Rob Gowen and Alan Smith

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MoonLITE and LunarEX

• Rob Gowen and Alan Smith
• Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL
• PI Penetrator consortium

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Mullard Space Science Laboratory

• A department of University College London
• Established in 1967
• gt200 sounding rockets and gt35 satellite missions
• 150 Staff and research students
• Provided hardware or calibration facilities for
  16 instruments on 14 spacecraft currently
  operating including NASA Swift, Cassini, Soho
• In-house mechanical and electrical engineering
  design, manufacture and test
• Provided stereo cameras for Beagle-2
• Leading PanCam development for EXOMARS

Hinode Launch 22-9-06
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Consortium

• Birkbeck College London
• Lunar Science (Ian Crawford)
• Open University
• Large academic planetary group (Cassini Huygens
  Probe)
• Science and instrumentation(Ion trap
  spectrometer, etc)
• Imperial College London
• Micro-Seismometers
• Surrey Space Science Centre and SSTL
• Platform technologies, delivery system
  technologies
• Payload technologies (drill)

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Consortium

• Southampton University
• Optical fibres
• University of Leicester
• XRS (beagle2/Mars96)
• Aberystwyth
• Science (Chandrayaan-1)
• QinetiQ
• Impact technologies
• Platform delivery systems technologies
• Astrium (in discussion)
• Platform delivery systems technologies

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What are Penetrators ?

• Instrumented projectiles
• Survive high speed impact 300 m/s
• Penetrate surface few metres
• An alternative to soft landing
• Lower cost and low mass gt multi-site deployment

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Penetrator Heritage

• Lunar-A tested but not yet flown
• DS-2 tested but failed at Mars
• Mars-96 lower speed impact, tested but failed
  to leave Earth Orbit
• Innumerable ground trials of instrumented shells
• Validated impact modelling tools

When asked to describe the condition of a probe
that had impacted 2m of concrete at 300m/s a UK
expert described the device as a bit scratched!
Courtesy QinetiQ
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Penetrator Design Concept

• Payload
• IMPACT ACCELEROMETER
• SEISMOMETERS/TILTMETER
• WATER/VOLATILES (ISRU DETECTION)
• GEOCHEMISTRY
• HEAT FLOW
• DESCENT CAMERA

• Platform
• S/C SUPPORT
• AOCS
• STRUCTURE
• POWER/THERMAL
• COMMS
• CONTROL DATA
• HANDLING

DETACHABLE PROPULSION STAGE
POINT OF SEPARATION
PAYLOAD INSTRUMENTS
PENETRATOR
DESCENT MODULE

• ESTIMATED PENETRATOR SIZE
• LENGTH 50cm
• DIAMETER 15cm
• MASS 10-13Kg

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MoonLITE/LunarEX - Mission Description

• Delivery and Communications Spacecraft
  (Orbiter).Deliver penetrators to ejection orbit,
  provide pre-ejection health status, and relay
  communications.
• Orbiter Payload 4 Descent Probes (each
  containing 10-15 kg penetrator 20-25 kg
  de-orbit and attitude control).
• Landing sites Globally spaced Far side, Polar
  region(s), One near an Apollo landing site for
  calibration.
• Duration gt1 year for seismic network. Other
  science does not require so long (perhaps a few
  Lunar cycles for heat flow and volatiles much
  less).
• Penetrator Design Single Body for simplicity
  and risk avoidAnce. Battery powered with
  comprehensive power saving techniques.

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MoonLITE/LunarEX Mission Sequence

• Launch cruise phase
• Deployment
• Deploy descent probes from lunar orbit, using a
  de-orbit motor to achieve near vertical impact.
• Attitude control to achieve orientation of
  penetrator to be aligned with velocity vector.
• Penetration 3 metres
• Camera to be used during descent to characterize
  landing site
• Telemetry transmission during descent for health
  status
• Impact accelerometer (to determine penetration
  depth regolith mechanical properties)
• Landed Phase
• Telemeter final descent images and accelerometer
  data
• Perform and telemeter science for 1year.

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MoonLITE/LunarEX Mission Sequence

• Launch cruise phase
• Deployment descent
• Landed phase

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MoonLITE Science

• The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Bodies

Water and its profound implications for life
andexploration
NASA Lunar Prospector
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Science Polar Volatiles

• A suite of instruments will detect and
  characterise volatiles (including water) within
  shaded craters at both poles
• Astrobiologically important
• possibly remnant of the orginal seeding of
  planets by comets
• May provide evidence of important cosmic-ray
  mediated organic synsthesis
• Vital to the future manned exploration of
• the Moon

Prototype, ruggedized ion trap mass-spectrometer
Open University
NASA Lunar Prospector
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Science - Seismology

• A global network of seismometers will tell us
  
• Size and physical state of the Lunar Core
• Structure of the Lunar Mantle
• Thickness of the far side crust
• The origin of the enigmatic shallow moon-quakes
• The seismic environment at potential manned
  landing sites

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Science - Geochemistry

• X-ray spectroscopy at multiple, diverse sites
  will address
• Lunar Geophysical diversity
• Ground truth for remote sensing

Leicester University
XRS on Beagle-2
K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Rb, Sr, Zr
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Science Heat Flow

• Heat flow measurements will be made at diverse
  sites, telling us
• Information about thecomposition and thermal
  evolution of planetary interiors
• Whether the Th concentration in the PKT is a
  surface or mantle phenomina

NASA Lunar Prospector
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Payload

• Core
• Seismology
• Water and volatile detection
• Accelerometer
• Desirable
• Heat Flow
• Geochemistry/XRF
• Descent camera
• Mineralogy
• Radiation Monitor

Ion trap spectrometer (200g, 10-100amu) (Open
University)
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Key Technologies

• Batteries Availability (Lunar-A)
• Communications A trailing antenna would require
  development
• Structure material (Steel or Titanium, carbon
  composite under consideration)
• Sample acquisition
• Thermal control (RHUs probably needed for polar
  penetrators)
• AOCS (attitude control and de-orbit motor)
• Spacecraft attachment and ejection mechanism

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Penetrator Development Programme

• Phase 1 Modelling (until Jan 2008)
• Key trade studies (Power, Descent, Structure
  material, Data flow, Thermal)
• Interface System definition
• Penetrator structure modelling
• Procurement strategy
• Phase 2 Trials (until Jan 2010)
• Payload element robustness proofing
• Penetrator structure trials
• Payload selection and definition
• Baseline accommodation
• Phase 3 EM (until Jan 2012)
• Design and Qualification
• Phase 4 FM (until Jan 2013)
• Flight build and non-destructive testing

Generic
Mission Specific
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Current activities

• Generic penetrator development
• Funded (gt600k) under MSSL rolling grant
• Started in earnest in April 07
• Full-scale trials March 2008
• National Programme
• MoonLITE
• Research Council commissioned a mission study by
  SSTL (delivered in Late 2006)
• Proposed as national mission under current
  Comprehensive Spending Review. Indications
  expected in October/December 2007
• NASA/BNSC bi-lateral study
• ESA Cosmic Visions Programme
• LunarEX (backed by industrial studies)
• Jupiter-Europa
• Titan-Enceladus

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Conclusions
MoonLITE - A focused mission with clear
objectives based on a strong technology background

• Penetrator website
• http//www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/planetary/missions/Micro
  _Penetrators.php

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MoonLITE / LunarEX UK
Rationale

• Scientifically focussed
• Precursor to future
• penetrator programmes
• High public interest
• Impetus to industry
• Affordable

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Examples of hi-gee electronic systems

• Designed and tested
• Communication systems
• 36 GHz antenna, receiver and electronic fuze
  tested to 45 kgee
• Dataloggers
• 8 channel, 1 MHz sampling rate tested to 60 kgee
• MEMS devices (accelerometers, gyros)
• Tested to 50 kgee
• MMIC devices
• Tested to 20 kgee
• TRL 6

MMIC chip tested to 20 kgee
Communication system and electronic fuze tested
to 45 kgee