Barbara Imhof

Survey of past, present and planned human space mission simulators

In light of the renewed international interest in lunar exploration, including plans for setting up a permanent human outpost on the Moon, the need for next generation earth-based human space mission simulators has become inevitable and urgent. These simulators have been shown to be of great value for medical, physiological, psychological, biological and exobiological research, and for subsystem test and development, particularly closed-loop life support systems. The paper presents a summary of a survey of past, present and future human space mission simulators. In 2006, the Vienna based company Liquifer Systems Group (LSG) conducted an in-depth survey, for a European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned Phase-A contract involving a Design Study for a Facility for Integrated Planetary Exploration Simulation (FIPES). The survey data served as reference material for development of the FIPES architecture and, more importantly the application of the data ensured that the Systems Requirements reviewed and amended as part of the FIPES Study fully reflected the design, experience, and lessons learned from the use of such facilities. The paper addresses a hitherto unfulfilled need: a comprehensive, comparative survey of most, if not all, simulators to date. It is a condensed and updated version of the detailed ESA Technical Report produced for the FIPES Study. It presents a comparative analysis of simulator characteristics and consolidated summaries for each simulator classified into (1) site and purpose, (2) key technical data, (3) scientific and medical research functions, and (4) technology test and development functions. It is beyond the scope of this paper to provide details for all twenty-seven simulators surveyed. Therefore, the paper presents selected summaries of three sets of relatively recent simulation campaigns, one European, one American and the other Russian-International. The paper concludes with excerpts of lessons learned from these campaigns.

Biornametics — Architecture Inspired by Natural Patterns

A formal discussion about the ornament might have started with Owen Jones work “The Grammar of Ornament” at the end of the 19th century and Jones becoming a well-known English architect and stylist ‘pro ornament’: “From universal testimony of travellers it would appear, that there is scarcely a people, in however early a stage of civilization, with whom the desire for ornament is not a strong instinct.”1

Robotic and Human Exploration on the Moon: Preparing a New Lunar Analogue

Natural lunar analogues are terrestrial analogue environments like deserts, craters or other surfaces on Earth which are representative for terrain, soil, etc. of the Moon.

Moonwalk - Human Robot Collaboration Mission Scenarios and Simulations

This paper describes simulation mission scenarios which focus on human-robot collaboration. Further, it explains the technologies developed for project Moonwalk and describes possible evaluation methods to be able to evaluate the outcome of two trials in different environments, one reflecting a Lunar and the other, a Martian environment. Moonwalk develops new, practical methods for the interaction between astronauts and robots. In earth-analogue simulations of missions to Moon and Mars, one of the challenges is the simulation of operational constraints such as the reduced gravity or the communication delay between the astronauts and mission control on Earth. In project Moonwalk, two analogue simulations are planned for the conditions that astronauts will encounter during future extravehicular activities (EVA) on planetary surfaces: firstly, simulations subsea and offshore the coast of the French city of Marseilles will be conducted, where an EVA on the lunar surface under reduced gravity will be performed. A second simulation will be conducted in the Spanish region of Rio Tinto (an established Martian analogue site), where operations are focusing on exobiological sampling and sampling procedures under extreme environmental conditions. For these simulation missions specific scenarios for human-robot collaboration have been developed to be performed, compared and evaluated.

Trans-Gravity: The Third Genre in Space Architecture

This paper presents and details the premise for a theoretical research project in space architecture funded by the Austrian Chancellery of Art titled: TRANSCRIPTS OF AN ARCHITECTURAL JOURNEY: MUSINGS TOWARDS A NEW GENRE IN SPACE ARCHITECTURE. The premise is that space architecture, like any other field of architecture, is evolving continuously and needs to be recognized as such. To better understand this evolution, the project classifies it in to three genres: the 1st genre [Voyage dâ€TMEsprit] comprises of concepts introduced through science fiction books and films, the 2nd genre [Man-in-a-Can] encompasses the spaceships designed and built by space agencies, and the 3rd genre [Trans-Gravity] is being shaped by professional architects and designers external to the traditional domain of space agencies.

New Concepts for Permanently Manned Lunar Bases, Report of the Lunar Base Design Workshop, held in Noordwijk, The Netherlands from 10–21 June 2002

This paper presents some of the results of the Lunar Base Design Workshop, held in Noordwijk, The Netherlands from 10–21 June 2002. Six groups designed six different lunar bases according to six different scenario’s. The main findings have to do with the horizontal and vertical movement in 1/6G in shirt sleeve environment. Different concepts for interaction and “contact” with the green inside the base. Another topic was the use of water ice which can be used in several forms. Organic growth using small elements to create a larger space in the desired shapes was important for several reasons. Man and its activities were the central spine in this design workshop. The results are useful together with the already existing more engineering oriented design studies for the next steps in lunar base development.