibit please  call  SSI 
        during regular business hours.
        
        SPACE STUDIES INSTITUTE
        P.O. BOX 82
        PRINCETON, NJ 08542 
        
        609-921-0377
 
    The Space Studies Institute has changed its internet email address. It 
    was [email protected]. It is now [email protected]. Please resend 
    all mail sent in the last month as technical difficulties resulted in 
    those messages being lost.
 

Article: 5471
From: [email protected] (TomKessler)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: International Lunar Conference & Apollo Commerative Event
Date: 31 Mar 1994 19:36:13 -0800
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Sender: [email protected]
 
 NEWS RELEASE
 18 March 1994
 
International Space Enterprises Selected to Co-host International
Lunar Exploration Conference and Apollo Commemorative Event 
 
 International Space Enterprises (ISE), a U.S. corporation planning a
series of privately-financed missions to the Moon, has been selected
to co-host an International Lunar Exploration Conference and Apollo
commemorative event in San Diego.  The conference is tentatively
scheduled for 13-16 November 1994, which coincides with the 25th
anniversary of America's second piloted mission to the Moon, Apollo
12.  In addition to bringing together lunar scientists from all over
the world, the event will kick off a nationwide educational
initiative, whose ultimate goal is to fly a student experiment to the
Moon by December 1997, the 25th anniversary of Apollo 17, the final
Apollo mission to the Moon. 
 
 The November event will be co-sponsored by the National Space Society
and the Spaceweek International Association, non-profit organizations
dedicated to the expansion of human activities in space.  The San
Diego chapter of the National Space Society will work with ISE to
develop the technical program for the conference, which will feature
presentations and workshops on a variety of topics relating to
exploration and utilization of the Moon.  Spaceweek will manage the
Apollo 12 commemorative event, planned as a gala fund-raising banquet
on the evening of 15 November.  Proceeds from the conference and
banquet will be used for development and flight of the student
experiment, which will be selected through a nationwide competition
held during the 1995-1996 academic year. 
 
 The specific site for the November conference will be selected within
the next few weeks, and a preliminary conference program will be
released in June. Details of the nationwide student experiment contest
- which will be designed to involve students at all academic levels in
the 1997 lunar mission - will be announced as they become available
and a draft contest guidelines document will be presented at the
November event.  For additional information please contact Tom Kessler
of ISE at (619) 637-5772 or on Internet at [email protected]. 


Article: 5472
From: [email protected] (TomKessler)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: ISELA Lander Preliminary Design Complete
Date: 31 Mar 1994 19:36:42 -0800
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Sender: [email protected]
 
 NEWS RELEASE
 18 March 1994
 
International Space Enterprises and Lavochkin Association
Unveil Lunar Lander Model in San Diego
 
 International Space Enterprises (ISE) and Russia's Lavochkin
Association today unveiled the first subscale prototype of a new lunar
landing vehicle the two companies will launch to the Moon in 1997. 
The model displayed in San Diego today is a 1/10th scale prototype of
the ISELA-600 lander, which will be capable of delivering cargoes of
up to 600 kilograms to the surface of the Moon.  The model, constructed 
in Moscow by Lavochkin engineers and scientists, represents the latest 
achievement of the ISE-Lavochkin joint venture ISELA in its quest to 
perform a series of robotic missions to the Moon. 
 
 During an afternoon reception in honor of five visiting Lavochkin
guests, Dr. Valery Aksamentov, ISE Vice President for Engineering,
observed that completion of the preliminary design of the ISELA-600
lander and production of the model is "a significant step toward an
international return to the Moon within this decade."  ISE Vice
President for Business Development David Mazaika added, "This sends a
message to our customers around the world that our venture remains on
track and that we have every intention of performing as advertised." 
As an indication of the groundswell of customer support the ISELA
project is fostering, Virginia-based LunaCorp announced on 14 February
that it plans to deliver a large robotic rover to the Moon on ISE's
first mission, currently scheduled to take place during the second
half of 1997. 
 
 International Space Enterprises is a U.S. corporation established in
1992 to undertake low-cost space exploration missions in partnership
with aerospace companies, research organizations, and government
agencies around the world. Lavochkin Association is Russia's leading
manufacturer of interplanetary spacecraft, having developed such
systems as the Lunokhod lunar rovers flown to the Moon in the 1970s
and the Phobos exploration probes launched to Mars in 1989. 

From:	GEMVAX::US4RMC::"ESAPRESS%[email protected]" "ESAPRESS list" 
        11-MAY-1994 06:02:15.66
To:	Multiple recipients of list ESAPRESS <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
CC:	
Subj:	 

Press Release  Nr.13-94
Paris, 11 May 1994

ESA proposes Moon initiative

Upon the invitation of the Swiss Government, the European
Space Agency (ESA) is organising from Tuesday 31 May to
Friday 3 June 1994 an international workshop on present and
future plans for study and exploration of the Moon. This
meeting will be held in Beatenberg, Switzerland, and attended
by European, Russian and Japanese national space agencies as
well as by NASA, the National Aeraunotics &  Space Administration.
                     *
                  *   *

For the media :
-  a presentation will be held by Prof. Roger M. Bonnet, ESA
   Director of Science, and Mr. Jean-Jacques Dordain,
   Associate Director for Strategy, Planning and International
   Policy, at ESA Headquarters (8-10, rue Mario Nikis -
   75015-PARIS) at 09h00 during a press breakfast on
   Monday 30 May. An info note describing the main lunar
   studies which will be presented at the Beatenberg workshop
  will be distributed on this occasion.

-  On Friday 3 June, the press is invited to attend the closing
  session of the Beatenberg workshop starting at 09h30. This
   session will be followed by a briefing with the chairmen of
   the working groups and a lunch.

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date:         Wed, 11 May 1994 11:55:30 EST
% Reply-To: ESAPRESS list <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
% Sender: ESAPRESS list <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
% Comments:     Converted from PROFS to RFC822 format by PUMP V2.2X
% From: MAILRP%[email protected]
% To: Multiple recipients of list ESAPRESS <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>

Article: 60731
From: [email protected] ()
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Lunar Telescope
Date: 8 Jun 1994 20:57:05 GMT
Organization: Institute for Astrophysics, University of New Mexico, Abq.
 
There has been some inquiry on here as to a lunar telescope. Last
spring my university hosted a working conference on just such a
proposal. The following is taken from a pamphlet about this project: 
 
NASA - Marshall Space Flight Center
 
Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Experiment - LUTE
 
The LUTE is a 1-meter ultraviolet imaging telescope proposed as a
first step in mankind's return to the Moon. An important astronomical
survey instrument, LUTE can be placed on the lunar surface by an
unmanned lander. The Moon offers a unique vantage point for making
celestial observations. This, combined with LUTE's high-resolution and
wide-field-of-view, could lead to exciting discoveries about Earth's
closest neighbor and our cosmic neighborhood. LUTE's simple,
self-sufficient operation makes it an ideal cost-effective tool that
will provide important benefits, both in technological and development
and scientific discovery. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~    Helix Fairweather                      "Life is what happens to you    ~
~    Institute For Astrophysics              while you're busy making other ~
~    University of New Mexico                plans."                        ~
~    Albuquerque, NM                              -John Lennon              ~
~                                                                           ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Article: 2797
From: "J. Pharabod" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
Subject: DoD on the Moon
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 94 14:47:24 SET
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access
 
 There is an article in AW&ST, June 6, 1994 "LEAP LANDER PROPOSED", by
 Jeffrey M. Lenorowitz/Washington:

 "The Defense Dept. and NASA are evaluating a lunar rover mission for
 a Clementine 1 follow-on flight that would continue the validation of
 advanced light-weight technology for antiballistic missile defense
 applications. [...]".
 
 This raises a couple of questions:

 1) This is military use of the Moon. I thought this was forbidden by
 international treaties, but I am not sure of that. Experts, please
 tell us the real status.
 2) I don't see the links between lunar rovers and antiballistic
 missile defense. Are these links obvious ?
 3) Does somebody know which landing sites are foreseen ?
 
 J. Pharabod

Article: 2802
From: [email protected] (Josh Hopkins)
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
Subject: Re: DoD on the Moon
Date: 21 Jun 1994 07:06:29 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
 
"J. Pharabod" <[email protected]> writes:
 
> There is an article in AW&ST, June 6, 1994 "LEAP LANDER PROPOSED", by
> Jeffrey M. Lenorowitz/Washington:
 
> This raises a couple of questions:
> 1) This is military use of the Moon. I thought this was forbidden by
> international treaties, but I am not sure of that. Experts, please
> tell us the real status.
 
Regardless of whether or not it is forbidden, the military isn't really
big on obeying such treaties.
 
> 2) I don't see the links between lunar rovers and antiballistic
> missile defense. Are these links obvious ?
 
There aren't any obvious links, which is why the DoD isn't nearly as excited
about this as the engineers are.  One can start talking about sensor testing
and robotics technology and getting experience building small spacecraft and
testing the new small thrusters.  These are basically excuses.
-- 
Josh Hopkins                                          [email protected]
 
          He who laughs last probably didn't get the joke.

Article: 2807
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
From: [email protected] (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: DoD on the Moon
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 14:58:12 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
 
In article <9406201252.AA10168@isu> "J. Pharabod"
<[email protected]> writes: 

> "The Defense Dept. and NASA are evaluating a lunar rover mission for
> a Clementine 1 follow-on flight..."
> This raises a couple of questions:
> 1) This is military use of the Moon. I thought this was forbidden by
> international treaties, but I am not sure of that. Experts, please
> tell us the real status.
 
This is peaceful exploration of the Moon being conducted partly by a
military agency.  There is nothing forbidden about it.
 
Incidentally, you're mistaken about military use of the Moon being
forbidden.  Only a few quite specific forms of military exploitation
of space -- notably, testing or basing nuclear weapons there -- are
forbidden by treaty. 
 
> 2) I don't see the links between lunar rovers and antiballistic
> missile defense. Are these links obvious ?
 
There is little connection between the rovers themselves and missile
defence, which is why the rovers would probably be done by NASA.  The
relevance to missile defence is doing in-space testing of advanced
propulsion systems, in the same way that Clementine 1 did in-space
testing of a wide variety of electronics and sensors.  The precise
mission is unimportant to the technology testing, so long as it provides 
an opportunity to exercise the propulsion systems, in the same way that
Clementine 1's precise mission was not very important so long as it
provided an opportunity to exercise the sensors and support systems.
 
> 3) Does somebody know which landing sites are foreseen ?
 
It's most unlikely that they've gotten around to picking them yet.
Quite possibly the choice will end up being constrained by the details
of the hardware used.
-- 
"All I really want is a rich uncle."    | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
                    - Wernher von Braun |  [email protected]  utzoo!henry

Article: 2836
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
From: [email protected] (Robert B. Love )
Subject: Re: DoD on the Moon
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Rocky Mountain NeXT Users' Group
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 1994 01:30:59 GMT
 
> In article <9406201252.AA10168@isu> "J. Pharabod"  
  <[email protected]> writes:

> > "The Defense Dept. and NASA are evaluating a lunar rover mission for
> > a Clementine 1 follow-on flight..."
> > This raises a couple of questions:
> > 1) This is military use of the Moon. I thought this was forbidden by
> > international treaties, but I am not sure of that. Experts, please
 
Time to post this again.
 
                     U.S. SPACE POLICY DOCUMENTS
 
Tufts' Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy Mulitateral Treaties
Project has been working on space treaties again.
 
These are in the file /pub/diplomacy at jade.tufts.edu. There are
also Word Perfect versions (plain courier font) in the sub-directory
/pub/diplomacy/word-perfect, as *.wp
 
BH454.txt      Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere,
               in Outer Space and Under Water (5 Aug 63)
 
BH688.txt      Convention on International Maritime Satellite
               Organization (INMARSAT) with Annex (3 Sep 76, 
               amended 1985, with Protocol 1981)
 
BH585.txt      Agreement Relating to the International Telecommunications 
               Satellite Organization "INTELSAT" (20 Aug 71)
		
BH500.txt      Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of 
               States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, 
               Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967) 
 
BH523.txt      Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of
               Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into 
               Outer Space (1968)
 
BH595.txt      Convention on International Liability for Damage
               Caused by Space Objects (1972)
 
BH653.txt      Convention on Registration of Objects Launched
               into Outer Space (1975)
 
BH766.txt      Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the
               Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1979)
 
The Univ of Colorado's Center for Space Law & Policy maintains a 
BBS at (303)494-8446 where these are available via dial-in for 
those without FTP. 
 
I also have some set in TeX.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Love                   [email protected]  (NeXT Mail OK)
                           BIX: rlove
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Article: 2983
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
From: [email protected] (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Subject: ESA"s Moon Program/Ariane-5: The European View
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet NEWS)
Organization: ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 10:59:20 GMT
 
Fritz de Zwaan sent me a copy of ESA's Moon program proposal; a rather
unspecific booklet of 16 pages [prepared by ESA spacelab astronaut
Wubbo Ockels BTW]. At least it is a REALISTIC plan, the authors want
to emphasise near-term goals and achievements in the context of a
phased approach. Two essential elements: a LEDA [Lunar European
Demonstration Approach] mission to demonstrate key technologies
essential to the success of the early -unmanned-Moon program and an
'International Lunar Quinquennium' [2000/2005] that would focus
worldwide attention to the Moon by offering a framework for
international cooperation. The latter is necessary to save money since
a large-scale manned lunar program [the eventual goal] would cost
billions of dollars. In fact, the first LEDA mission might rely on a
shared Ariane-5 launch [one geostationary satellite + LEDA] to keep
costs low. 
---
PHASE 1:LUNAR EXPLORATION

Rovers, orbiters, landers to improve our overall knowledge of the Moon
[making an inventory of lunar resources and acquiring a full and
detailed knowledge of the lunar surface]. Launcher: Ariane-5 which
implies a maximum payload of 4450kg or 2870kg for a 50-50 shared
launch to geostationary transfer orbit to save costs. The drawback is
a 40-60 day transfer time. Only firm proposal so far is MORO, a lunar
orbiter. Phase 1 would be ESA-only, the other three would require
international cooperation. 
 
PHASE 2;PERMANENT ROBOTIC PRESENCE

Geological surveying and all kinds of complex interactive operations
using telerobotic/'Virtual Reality' systems. Launcher:upgraded
Ariane-5, presumably a new LOX/LH2 upper stage which would boost the
capacity from 4450kg to about 7800kg??? [see below] 
 
PHASE 3:FIRST USE OF LUNAR RESOURCES

Techniques for oxygen production and construction by using on-site
materials and deployment of large astronomical instruments. Dedicated
bio/laboratories learn more about life sciences. Launcher: as above. 
 
PHASE 4:LUNAR HUMAN OUTPOST

For this, a new class of heavy-lift launcher would "probably" have to
be developed. Tasks include "Science OF the Moon"
[geology,geophysics,geochemical research], "Science ON the Moon" [life
sciences, for future Mars missions etc.] and "Science FROM the Moon"
[visual and radio astronomy, Earth-oriented observations]. The authors
stress the fact that Europe already has the technological skill for an
advanced lunar exploration program, and that ESA should take an
initiative toward an International Moon Program to maintain "a certain
autonomy and independence". 
----
 
Comments?  I guess I should start promoting my "Moonbase Alpha"
proposal again:- A small manned space station in lunar orbit, instead
of the International Space Station, would be of great help for Phase 4
of the ESA program and could serve as a test bed for manned Mars
missions as well. In the 1980s, NASA briefly proposed a lunar program
centered on the Shuttle, OTVs from LEO to lunar orbit, a space station
in lunar orbit and a dedicated lander for ferrying supplies to the
surface from the lunar orbital station. I think these plans should be
revived! The station could be assembled in Earth orbit from modules
originally designed for the Freedom/Alpha project, then delivered to
lunar orbit by a huge rocket stage launched on the Russian Energia
booster. The transfer to lunar orbit would not have to take place
until the final phases of the ESA Moon program have started, in the
meantime it would serve as a Mir type medium size station in Earth orbit. 
 
---
I also did some calculations for the Ariane-5 on my own:
 
ARIANE-5:  [numbers originally posted by Ken O'Connell]
 
Stage   Fuel      Dry mass   Wet mass    Specific impulse

0x2     Solid     35t x 2    230t x 2    273s [vac.]
1       LOX/LH2   15t        155t        430s
	CAPACITY TO LOW EARTH ORBIT - 18t
2       UDMH/N2O4 0.93t      7.2t        316s
	CAPACITY TO GEOSTATIONARY TRANSFER ORBIT / 4.5t [4.45t to Moon]
 
-Four solid rocket boosters instead of two would boost the capacity to
almost 26t. This would be enough for a manned lunar lander, using two
launches plus Earth orbit rendezvous.  Operating costs would be high,
however, and adding two more SRBs would not make the A-5 any better
suited for launching comsats to geosstationary orbit:its main mission.
Manned missions to lunar orbit and back using medium size launchers
such as the Ariane-5, Proton, Titan IV and Space Shuttle appears to be
feasible. Manned LANDINGS would be fairly uneconomical however, unless
we revive the Saturn V or Energia - expensive launchers that are
impractical for launching commercial payloads. 
 
-The current L9 upper stage could be replaced with the cryogenic stage
used by the Ariane-4 series [mass ratio=1.3/12.1t, Isp=444s]. A SMALL
MANNED LUNAR ORBITER similar to the Apollo CSM would now be possible.
Using the L9 stage as its propulsion module in lunar orbit, the
vehicle would weight 3-3.5t plus 7.2t for the L9 stage [the 2-man
Gemini spacecraft had a dry mass of 3.3t - technological advances
would make it possible to manufacture a far more capable spacecraft
today using lightweight materials]. Russia [Proton] and NASA [Shuttle]
could also use the same craft as a Soyuz/Progress type ferry between
the lunar space station and Earth. Eventually, a fully reusable lunar
lander [using _in situ_ fuel manufactured on the Moon] could be introduced 
to transfer people and equipment from lunar orbit to the surface. 
 
-As for ESA's current, modest manned space program, the Assured Crew
Return Vehicle would be too big and heavy [10t] to double as a 'Moon
Shuttle'. The other component, the Automated Tranfer Vehicle, might be
modified to transfer supplies to lunar orbit as well, although I don't
know its projected dry/full mass [can anybody help?]. In any case, ESA
might be wise to design the Crew Transportation Vehicle System with
the Moon in mind, if the lunar exploration program is approved. 
 

Article: 3513
From: George William Herbert <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech,sci.space.policy
Subject: Lunar Millennium: A Manned Moon Program (take 2)
Date: 20 Jul 1994 08:29:34 GMT
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access
 
                              Lunar Millennium, or
         How to get Manned Missions back to the Moon by the year 2000
 
                        A Mission Architecture Proposal
			         Revision 2
 
                            George William Herbert
			       Retro Aerospace
                          [email protected]/[email protected]
 
0. Abstract
-----------
 
	Lunar Millennium is a mission architecture involving use of
	many off-the-shelf or modified hardware items  to provide a
	short-term  and  low-cost  manned  lunar program.   Specfic 
	components  include  Russian Energia and Soyuz vehicles and
	the  US  Centaur   vehicle   and  RL-10  motor  technology.
	These technologies  and limited new development provide for
	a quick  and high-benefit  program able  to land men on the
	moon before the year 2000 and establish an ongoing presence
	there.
 
 
1. Goal
-------
	It shall be the goal of this program to establish a permanent manned
presence on the Moon by the year 2000 within realistic budgetary constraints.
 
2. Methodology
--------------
	Manned exploration programs proposed or actual have shared the
problem of very high cost, due to having to build all the components of
the mission essentially from the ground up.  Lunar Millennium (LM) shall
strive to avoid high costs by having as a methodology requirement the
use of existing hardware in any role practical, to minimize development
costs of new hardware items.
 
3. Mission Architecture Summary
-------------------------------
	The Lunar Millinnium program consists of a number of two-launch
missions.  Two development missions are projected (unmanned) in 1998
followed by three operational missions in 1999.
 
	Each mission consists of two Energia HLV (RUS) launches, carrying
a Centaur kick stage (US) to provide a total payload of 40 tons
on Lunar Transfer Orbit.  The two mission payloads are a manned capsule
(specifically, the 2-man Lunar Soyuz (RUS) ) with a descent and ascent stage,
and a 18 ton base station and rover package with the same descent stage.
Design definition has shown the advantages of using cryogenic LOX/LH2
propellant in both descent and ascent stages.
	Launched approxomately 1 day earlier, the base station lands 
automatically at a predetermined location and then the manned capsule sets
down nearby (order 100 meters).  The astronauts walk across the surface to
the base and spend the remainder of their 120 day stay operating from it 
or the rover.
	Their first task is to deploy in a nearby small crater (or excavated
hole) a low power nuclear reactor.  While much mission power can come
from solar cells, the 14-day lunar nights require nuclear power for practical
solutions to life support and systems power overnight.  The second task is
to place a light covering of lunar soil over the base to protect from
any Solar Flares during the stay.  The remainder of the stay is spent in
science and engineering work.
	Upon the completion of their stay, the astronauts return to the
capsule which then lifts off on its ascent stage and returns directly
to the earth, using a direct aerocapture re-entry.
 
4. Vehicle Components
---------------------
	The following vehicles are parts of the LM flight program:
* Energia HLV (Russian) - late flight development status
* Centaur (USA) - operational
* Lunar Soyuz (Russian) - developed, based on well-proven operational vehicle
* Descent stage (?) - new
* Ascent stage (?) - new
* Lunar Base (?) - new or use existing space-qualified (Mir) hardware
* Rover (?) - new
 
	4.1 Energia HLV
	---------------
	The Energia is a (nominally 100T to LEO) stage-and-a-half heavy
lift launch vehicle, utilizing 4 strap-on  liquid boosters burning kerosene
and liquid oxygen around a core vehicle burning liquid hydrogen and liquid
oxygen.  It is very close in overall size to the US space shuttle vehicle.
Energia has been flown twice, both successfully(*).  While not currently
in production, the factory remains viable and worker skills have not
difused yet.  
	The Energia will be used in an off-the-shelf configuration
(with integration).
 
	4.2 Centaur Upper Stage
	-----------------------
	The Centaur has been in use for decades, and is a two-motor
liquid hydrogen / liquid oxygen burning upper stage vehicle.  It is used
here merely as a "kick" motor for some slight extra velocity on the
Energia launcher.  The Centaur uses the RL-10 motor.
	The Centaur will be used in an off-the-shelf configuration
(with integration).
 
	4.3 Lunar Soyuz
	---------------
	The Russian program to land men on the moon was at a relatively
advanced state when it was eventually cancelled.  While never flown, the
lunar version of their Soyuz vehicle was in fact completed in prototype
form.  This vehicle features a beefed-up heatshield and no "orbital module"
or forward section.  Merging those features with the existing TM series
Soyuz vehicle should not prove overly difficult.  Estimated mass is 7 to 8
tons, including deleted OM and heavier heatshield.
	The Lunar Soyuz will require some development work to flight-test
the LS features and integrate them with the TM series Soyuz base vehicle.
 
	4.4 Descent Stage
	-----------------
	The propulsion stage to decelerate and land the "payload" vehicles
on the lunar surface must provide roughly 2800 m/s of delta-V capability.
The inital stage total mass is 40 tons: roughly 19 tons fuel, 3 tons dry mass 
in the stage (structure and systems), and 18 tons payload.
	The origional Centaur is slightly small, but the modern 
stretched Centaur is about right to slightly too big.  An intermediate
sized vehicle with landing leg provisions will be appropriate, or a new
vehicle could be designed.  Throttlable RL-10 motors must be used, as
landing weight is only around 4.5 tons.  A single-motor version of the
Centaur may be preferable.  Modifications to extend lifetime to 4 days
in space are needed, along with landing legs etc.  Detail design of
the descent stage is proceeding along a number of promising configurations.
	The descent stage will be heavily modified or new hardware.
 
	4.5 Ascent Stage
	----------------
	The ascent stage must provide 2800 m/s of accelleration plus margins
to return the Lunar Soyuz to earth.  Again using cryogenic LH2/LOX propellants,
this stage has an overall initial mass of 18 tons: 8.65 tons fuel, 1.25 dry,
and 8.1 tons payload.  Note that the payload is larger than the highest
estimated Lunar Soyuz mass.
	The ascent stage will have to be designed from scratch; it has to
preserve its propellants for roughly 6 months on the lunar surface, requiring
tankage insulation and cooling systems not found on other vehicles.
In addition, size of the vehicle is not comperable to any currently
operational vehicles and it is expected to require a totally new
design rather than being derivable from other hardware.  An RL-10 motor
with extended vaccum storage modifications will serve for propulsion, but
systems and structure will have to be new.  
 
	4.6 Moon Base
	-------------
	The habitation module to be used on the lunar surface will be the 
center of operations and astronaut life during the mission.  Lack of existing
hardware dictates a new design, though components from existing space systems
will be used to the fullest possible extent.  
 
	4.7 Rover
	---------
	Detailed rover design is being delayed pending further studies on
science mission and base design optimization.  
 
5. Development Program
----------------------
	A number of items have to be developed, and the whole package in
addition integrated, for LM to succeed.  Lunar Soyuz needs some work to
become fully operational, but is developed and prototyped (if not flown).
The Descent and Ascent stages will both be new hardware, though existing
motors and tankage may be used if appropriate.  The Rover will have to
be new development, and the base will probably be mostly new (though 
some components from other programs may be used).  
	The Descent and Ascent stages are of only moderate development
difficulty.  There is no push for extreme lightweight construction,
and the only difficulty is that the Ascent stage will have to operate
after about 135 days in space (including 3-4 lunar nights).  Except for
long-term cryogenics storage, this is proven technology and is well
within the state of the art, so little new technology need be developed.
Development cost is estimated at about $1 billion for the two stages.
	The Rover will have to be all-new, and will be moderately
expensive to develop.  Development cost is estimated at $650 million.
	The Base may use existing Mir-type life support systems and
structural elements, or may be all-new.  A more detailed tradeoff
of the base's cost versus capabilities is in progress.  The total
base development is estimated at $1.66 billion including science
mission hardware.
	Completing development of the Lunar Soyuz is estimated at
$250 million.
	Integration of the Energia, Centaur, and vehicle components
is estimated at about $300 million (not including test flights).
	In addition, two full test missions (two flights each for
the capsule and base hardware) in the development program will
cost about $650 million each.  It is prudent to assume two 
additional full sets of Lunar hardware for ground development 
and one set for flight-ready spare, or about $1 billion total
spare/development hardware.
	Total development and startup costs are therefore in
the $5.5 billion range.  These costs would come due from 1995
through 1998, at a maximum rate of about $1.65 billion per
year (1998).  Perhaps another billion dollars should be spent
on science preparations for the operational phase.
	These costing assumptions assume aggressive results-oriented
commercial development programs are used, not existing government
contracting models.
 
	5.1 Development Risks
	---------------------
	The following areas have been identified as development risks within
the Lunar Millenium program:

* long-term storage of LH2 propellant in space - technology never demonstrated
	High risk
* new vehicle for ascent stage - simple vehicle but probably all-new
	Moderate to High risk
* serious modifications or new vehicle for descent stage 
	Moderate risk
* completing development of Lunar Soyuz
	Moderate risk
* development of Base and Rover
	Moderate to High risk, detail design required for better assesment
* integration of US and Russian components & final integration
	Moderate risk
 
	Further detailed work to quantify and attack these areas is required.
 
6. Costing & International Cooperation
--------------------------------------
	The cost of the LM program depends quite a bit on the economic
situation within Russia, as a number of critical components (including
launches) are purchased from Russia.  It is possible that instead of
purchasing these components from Russia, a cooperative program in
which some of these costs are absorbed by Russia might be feasible.
That would reduce the US contributions appropriately.
	The current market price of Energia launches is about
$100 million.  It is assumed that this will rise at least 50% over
the life of the program, perhaps going as high as $250 million per
flight.  Higher costs are unlikely, as at western labor costs the
Energia should cost only about $300 million per flight.  
	Soyuz capsules are assumed to be between $25 and $50 million.
This is based on existing pricing studies and similar cost assumptions.
	The two new rocket stages will probably cost about $40 million
and $20 million each (Descent and ascent respectively).
	The base is estimated at $200 million per flight, though this
is the most speculative of the line items.
	The total cost thus ranges from $525 million per mission (1 ea
base and capsule) to $650 million per mission.  At 3 missions per year
the program flight costs are between $1.575 and $1.95 billion, and
assuming 20% additional costs for management and science support,
a total of roughly $1.9 to $2.4 billion.
	If the Russians contribute the launch services (in exchange
for perhaps half the personel positions etc.) the cost to the US
would be about half to two thirds of that.
 
7. Policy Considerations
------------------------
	The costs of this program are substantial, but nowhere near the
overwhelming cost incurred by the Shuttle program in the US Space budget.
Despite that, there is currently no slack in the $15-16 billion/yr space
program budget for Lunar Millennium.  An expansion of about 10% of the
NASA budget would be required.
	From FY 89 through FY 92, it was obvious that neither the
executive branch nor congress were really interested in any additional
funds for NASA.  The Space Station, lacking as it does a clearly defined
goal and returns, has failed to change that situation.  However, the overall
budget of the US is more flexible now than in the earlier period, and 
Lunar Millennium has the potential to attract the support to make such
a change.  LM is relatively low-cost for a manned space mission
(one-fifth of estimated low cost Mars missions), has a short timeline
and low buy-in costs, and results in a tangible "feel-good" return in
the form of continuous (or approxomately) manned presence on the Moon.
By the end of the fifth year of operation (2003), thirty astronauts
would have spent a total of ten man-years on the lunar surface,
for a grand total cost in the $15-18 billion range.
 
	7.1 Policy Risks
	----------------
	A number of external factors could negatively affect Lunar Millenium's
progress.  The most obvious would be the collapse of the Russian/CIS space
programs and the Energia launch facilities.  This would end Lunar Millenium
as a project.  Delays due to economic, social, or political entanglements
with Russia or CIS memebers are also a risk and have serious effects.
	Another major risk is assuming that a major multibillion dollar
project can be accomplished quickly and effeciently with the current US
space infrastructure.  Extremely aggressive project management and
political backing will likely be required to accomplish this.
 
8. Conclusion
-------------
	Lunar Millennium can provide solid scientific returns and
solidify man's knowledge of the Moon at a reasonable cost.  It is a
risky program in many ways: politically, in relying on a foreign
country to an enormous degree and in sidestepping much of the
existing space program, and technically in attempting such an
agressive development and integration program of the selected
components.  These risks, however, open up unique rewards.
No other lunar program can seriously claim the potential to land
man on the moon in not only less than a decade, but in _this_ decade,
and establish an ongoing lunar exploration program.
 
9. Credits
----------
	The majority of the Lunar Millennium mission architecture has
been developed by George William Herbert as an ongoing development
project at Retro Aerospace.  A number of persons have had notable
direct or indirect input, including Marcus Lindroos and Henry Spencer.
 
george william herbert | Asst  Sys/Net Admin,  CRL |           KD6WUQ sometimes
[email protected] (personal) | Owner,    Retro Aerospace | delta V = g * Isp * ln(Mr)
[email protected]      (work) | Moderator, sci.space.tech | It's not just a good Idea,
[email protected]   (home) |   & co-mod s.s.science    |              It's the Law.
===============================================================================
Founder, California Comet Bowling League...
       ...Because shows like this should come more often than once a Millenium.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" 24-JUL-1994 20:34:53.36
CC:	
Subj:	Back to the Moon bill

          Back to the Moon Bill Passes House Committee

The 25th anniversary of the first Moon landing was marked by the
passage of the Back to the Moon bill - the Lunar Resources Data
Purchase Act - through the House Authorization Committee for Space and
Science. With the incorporation of the Lunar Resources Data Purchase
Act into the NASA Authorization for Fiscal Year 1995, the chances of
the full House passing the lunar bill this year are excellent. 

The next step will be to prod the Senate Space Science Authorization
Committee to pass a NASA authorization bill for Fiscal Year 1995. Once
the Hiouse and Senate authorization bills are reconciled, the ere is a
good chance that the Lunar bill will be included in the final law.
However, the Senate *must* pass an authorization bill for this to
happen. Details on this effort will be sent to anyone interested in
helping to enact the Back to the Moon Bill into law. 

The Back to the Moon Bill would authorize NASA to purchase space
science data from private companies. The net effect of enactment of
this legislation is to move the space agency into exploring the most
remote parts of the solar system - such as Pluto -  with the inner
solar system becoming the domain of private exploration and
prospecting efforts. 

For more information, please send E-mail to: [email protected]

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% From: [email protected]
% X-Mailer: America Online Mailer
% Sender: "DavidA5625" <[email protected]>
% Message-Id: <[email protected]>
% Date: Sun, 24 Jul 94 20:29:24 EDT
% Subject: Back to the Moon bill

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:57:52.84
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	ISE wins DOE Space Nuclear Power SBIR

                                                      NEWS RELEASE
                                                      29 June 1994
INTERNATIONAL SPACE ENTERPRISES AWARDED DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CONTRACT 
          TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON LUNAR POWER SYSTEMS

  Yesterday International Space Enterprises (ISE) was notified by the U.S.
Department of Energy of its selection to receive a research and
development contract under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
program. The project, entitled "Nuclear Power Feasibility for Near Term
Commercial Applications on the Lunar Surface," will assess the feasibility
of developing a power system that can be deployed on the Moon to support
lunar rovers, telescopes, experiments, and other devices placed on the
Moon for scientific, educational, and entertainment purposes.

  ISE's research under this Phase I SBIR contract will focus on
determining if there is an environmentally safe, cost-effective way of
generating electrical power on the Moon with a small (1-1.5 ton) nuclear
power source.  If the results are favorable, it is anticipated that ISE
will receive a Phase II contract in mid-1995 to develop more detailed
designs for such a lunar power plant.  This type of power source could
provide electricity and heating for lunar devices during the 14-day lunar
night, when solar energy is not available.

  ISE's project was one of only 216 selected by the Department of Energy
for funding, out of a total of 2,276 research proposals received. 
According to ISE president Michael Simon, "This award is a meaningful
accomplishment for ISE, as it demonstrates Department of Energy confidence
in our company and in our plans for revitalizing lunar and planetary
exploration in this country."  All of the work under this contract will be
performed in California - 80% in San Diego by ISE personnel, with the
remainder subcontracted to Space Power, Inc. of San Jose.  

  International Space Enterprises is a U.S. corporation established in
1992 to undertake low-cost space exploration missions in partnership with
aerospace companies, research organizations, and government agencies
around the world.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 02:03:25.27
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Lunar Exploration Conference - 1

From:  TomKessler

22 July 1994

Dear Dr. Fellow Space Visionary:

On behalf of International Space Enterprises (ISE), the National Space
Society, and the Spaceweek International Association, it is my
pleasure to invite you to participate in the International Lunar
Exploration Conference, to be held in San Diego on 13-16 November
1994.  This important meeting will bring together space scientists and
business leaders from around the world to develop concrete plans for
future exploration and utilization of the Moon.  The conference will
also mark the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 12 mission with a banquet
honoring the crew of this mission.  Proceeds from the conference and
banquet will be used to fund a student experiment to be flown to the
Moon on a robotic lunar science mission in 1997. 

The International Lunar Exploration Conference will be quite different
from most other technical symposia, so I encourage you to give thoughtful
consideration to attending - and perhaps even presenting a paper at this
event.  Unique features of this conference will include:

  -  EMPHASIS ON ACTION, RATHER THAN WORDS.  The conference will be
immediately followed by a workshop to map out a joint strategy for a
return to the Moon.  All attendees will be welcome to join this workshop.

  -  FOCUS ON NEW WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS.  As you can see from the
attached preliminary program, half of the eight conference sessions deal
with often-overlooked issues such as development of new markets, private
financing, alternative management approaches, and world politics.  We
believe we must break out of the "business-as-usual" mode if we are to
have a revitalized lunar exploration program within our lifetimes.

  -  DIVERSITY.  Attendance at this conference will not be limited to
aerospace specialists.  We are reaching out to involve people from the
investment community, entertainment industry, education, and other walks
of life.  We need a broad base of support to meet our objectives.

These are but a few of the ways in which the International Lunar
Exploration Conference will stand out from other space-related colloquia. 
We are striving to develop a program that will be fun as well as
stimulating, including local tours, social events, and of course the gala
banquet honoring the crew of Apollo 12: Alan Bean, Pete Conrad, and
Richard Gordon.

The event will take place at the beautiful San Diego Mission Valley
Marriott, a modern, centrally-located hotel which is offering a limited
number of rooms at the very special rate of $79.00 per night (single or
double).  Please call the hotel at their nationwide toll-free number,
(800) 842-8329 as early as possible to make sure you get this discount
(mention the International Lunar Exploration Conference).

The conference registration fees and banquet prices are also quite
reasonable for an event of this caliber.  Please also note that after
conference expenses are paid, all remaining proceeds will be used for
non-profit activities designed to further our progress in space.  The
majority of these funds will be deposited into a special National Space
Society account earmarked for the "INSPIRE" student experiment program. 
(INSPIRE = Interactive National Student Program in Interplanetary Research
and Engineering).  Details of this program will be announced at the
conference, but I'll give you a preview: a high school student experiment,
selected in a nationwide contest during the 1995-96 school year, will be
flown to the Moon in 1997 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of America's
last lunar surface mission, Apollo 17.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:57:50.49
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Lunar Exploration Conference - 2

From:  [email protected]

Registration is easy: simply complete and detach the coupon from the
enclosed program and send it, along with proper payment, to the address
indicated.  The program identifies the session topics and chairpersons,
along with some of the special guest speakers who have already agreed to
attend.  (If you are interested in making a presentation at one of the
sessions, please send a note indicating the subject of interest along with
your registration form.)  If you have any questions please call
International Space Enterprises at (619) 637-5777 or the National Space
Society at (202) 543-1900.

So please join us in San Diego this November to honor the accomplishments
of Apollo 12 and to commemorate the achievements of the overall Apollo
program in the most meaningful way possible: by contributing to a near
term, productive return to the Moon.

              Sincerely,

              Michael C. Simon
              ISE President
              Technical Chairman,
              International Lunar Exploration Conference

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
A.M.
10:00     San Diego tour/recreational activity

P.M.
 3:00     On-site registration begins
 5:00     Welcoming reception


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14
A.M.      
 9:00     Opening ceremonies
          Welcoming remarks: 
               Henry Dinenno,
               Rockwell International
          Keynote address: 
               Speaker to be announced
          Special lecture: Andrew Chaikin, Author
               A Man on the Moon--
               the Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
11:30     Luncheon #1    -    Speaker:
             Congressman Duncan Hunter

P.M.
 1:30     Session A1: Geopolitical Considerations
          Chair:      Mr. John Pike,
                      Federation of American Scientists

          Session A2: Lunar Science
          Chair:      Dr. Wendell Mendell, 
                      NASA Johnson Space Center
 3:00     Break
 3:30     Resume Sessions A1 and A2
 5:00     Adjourn

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:57:52.69
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Lunar Exploration Conference - 3

From:  [email protected]

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
A.M.  
 8:00     Session B1: New Ways of Doing Business
          Chair:      Dr. Humboldt Mandell, 
                      NASA Johnson Space Center

          Session B2: Lunar Rovers
          Chair:      Dr. Chuck Weisbin,   
                      Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 9:30     Break
10:00     Resume Sessions B1 and B2
11:30     Luncheon #2

P.M.  
 1:30     Session C1: Private Investment
                      in Lunar Exploration
          Chair:      Mr. John Harris,
                      Kidder, Peabody & Co., Inc.
    
          Session C2: Lunar Technology Demonstrations
          Chair:      Dr. K. R. Sridhar, 
                      University of Arizona
 3:00     Break
 3:30     Resume Sessions C1 and C2
 5:00     Adjourn

 6:30     Pre-Banquet Reception
 7:30     Gala Banquet in honor of the crew of Apollo 12:
             Alan Bean
             Pete Conrad
             Richard Gordon


WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
A.M.
 8:00     Session D1:  Innovative Concepts
          Chair:       Lawrence Langs, Esq.,
                       Interactive Media Consulting

          Session D2:  Long Term Lunar Development
          Chair:       Dr. Harrison Schmitt
 9:30     Break
10:00     Resume Sessions D1 and D2
11:30     Adjourn

P.M.
 1:30     Post-Conference Workshop:
             Planning An International
             Robotic Mission to the Moon in 1997


INTERNATIONAL LUNAR EXPLORATION CONFERENCE
November 13 - 16, 1994
San Diego Mission Valley Marriott Hotel
San Diego, Calif.

REGISTRATION FORM
Yes, I will attend the International Lunar Exploration Conference!  
(Check all that apply)
  ___  Advance registration (before 10 September 1994) - $275.00
  ___  Late registration (after 10 September 1994) - $350.00
  ___  Registration (special NSS rate, excludes 2 luncheons) - $75.00
  ___  Apollo 12 Gala Commemorative Banquet - $100.00 
       (with conference registration)
  ___  Apollo 12 Gala Commemorative Banquet - $150.00 (banquet only)
  ___  No, I cannot attend, but enclosed is my tax deductible 
       contribution to the INSPIRE student experiment program of $_____.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
   Name
   Affiliation
   Full address including Zip Code
   Daytime Phone number
  
FORM OF PAYMENT
   ___  Check (make payable to National Space Society)
   ___  Credit Card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express accepted, 
        be sure to include your card number and expiration date)

MAILING ADDRESS
   Mail registration information to: 
   International Space Enterprises
   4909 Murphy Canyon Road
   Suite 330
   San Diego, CA 92123

HOTEL RESERVATIONS
   Please call the hotel at their nationwide toll-free number, 
   (800) 842-8329 as early as possible to make sure you get this 
   discount (mention the International Lunar Exploration Conference).

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:57:52.54
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 1

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 1                   94-07-29 14:37:50 EDT
From:  TomKessler

        Interactive National Student Program in Interplanetary Research
and Engineering
                                                               INSPIRE
                                     PROJECT INSPIRE STATUS: 18 MAY 1994

PREAMBLE

We are commited as a company to furthering space/science education in
the United States. The INSPIRE program is one aspect of this effort
and we are quite excited about its potential. We would appreciate your
input if the INSPIRE program is of interest to you either because you
are a teacher/educational specialist or because you think your company
would be interested in supporting the program or for any other reason.
Comments, questions or suggestions would be most appreciated and can
be sent to me at ISE.  I can be reached at: 

Phone - (619) 637-5772
Fax   - (619) 637-5776
Internet - [email protected]

Thank you,

Tom Kessler
Director, System Integration

I. OVERVIEW
International Space Enterprises, a U.S. corporation, is organizing a bold
new educational program designed to reinvigorate student interest in the
sciences. Together with the National Space Society and the Spaceweek
International Association, ISE will manage a competition to select student
scientific experiments to be flown to the surface of the Moon on ISE's
first lunar mission in 1997.  This project, designated INSPIRE
(International Student Program in Interplanetary Research and Engineering)
will revolve around a high school-level contest, with students at the 9 -
12 grade levels competing to design an experiment during the 1995-96
academic year.  Provisions will also be made to involve students at other
levels in Project INSPIRE.
    
A key goal of Project INSPIRE is to fly a student experiment to the Moon
only 18 months after the conclusion of the competition, by taking
advantage of the flight opportunity offered by ISE's first mission.  In
fact, an experiment developed by a sophomore or lower grade students would
be flown while the student is still in high school!  This quick turnaround
will enable students to rapidly see the fruits of their labors.
Furthermore, it should allow the development of a structured science
program for the 2.5 years prior to launch. 
     
In addition to working with the NSS and Spaceweek, ISE is working with
science teachers and coordinators of similar student programs to ensure
that Project INSPIRE achieves the greatest possible educational value. 
ISE foresees this program being of similar scope as the current Shuttle
Student Involvement Project, and drawing potentially even greater student
interest since these student payloads will actually land on the Moon on
the first missions there in over twenty years.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 02:02:55.12
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 2

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 2                   94-07-29 14:39:11 EDT
From:  TomKessler

II. BACKGROUND
International Space Enterprises is a U.S. corporation leading an
international consortium which plans a series of robotic missions to the
Moon.  A key ISE partner is Russia's Lavochkin Association, the
organization responsible for virtually all lunar and planetary spacecraft
developed and flown by Russia and the former Soviet Union.  ISE missions
will employ a derivative of the flight proven Russian Phobos spacecraft to
deliver numerous scientific, entertainment and educational payloads to the
Moon on a commercial basis. 

The first flight, which is scheduled for the second half of 1997, will
deliver an automated rover being designed to traverse over 1,000
kilometers between the historic Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 landing sites.  It
will visit the Apollo 17 site on or about the 25th anniversary of that
mission.  This will be the first landing on the Moon in over twenty years.
Succeeding ISE flights are planned roughly every six months.

These exciting, low cost missions will enable students to participate in
lunar exploration, much as NASA's Space Shuttle program gave birth to the
Shuttle Student Involvement Project (SSIP).  The SSIP, jointly sponsored
by NASA and the National Science Teachers Association, allows individual
students to compete to develop Shuttle experiments.  Many students have
participated, obtaining unique opportunities to preview exciting space
science and biology related careers. SSIP students have been able to not
only visit preeminent scientific and engineering organizations but work
side-by-side with their personnel in development of their experiments.
Prior to this program, it was difficult to find any student program which
induced such exposure by high school level students to researchers in
their fields of interest.

One other benefit of the SSIP program is that it encouraged many students
not otherwise interested in space flight to enter. For example, many
biology and medical oriented students entered the SSIP with experiments
designed to take advantage of the zero-gravity space environment. 

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 02:03:25.17
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 3

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 3                   94-07-29 14:40:35 EDT
From:  [email protected]

III.  PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Project INSPIRE focuses on high school science students, with some
involvement at the university level.  However, the program can easily be
designed to involve students at all levels in meaningful ways.   With this
in mind, the following efforts are recommended:

   A. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SCIENCE PROGRAM -  Grades 9 - 12
The INSPIRE student science contest will be held throughout the 1995 -
1996 academic year. This is envisioned as a nationwide competition in
which a high school payload is selected for the "grand prize" of a flight
to the Moon. Other, lesser awards can be made to runners up, such as trips
to Russia to view an ISE launch. The judging will occur in steps (perhaps
at the state or regional level and then national level) so that there will
be many 'winners', many positive role models, and more excitement.

The contest will invite entire high schools to compete, as opposed to
individual students, thereby promoting team efforts and spreading benefits
to as many students as possible.  Each participating school will establish
a team of 15-20 students and 2-3 faculty advisors.  In developing
experiment proposals, teams will follow instructions contained in the
INSPIRE Request for Proposals (RFP).  In addition to specifying contest
rules and experiment parameters, the RFP will contain a bibliography and
background information on the Moon, past lunar missions, spacecraft
design, and the solar system  in general.  Students on each team will work
together throughout the 1995-96 year to develop a scientific thesis and a
payload concept to test the thesis or otherwise collect data. Proposals
will be due in June 1996 and the winners announced that summer.

During the following academic year, 1996-1997, the winning team(s) will
develop and qualify the actual flight experiment hardware and further
refine experiment science, assisted by university and industry partners. 
Since experiments will not  be flown on a man-rated vehicle, it should be
possible to have them built, space qualified, and delivered in 9-12
months, in time for ISE's first launch in late 1997. 

During this second year, students will continue their scientific studies,
refining their objectives as they work with their partners to build and
test the experiment.  In some cases this may involve ground tests of the
experiment, which could be conducted at the school, further broadening
project participation.  Students will be encouraged to visit their
partners' facilities and work with them on week-long breaks as well as
during normal class days, providing benefits similar to those of college
intern or co-op programs.  ISE will arrange for U.S. and Russian space
scientists and engineers to visit students at their schools to view their
progress, provide advice, and make presentations. 

In preparation for flight on ISE's ISELA lander, experiments will be
shipped to ISE's U.S. integration facility about six months prior to
launch and then delivered to the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan. 
Winning students and their advisors will be flown to Baikonur for the
integration and launch of their payload. 

The first data from experiments should be in the student's hands within
two weeks of launch.  In the third year of the program, students will
analyze the data and prepare a paper (which will be required for all
participants) for submittal to one or more professional journals.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 02:03:53.16
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 4

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 4                   94-07-29 14:42:02 EDT
From:  [email protected]

   C. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM  -  Grades 1 - 6
For younger students, a contest could be held to design a plaque
commemorating this international mission to the Moon.  The plaque design
effort can be made more interesting by encouraging that parts of it be
"readable" by visiting aliens, like the Pioneer 10 plaque and Voyager
laser disks.  The winning design would be flown to the Moon and
photographed by rover cameras.  Another option is for elementary school
students to develop a "time capsule" or compact disk containing
information pertaining to U.S. society at the close of the 20th century. 
Additionally, an art contest could be held, with winning space-related art
displayed at a prominent museum and a reduced copy flown to the Moon.

   D. ALL STUDENTS
All students from any of these programs that makes an effort as part of a
team to enter these competitions could have their name and their school's
name placed on a plaque sent on the first lander.  The names would be
reduced to a microdot. Each school would receive a photo from the Rover
showing the plaque on the lander as it sits on the lunar surface.

IV. PROGRAM BENEFITS 
Project INSPIRE will provide educational benefits for all participating
students. By enabling students to be part of the first landing on the Moon
in their lifetimes, it will provide a powerful motivation, even for
students not pursuing careers in the sciences or engineering. 
Participating students will learn about every step of the scientific
process and be exposed to positive role models that should encourage them
further.  

By motivating students at the high school and earlier levels, it should
strongly encourage students to continue their education at least through
college. The dramatic nature of these experiments should positively
influence students who either did not believe that they could succeed or
were not interested in a university education.  Schools will be encouraged
to seek local sponsors to assist their teams, permitting entire school
districts, local industry, and universities to become involved.

If the 1995-1996 contest is successful, contests can be held in subsequent
academic years, since ISE plans missions to the Moon in 1998, 1999, and
2000.  This should continue momentum for the whole effort and enhance the
science education benefit.  Another benefit of this sustained program is
that junior high and even elementary age students will be encouraged to
pursue science-related studies.  Therefore, the benefit of this program to
science related curricula will extend beyond the high school level,
capturing students early in their education.  Project INSPIRE can be
expanded to accommodate more or larger experiments if sufficient financial
support is received from corporate or other sponsors to develop and fly
the experiments.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:58:27.99
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 5

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 5                   94-07-29 14:42:46 EDT
From:  [email protected]

V. PROGRAM COSTS 
Implementation of the INSPIRE program will involve four major types of costs:

 * Experiment development, fabrication, test, and qualification costs
 * Cost of experiment transportation to the Moon
 * Experiment operations costs
 * Project planning, management, and administration costs

Many steps can be taken to reduce the costs of the experiments themselves.
Proposal selection criteria will emphasize experiment simplicity, light
weight, and compactness.  INSPIRE experiments should benefit from the
contribution of thousands of labor hours from students and unpaid advisors
from sponsoring university and industry organizations.  Fabrication,
materials, tools, and use of test facilities can also be partially or
fully subsidized by project sponsors.  Procedures should be far more
streamlined than in typical programmatic structures, further reducing
costs.  The net result is that while conventional space experiments
typically cost many millions of dollars,  it should be possible to develop
and build a simple student experiment for under $1 million, and even a
relatively complex experiment should cost no more than $2M.  In the past,
most SSIP student experiments have cost less than $500,000.

Transportation to the Moon will cost $125,000 per kg., plus approximately
10 - 20% for payload integration.  A very small experiment (i.e., 4 kg.)
would cost $500,000 to deliver to the Moon, while a fairly large 20 kg.
experiment would cost $2.5 M.

Operations costs will depend on payload complexity, the amount of data
returned to Earth, the degree of control required from the ground
(technicians, equipment, etc.), experiment duration, and optional lander
support (power, thermal control, etc.).  Emphasis will be placed on
simple, automated data collection systems with minimum ground controller
activity.  A preliminary estimate of operations costs is $100,000 for a
simple experiment to $1M for a very complex one.

Planning, management, and administrative costs will include such expenses
as hired support labor, office overhead, printing, postage, advertising,
and student/advisor travel. Some of these costs can be minimized by
relying on volunteer labor and existing facilities.  However, it seems
prudent to plan for at least $100,000/year. This may contribute as much as
$700,000 to the cost of the first experiment mission and up to $300,000
for subsequent missions.

In summation, the total program cost for a relatively simple experiment
flown to the Moon would be between $1.5-2.5M, while a larger, more complex
experiment could cost up to $6M.  In addition, there is the possibility of
accommodating experiments that make use of existing lander systems without
requiring development or flight of any new hardware.  Experience from the
Surveyor and Apollo programs shows that many very scientifically rewarding
experiments may be performed with no additional hardware by simply using
already planned-to-fly cameras and other sensors.  Such experiments could 
be accomplished for less than $1M.  

A key project objective before release of the RFP in mid-1995 will be to
determine the most likely amount of sponsor funding so that the RFP and
detailed contest plans can be scoped properly.  Since school funding is
limited, most or all of these funds will have to be obtained from private
sector sponsors.  The November 1994 conference will provide an early
indication of available financial resources.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "TomKessler"  3-AUG-1994 01:57:20.97
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	INSPIRE Science Education Program - 6

Subj:  INSPIRE Program - 6                   94-07-29 14:43:19 EDT
From:  [email protected]

VI. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
The National Space Society (NSS), ISE, and  the Spaceweek International
Association will co-sponsor  an International Lunar Exploration Conference
in San Diego this November, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Apollo
12.  Other co-sponsors, including the NSTA, may also participate in this
event. This conference will be the first of a series of events to raise
money for the student lunar experiment contest.  60% of the conference
proceeds will go into a NSS managed account to pay for Project INSPIRE
(the remaining 40% will go to general use funds to support other
non-profit activities of the NSS and Spaceweek).

Working sessions of the conference will address proposed professional
lunar experiments and other payloads, engineering requirements for these
payloads, and alternative strategies for financing and managing lunar
missions. Prestigious government and private space science researchers and
engineers from around the world will attend this three day event. 

In conjunction with the conference, a banquet honoring the three Apollo 12
astronauts will be held.  Major local and national corporate organizations
are being invited to attend and help sponsor Project INSPIRE.

Subsequent events will be built around 25th anniversary dates for the
other Apollo missions and other space related milestones.  The theme for
all events will be lunar and planetary exploration and raising funds for
Project INSPIRE.

Article: 4585
From: [email protected] (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech,sci.space.policy
Subject: PROFAC - another Moon mission proposal (& propellant manufac.)
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 1994 18:08:03 GMT
Organization: ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND
 
ABSTRACT:
--------
This article deals with PROFAC - an affordable system for landing men on 
the Moon, based on refueling the spacecraft in Earth orbit with oxygen 
mined from the Earth's upper atmosphere. PROFAC has been described before 
by Ken Gatland, among others (SPACE TECHNOLOGY).
 
GOAL:
----
The goal is to land an Apollo type 2-man craft plus a reasonable 
(=Apollo sized) scientific payload on the Moon and bring it back to Earth 
again. The spacecraft must be made small enough to fit on a single 
unmodified Proton, Ariane-5 or Titan IV booster! While far from ideal, 
these three boosters are currently being (or will be-) used for launching 
commercial payloads. The Proton (and, to a lesser degree, the Ariane-5) is 
a relatively economical ELV so we would expect to be able to maintain a 
small base on the Moon using existing medium capacity launch systems. 
Funding for a heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) dedicated to lunar 
exploration (for example, the Saturn V, Shuttle-C or Energia) is unlikely 
because of the current economic situation.
 
 
THE PROBLEM:
-----------
The Proton, Titan and Ariane-5 ELVs can lift payloads weighting approx. 21t 
into low Earth orbit. In contrast, a typical Apollo mission required that 
134-140t be lifted into LEO; 98t for the Soviet L3 project. However, 
technological advances during the last 20 years (lightweight materials, 
propulsion systems, better electronics) probably would make it possible to 
land men on the Moon using a much smaller, lighter spacecraft. A recent 
study by General Dynamics concluded a total fueled mass in low Earth orbit 
of 50t was within reach. Unfortunately, this is still too high (if only 
slightly) for current ELVs. The GD Early Lunar Access proposal would have 
required expensive modifications to the Shuttle and Titan IV/Ariane-5 
rockets. The lander and upper stage would probably have required improved 
high-performance engines as well.
 
 
THE SOLUTION:
------------
Liquid oxygen accounts for up to 68% of the total spacecraft mass, if 
LOX/LH2 fuel is used on all stages. If we could mine all this oxygen from the 
Earth's upper atmosphere, then refuel the lunar-bound craft in Earth orbit, 
ENORMOUS savings would be possible. For example, consider the General 
Dynamics LEV spacecraft plus a typical trans-lunar injection rocket motor 
based on ESA's L7 stage:
 
        Dry   Hydrogen  Oxygen   Total
Payload 3.5t  -         -         3.5t
LEV     3.2t  2.4t      14.74t   20.34t
TLI stage                              
    (3x1.3t)  4.6t      27.8t    36.3t 
---------------------------------------
       10.6t +7t                       
      ------------                     
       =17t            +42.5t          
      ---------------------------------
                                 59.5t 
 
 
In other words, the total mass that has to be launched for an Apollo type 
mission decreases to about 17t from almost 60t. 17t is well within limits 
of current ELVs, as much as 5t of additional payload (in-orbit refueling 
equipment, insulated tanks, more RCS propellant, docking systems etc.) could 
be included if necessary. The craft simply docks with the orbiting fuel 
depot, astronauts fill the tanks with oxygen mined from the atmosphere, then 
blast off towards the Moon. The LOX would be produced by an orbiting factory 
called PROFAC.
            
 
PROFAC- PROpellant FACtory in Earth orbit:
----------------------------------------------
Back in the 1980s, NASA briefly investigated a space transportation system 
based on the Shuttle, a Centaur-based "space tug" for missions to 
geostationary orbit and the Moon, plus space stations in Earth & lunar 
orbit. The fourth, crucial element in this plan would have been an automated 
chemical factory and fuel depot in LEO. The nuclear powered processing plant 
(called PROFAC) would have been scooping up oxygen from the Earth's 
atmosphere, then compressing/liquifying it for further use. Since PROFAC would 
be orbiting the Earth at an altitude of just 120km, a propulsion system using 
atmospheric nitrogen would be necessary to compensate for the air drag. From 
time to time, PROFAC would rendezvous with a huge "fuel depot", based on the 
Shuttle External Tank, in a higher orbit and transfer the LOX to it. NASA 
estimated PROFAC would produce its own weight in oxygen every two months.
 
 
IMPLICATIONS:
------------
PROFAC should make it much easier to set up & maintain a base on the Moon. A 
small-scale program only requires a single Proton/Ariane-5 launch per 
mission. But the spacecraft would be quite bulky because of the huge LH2 
tanks -> air drag becomes a problem. The ELV lander would be approx. 18m x 
4m compared with 12m x 4m for ordinary Proton payloads. And this figure does 
not even include an upper stage. The pencil-thin Ariane L7 stage 
(diameter=2.4m) probably would be superior to other existing stages since it 
could be mounted on the side of the lander to save space. Two or three would 
be required per mission.
---
More ambitious plans like NASA' failed first Lunar Outpost (FLO) program 
from 1989 would also be affected. FLO would have required a super-HLLV 
rocket in the 6000t class to launch a 93t payload towards the Moon. Tom 
Frieling suggests we use a slightly uprated Saturn V + refueling in orbit 
instead to save costs. Tom's plan (outlined in SPACEFLIGHT) is to refuel an 
S-II 2nd stage in LEO, then launch two FLO craft towards the Moon on it. The 
same mission could be accomplished by just two unmodified Saturn Vs if 
oxygen manufactured in LEO is used. Each launch lifts a 93t FLO spacecraft 
(one manned vehicle plus one cargo craft) and a 5t fuel tank based on the 
S-IV-B stage containing 20t of hydrogen. The remaining 245t of LOX is 
produced & delivered by an uprated PROFAC module. Finally, the payloads, LOX 
and LH2 are transferred to the S-II stage and the journey to the Moon can 
begin.
---
Most important of all is that the lunar spacecraft no longer have to be 
thrown away after every mission. The General Dynamics ELV craft requires 
about 5t of LOX to return to Earth from the lunar surface. If the oxygen for 
the return trip could be produced on the Moon (for example, by heating 
lunar soil to drive out the oxygen), the LEV would have enough fuel to brake 
into a low Earth orbit and dock with the orbiting "gas tank" where it could 
be checked out & refueled for other missions. The only expendable parts 
would be the crew capsule and the translunar injection rocket engines. A 
large SSTO "Moon Shuttle" based on the Saturn S-II stage could deliver 20t 
from the lunar surface to LEO and back using fuel produced from lunar ice 
and by PROFAC in Earth orbit. This would however require a number of 
expensive facilities on the Moon and in Earth orbit.
 
 
CONCLUSION:
----------
PROFAC would be an elegant (if only partial) solution to the problem with 
high launch/operating costs using expendable hardware. A small Mir type 
permanently manned facility on the lunar surface should be no more expensive 
than similar projects in Earth orbit...as far as operating costs are 
concerned. The big question mark are the startup costs and PROFAC itself: 
being a nuclear-powered satellite orbiting close to Earth, it certainly 
isn't a "politically correct" proposal.
---
To sum things up, this in another good proposal we won't see for some time. 
A real shame, for the International Space Station could benefit from PROFAC 
too. Its crew could supervise/maintain the orbiting oxygen plant, assist 
Moon-bound crews and obtain some of the Station's oxygen and fuel from it 
as well.
 
MARCU$

    Re "PROFAC - PROpellant FACtory in Earth orbit"
    
    This organization seems to be full of ideas lately ... keep seeing 
    their name  "Organization:  ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND"  more 
    and more often. (-; must be the cold that keeps them busy.
    
    The idea is not bad, except for the nuclear power part. People will
    not put up with a nuclear reactor overhead  that could come down at
    any moment...specialy from such a low altitude/high drag orbit. 
    
    I wonder if it could be solar powered, you could have the solar 
    panels edge-on to the velocity vector to minimize air-drag. Also
    the orbit need not be circular, at the low end it would collect
    the air and the rest of time it would liquify it.
    
    *** I am not sure its worth while to separate the air into its 
    components like the PROFAC proposal sugests.
    
    Gil

The separation is probably almost free with the liquification process since each
gas has it's own melting point. With the low temps in the shade, I would think
you could liquify without pressurization.

Why not just use some of the fuel as part of a fuel cell? Chances are power can
be generated by the differential on the tether (I assume there would be a
tethered collection point rather than taking the entire ship into the atmosphere)

I think this stuff is all the work of one "Marku$" from Finland.  I don't
believe it means that the University has anything going.  Many of his postings
seem to be old interesting stuff that he has dredged up and put a different
twist on.

Burns

re .33
    
>    This organization seems to be full of ideas lately ... keep seeing 
>    their name  "Organization:  ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND"  more 
>    and more often. (-; must be the cold that keeps them busy.
    
    They probably specialise in cryogenics. (-:
    
>    The idea is not bad, except for the nuclear power part.
    
    Agreed. Even if a tether were used for collection there would be a lot
    of opposition. It's one thing to get waivers for RTGs to spend a few
    hours where there's a small but non-zero probability of danger, another
    to have an operating nuclear plant permanently there. That said, there
    are quite a few there already. Maybe one day we'll be able to re-use
    ones that are already up - an easier political route. (Generally,
    defunct reactors are boosted into much higher orbits so this would
    require orbital service/tug.)
    
>    *** I am not sure its worth while to separate the air into its 
>    components like the PROFAC proposal sugests.
    
    My intuition says otherwise. An engine designed to run on LH2/LOX would
    probably malfunction with 78% (?) Nitrogen in the oxidizer stream - not
    just because of flow rate problems but also possibly because of
    unwanted chemical reactions.

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Andrew Yee, Science North"  
        4-SEP-1994 02:10:54.23
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	International lunar workshop [ESA] -declaration

European Space Agency
Press Information Note No. 12-94
Paris, France					6 June 1994

INTERNATIONAL LUNAR WORKSHOP -- DECLARATION

On the initiative of Switzerland and the European Space Agency, 
representatives from space agencies, scientific institutions and industry 
from around the world met in Beatenberg, Switzerland from 31 May to 3 
June 1994 to consider plans for the implementation of internationally 
coordinated programmes for robotic and human lunar exploration.

The meeting was enthusiastic about the rich opportunities offered by the 
exploration and utilisation of the Moon.

*  The uniqueness of the Earth-Moon system was emphasised and the 
potenetial of the Moon as a natural long-term space station was 
recognised.

*  The Workshop agreed that the time is right, scientifically and 
technologically, for a staged lunar programme implemented in 
evolutionary phases, the first phase involving science, technology and 
resource exploration missions.  The initial phases of the programme, 
involving Moon orbiters and landers with roving robots, are within the 
capabilities of the various individual space agencies technically and 
financially; but the benefits, scientifically and technologically, would be 
greatly enhanced by close coordination.  Each phase should set the task 
for the next one, but will be fully justified on its own merits without being 
in any way dependent on the follow-on.

*  Strong interest was expressed in the science of the Moon (illuminating 
the history of the Earth-Moon system), from the Moon (for astronomical 
projects), and on the Moon (biological reactions to low gravity and the 
unique radiation environment).

*  The phased evolutionary approach allows the differences of opinion 
over the role of humans in space and the economic utilisation of the 
Moon to be assessed later in the light of results from earlier phases.  As 
the programme progresses, it is possible that the attractions and benefits 
of human presence on the Moon will become clearly apparent.  It is 
evident, however, that the Moon would represent the next logical step 
and a testbed in any plans of human expansion into the solar system.

*  The Workshop concluded that existing launcher systems would permit 
the implementation of the initial phases.  The significant technological 
advances required in areas such as robotics, telepresence and teleoperations 
will certainly find scientific and industrial applications on Earth.

*  The Workshop agreed that the objectives of the programme can be 
accomplished while at the same time protecting the lunar environment.

*  The Workshop concluded that current international space treaties 
provide a constructive legal regime within which to conduct peaceful 
scientific exploration and economic utilisation of the Moon, including the 
establishment of permanent scientific bases and observations.

In conclusion the Workshop agreed that this is the right time:

-- to begin the first phase of the lunar programme

-- to prepare for future decisions on later phases

-- to implement international coordination and cooperation

-- to establish, at a working level, a mechanism for regular coordination of 
   activities.

A second Interrnational Lunar Workshop will be held in mid-1996 to 
review progress and plans.

Article: 5626
From: [email protected] (TomKessler)
Newsgroups: sci.space.policy
Subject: Lunar Exploration Conference
Date: 12 Sep 1994 15:23:02 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Sender: [email protected]
 
If you have not already heard about the Lunar Exploration Conference
here in San Diego this November 13 - 16 being jointly sponsored by the
NSS, AIAA and ISE, please send me an E-Mail ([email protected]) for
further information. 
 
This conference will focus on <real> near term missions to the Moon and
even include a planning session to get ideas from all the attendees on how
to reinitiate lunar exploration. A number of the top scientists in the
field, including Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Dr. wendell Mendell will be
chairin sessions. In addition, there will be a commerative dinner for the
crew of Apollo 12, who will be the guests of honor. 
 
The conference is getting near and we encourage you to get your
registration forms in while there is still space.

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" 15-SEP-1994 18:02:27.58
CC:	
Subj:	Re: Request for Lunar Exploration Conf. info

Attached is the full text of the Lunar Conference announcement. The
conference is intended to focus on unmanned precuror missions to the Moon but
many of the experts in the field will be here and a number of the papers that
I have seen abstracts for will touch on crewed exploration and lunar bases.
One of the key mission areas to be addressed is lunar based astronomy.

There are still some open slots in some of the sessions for papers. We do not
have a formal paper submittal requirement - a viewgraph presentation is fine
- so it should not be too difficult to put one together. If you are
interested, please send us a short abstract of your topic and we will
determine where it best fits. 

Time is getting short, however. Please fill out the attached registration
form and send it in as soon as you can while there is still space. I hope to
see you there! If you have any questions, please E-Mail me or call at (619)
637-5772.

Sincerely,

Tom Kessler
International Space Enterprises


22 July 1994

Dear Fellow Space Visionary:

On behalf of International Space Enterprises (ISE), the National Space
Society, and the Spaceweek International Association, it is my pleasure to
invite you to participate in the International Lunar Exploration Conference,
to be held in San Diego on 13-16 November 1994.  This important meeting will
bring together space scientists and business leaders from around the world to
develop concrete plans for future exploration and utilization of the Moon.

The conference will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 12 mission
with a banquet honoring the crew of this mission.  Proceeds from the
conference and banquet will be used to fund a student experiment to be flown
to the Moon on a robotic lunar science mission in 1997.

The International Lunar Exploration Conference will be quite different from
most other technical symposia, so I encourage you to give thoughtful
consideration to attending - and perhaps even presenting a paper at this
event.  Unique features of this conference will include:

  -  EMPHASIS ON ACTION, RATHER THAN WORDS.  The conference will be
immediately followed by a workshop to map out a joint strategy for a return
to the Moon.  All attendees will be welcome to join this workshop.

  -  FOCUS ON NEW WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS.  As you can see from the attached
preliminary program, half of the eight conference sessions deal with
often-overlooked issues such as development of new markets, private
financing, alternative management approaches, and world politics.  We believe
we must break out of the "business-as-usual" mode if we are to have a
revitalized lunar exploration program within our lifetimes.

  -  DIVERSITY.  Attendance at this conference will not be limited to
aerospace specialists.  We are reaching out to involve people from the
investment community, entertainment industry, education, and other walks of
life.  We need a broad base of support to meet our objectives.

These are but a few of the ways in which the International Lunar Exploration
Conference will stand out from other space-related colloquia.  We are
striving to develop a program that will be fun as well as stimulating,
including local tours, social events, and of course the gala banquet honoring
the crew of Apollo 12: Alan Bean, Pete Conrad, and Richard Gordon.

The event will take place at the beautiful San Diego Mission Valley Marriott,
a modern, centrally-located hotel which is offering a limited number of rooms
at the very special rate of $79.00 per night (single or double).  Please call
the hotel at their nationwide toll-free number, (800) 842-8329 as early as
possible to make sure you get this discount (mention the International Lunar
Exploration Conference).

The conference registration fees and banquet prices are also quite reasonable
for an event of this caliber.  Please also note that after conference
expenses are paid, all remaining proceeds will be used for non-profit
activities designed to further our progress in space.  The majority of these
funds will be deposited into a special National Space Society account
earmarked for the "INSPIRE" student experiment program.  (INSPIRE =
Interactive National Student Program in Interplanetary Research and
Engineering).  Details of this program will be announced at the conference,
but I'll give you a preview: a high school student experiment, selected in a
nationwide contest during the 1995-96 school year, will be flown to the Moon
in 1997 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of America's last lunar surface
mission, Apollo 17.

Registration is easy: simply complete and detach the coupon from the enclosed
program and send it, along with proper payment, to the address indicated.
The program identifies the session topics and chairpersons, along with some
of the special guest speakers who have already agreed to attend.  (If you are
interested in making a presentation at one of the sessions, please send a
note indicating the subject of interest along with your registration form.)
 If you have any questions please call International Space Enterprises at
(619) 637-5777 or the National Space Society at (202) 543-1900.

So please join us in San Diego this November to honor the accomplishments of
Apollo 12 and to commemorate the achievements of the overall Apollo program
in the most meaningful way possible: by contributing to a near term,
productive return to the Moon.

              Sincerely,

              Michael C. Simon
              ISE President
              Technical Chairman,
              International Lunar Exploration Conference


PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
A.M.
10:00     San Diego tour/recreational activity

P.M.
 3:00     On-site registration begins
 5:00     Welcoming reception


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14
A.M.      
 9:00     Opening ceremonies
          Welcoming remarks: 
               Henry Dinenno,
               Rockwell International
          Keynote address: 
               Speaker to be announced
          Special lecture: Andrew Chaikin, Author
               A Man on the Moon--
               the Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
11:30     Luncheon #1    -    Speaker:
             Congressman Duncan Hunter

P.M.
 1:30     Session A1: Geopolitical Considerations
          Chair:      Mr. John Pike,
                      Federation of American Scientists

          Session A2: Lunar Science
          Chair:      Dr. Wendell Mendell, 
                      NASA Johnson Space Center
 3:00     Break
 3:30     Resume Sessions A1 and A2
 5:00     Adjourn


TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
A.M.  
 8:00     Session B1: New Ways of Doing Business
          Chair:      Dr. Humboldt Mandell, 
                      NASA Johnson Space Center

          Session B2: Lunar Rovers
          Chair:      Dr. Chuck Weisbin,   
                      Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 9:30     Break
10:00     Resume Sessions B1 and B2
11:30     Luncheon #2

P.M.  
 1:30     Session C1: Private Investment
                      in Lunar Exploration
          Chair:      Mr. John Harris,
                      Kidder, Peabody & Co., Inc.
    
          Session C2: Lunar Technology Demonstrations
          Chair:      Dr. K. R. Sridhar, 
                      University of Arizona
 3:00     Break
 3:30     Resume Sessions C1 and C2
 5:00     Adjourn

 6:30     Pre-Banquet Reception
 7:30     Gala Banquet in honor of the crew of Apollo 12:
             Alan Bean
             Pete Conrad
             Richard Gordon


WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
A.M.
 8:00     Session D1:  Innovative Concepts
          Chair:       Lawrence Langs, Esq.,
                       Interactive Media Consulting

          Session D2:  Long Term Lunar Development
          Chair:       Dr. Harrison Schmitt
 9:30     Break
10:00     Resume Sessions D1 and D2
11:30     Adjourn

P.M.
 1:30     Post-Conference Workshop:
             Planning An International
             Robotic Mission to the Moon in 1997


INTERNATIONAL LUNAR EXPLORATION CONFERENCE
November 13 - 16, 1994
San Diego Mission Valley Marriott Hotel
San Diego, Calif.

REGISTRATION FORM
Yes, I will attend the International Lunar Exploration Conference!  
(Check all that apply)
  ___  Advance registration (before 10 September 1994) - $275.00
  ___  Late registration (after 10 September 1994) - $350.00
  ___  Registration (special NSS rate, excludes 2 luncheons) - $75.00
  ___  Apollo 12 Gala Commemorative Banquet - $100.00 
       (with conference registration)
  ___  Apollo 12 Gala Commemorative Banquet - $150.00 (banquet only)
  ___  No, I cannot attend, but enclosed is my tax deductible 
       contribution to the INSPIRE student experiment program of $_____.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
   Name
   Affiliation
   Full address including Zip Code
   Daytime Phone number
  

FORM OF PAYMENT
   ___  Check (make payable to National Space Society)
   ___  Credit Card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express accepted, 
        be sure to include your card number and expiration date)

MAILING ADDRESS
   Mail registration information to: 
   International Space Enterprises
   4909 Murphy Canyon Road
   Suite 330
   San Diego, CA 92123

HOTEL RESERVATIONS
   Please call the hotel at their nationwide toll-free number, 
   (800) 842-8329 as early as possible to make sure you get this 
   discount (mention the International Lunar Exploration Conference).

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