Progress Made in Lunar In Situ Resource Utilization under NASA's Exploration Technology and Development Program
Open accessAbstract
Incorporation of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and the production of mission critical consumables for 9 propulsion, power, and life support into mission architectures can greatly reduce the mass, cost, and risk of missions 10 leading to a sustainable and affordable approach to human exploration beyond Earth. ISRU and its products can 11 also greatly affect how other exploration systems are developed, including determining which technologies are 12 important or enabling. While the concept of lunar ISRU has existed for over 40 years, the technologies and systems 13 had not progressed much past simple laboratory proof-of-concept tests. With the release of the Vision for Space 14 Exploration in 2004 with the goal of harnessing the Moon's resources, NASA initiated the ISRU Project in the 15 Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) to develop the technologies and systems needed to meet 16 this goal. In the five years of work in the ISRU Project, significant advancements and accomplishments occurred in 17 several important areas of lunar ISRU. Also, two analog field tests held in Hawaii in 2008 and 2010 demonstrated 18 all the steps in ISRU capabilities required along with the integration of ISRU products and hardware with 19 propulsion, power, and cryogenic storage systems. This paper will review the scope of the ISRU Project in the 20 ETDP, ISRU incorporation and development strategies utilized by the ISRU Project, and ISRU development and 21 test accomplishments over the five years of funded project activity.
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It is very promising to utilize the resources on the explored planet, or in situ resource utilization (ISRU), to support short-term and long-term human settlement, as well as achieving the goal of sustainability.
“It is very promising to utilize the resources on the explored planet, or in situ resource utilization (ISRU), 53 to support short-term and long-term human settlement, as well as achieving the goal of sustainability.”
From Energy system and resource utilization in space: A state-of-the-art review (2024) · cites this paper as [53]
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References 17 · Cited by 48
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Allen Wilkinson, "Size Beneficiation of Regolith for Simplicity and Efficiency", Presentation at Planetary and Terrestrial Mining and Sciences Symposium (PTMSS), Ottawa, Canada, June, 2011.
- Diane Linne, Christopher Gallo, Aaron Joseph, "Preliminary Trade Study on Scoop Size for large Excavation Vehicle", Presentation at Planetary and Terrestrial Mining and Sciences Symposium (PTMSS), Toronto, Canada, June, 2009.
- Christopher Gallo, "A Comparison Between the NORCAT Rover Test Results and the ISRU Excavation System Model Predictions", Presentation at Planetary and Terrestrial Mining and Sciences Symposium (PTMSS), Ottawa, Canada, June, 2011.
- Diane Linne, "Requirements and Progress Towards a Planetary Surface Simulation Facility", Presentation at Planetary and Terrestrial Mining and Sciences Symposium (PTMSS), Ottawa, Canada, June, 2011.
- Authors
- Sanders, G. B., & Larson, W. E.
- Affiliations
- Kennedy Space Center (US)
- Venue
- Earth and Space 2012
- Publisher
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Published
- 2012-04-17
- Pages
- 457-478
- OpenAlex
- W2114240406
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.43
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- ASCE International Conference on Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments (Earth and Space) (publishedVersion)
- NASA STI Repository (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- University of Wollongong
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Exploration and Technology
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Spacecraft Design and Technology
- Keywords
- lunar in-situ resource utilization, lunar propellant production, cryogenic storage, human lunar exploration, mission architecture, technological progress
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