Human Lunar Return study

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NASA began its "Human Lunar Return study" in September 1995 to identify ways it could conduct future human spaceflight missions to the Moon. The final Human Lunar Return (HLR) briefing took place on August 7, 1996. The study was seen as laying "the foundation for human space activity over the next three decades." [1]

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

Human spaceflight Space travel by humans

Human spaceflight is space travel with a crew or passengers aboard the spacecraft. Spacecraft carrying people may be operated directly, by human crew, or it may be either remotely operated from ground stations on Earth or be autonomous, able to carry out a specific mission with no human involvement.

Moon Earths natural satellite

The Moon, also known as Luna, is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth and is Earth's only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest natural satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is after Jupiter's satellite Io the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

Contents

Mission

The study called for a mission lasting 16 days, 10 of which would be spent on the lunar surface. [1] The study baselined a lightweight architecture including an open-cockpit lunar lander weighing 4,565 kilograms (10,064 lb) including fuel. [2] The lunar habitat was designed to have an inflatable hull and was scheduled to be delivered in advance of the crew. [3] To protect against cosmic rays and a possible solar particle event, the hull of the lunar habitat to be at minimum 5 grams per square centimetre (1.1 oz/in2) thick and filled with either water or polyethylene. [1] Components and crew for the mission would have been transported to the International Space Station (ISS) by two Space Shuttle flights. The HLR schedule called for the first mission to depart from the ISS in August 2001. [2] One of the primary goals of the mission was to bring 300 kilograms (660 lb) of payload from the lunar surface back to Earth to be studied. [3]

Lander (spacecraft) spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body

A lander is a spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. By contrast with an impact probe, which makes a hard landing and is damaged or destroyed so ceases to function after reaching the surface, a lander makes a soft landing after which the probe remains functional.

Cosmic ray High-energy particle, mainly originating outside the Solar system

Cosmic rays are high-energy radiation, mainly originating outside the Solar System and even from distant galaxies. Upon impact with the Earth's atmosphere, cosmic rays can produce showers of secondary particles that sometimes reach the surface. Composed primarily of high-energy protons and atomic nuclei, they are originated either from the sun or from outside of our solar system. Data from the Fermi Space Telescope (2013) have been interpreted as evidence that a significant fraction of primary cosmic rays originate from the supernova explosions of stars. Active galactic nuclei also appear to produce cosmic rays, based on observations of neutrinos and gamma rays from blazar TXS 0506+056 in 2018.

Solar particle event

A solar proton event (SPE), or "proton storm", occurs when particles emitted by the Sun become accelerated either close to the Sun during a flare or in interplanetary space by CME shocks. The events can include other nuclei such as helium ions and HZE ions. These particles cause multiple effects. They can penetrate the Earth's magnetic field and cause ionization in the ionosphere. The effect is similar to auroral events, except that protons rather than electrons are involved. Energetic protons are a significant radiation hazard to spacecraft and astronauts.

Cost

The projected cost of the mission over the five year development timeline ranged between $2.5 [3] and $4 billion. [2] The mission required two shuttle and three Proton launches to land two astronauts and a small habitat structure at Aristarchus crater. [3]

Astronaut Person who commands, pilots, or serves as a crew member of a spacecraft

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the terms are sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists.

Aristarchus (crater) Crater

Aristarchus, named after the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the northwest part of the Moon's near side. It is considered the brightest of the large formations on the lunar surface, with an albedo nearly double that of most lunar features. The feature is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, and displays unusually bright features when viewed through a large telescope. It is also readily identified when most of the lunar surface is illuminated by earthshine. The crater is deeper than the Grand Canyon.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Wilson; et al. "Radiation Analysis for the Human Lunar Return Mission" (PDF). NASA.
  2. 1 2 3 Marcus Lindroos. "Lunar Base Studies in the 1990s". National Space Society.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Human Lunar Return". Encyclopedia Astronautica.


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