| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
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| 344.1 | The Lunar Polar Probe Conference | MTWAIN::KLAES | Saturn by 1970 | Mon Nov 21 1988 16:38 | 199 |
| Newsgroups: sci.space
Path: decwrl!ucbvax!DOC.CC.UTEXAS.EDU!sedspace
Subject: Lunar Polar Probe Contest
Posted: 16 Nov 88 06:38:50 GMT
Organization: The Internet
Here is some information about the recently announced Lunar Polar
Probe Conference being held in Houston next March...
Steve Abrams
SEDS National Co-Chairman
[email protected]
DRAFT 11/10/88
Lunar Polar Probe Conference
Information Form
The Lunar Polar Probe
The purpose of the Lunar Polar Probe is to collect information
about the Moon and promote the exploration, development,
commercialization, and settlement of space. The probe will map
previously uncharted areas of the Moon, determine the chemical
composition of the Moon's surface, and determine if water is present
in significant quantities on the poles of the Moon. This information
is critical for designing future lunar bases and determining the
future of manned space flight. The goal of the Lunar Polar Probe
Project is to launch the first probe and collect data before 1993.
Three or four probes are anticipated.
We will increase support for both government funded programs
through NASA and private efforts to develop space by allowing a large
number of individuals to participate directly in space development and
publicizing our efforts. The independent lunar polar orbiter will be
designed, built, launched, and controlled much like the satellites
launched by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. There are
numerous technical and non-technical tasks which must be performed in
order for the Lunar Polar Probe to be successful. There is something
everyone can do, and everyone's help will be appreciated.
The Lunar Polar Probe Conference
The purpose of the Lunar Polar Probe Conference is to bring
together individuals and organizations who will work together to
design, build, launch, and track the Lunar Polar Probe. The conference
will be organized as a series of workshops. The goals of the
conference are to develop preliminary designs for the probe and to
write a business plan for the project. Achieving the conference goals
depends upon preparing for the conference in advance. You can help
achieve the goals of the conference by registering early and
indicating your primary areas of interest on the registration form.
The information will be used to form working groups.
General Information
The first Lunar Polar Probe Conference will be held March 11-12,
1989 in Houston, Texas. The conference will begin at 9:30 am Saturday
March 11, 1989. The organizations co-sponsoring the conference include
the Clear Lake Area Space Society, the Houston Space Society, National
Space Society, Space Studies Institute, Third Millennium, Inc., and
University Space Society. Involvement of other space-related
organizations is anticipated and welcomed.
Registration
Register for the conference by mail or at the Nassau Bay Hilton
between 9:00 and 9:30 am Saturday, March 11. The nominal conference
registration fee is $10.00 and the banquet is $25.00. The registration
fee will increase February 15th; registration for the banquet received
after February 15, 1989 will be accepted on a space available basis.
Contact the hotel directly to reserve a room. To register for the
conference and banquet, mail the conference registration form and
check payable to the Houston Space Society to the following address:
Lunar Polar Probe Conference
Houston Space Society
P.O. Box 266151
Houston, TX 77207-6151
For further information, please write the above address or call
(713) 643-6373. Anyone who desires to present a paper at the
conference should mail an abstract to the Houston Space Society at the
above address.
Travel Arrangements
Travel arrangements may be made through the Hanssen/Future Travel
agency. They may be contacted at 1-800-544-4998. Mention you are with
the Lunar Polar Probe Conference.
Hotel Information
The Nassau Bay Hilton is providing special rates for everyone
attending the Lunar Probe Conference. The rates are $70.00, fixed for
a room with up to four people. Please make your reservations for a
room directly with the hotel. The Nassau Bay Hilton can be reached by
calling (713) 333-9300 or writing 3000 Nasa Road One, P.O. Box 58727,
Houston, TX 77058. The Nassau Bay Hilton provides a complimentary
Hobby Airport to Hilton shuttle service which runs from 7:30 a.m. to
10:30 p.m. every 90 minutes. The Hilton can be contacted using their
courtesy booth telephone in the lower level of Hobby Airport. Air
shuttle service is available from Intercontinental to Hobby through
Continental Airlines. A cab from Intercontinental to the hotel will
cost about $84.00 round trip. Parking at the Hilton is free.
Directions
From either Intercontinental or Hobby airport, take I-45 South to
Nasa Road 1 (one hour travel time from Intercontinental, twenty
minutes from Hobby). Go east (left) on Nasa Road 1 for about five
miles. The twelve story hotel will be on your right, overlooking Clear
Lake and across the road from NASA.
Agenda
Saturday, March 11,1989 Sunday, March 12,1989
8 am Registration Opens
9 am "Welcome" Jim Davidson 8-10 am Tour of Lunar Planetary Instilute (?)
9:10 "Why the Moon?" Dr. Allen Binder
9:30 "Lunar Polar Probes" Dr. Gay Canough
9:50 "Other Small Satellites"
Amateur Satellite Corp. Technical Track Resources Track
10:40 "Launch Options" Jim Davidson 10 am Various Technical Business
Planning
11:00 "Space Business Primer" Ms. Dee Ann Divis 11 am working groups
Milestones for PR
11:30 "Politics & the International Scene" 11:30 meet separately Fundraising
Strategy
Rick Tumlinson
11:50 Summary
Noon Lunch Lunch Lunch
Noon Lunch
Technical Track Resources Track
1:30 Technical and Resources tracks
meet separately 1 pm Technical meetlngs Review Organization, Interfaces
1:30 continue... Review Business Strategy
3 pm All groups meet together for
crosslink 2 pm Re-group & report Assign Tasks
3:30 Small workshop sessions, tasks assigned
3 pm Technical gives preliminary input on cost, weight,
5 pm Informal Discussions and capabilities
6 pm Reception 4 pm Discussion of problem areas, opportunities
7 pm Dinner 5 pm Assign tasks for next meeting, establish site, date
8 pm Dr. Wendell Mendell, NASA Lunar Scientist 6 pm Dinner break
9 pm Informal Gatherings 7 pm Preview of Presentation for Lunar & Planetary
Science Conference
Other Conferences of Interest
The Lunar and Planetary Institute will host the 2Oth Lunar and
Planetary Science Conference in March 13-17. For information on the
LPI conference, write LPI at 3303 Nasa Road 1, Houston, Texas,
77058-4399 or call at (713) 486-2139. A workshop discussing the 8th
Lunar Polar Probe will be held in the SSI/Princeton Space
Manufacturing Conference May 6-9, 1989. For information on the
Princeton Conference contact Ms. Barbara Faughnan, Conference
Coordinator, SSI, P.O. Box 82, Princeton NJ 08540.
Lunar Polar Probe Conference
Houston Space Society
PO Box 266151
Houston, TX 77207-6151
(713) 643-6373
Registration Form
Houston, Texas March 11 - 12, 1989
Name _______________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Phone (______)_______________________________________________________
Registration
$10.00 per person _______________
Banquet
$25.00 per person _______________
(Banquet registration received after
February 15, 1988 will be accepted on
space available basis only.)
Total _______________
(Make check out to Houston Space Society.)
Please indicate the areas you are interested in working on and any
specialized skills you possess in the space provided. If you are not
already working on the project, we will use the information to put you
in contact with groups working on aspects of the project you are most
interested in and qualified for.
========================================================================
Received: by decwrl.dec.com (5.54.5/4.7.34)
id AA18517; Fri, 18 Nov 88 19:16:18 PST
|
| 344.2 | Lunar Polar Probe Specifics | MTWAIN::KLAES | Saturn by 1970 | Fri Dec 09 1988 15:46 | 236 |
| To: [email protected]
Subj: Lunar Polar Probe Information
Cc: [email protected]
The following information was gleaned from handouts at the
first three meetings of the Lunar Polar Probe group in Houston. For
those who are interested in the Lunar Polar PRobe conference that this
group is hosting -- information about this conference was posted
earlier on the nets; if you need a new copy, send me a note -- this
information will give you a better idea of what types of things have
been discussed for this probe. If you have any ideas, comments, or
suggestions, send them to me at: [email protected]
Steve Abrams
10/7/88
Lunar Polar Orbiter Mission (ELV Launch) - LOM 002-A
(11/26/88-The simplest and least expensive Lunar Polar Orbiter
consists of a spin-stabilized satellite whose spin axis is perpendicular
to the plane of the ecliptic throughout the mission. The simplest and
least expensive experiment package for such a mission consists of
those experiments which do not require any pointing to obtain global
mapping data. Such instruments collect their data without requiring
stepping mirrors or antennas to compensate for the varying nadir
direction with respect to the satellite's spin axis. Of the some 20
experiments which can provide fundamental data required to
characterize the Moon. These are listed below:)
This limited duration (about 1 year), pre-cursor mission will
provide total coverage global maps of the composition of the lunar
surface layer and the moon's gravity and magnetic fields and data on
its physical characteristics, structure, and tenuous atmosphere. The
complete set of experiments, which will be carried out in order to
fulIy exploit the scientific capabilities of this type of mission, is as
follows (listed according to major mission objectives);
1) Gamma-ray spectrometer,
2) Neutron spectrometer, to obtain data on the elemental (U,
Th, K, H, Al, Mg, Fe, Ti at 80 km resolution) composition of
the upper most surface layer (the regolith) of the moon.
These experiments will determine if water ice is present in
permanently shadowed regions at the poles and provide
global maps of the composition of the surface. The maps are
required to understand the global distribution of the various
petrological/selenochemical units and, hence, the evolution
of the crust, the bulk composition of the crust and the Moon
and if and where economically important mineral deposits
occur.
3) X-ray spectrometer,
4) Visual-near-IR spectrometer, and
5) 5-20 micron-IR spectrometer, to obtain data on the
mineralogical (Plagloclase, Orthopyroxene, Clinopyroxene,
Olivine, Ilmenite, Glass at 500 m resolution) composition of
the upper most surface layer (the regolith) of the moon.
6) Multi-spectral Imager (100 m resolutlon), to obtain data on
the distribution of compositional units.
7) Stereo-Imager (100 m resolutlon), and
8) High-resolution Imager (20 m resolutlon), to obtain data on
the distribution of compositional units, the topography, and
the structure of surface features.
9) IR radiometer and
10) Micro-wave radiometer, to obtain data on the
temperature and physical properties of the surface and the heat flow
(50 km resolution) from the lunar interior.
11) Magnetometer,
12) Electron reflectometer, to obtain data on the local
magnetic fields (up to a few 100 or perhaps a few 1000 gammas at
the surface, but only up to a few gammas at orbital altitudes) of the
surface, the temperature of the interior, the presence or absence of a
small metallic lunar core, and the interaction of the moon with the
solar wind and geomagnetic tail. These data will help determine the
internal structure, thermal history, and bulk composition of the
Moon, if the Moon had a magnetic dynamo active in its earlier
history, and the origins of the local magnetic fields.
13) Solar wind experiment,
14) Gravity experiment (doppler tracking), to obtain data on
density differences in the crust, on the internal density
profile of the moon, and the presence or absence of a small
metallic lunar core. These data will help determine the
internal structure of the moon, the presence of near-surface
gravity anomalies (which might be related to ore deposits),
and improve the definition of the lunar gravitational model
needed for better orbital predictions.
15) Radar altimeter, to obtain data on the size and shape of the
moon and its surface topography
16) Radar sounder, to obtan data on subsurface layering (to a
depth of a few km) in the moon, on tis topography and on
the presence of water ice in the polar regions
17) Mass spectrometer,
18) Suprathermal ion detector, and
19) UV spectrometer, to obtaln data or, composition (at least
He, H, 40Ar, 36Ar, CH4, NH3, C02), concentration, and dynamics of
the tenuous lunar atmosphere, the sporadic release of 40Ar
and other volatiles from the lunar interior into the
atmosphere, the release of volatiles into the lunar
atmosphere by the impact of carbonaxeous chondrite
meteorites and comet remnants, and the interactlon of the
solar wind with ions produced in the tenuous atmosphere by
UV radiatlon.
20) Alpha particle spectrometer, to obtain data on the
distribution of radon release sites (e.g., Aristarchus,
Grimaldi, and the edges of the maria) and on the frequency
of release of radon from the lunar interior by detecting
alpha particles from radioactlve, radon gas and from
radioactlve deposits of radon's decay product, polonium.
These data will help define the areas of the Moon which are
tectonically and possibly volcanically active.
21) Synthetic-aperature radar, to obtain high resolution radar
imagery in the permanently shadowed areas of the polar
regions where ice may have accumulated.
Lunar Polar Orbiter Mission(s) (Ref. JPL 660-41, Rev. A, Mission
Summary for Lunar Polar Orbiter, 1977; Contributions of a
Lunar Geosciences Observer to Fundamental Questions in Lunar
Science, Dept. Geo. Sci., Southern Methodist U., Dallas, 1986;
Preliminary Sci. Rpts. for Apollo 14, 15, and 16, NASA SP's)
Experiment Mass Power kbits/s volume
kg w cm3
1) Gamma-ray 15 10 1.5 29x32x50
spectrometer (4 boom)
2) Neutron Special mode of operation of Gamma-
spectrometer ray spectrometer
3) X-ray 11 10 0.3 20x20x40
spectrometer
4) Visual-near-IR 23 12 1.5, 3, 83x37x39 optics
spectrometer 6, 12 20x25x13 electronics
5) 5-20 micron-IR 16 12 10 60x50x30
spectrometer
6) Multi-spectral Integrated into the Visual-near-IR
spectrometer
Imager
7) Stereo-Imager 11 15 5 20x20x12 optics
25x18x5 electronics
8) High-resolution 15 20 10 TBD
Imager
9) IR radiometer 17 18 1 23x23x30
10) Microwave 10 10 0.2 100x60x20 antenna
radiometer 1Ox30x40
11) Magnetometer 3 3 0.4 8x5x5 sensor
4 boom 22x11x15 electronics
12) Electron 5 5 0.3 20x20x20
reflectometer
13) Solar wind 6 13 0.1 31x28x35
experiment
14) Doppler 7 4 0.1 61 dia x 13 antenna
Gravity 30x30x12 electronics
experiment,
relay sub- 28 TBD TBD TBD
satelllte,
or
corner 3 0 0 40x30x20
reflector
satellite,
15) Radar 17 28 1 100 dia antenna
altimeter 120x60x10 electronics
16) Radar TBD TBD TBD TBD
sounder
17) Mass 11 TBD TBD 30x32x23
spectrometer
18) Suprathermal 9 10 0.1 34x12x31
ion detector
19) UV 17 7 0.2 27000
spectrometer
20) Alpha particle TBD TBD TBD TBD
spectrometer
21) Synthetic- TBD TBD TBD TBD
aperture
radar
(The ?????'s indicate areas where the xeroxed copy were blanked
out)
Lunar Polar Orbiter Missions can be launched from Earth, from
Earth orbit, from L1 or L2 Space Stations, or from a Lunar Polar
Orbiting Space Station (though the LPO's should not be in co-orbits
with the Space Statlon). Since the LPO is an early pre-cursor mission,
it will probably be launched from Earth or from Earth orbit and, so,
only these orbits will be considered here. All the above LPO
experiments can be carried on one large orbiter or sub-sets of the
experimentscan be carried on 2 or more smaller orbiters. The LPOs
are 3-axis stabilized spacecrafts. As instrument technology
advances, advanced LPOs ????? flown (see LOM - 006). In order to
increase the resolution ????? measurements, an advanced LPO can be
flown tethered to a L???? Orbiting Space Station (see LOM - 007).
This would a????? collected from altitudes of only 5 to 10 km.
The following data are for a single LPO mission experiments
and launched from Earth using an expen?????
LPO Orbital Elements
Semimajor axis: 1838 km
Altltude: 100 km
Eccentricity: 0.005
Inclination: 96.4!
Node w.r.t. Sun line: 57!
Argument of periapsis: 147!
Orbital Period: 117.89 min.
LPO Characteristics (ELV Launch)
Instruments
Mass: 56 kg
Power: 52 w
kblts/s: 23
Volume: 1 m3
Orbiter (total)
Mass: 1200 kg
Power: 320 w
kbits/s: 50
Volume: 20 m3 (stowed)
|
| 344.3 | SSI's LGAS probe | MTWAIN::KLAES | N = R*fgfpneflfifaL | Tue Mar 07 1989 09:02 | 156 |
| Date: 2 Mar 89 17:17:44 GMT
From: [email protected] (Greg Goebel)
Subject: SSI Lunar Probe
from: INTERNET: cwo_online@hp-pcd
HP DESK: CWO ONLINE / HP3900 / 20
(503) 752-7717
Hewlett-Packard CWO / 1000 NE Circle Boulevard / Corvallis OR 97330
Greg Goebel
date: Thu Mar 2 09:12:54 PST 1989
I write a small science-and-technology newsletter for HP and ran
the following article on a new Space Studies Institute project:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* One of the most interesting things I ran across this month was a
special report issued by the Space Studies Institute -- a non-profit
organization at Princeton that investigates long-term technologies for
space exploration.
I have been a passive member of SSI for years; I send them a
little money every now and then, get their newsletters, read them
casually, and file them. But this special report got me excited.
SSI has done practical research towards exploitation of lunar
resources for years; and one project they have been pursuing is a
search for volatile substances on the Moon.
The Moon has plenty of oxygen, chemically locked in the materials
that make up its crust; but it has no atmosphere and, as far as can be
seen, no light, volatile substances like water or methane that contain
hydrogen. A lunar source of hydrogen would provide lunar miners both
with water and a high-grade rocket propellant; without it, all water
in space would have to be exported from Earth -- which would be
prohibitively expensive.
However, the axis of the Moon's rotation is virtually at a right
angle to the plane of its motion around the Sun (it only is off by 2
degrees) and this orientation has been stable for a long time. Comets
contain volatile substances, and are known to collide with the Earth;
comet collisions with the Moon in the past could've scattered
volatiles all over the surface. Most of the volatiles would have
escaped into space over time; but those that fell into craters near
the poles -- into crevices where, due to the Moon's axis of rotation,
the sun never shines -- might remain frozen, and accumulate.
A simple space probe, armed with a gamma-ray spectrophotometer,
could orbit the Moon's poles to search for the frozen volatiles (and
for ices of the volatiles buried under the surface).
SSI has several proposals for a Lunar Polar Probe. By far the
most interesting is one that would be launched from the Space Shuttle
-- carried into orbit as a "getaway special" (GAS) cargo.
The getaway specials are payloads that fit into unused crevices of
the Shuttle's cargo bay; they are usually the size of trashcans, and
are carried aloft at special rates, which have allowed even high
schools to perform experiments in space.
SSI's Lunar GAS probe would be extremely rudimentary: it would
contain a gamma-ray spectrophotometer on an extensible boom, control
and communications electronics, twin solar panels for power, and an
ion engine.
Ion engines are a speculative technology that has been studied
since serious space exploration began; such an engine is basically a
electrical accelerator that expels an ionized heavy gas (xenon, in
this case) at extremely high velocity. Ion engines have low thrust,
but they are very efficient in terms of propellant mass (due to the
high exhaust velocity) and can be powered by solar arrays.
The LGAS probe would be ejected from the Shuttle; then it would
deploy its solar panels and begin a slow spiral away from the Earth
that would place it into lunar polar orbit in about two years' time.
If LGAS should happen, it would be a landmark in space exploration
-- even if it did not reveal deposits of lunar volatiles. Large space
projects are difficult to justify in a time of budget deficits, take a
long time to implement, and are vulnerable to protracted delays or
cancellation. A larger number of smaller projects would be much more
practical -- Freeman Dyson refers to this as the "quick is beautiful"
approach.
If the LGAS was developed through a combination of private funds
and government research grants, it would be the first citizen's
interplanetary probe -- and would lead the way towards a lower-cost
approach to planetary exploration, as well as more sophisticated
private space exploration ventures.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Does anyone know what the status of this project is? Have any
cost estimates been made? Is there any attempt to get funding for it?
It would seem that, given the long flight time of the LGAS probe
and the need to get input for national space strategies in the near
future, SSI must act quickly on this.
regards -- gvg
------------------------------
Date: 3 Mar 89 04:02:55 GMT
From: [email protected] (Jonathan Leech)
Subject: Re: SSI Lunar Probe
In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Greg Goebel) writes:
>Does anyone know what the status of this project is? Have any cost
>estimates been made? Is there any attempt to get funding for it?
Quoting the SSI Special Report "Lunar Prospector Probe":
"First, we are attempting to show NASA and key national leaders
the importance of a quick and simple lunar mission
which could detect possible water ice at the poles."
...
"Secondly... we are working towards a partially or perhaps completely
privately funded class of lunar probes."
Planned 1989 activities include a lunar prospector workshop
preceding the 1989 Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing and a
session on lunar polar science at the 20th Lunar & Planetary Institute
Conference. One of the International Space University's summer '89
projects will be the design of lunar orbiting probes. Also, SSI has
contracted with ExtraTerrestrial Materials, Inc., to manage a working
group to design a probe.
>It would seem that, given the long flight time of the LGAS probe and the
>need to get input for national space strategies in the near future, SSI must
>act quickly on this.
The ion drive is only one possibility. Another is to use a surplus
Atlas booster. See the special report for photos and lots more info.
One more quote from the SSI report:
"SSI's extensive work on the lunar polar prospector has been made
possible by the contributions of the members and Senior Associates of
the Institute."
If you want to see this project happen, I suggest sending SSI lots
of money ($25/year for a subscription to the newsletter is at least a
start). SSI is at:
Space Studies Institute
PO Box 82
Princeton, NJ 08542
609-921-0377
Send me email if there are more questions.
--
Jon Leech ([email protected]) __@/
"Totally bounded: A set that can be patrolled by a finite number
of arbitrarily near-sighted policemen." A. Wilonsky, 1978
|
| 344.4 | Update on SSI Lunar Polar Probe | RENOIR::KLAES | N = R*fgfpneflfifaL | Wed Oct 11 1989 11:31 | 104 |
| Date: 9 Oct 89 21:46:49 GMT
From: [email protected] (Eric William Tilenius)
Subject: NEWS UPDATE: SSI LUNAR POLAR PROBE
SPACE STUDIES INSTITUTE -- LUNAR POLAR PROBE UPDATE
===================================================
The Space Studies Institute, a non-profit organization located in Princeton,
New Jersey, is dedicated to opening the High Frontier by using resources
found in space - rather than bringing materials with us from Earth.
As part of their mission, they fund unique scientific research designed
to utilize space resources.
One of their major current projects is the development of a small,
dedicated lunar orbiting probe. This probe, called the Lunar Polar
Probe (or Lunar Polar Prospector - either way, I'll refer to it as LPP),
will provide a chemical map of the entire moon and discover whether
frozen water and other volatiles exist at the lunar poles.
Frozen water would be tremendously valuable in the construction of
a lunar base and in space manufacturing - and the search for this water
has been recommended by both the President's National Commission on Space
and the Ride Report.
What makes LPP unique is that it is a privately initiated and funded project.
The goal is to launch it early in the 1990's - well ahead of NASA's
Lunar Observer spacecraft, which will be a more sophisticated craft, but
which may not launch until the end of next decade.
SSI has recently issued an RFP (Request for Proposal) for spacecraft
manufacturers - bids are being submitted and considered.
As part of the spacecraft, SSI has sought to use a Gamma Ray Spectrometer
developed by NASA for use on Apollo missions. The GRS is not being used
by NASA at present, and there are no current NASA plans for its use.
Three Congressmen - Robert Torricelli (D-NJ), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA),
and Thomas McMillen (D-MD) - wrote a letter to NASA on SSI's behalf asking
that NASA give the Gamma Ray Spectrometer to SSI for use on LPP.
* NEW NEWS! * NEW NEWS! * NEW NEWS! *
About a week ago, the Congressmen received a letter back from NASA saying
that NASA could see no reason in principal why the GRS could not be given
to SSI. The letter, while bureaucratic in tone, was very positive about
the possibilities of giving the GRS to SSI. NASA agreed to appoint someone
to study how the instrument could be hooked up to best benefit SSI.
During a Congressional hearing with NASA Administrator Richard Truly,
one of the Congressmen (I believe it was either Rohrabacher or Torricelli,
or perhaps both) confronted Truly with the matter and asked why the
letter was so bureaucratic and if the device could really be made
available to SSI.
The original letter was written by someone in charge of Congressional
relations, not Truly's office. As a result of the encounter at
the hearing, Admiral Truly has taken a personal interest in SSI's LPP
project and has decreed that no letter be sent out about it without
first being cleared by his office.
Thus, chances look very good that the GRS WILL be made available to SSI
in the near future. SSI and the Congressmen are working to make sure
this does not slip under a stack of studies and ensure that SSI gets
an okay shortly so it can proceed with its plans for LPP.
On the whole, however, while much remains to be done, it looks like SSI
WILL have access to this device as part of its Lunar Polar Probe.
The Space Studies Institute's Lunar Polar Probe is well on the road to
becoming the FIRST privately-financed "planetary" science mission!
-- INTERESTED? MORE INFORMATION? --
This information is not an official Space Studies Institute release - I
happen to know these facts because my group, the Princeton Planetary
Society, works closely with SSI on many matters. I can vouch for its
accuracy, but if you quote it, please quote ME, not SSI, as the wording
has not been approved by them.
If you would like more information about LPP, SSI, or if you would like
to become a member of the Space Studies Institute to further their crucial
work in opening the High Frontier, here's the necessary info:
Space Studies Institute
P.O. Box 82
Princeton, NJ 08542
Telephone: 609-921-0377
Membership is $25/year and includes a subscription to the bi-monthly
newsletter SSI Update. You also get an SSI decal and membership card.
For $35, you can receive a 1 year membership AND a copy of the new edition
of Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill's classic, THE HIGH FRONTIER. (Dr. O'Neill is
President and Founder of Space Studies Institute.)
- ERIC -
Eric W. Tilenius | Princeton Planetary Soc. | [email protected]
523 Laughlin Hall | 315 West College | [email protected]
Princeton University | Princeton University | rutgers!pucc.bitnet!ewtileni
Princeton, NJ 08544 | Princeton, NJ 08544 | princeton!pucc!ewtileni
609-734-7677 | 609-734-7677 | DELPHI: TILENIUS
|
| 344.5 | The private Lunar Prospect Project of LEI | ADVAX::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Mon Oct 22 1990 16:46 | 90 |
| From: [email protected] (MARY SCHLANGENSTEIN)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Group announces plan for lunar mapping
Date: 17 Oct 90 18:25:56 GMT
HOUSTON (UPI) -- A non-profit coalition of scientists and
engineers announced plans Wednesday for a lunar mapping satellite that
would be launched atop a Soviet rocket in 1992 and become an outer
space billboard for a major corporate sponsor.
The Lunar Prospector Project created by Lunar Exploration Inc.
would represent America's return to the moon after a 20 year absence,
and would be the first lunar mission not funded by the American or
Soviet governments [or Japanese - LK].
``What we're trying to do here is use existing technology,
off-the- shelf equipment and tried-and-true techniques that have been
done in the past,'' said Alan Binder, a Lockheed Engineering &
Sciences Co. scientist serving as project manager for the project.
``We are using a very small spacecraft. We want to demonstrate
the utility of such a small spacecraft, the low cost and that it can
be done in a very short period of time. This is the first non-government
mission. We are representing the first attempt at the commercialization
of space.''
LEI is a group of scientists, engineers, marketing
specialists, attorneys, even housewives, who have volunteered their
time -- working primarily at night and on weekends -- to create the
lunar prospector.
Most of the people involved in the project are NASA workers or
employees of NASA subcontractors in the Houston area.
LEI has secured a ``firm commitment'' from the Soviet space
agency to launch the satellite in 1992, although no contract has been
signed, said project engineer Preston Carter.
The project cost, excluding launch, is about $11.7 million,
although most of that has come in the form of donated equipment. With
donated time added, the cost would increase to about $30 million,
Binder said.
LEI has raised $2 million so far.
``I am extremely confident that in two years we will have a
spacecraft in orbit,'' Binder said.
The satellite will carry out at least a one-year mission
mapping the lunar surface, searching for deposits of ice, and
measuring the moon's magnetic field at both the surface and orbital
altitudes.
The probe's three instruments also will determine the
frequency and locations of gas releases from the moon and produce the
first complete map of the lunar gravity field, Binder said.
The instruments will gather infomation vital to the
establishment of a lunar base, he said.
``The data we get back will directly impact the location of a
lunar base,'' he said. ``We will impact on how we go back to the moon.
It will make following missions more economical.''
Instruments for the satellite, which has not yet been built,
largely have been donated. NASA has provided an Apollo-era gamma-ray
spectrometer that will map the chemical properties of the moon's surface.
The Soviet space agency has pledged to provide a rocket, free
of charge, although LEI will pay some costs associated with the
launch, Carter said. He declined to specify what services the company
will pay for or how much it will cost.
To support those costs, LEI is turning to corporate America,
seeking one or more major sponsors that will be allowed to use the
lunar prospector as a space-going billboard.
Organizers are touting their plan of bringing non-aerospace
corporations into the space industry for the first time.
``We are looking for participation from a, or several,
corporations to allow them to expose their product through this
launch,'' said John Reed of Space Marketing Concepts of Atlanta. That
exposure could include plastering the company's logo on the side of
the lunar prospector.
``It's very well received,'' Reed said of LEI's contacts with
possible sponsors. ``Space is the place we haven't been commercially.
Corporations are very interested.''
|
| 344.6 | | 19458::FISHER | I like my species the way it is" "A narrow view... | Mon Oct 22 1990 17:48 | 1 |
| Shades of D. D. Harriman!
|
| 344.7 | | 2319::SAUTER | John Sauter | Tue Oct 23 1990 09:33 | 5 |
| re: .6
My thought exactly: ``The Man Who Sold the Moon'' by Robert A.
Heinlein.
John Sauter
|
| 344.8 | Lunar Prospector Files from FTP site | VERGA::KLAES | I, Robot | Wed Dec 16 1992 13:47 | 41 |
| Article: 29810
Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space,sci.astro,sci.geo.geology
From: [email protected] (Graham O'Neil)
Subject: Lunar Exploration Information Available by FTP
Organization: NASA Johnson Space Center
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 18:39:38 GMT
LUNAR PROSPECTOR FILES AVAILABLE FOR FTP
Lunar Exploration Inc (LEI) organizer of the Lunar Prospector Mission
is establishing a set of reference files on the SPACE ARCHIVES at
ames.arc.nasa.gov. The purpose is to make information about the
Seleno-mapping mission, and design details on small, simple science
spacecraft available to interested parties. The goal is to establish
an LEI presence on the Internet, and encourage grassroots space
exploration efforts while building public support for space science
missions.
ftp: ames.arc.nasa.gov (128.102.18.3)
user: anonymous
password: Your Ident [[email protected]]
cd: pub/SPACE/LEI
For the initial submission, we have identified the following documents
as being of sufficient quality for public access. Additional material
will be added as progress permits.
1. Lunar Prospector Mission Requirements Document [FILENAME: mrd.asc]
2. Lunar Prospector Mission Operations Document [FILENAME: mod.asc]
3. White paper on Lunar Prospectors mission [FILENAME: white.paper]
4. References to related lunar science articles [FILENAME: lei.ref]
7. Contact information for donations and support [FILENAME: readme]
6. Monthly newsletters and status. [FILENAME: status]
Graham
--
Graham O'Neil [email protected] GONEIL@nasamail
Lockheed 2400 NASA RD 1 Houston, TX 77058 (713)333-7197
----------------------------------------------------------
Practice Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty
|
| 344.9 | Lunar Prospector White Papers | VERGA::KLAES | I, Robot | Thu Dec 31 1992 11:54 | 208 |
| Article: 53755
From: [email protected] (Graham O'Neil)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Lunar Prospector White Paper
Date: 22 Dec 1992 10:51:53 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Sender: [email protected]
Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space,sci.geo.geology
Subject: Lunar Prospector White Paper
Summary: Program and science goals, experiments, mission profile
Followup-To: sci.space
Distribution: world
Keywords: Lunar Resource Mapping, Experiments, Instruments, Mission Operations
[In response to several E-Mail requests, I am posting some background
on what Lunar Explorations Inc. is attempting on the Lunar Prospector
Mission with background on instruments, goals for data acquisition,
and members of the research teams].
LUNAR PROSPECTOR WHITE PAPER
1 Introduction
The Lunar Prospector Project is being conducted by Lunar Exploration,
Inc. (LEI) of Houston, Texas. There are four major goals of the Project:
1) To provide NASA with lunar orbital, global mapping data
needed for the planning and execution of the lunar phase of the Space
Exploration Initiative (SEI).
2) To demonstrate the utility of small, simple Spacecraft
which carry out a limited number of experiments at low cost and in a
short time.
3) To create public and congressional support for the SEI by
having a highly visible lunar mission, the first lunar mission since
the end of Apollo.
4) To promote international cooperation for space exploration
by having the Russians provide the launch for the mission and by
involving other nations in the Project.
LEI is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation relying on volunteer
support and donations of equipment and services to keep the costs of
Lunar Prospector low. LEI was formed in 1989 to provide the
scientific and engineering expertise required for the Lunar Prospector
Project and consists of a volunteer group of experienced Houston area
aerospace engineers and the science teams. The scientists conducting
the experiments have decades of experience on numerous NASA lunar and
planetary missions.
The Lunar Prospector science payload was chosen from the list of
candidate experiments proposed for lunar mapping missions. Lunar
Prospector carries six experiments, chosen because of their high
science value and because they could be flown on a simple, spin
stabilized Spacecraft. These experiments are:
Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, Principle Investigator - Dr. Brad Roscoe of
LEI. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer is a more advanced system than was
flown on the Apollo missions and provides global maps of the surface
composition of the Moon.
Neutron Spectrometer, Principle Investigator - Dr. Bill Feldman of the
Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Neutron Spectrometer determines
if there are deposits of water ice in the lunar polar regions. The
spectrometer has a water ice detectability limit of better than 0.01%.
Because of this sensitivity, the mission will provide a timely answer
to the critical water ice question which is so important to the
planning of the SEI. In addition, the experiment is so sensitive that
it detects the solar wind hydrogen implanted in the regolith. By
mapping the regolith hydrogen abundances, the experiment indirectly
maps the lunar 3He distribution and gains information required for the
future terrestrial utilization of this extremely important lunar resource.
Alpha Particle Spectrometer, Principle Investigator - Dr. Alan Binder
of LEI. The Alpha Particle Spectrometer is an advanced version of the
experiment flown on Apollo 15 and 16. It determines the locations and
frequency of radon gas release events, events which may also release
large quantities of N, CO, and/or CO2. If this is the case, then potential
sources of these important life support gases will have been found.
Magnetometer, Principle Investigator - Dr. Lon Hood of the University
of Arizona and
Electron Reflectometer, Principle Investigator - Dr. Bob Lin of the
University of California at Berkeley. These two experiments, in
tandem, map the lunar magnetic fields. The equipment for these two
experiments are identical to the Mars Observer magnetic experiments
and produces the same quality of data as that NASA mission.
Doppler Gravity Experiment, Principle Investigator - Bill Sjogren of
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The experiment provides the first
complete gravity map of the Moon. Because no earlier mission was in a
low polar orbit, NASA does not have an adequate lunar gravity model
for the planning the follow-on unmanned and manned lunar missions.
Thus Lunar Prospector will again provide timely, critical data for
planning the SEI.
The Lunar Prospector Spacecraft is a small, simple, reliable, spin
stabilized Spacecraft with a fully fuelled mass of only 299 kg. It is
a 1.42 m diameter, 1.42 m tall drum with solar cells mounted on its
outer surface. Its basic design is that of a small comsat bus so well
developed by commercial companies. The scientific instruments are
mounted on three booms; isolating them from the bus and simplifying
the Spacecraft-instrument interfaces. The design of the Spacecraft
was completed in June of 1990 by OMNI System, Inc., the Project's
Spacecraft Contractor.
NPO Energia of Russia has offered to launch Lunar Prospector for a
nominal fee. The participation of Russia in the Project will help
pave the way for future cooperation with NASA in the SEI.
The mission will begin with the launch provided by NPO Energia. The
flight to the Moon takes five days, during which two midcourse
maneuvers occur, the boom are deployed and the science instruments
collect calibration data both in the undeployed and deployed
conditions. Once the Spacecraft has reached the Moon, it performs
three separate Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burns. The first LOI burn
puts the Spacecraft into a 24 hour, elliptical orbit. Twenty-four
hours later, the second LOI burn puts the Spacecraft into a 4 hour
elliptical orbit. Finally, 24 hours later, the third LOI burn puts
the Spacecraft into its 118 minute, 100 km altitude, polar mapping
orbit. At that point, the Spacecraft begins its nominal one year
mapping mission. During this phase, periodic orbital maintenance
maneuvers are made to keep the Spacecraft in its proper orbit. If the
fuel usage is less than the worst case planning estimates, the mapping
mission will be extended beyond this nominal one year and will end
when the fuel necessary for orbital maintenance is depleted. Shortly
thereafter, the Spacecraft will impact the Moon, ending the mission.
Mission operations are carried out by the volunteer engineers of LEI
at the Mission Control Center in Clear Lake, Texas. Tracking and data
reception are carried out by a world-wide tracking network of antennas.
The total cost of Lunar Prospector is 16 million
dollars plus launch costs. The costs are so low because:
1) The small, simple Spacecraft, the science instruments and
the ground support equipment are constructed using existing technology
and off-the-shelf hardware. There are no development costs associated
with the Project.
2) The majority of the the Project is being done by volunteers.
3) The LEI administrative costs are very low because this
institution is very small and has very low overhead.
The Lunar Prospector Project has gained support from various
government and NASA officials, the Stafford Committee and the National
Space Council, all of which see this effort as helping to gain support
for the SEI. Lunar Prospector is viewed by these individuals and
committees as being the type of innovative, space exploration
alternative called for by both the Augustine Committee and the
Stafford Committee.
In order to continue the work necessary to fly the mission, we need
the financial support of individuals and organizations. If you
support the goals and work of Lunar Exploration, you can show that
support by:
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Donation checks (at least $10, please) should be sent to the following
address. Please do not send any correspondence to this address, since
the bank charges for forwarding it.
LEI
C/O Bank One Texas
PO Box 297024
Houston, TX 77297
LEI is a tax-exempt, IRS approved, type 501(c) 3 organization. Unless
you are in a special category, your donation is fully tax-exempt.
CORPORATE AND ORGANIZATION REFERRALS:
LEI is interested in identifying organizations with a history of
supporting science an exploration with grants and donations. If you
know of such organizations with an interest in enabling space
exploration, we would appreciate a referral to them. Referrals to
possible major donors are best sent to [email protected] or phoned to
713-480-1216.
OTHER:
If you must contact us, please use Internet mail to [email protected]
or mail to
LEI
PO Box 590722
Houston, TX 77259.
Please send only researched correspondence to LEI. We regret our
system is not responsive to mail deluge, so only referrals will be
treated with priority. We'll make everything we can, including
current news and an FAQ writeup when it's ready, available for FTP at
ames.arc.nasa.gov, in directory pub/lei.
Appreciatively,
graham
--
Graham O'Neil [email protected] GONEIL@nasamail
Lockheed 2400 NASA RD 1 Houston, TX 77058 (713)333-7197
----------------------------------------------------------
Practice Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty
|
| 344.10 | Clementine Mission Science Team selected | PRAGMA::GRIFFIN | Dave Griffin | Mon Apr 12 1993 14:29 | 70 |
| Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Major Mike Doble
Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.
RELEASE: 93-66
NASA today announced the selection of the science team for the
Clementine mission to orbit the moon and to visit an asteroid.
The team will be headed by Dr. Eugene Shoemaker of the U.S. Geologic
Survey, Flagstaff, Ariz., who has been very active for many years in both lunar
and asteroid research.
Clementine, sponsored by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office
(SDIO), will launch a small spacecraft in January 1994 to orbit the moon for
several months, then de-orbit the moon in early May 1994. The spacecraft would
then fly by the near-Earth asteroid 1620 Geographos on Aug. 31, 1994, when the
asteroid is several million miles away, its closest distance to the Earth.
The goals of the mission are to test new, lightweight sensors in a
space radiation environment and to demonstrate autonomous navigation and
spacecraft operation. Lightweight and innovative spacecraft components also
will be tested, including a lightweight star tracker, an inertial measurement
unit, lightweight reaction wheels for attitude control, as well as a
lightweight nickel hydrogen battery and a lightweight solar panel.
The science team will plan for the acquisition of the scientific
measurements, the archiving of all science data in a form easily accessible to
the planetary science community and initial analyses of the data.
Geographos is one of the earliest discovered Earth-crossing asteroids.
It was discovered in September 1951, in a sky survey sponsored by the National
Geographic Society. Most Earth-crossasteroids are thought to be fragments
produced by collisions between asteroids in the main belt between Mars and
Jupiter, which are later perturbed into Earth-crossing orbits.
Radar images recently obtained of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis suggest
that the shape of Geographos and other Earth crossers might be much more
complex than previously suspected.
The sensors will be trained on the moon and on the asteroid. Also,
mutispectral science measurements at ultraviolet, visible and infrared
wavelengths will be made and played back to Earth. The specific filter
wavelengths were selected in consultation with NASA scientists, to both meet
SDIO objectives and maximize the scientific data return.
The science team members selected and their affiliations are:
Charles Acton, Jet Propusion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Daniel Baker, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Jacques Blamont, CNES (France)
Bonnie Buratti, Jet Propusion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Merton Davies, Rand Corp., Santa Monica, Calif.
Thomas Duxbury, Jet Propusion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Eric Eliason, U.S. Geologic Survey, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Paul Lucey, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Alfred McEwen, U.S. Geologic Survey, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Carle Pieters, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
David Smith, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Paul Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston
The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is responsible for
mission design, providing the spacecraft and for mission operations. The Jet
Propulsion Laboratory will be responsible for tracking the spacecraft radio
signal using NASA's Deep Space Network and will be responsible for accurately
locating Geographos using its Near Earth Object Center in preparation for the
flyby. - end -
|