ME September 2014

Aerospace Manufacturing

Automated Assembly on the Moon

Moon or Orbit A number of years ago I was asked to participate in a study at NASA’s Jet Propul- sion Laboratories (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, to determine the best approach to build an inhabited vehicle for Mars exploration. At the time, President George W. Bush had approved a plan to return to the moon and proceed onto Mars as an extension of Project Constellation. Te initial decision was made to either assemble the vehicle in Earth orbit or on the Moon. Tese two choices were established as an outcome of the huge amount of energy it would take to liſt a heavy vehicle and its human cargo through Earth depar- ture and onto Mars. Te vehicle mass would be primarily composed of fuel and provisions for the long six-month jour- ney to the red planet, dwell-time on the surface, liſtoff, and safe return to Earth. NASA’s Project

Constellation at the time was composed of two liſt vehicles, one for humans and one for cargo. Te idea was to launch the in- habited vehicle’s seg- ments into space or to the moon using the uninhabited heavy-liſt cargo-carrier named ARES V. Once in orbit or in position on the Moon, humans would be sent via the human liſt vehicle called ARES I to assemble the Mars inhabited exploration vehicle. Many of the study team had never been to space so the first order of business

Building a Mars Inhabited Exploration Vehicle on the lunar surface is feasible with current technology.

Boeing Composite Cryogenic Tank built and tested for NASA.

was to interview astronauts to build a detailed understanding of what the chal- lenges were to operate, survive, and work in a zero-gravity environment. Astronaut experience would be the critical building block to construct a decision matrix for a comparative analysis between the Moon or Earth-orbit vehicle assembly choices. Te decision to build an automated assembly plant on the Moon (rather than

assemble a vehicle in earth orbit) for construction and launch of a Mars inhabited exploration vehicle included two primary considerations. Tey were gravity and readily available resources such as water on the Moon.

George N. Bullen President and CEO Smart Blades Inc. Oxnard, CA

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2014 111

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