Dale E. Lueck

Selection, Development and Results for The RESOLVE Regolith Volatiles Characterization Analytical System

The RESOLVE project requires an analytical system to identify and quantitate the volatiles released from a lunar drill core sample as it is crushed and heated to 150 °C. The expected gases and their range of concentrations were used to assess Gas Chromatography (GC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS), along with specific analyzers for use on this potential lunar lander. The ability of these systems to accurately quantitate water and hydrogen in an unknown matrix led to the selection of a small MEMS commercial process GC for use in this project. The modification, development and testing of this instrument for the specific needs of the project is covered.

A Survey of Alternative Oxygen Production Technologies

Utilization of the Martian atmosphere for the production of fuel and oxygen has been extensively studied. The baseline fuel production process is a Sabatier reactor, which produces methane and water from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The oxygen produced from the electrolysis of the water is only half of that needed for methane-based rocket propellant, and additional oxygen is needed for breathing air, fuel cells and other energy sources. Zirconia electrolysis cells for the direct reduction of CO2 are being developed as an alternative means of producing oxygen, but present many challenges for a large-scale oxygen production system. The very high operating temperatures and fragile nature of the cells coupled with fairly high operating voltages leave room for improvement. This paper will survey alternative oxygen production technologies, present data on operating characteristics, materials of construction, and some preliminary laboratory results on attempts to implement each.

Buffer Gas Acquisition and Storage

The acquisition and storage of buffer gases (primarily argon and nitrogen) from the Mars atmosphere provides a valuable resource for blanketing and pressurizing fuel tanks and as a buffer gas for breathing air for manned missions. During the acquisition of carbon dioxide (CO2), whether by sorption bed or cryo-freezer, the accompanying buffer gases build up in the carbon dioxide acquisition system, reduce the flow of CO2 to the bed, and lower system efficiency. It is this build up of buffer gases that provide a convenient source, which must be removed, for efficient capture of CO2. Removal of this buffer gas barrier greatly improves the charging rate of the CO2 acquisition bed and, thereby, maintains the fuel production rates required for a successful mission. Consequently, the acquisition, purification, and storage of these buffer gases are important goals of ISRU plans. Purity of the buffer gases is a concern e.g., if the CO2 freezer operates at 140 K, the composition of the inert gas would be approximat...

Development of an Integrated RVC‐LWRD System for RESOLVE

Resource investigation in the lunar poles is important to the potential impact of in‐situ resource utilization (ISRU). The Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project aims to develop a payload that will investigate the permanently shadowed areas of the lunar poles and demonstrate ISRU technology. As a part of the RESOLVE project, the regolith volatile characterization (RVC) subsystem will examine the release of volatiles from sample cores. The volatile sample will be introduced into the lunar water resource demonstration (LWRD) subsystem where the released hydrogen and water will be selectively captured. The water will be condensed to form a droplet and electrolyzed to produce hydrogen and oxygen. This process will demonstrate small scale ISRU techniques. This paper will present the challenges, characteristics, and development of the RVC and LWRD. The experiments performed to evaluate adsorption methods will be discussed. Based on these experiments, it has b...

Closed End Launch Tube (CELT)

A small‐scale test apparatus has been built and tested for the CELT pneumatic launch assist concept presented at STAIF 2001. The 7.5 cm (3‐inch) diameter × 305 M (1000 feet) long system accelerates and pneumatically brakes a 6.35 cm diameter projectile with variable weight (1.5 – 5 Kg). The acceleration and braking tube has been instrumented with optical sensors and pressure transducers at 14 stations to take data throughout the runs. Velocity and pressure profiles for runs with various accelerator pressures and projectile weights are given. This test apparatus can serve as an important experimental tool for verifying this concept.