Modern LK lander

[xenomorph555]

What do you think of the prospects of creating a modern LK lander:

One man

32 hours on surface

5 tonnes

EVA enter/exit

How much could the program cost? How long to complete?

[Kibble]

Why not just revive actual LK hardware? That would be orders of magnitude cheaper and quicker than researching, developing, designing, testing, and qualifying all-new hardware. Since LK is accessed thru EVA you wouldn't even have to change up LK that much to add a compatible docking port and tunnel, you could just add on the (simple!) Kontakt probe to whatever mother spacecraft you use.

Something to keep in mind is that it would take a similar amount of time to develope a very capable lander from scratch, as it would a less capable lander from scratch.

[Nibb31]

Why not just revive actual LK hardware? That would be orders of magnitude cheaper and quicker than researching, developing, designing, testing, and qualifying all-new hardware.

It wouldn't. You would need to redesign, retest, and requalify that old hardware with modern materials, manufacturing techniques and safety/environmental standards. It would be easier to start from scratch.

What we really need is a reusable lunar lander that would remain in LLO or at EML-1 or 2 waiting for a visiting craft. That's the best way to provide assured access to a base on the surface.

For example, a visiting Orion CSM+EDS would dock with the lander, undock from the EDS, turn around and redock the lander to the EDS, undock from the Orion. The lander would use the EDS as a descent/crasher stage (like the old LK) and to refuel the ascent stage.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Nibb31

[Bill Phil]

Or, better yet, we hang out at L4 with a space resources depot. Then we use landers that go from this depot to the Moon and drop off modular cargo containers that are then unpacked by a ground crew. The ground crew could be from the lander or the base the lander landed at. Of course we first need an assured foothold in LEO that's also a depot. The LEO depot then has a space tug taking cargo from there to the L4 depot. The cargo is then taken to the lunar surface where it gets unloaded, etc.

A one man lander is useless now. Except for single man survey missions. But why not use the buddy-system? It's much safer and increases assurances for the mission's success.

[Nibb31]

L4 ? You mean EML-1 or EML-2. The Trojan points EML-4 and 5 aren't very useful.

[78stonewobble]

It wouldn't. You would need to redesign, retest, and requalify that old hardware with modern materials, manufacturing techniques and safety/environmental standards. It would be easier to start from scratch.

Alternatively skip that and go with a comprehensive legal waiver?

[Nibb31]

Alternatively skip that and go with a comprehensive legal waiver?

You need more than a legal waiver to rebuild the hardware. None of the existing LKs are flightworthy.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Nibb31

[xenomorph555]

A one man lander is useless now. Except for single man survey missions. But why not use the buddy-system? It's much safer and increases assurances for the mission's success.

The one man lander would not be for country's like America.

It would be for lesser country's that need to do small survey/scout missions, rocket not big enough for 2 man lander (100T to LEO), propaganda mission, etc.

[Motokid600]

I thought there was a two man version of the LK...

[xenomorph555]

I thought there was a two man version of the LK...

NO, there was absolutely no way this could ever happen, they studied the possibility: too small and it would throw weight and center of gravity off, need for more fuel, better engines, etc.