Plan a Lunar Mission

[NGTOne]

OK, so I'm bored out of my skull waiting for my latest creation to Duna-transfer at 2.5 SPF (that's Seconds Per Frame). I've recently gotten into the habit of launching ludicrously large objects, and have devoted some thought to the problem of an actual real-life lunar colonial mission. Now, I'd like to pose the same question to the KSP community - how would you go about designed a lunar colony mission/mission architecture? The following guidelines apply:

1. You are limited to present-day (and historical) launch vehicles and technologies. No VASIMRs or SABREs, no SSTO spaceplanes. Space Shuttles and Saturn Vs are fine, though. NERVA engines are OK, but you're not allowed to fire them in Earth's atmosphere, or deorbit them onto Earth (due to environmental and nuclear-safety regulations).

2. Your development, testing, and launch budget is near-unlimited, and certainly not the shoestring NASA has to put up with these days. However, you are limited to one launch every 50 days for a Saturn V-scale launch vehicle (due to limited launch and production facilities). Smaller vehicles can launch more frequently.

3. Your goal is to put a colony of no less than 100 people on the Moon by 2023. This colony should satisfy the following conditions:

i. As self-sustaining as possible

ii. Provides some entertainment facilities to prevent the colonists from taking a walk out the nearest airlock

iii. Provides some justification for its existence (scientific/economic/spaceport/whatever else you can think of)

4. In the event of a major decompression/radiation/whatever else emergency, the entire colony is capable of surviving for up to 3 weeks before rescue arrives (it can be assumed that they will all be evacuated at the end of the 3-week period).

So, have at it! I'm curious to see what kind of real mission the KSP community can come up with

Edited July 26, 2013 by NGTOne

[Fox62]

Phase 1 of My Moon Mission is building a refueling station in LPO (Low Planetary Orbit).

This is achieved by launching modules aboard a fleet of Proton-Ms, which then dock together in LPO to form Olympus Station (Yes I got the name from Scott Manley, deal with it).

Station Crew: 24 max, 6 active as of posting

Fuel Capacity: 75000 liters of rocket fuel (liquid fuel and oxidizer, in correct proportion), 25,000 liters of Mono-propellant

Docking Ports: 3 medium size (1.25m type) docking ports, 12 miniature docking ports (0.625m type), 2 Large size (2.5m type)

The station will be a refueling stop for an Earth-Mun shuttle service.

Time required for completion: 2-4 weeks

Edited July 27, 2013 by Fox62

[Fox62]

Also a question, are NERVA engines acceptable? There were real tests of these engines in the late 60s, so far as I know.

[The Jedi Master]

Well, if you give us unlimited budget, we can just stick one hundred colony modules on one hundred Saturn V's.

[NGTOne]

Also a question, are NERVA engines acceptable? There were real tests of these engines in the late 60s, so far as I know.

Yes, NERVAs are fine, as long as they're of a reasonable size (i.e. roughly equivalent to the ones tested in the 60s, adjusted for technological advance - let's say a 20% decrease in mass over that period). Also, due to environmental and nuclear-safety regulations, you're not allowed to deorbit them into Earth's atmosphere, or fire them in it.

[Fox62]

Alright then.

Phase 2: Artemis Station Construction, Munshuttle Launch.

Artemis Station is a LLO station designed to function as a docking point for the Munshuttle to unload it's passengers and refuel for the return to Earth.

Fuel capacity: 25,000 liters of rocket fuel, 5,000 liters of Mono-propellant

Docking Ports (available after construction):4 medium size, 2 mini, 2 large

Crew Capacity: 10, 2 active

Time to completion: 4-6 weeks

The Munshuttle is a orbitally assembled spacecraft, capable of making a Mun-Earth round trip whilst carrying 25 tons of cargo. It is powered by it's NPM (Nuclear Propulsion Module), which contains 1 NERVA engine. The NPM weighs approximately 25,600 kilograms, and has 333.6kn of thrust once in orbit. The vessel is designed so that it's modules can be mostly launched by the smaller R-7 and Proton-M launch vehicles, with only the NPM requiring launch aboard a Saturn V.

Crew carried: 5 flight crew, 24 passengers.

Assembly status: ready for flight in 8 months

Edited July 27, 2013 by Fox62

[Fox62]

Crew delivery to Olympus Station

Crew were delivered to the (at-time of mission launch) unmanned station aboard a Kliper PLRV (Precision Landing Return Vehicle), which carries 6 crew. The shuttlecraft was launched aboard a slightly modified R-7 Soyuz Launcher.

[JakeGrey]

Phase 1: Assrmble a large NERVA-engined transport vessel in near-Earth orbit. Put the transport into a long elliptical orbit that stops just short of the Moon's sphere of influence. Let it carry out a few orbits with dummy loads to fine-tune its performance.

Phase 2: Dock several small tug-craft and a disassembled space station to the transporter as it swings by Earth, then have them undock near apoapsis and assemble the station in lunar orbit.

Phase 3: Shuttle supplies, prefabricated habitat modules, ice-mining equipment and eventually colonists out via the transporter.

Phase 4: Perfect and refine the techniques needed for a self-supporting colony off-world for a year or so, then start making preparations for landing on Mars.

[Fox62]

Phase 3: Moon Landings, Regular Munshuttle Service start

Constellation Mun Landing Missions start, and within 24 months have made 8 Moon Landings, surveying the ideal landing sites for Unity Base.

Munshuttle Aerobraking Module is attached to the spacecraft, and the first 24 passengers with their landers/mission packages are loaded aboard the spacecraft through multiple Proton-M and Kliper Launches. Spacecraft Departs Olympus Station for the Moon.

[Fox62]

Munshuttle arrival, Unity Base development

Munshuttle arrives at the Moon and rendezvous with Artemis Station, with 2 of the passengers remaining on the station while the rest proceed down to the surface.

Munshuttle then leaves the Moon and returns to Olympus Station, rendezvousing after aerobraking using it's forward heatshield and re-circularizing, then refueling and rotating it's crew along with receiving new passengers.

Unity Base begins design and testing phase.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Fox62

[metaphor]

Are you talking about the Mun or the Moon? There's vastly different delta-v requirements between the two.

Also, you could have two heavy-lift vehicles launch at the same time since NASA has more than one launch pad. That could be a key part of some architectures. Like this.

Edited July 27, 2013 by metaphor

[Fox62]

Phase 4: Unity Base Construction, Launch, Landing, And Assembly

All Base Modules for Unity are 3.75 meters in diameter, and the most spacious stationary module holds 14 crew when fully unpacked.

The preliminary base incorporates 6 modules:

The PHM (Primary Habitation Module):

Crew Capacity(when unpacked, this goes for all modules): 14

Docking Port: 1 medium size

The RCM (Rover remote Control Module):

Crew Capacity:4

Docking Port:1 large size

The PGM (Primary Greenhouse Module):

Crew Capacity:2

Docking Port: 1 large size

The PCM (Primary Communication Module):

Crew Capacity: 3

Docking Port: 1 medium size

The MCA (Main Communications Antenna):

Crew Capacity: Unmanned

Docking Port: 1 large size

The EEM (Emergency Escape Module):

Crew Capacity:23

Docking Port: 2 large size

Propulsion: Sufficient DeltaV to acheive LLO fully loaded with crew.

Supplies for 4 weeks in orbit, 1 week on the ground. Only Module greater in size than 3.75m.

Modules are launched 50 days apart, and docked to the Moonshuttle. They are then checked, and prepared for transit.

Unity Base is a scientific research and testing base, designed to test the feasibility of building a self-sustaining base on other worlds.

Once all the modules are prepared for transportation by unmanned drone spacecraft, the crew are launched up aboard Kliper PLRV spacecraft, and the spacecraft, with a fifth Kliper having carried up the rest of the flight crew and the flight plans, transfers out to the Moon. upon arrival, the Base Modules are landed and connected by cables that were carried in the (currently empty) EEM. After assembly, the science on the Moon begins.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Fox62

[NGTOne]

Are you talking about the Mun or the Moon? There's vastly different delta-v requirements between the two.

Also, you could have two heavy-lift vehicles launch at the same time since NASA has more than one launch pad. That could be a key part of some architectures. Like this.

Moon, like Earth's moon. Not Mun.

[DerekL1963]

Also a question, are NERVA engines acceptable? There were real tests of these engines in the late 60s, so far as I know.

There were real tests of a proof-of-concept model. No prototype or flight engines were ever tested.

[Fox62]

There were real tests of a proof-of-concept model. No prototype or flight engines were ever tested.

So? Sure as heck isn't to much of a stretch to say that those proofs-of-concept have been refined for flight!

[NGTOne]

There were real tests of a proof-of-concept model. No prototype or flight engines were ever tested.

So? Sure as heck isn't to much of a stretch to say that those proofs-of-concept have been refined for flight!

Actually, Fox is closer - they were planning to fly them right before the funding got cut, if memory serves.

[metaphor]

Moon, like Earth's moon. Not Mun.

In that case, I think the most valuable purpose of a Moon base would be as a source of propellant using ISRU(in-situ resource utilization), using the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L2 as the refueling site for interplanetary journeys. With 100 people, they could definitely do other things as well, like having an astronomical observatory or performing low-gravity research.

The base would be located somewhere near the Moon's south pole, where there are ice-water deposits that can be separated into hydrogen and oxygen (for fuel, oxygen and water for the crew).

It takes about 4 km/s of delta-v to go from LEO(Low Earth Orbit) to LLO(Low Lunar Orbit). It takes about 1.8 km/s delta-v from LLO to the lunar surface, 0.7 km/s from LLO to L2, and 3.5 km/s from LEO to L2.

Based on those delta-v's, a 450 Isp hydrolox(hydrogen+oxygen) engine can take about 40% of mass from LEO to LLO, 45% of mass from LEO to L2, 85% of mass from LLO to L2, and 65% from LLO to the lunar surface. Something like this:

The SLS which NASA is currently building, with a few small upgrades, could take 120 tons to LEO which could probably be ready by 2015 with enough money. They could also add more substantial upgrades to raise the mass to LEO to 180 tons by 2017. So the SLS1 could take 48 tons to LLO and 54 tons to L2, and the SLS2 could take 72 tons to LLO and 81 tons to L2. Or you could combine them and have one SLS1 rocket take a 120 ton payload to LEO and one SLS2 rocket take 180 tons of fuel to LEO, dock them together and get 120 tons to LLO.

I'm assuming all the hardware is developed in time for launches.

Mission components:

- Orion small crew capsule (10 tons with 15 ton service module) - can carry 3 people, has a heatshield for Earth return, ready by 2015

- large crew capsule (25 tons with 25 ton service module) - can carry 10 people, has a heatshield for Earth return, ready by 2018

- small single-stage crewed lander (23 tons full) - can carry 3 people from LLO to the Moon's surface and back up, with 2 weeks of supplies, ready by 2016

- medium-size lander (48 tons full, 5 tons empty) - can carry a 25 ton payload from LLO to the Moon's surface, ready by 2016

- large reusable lander (120 tons full, 18 tons empty) - can carry a 60 ton payload from LLO to the Moon's surface or back up, can also carry 50 tons of payload from the Moon's surface to LLO and return to the Moon's surface on its own, ready by 2018

- space tug (57 tons full, 7 tons empty) - can carry 40 tons of payload from LLO to L2 and return to LLO by itself, ready by 2018

- propellant depot station (80 tons empty, 800 tons full) - can carry 720 tons of fuel in tanks

Mission timeline:

late 2015 - test flight of SLS1 rocket

2016 - start regular SLS1 launches every 100 days

2016 - launch 1 - test small single-stage lander on the Moon unmanned (Apollo style, Orion command+service module stays in LLO, lander goes to Moon's surface and back up, command module burns for Earth with empty lander staying in LLO)

2016 - launch 2 - test medium-size Moon lander with a few rovers that can scout the base building site

2016 - launch 3 - first crewed flight with 3 people, land on the Moon at the base site, take samples, plant beacons

2017 - launch 1 - test ISRU unit lands at base site on a medium lander

2017 - launch 2 - small 3-person surface habitat lands at base site on a medium lander

2017 - launch 3 - second crewed flight with 3 people, lands at base site, sets up habitat, deploys ISRU unit, 1 month stay, returns to Earth

2017 - launch 4 - resupply equipment lands at base site on a medium lander, supplies for 10 people for 2 years

2017 - launch 5 - test flight of SLS2 rocket

2018 - launch 1 - third crewed flight with 3 people, lands at base site, returns to Earth after 6 months

2018 - launch 2 - rovers and other equipment land at base site on a medium lander, crew already there deploys them

2018 - start regular SLS2 launches every 100 days

2018 - launch 3 - propellant depot station launched to L2

2018 - launch 4 - test flight of large crew capsule

2018 - launch 5 - 5 empty space tugs launched to LLO

2018 - launch 6 - fourth crewed flight with 3 people, lands at base site, returns to Earth after 6 months

2019 - launch 1&2 - large ISRU unit lands at base site on large lander, crew already there deploys it, lander starts fuel resupply flights to LLO every 2 months

2019 - launch 3&4 - large habitat module for 20 people lands at base site on large lander, crew already there checks it out, lander used for fuel resupply

2019 - launch 5&6 - first crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2020 - launch 1&2 - second crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2020 - launch 3&4 - second large habitat module for 20 people lands at base site on large lander, lander used for fuel resupply

2020 - launch 5&6 - third crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2020 - launch 7&8 - third large habitat module for 20 people lands at base site on large lander, lander used for fuel resupply

2021 - launch 1&2 - fourth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2021 - launch 3&4 - observatory and other equipment lands at base site on large lander, lander used for fuel resupply

2021 - launch 5&6 - fifth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2021 - launch 7&8 - fourth large habitat module for 20 people lands at base site on large lander

2022 - launch 1&2 - sixth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2022 - launch 3&4 - entertainment center and other equipment lands at base site on large lander

2022 - launch 5&6 - seventh crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2023 - launch 1&2 - fifth large habitat module for 20 people lands at base site on large lander

2023 - launch 3&4 - eighth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2023 - launch 5&6 - ninth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

2023 - launch 7&8 - tenth crewed flight with 10 people, lands at base site on large lander, capsule stays in LLO

By the end of 2023, there are 100 people living at the Moon base. Every 10 people come down in an empty ascent module on the large lander. The ascent module is refilled with fuel at the Moon and left as an escape pod. So in case of an emergency, everyone can board an escape pod, launch to LLO and rendezvous with the capsule, and go back to Earth.

Resupply flights can be done by a smaller vehicle like a Falcon Heavy together with an ion propulsion cargo transfer vehicle that could take about 30 tons to low lunar orbit, from which point one of the spare large landers can take it to the surface. It would probably be better to land more support equipment before landing 100 people, but there is not much space for that within the timeline with a launch occuring only every 50 days. If there's a near-unlimited budget, some of it should go into making new launch and production facilities.

[DerekL1963]

Actually, Fox is closer - they were planning to fly them right before the funding got cut, if memory serves.

Well, yes, and no. They were planning (as in "dreaming about the day") to fly a NERVA engine once a flight ready version had been developed. Some (at least theoretically) flight ready hardware was built, but never tested.

You generally have to be really careful about NASA 'plans'. A few of them were plans in the usual sense of the word of a concrete intention to do something (I.E. "I'm planning on catching the 18.45 ferry after work today."). Many more (most) were paper exercises or engineering studies somewhere on the spectrum from concrete towards pie-in-the-sky (I.E. "I'd love to go to London - someday. Here's what I'd like to see if I ever get than chance."). Decades of really bad writing on the space program, and a poor understanding of the space program by most space fans have blurred the distinction and compressed the spectrum.

[Fox62]

Unity Base Landing

Once the modules arrive on the Moon, they are prepared for descent, and undocked. A small number of personnel pilot the modules down using the onboard command pod on most of the modules, with those that lack a means of manned control being remote controlled form the Moonshuttle. Afterwards, the personnel already on the Moon would set up the modules for habitation, and set up landing beacons to assist in nighttime landing operations.

Crew the are shuttled down in Altair Lunar Excursion Modules, similar to those used for Constellation. These spacecraft have been modified to be capable of SSTO on the Moon after landing, due to the use of the Oberth effect and various other orbital mechanics to increase landing efficiency to the maximum possible, however, enabling them to be re-used. Once this is done, the Moonshuttle refuels in LLO and then returns to Earth, refueling at Olympus Station.

[NGTOne]

Well, yes, and no. They were planning (as in "dreaming about the day") to fly a NERVA engine once a flight ready version had been developed. Some (at least theoretically) flight ready hardware was built, but never tested.

You generally have to be really careful about NASA 'plans'. A few of them were plans in the usual sense of the word of a concrete intention to do something (I.E. "I'm planning on catching the 18.45 ferry after work today."). Many more (most) were paper exercises or engineering studies somewhere on the spectrum from concrete towards pie-in-the-sky (I.E. "I'd love to go to London - someday. Here's what I'd like to see if I ever get than chance."). Decades of really bad writing on the space program, and a poor understanding of the space program by most space fans have blurred the distinction and compressed the spectrum.

Well, from what I understood, they actually had a couple of flight-ready NERVAs - problem is, they had them ready at the end of the Space Race. NASA was planning an expensive and ambitious Mars mission, and the powers that be didn't want to commit to decades more of the expensive money-sink that was the Space Race. Since the Mars mission relied on NERVAs, they axed the NERVAs (so as to kill the Mars mission before it got off the ground).

[Kryten]

There were real tests of a proof-of-concept model. No prototype or flight engines were ever tested.

There are some sources that claim the soviet equivalent of NERVA was suborbitally flight-tested, though details are sorely lacking. It certainly got closer to a practical flight model than NERVA.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Kryten

[Titan Space Agency]

Are nuclear pulse engins ok?

[Fox62]

Phase 5: Mun Base Expansion

Additional Modules are added to Unity Base, including additional power modules, additional SSMs (Supplies Storage Module), and other modules, bringing the crew up to 48.

A Second Moonshuttle is constructed in LEO. After the requisite 8 month construction time, it begins leaving LEO at the same time as the first returns to allow near constant resupply of both Artemis Station and Unity Base.

A Fuel delivery is sent up to Olympus Station to resupply fuel.

Unity Base Crew are rotated to ensure crew sanity.

[NGTOne]

Are nuclear pulse engins ok?

If you're talking about Orion-style engines, no - they never got off the drawing board (for good reason).

[DerekL1963]

Well, from what I understood, they actually had a couple of flight-ready NERVAs

You understood incorrectly.

NASA was planning an expensive and ambitious Mars mission, and the powers that be didn't want to commit to decades more of the expensive money-sink that was the Space Race. Since the Mars mission relied on NERVAs, they axed the NERVAs (so as to kill the Mars mission before it got off the ground).

Umm... not quite. NASA presented a Mars mission, along with a Saturn V derived space station* and a shuttle to service it, as part of their post-Apollo plans, and Congress axed everything but the shuttle**. The Mars program never got any further than paper studies representing a vague hope that NASA would, very soon now, receive early Apollo level funding again.

* NASA really, really badly wanted the Saturn V production line restarted for several years after production was capped in 1967.

** Which shuttle then had to grow from a modest crew transfer vehicle into a all-in-one space truck (the Shuttle we know today) in order to justify it's existence.

Kryten, there are sources that say dang near everything and anything about the Soviet space program. It's not at all clear who is and who isn't reliable, and (AFAIK) their archives (or at least huge slabs of them) remain classified.