Plan a Lunar Mission

[Rocketscience101]

My moon mission is simple. Or it is simple for me.

1. First launch unmanned, a saturn V, similar to that, which launched skylab, sends a small orbiting habitat into LEO.

2. A small base, is launched in a shuttle mission, and is docked, the crew spend a week aboard the space station, then returns home.

3. Another Saturn V launches the Trans Lunar Injection stage, and docks it with the station.

4. A small crew of 6 people, from the U.S. Russia, Germany, Japan, Canada, and France, are launched on two Soyuz Rockets. the Japanese built the base, the Germans, the Rockets (Saturn V) Canada, the Robotic arm on the station, France the Suits, U.S. the station, and the crew shipment from Russia, will be the reason for these crews.

5. The entire station is moved into LLO (Low Lunar Orbit)

6. The Crew Moves into the landing craft/Base, to land at the selected landing point.

7. The crew lands the Lander/Base on the Moon.

8. Aboard a saturn V, Apollo 8 style, another three men are moved to the station orbiting the moon, bringing fuel, food, water, and oxygen. And a water recycling device, like that on the ISS.

9. A Lunar orbit Return Vehicle, is sent up to the station, and works as a secondary lander, it carries 3 of the six on the surface, and swaps them out for the new 3.

10. The new three, with the supplies, land and bring the supplies to the base.

11. A unmanned, rover is launched to the base, via a Saturn V, while the first return crew is brought home.

12. While the first return crew re-enters Earths Atmosphere, the rover lands, and drives over to the base. It lands on a modified Lunar Lander, that lands and brings the Rover to the base.

13. Another 3 crew is launched up to the base Apollo 8 style.

14. After they arrive with fresh supplies, three of the original crew return to the station, 1 man remains from both crews on the station, to monitor it.

15. 2 from the original return home, after 3 months on the lunar surface. 2 remain on station to keep it running, and 2 land on the surface with fresh supplies.

16. Repeat step 13-15.

Edit- Estimated Cost: to much math, it's a ton of money, but I think it would be worth it to bring countries together. (FWI those are just countries I think will contribute the most, if they provide a key part of the mission, then they get a seat on the original flight.)

A moon base has been created.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Rocketscience101

[Fox62]

Final Mun Base Expansion, Unity Descendant in development:

12 more modules land at Unity Base. These are the final modules before Unity is technically re-purposed as the first set of modules for it's successor, Tranquility Base. Crew capacity is now 72 crew, self-sustaining except for occasional deliveries of food and water to top up reserves, along with bringing things that can't be made on the Moon.

First Moonshuttle receives a refit to increase it's available DeltaV. Second will receive this refit upon return from the Moon.

[Petarski]

I believe this is about the Earth and the Moon, not Kerbin and the Mun. Anyway,

Launch 1- Saturn V rocket, cargo variant carrying a supply lander containing oxygen, food, and contingency equipment for 5 astronauts for 1 year (dehydrated food, liquid oxygen, emergency supplies, etc)

[dharak1]

Oooh these are fun!

Day 1: Ares V carries the first lunar transfer stage to LEO. The rocket is unmanned.

Day 15: An unamnned hab module is sent to lunar orbit atop a Saturn V with the capability to land with a crew of up to 20.

Day 24: The supply module docks with transfer vehicle.

Day 30: the reusable hab module is sent to orbit on an Ares V and docks with the lunar transfer vehicle.

Day 50-64: the two shuttles depart to LEO carrying 7 crew each and docks with the lunar transfer vehicle.

Day 66: The lunar transfer vehicle departs and docks with the permanent hab module 10 days later.

Day 80: The permanent hab module lands with the crew the transfer stage remotely heads back to earth then undocks with the hab module and deorbits itself.

Day 81: A Saturn V sends a tire shaped water tank to LEO designed to dock on top of the hab module

Day 82: An Ares V boosts another lunar transfer stage to LEO the stage docks with the filled water tank then departs to lunar orbit.

Day 89: the tank arrives in lunar orbit. An unexpected solar flare is heading to earth and plans are pushed forward for watertank docking from day 95 to day 90. This is preformed at 1:13 AM due to urgency. Sleep deprivation nearly causes an accident when docking. The crew retreat to the center of the tank mere minutes before the flare hits.

Day 90: a conference is held at NASA to determine if the order of missions is viable. The near miss of the early morning causes changes in the next mission. The water tank will now be sent first and wait on the surface for the permanent hab module.

Simply rinse and repeat. 14 crew on the surface a year.

[Skyrunner27]

Phase-1

Construction of a second VAB and the other two launch pads begins. Shuttle Application Program begins to take the space shuttle to the moon. 4 Lunar Recon Satellites launched by Atlas V put around the Moon to search for landing area. Skylab B put in orbit.

Phase-2

Apollo and Soyuz crafts used to man Skylab B. Progress,Dragon,ATV,HTV, and Cygnus supply Skylab B. Discovery, Endevour, and Atlantis Space Shuttles retrofitted with Rear Docking Port and more room for fuel. Galaxy and Spirit shuttles built. Vandenberg Air Force receives construction to include orbiter hanger. Skylab B capacity increased to 7 Crew members. Astronaut training begins using Reduced gravity aircrafts and later Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2.

[Kryten]

How exactly are you supposed to start building Apollo spacecraft, Saturn V, and shuttle hardware when all of the tooling has been repurposed or destroyed?

[sal_vager]

Tooling can be rebuilt, the plans for the Saturn V still exist (microfiche), if there was some real pressing need then it could happen but it'd take something really serious that only the Saturn V could manage to do to galvanize the support for it.

The chances of the Saturn V ever flying again are realistically zero though, when man returns to the moon it'll be in a new craft.

[Skyrunner27]

Phase-3

Atlantis launched on unmanned for 2 day test flight. Discovery launched for 1 week unmanned test flight. Galaxy launched on first manned mission for 1 month test flight. NERVA service stages brought to LEO. Apollo Rescue craft used instead of Apollo craft in order to service station. Shuttle Spirit moved to Vandenberg Air Force Base. Mercury-Scout begins testing (Program to take Mercury to the Moon). Gemini Applications re-initiated. Russia begins to construct on Buran 2.

Phase-4

Shuttle Spirit tests NERVA service stage. Shuttle Galaxy Put in high orbit by NERVA. 30 more shuttle missions ran. Mercury-Scout launches mission to the Moon to observe landing sites. Apollo Rescue Craft decommissioned in favor of Shuttle 2.0. Russia flies Buran test flights.

[MattJL]

I call it Thoth (based off a four year study of my own):

Launch Vehicle: Falcon Heavy

Spacecraft (only 'new' developments):

+Command/Service Module (Block 1): Phoenix. Mass: 16t (including Fregat-type upper stage). Crew: 3. (Similar to Soyuz).

+Lunar module: Artemis (Block 1). Mass: 16t (including Fregat-type upper stage). Crew: 2. (Derived from Soyuz Orbital Module and Fregat).

Derived spacecraft (using developed technology):

+Phoenix/Artemis Derived Habitation Module (FADHM). Mass: 16t. Crew: 5. Derived from Phoenix's Orbital Module, Artemis's Decent Stage, and Phoenix's Service Module.

+Phoenix Derived Cargo Shuttle. Mass: 15t. Capacity: 10t. Derived from Artemis's Decent Stage.

An exploration style flight would require two Falcon Heavies, one launching the unmanned Artemis to LLO, and one launching the manned Phoenix to LLO. Phoenix would dock to Artemis and transfer crew in lunar orbit. Remainder of flight would be similar to Apollo.

Schedule:

Thoth 2: Lunar orbit sortee with Phoenix.

Thoth 3: Lunar orbit rendezvous with Phoenix and Artemis. No landing.

Thoth 4: Lunar landing. Exploration flight #1. Target: Sea of Crises.

Thoth 5: Lunar landing. Exploration flight #2. Target: South Pole–Aitken basin. Goal: Search for water ice.

Thoth 6: Lunar landing (reserve). Potential exploration flight #3. Target: South Pole–Aitken basin, southern limb. Goal: Search for water ice.

The first round of flights would cease in January of 2018, paving the way for the colonization flights.

Colonization flights would be a direct delivery of five crew and one habitation module (a la Hitchhiker). Each Cargo Shuttle would be able to sustain five FADHMs, providing two ton of food and dry consumables/FADHM. Water, electricity, and oxygen would be derived from local water ice. Ideal location would be the South Pole.

Schedule, post 2018:

Thoth 7: First FADHM.

Thoth 8: Second FADHM.

Thoth 9: Third FADHM.

Thoth 10: Fourth FADHM.

Thoth 11: Fifth FADHM.

Thoth 12: Cargo shuttle. Settlers: 25.

Thoth 13: Sixth FADHM.

Thoth 14: Seventh FADHM.

Thoth 15: Eighth FADHM.

Thoth 16: Ninth FADHM.

Thoth 17: Tenth FADHM.

Thoth 18, 18A: Two cargo shuttles. Settlers: 50.

Thoth 19: Eleventh FADHM.

Thoth 20: Twelfth FADHM.

Thoth 21: Thirteenth FADHM.

Thoth 22: Fourteenth FADHM.

Thoth 23: Fifteenth FADHM.

Thoth 24, 24A, 24B: Three cargo shuttles. Settlers: 75.

Thoth 25: Sixteenth FADHM.

Thoth 26: Seventeenth FADHM.

Thoth 27: Eighteenth FADHM.

Thoth 28: Nineteenth FADHM.

Thoth 29: Twentieth FADHM.

Thoth 30, 30A, 30B, 30C: Four cargo shuttles. Settlers: 100.

Each cargo shuttle would enable a "neighborhood" of FADHMs to survive for 300 days. Resupply flights, thus, should be launched every six months to ensure a safe overlap.

[metaphor]

An exploration style flight would require two Falcon Heavies, one launching the unmanned Artemis to LLO, and one launching the manned Phoenix to LLO. Phoenix would dock to Artemis and transfer crew in lunar orbit. Remainder of flight would be similar to Apollo.

According to SpaceX's website, the Falcon Heavy can take 13.2 tons to Mars. It takes about 3.54 km/s to go to Mars from LEO, and 4.04 km/s to go to LLO from LEO. So a Falcon Heavy could not carry 16 tons to LLO. Probably around 11-12 tons though. 16 tons might be the payload to TLI (trans-lunar insertion), but you also need a lunar orbit insertion burn after that to get to LLO. Lunar polar orbit (which is required to land at a polar site) requires an additional plane change burn of about 0.2 km/s so Falcon Heavy's payload to LPO is around 10-11 tons.

[MattJL]

According to SpaceX's website, the Falcon Heavy can take 13.2 tons to Mars. It takes about 3.54 km/s to go to Mars from LEO, and 4.04 km/s to go to LLO from LEO. So a Falcon Heavy could not carry 16 tons to LLO. Probably around 11-12 tons though. 16 tons might be the payload to TLI (trans-lunar insertion), but you also need a lunar orbit insertion burn after that to get to LLO. Lunar polar orbit (which is required to land at a polar site) requires an additional plane change burn of about 0.2 km/s so Falcon Heavy's payload to LPO is around 10-11 tons.

The Fregat-class upper stages do the work of LOI. Lunar orbit mass (post insertion) is on the order of 12 tonnes.

Referring to getting into polar orbit: Good catch. Didn't think of that at all. Perhaps there's some wiggle room left in the Fregat-type stages. I don't have my numbers right in front of me at the moment, so I dunno.

EDIT: *smacks head* Oh, duh. If I recall correctly, the mass to TLI is actually ~13t for Phoenix and ~14t for Artemis - at the upper limit of FH's performance. 16t is FH's payload to geostationary orbit.

Edited August 12, 2013 by MattJL