Jack Schmitt holds fast to lunar vision

Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt, second from left, and Eugene Cernan press their hands down in the wet concrete at Adler Planetarium in Chicago, November 13, 2012 [Kiichiro Sato/AP].

The Canadian Press

LONDON, Ontario -- You may have to excuse Harrison (Jack) Schmitt if the former American astronaut gets itchy feet for the moon these days. It was 40 years ago next month, on Dec. 6, 1972, that he and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan became the last humans to set foot on the lunar surface.

If the former Apollo 17 astronaut had his way, the United States would head back to the moon first, before traveling to Mars. The 77-year-old geologist, who has his eye on lunar mining opportunities, says the commercial sector could be back on the moon within 15 to 20 years.

"I think it's important to have the commercial sector of the Western world thinking about how do you not only get to the moon but what are the economic returns of doing so," Schmitt said in an interview. He sees a role for Canada whose mining industry, he says, is very active and is an important player in the global economy. Schmitt also says humankind has the ability to put "permanent" settlements on the moon within 40 years.

Talking about his own experience, Schmitt recalled moon-walking or skiing on moon dust in December 1972. "It was like being on a giant trampoline," he told The Canadian Press. "I used a cross-country skiing technique that many Canadians are familiar with and that I had learned in Norway as a student there."

Schmitt, who was also a U.S. Senator, was the last NASA astronaut to arrive on the moon, Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan, who stepped off the module before him, was ultimately the last to walk on the moon.

Now, 40 years later, Schmitt expressed disappointment that humans hadn't returned to the moon: "I would have hoped we would have gotten back sooner."

Canadian Lunar Exploration Light Rover prototype

Stylized View of the Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR) Design, Figure 3 from "A Canadian Lunar Exploration Light Rover Prototype," McCoubry & Langley, et al, (Sept. 2012).

McCoubrey & Langley, et al
MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates, CANADA
Centre de technologies avancées BRP – Universite de Sherbrooke
University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
CANADA

In 2010, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) commenced the Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR) project as part of its Exploration Surface Mobility program. The LELR project consists of building rovers, integrating them with tools and instruments, and executing representative mission deployments. The LELR is designed for mobility tasks related to science prospecting, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and future upgrades for crew transportation. The vehicle is based on a rugged, custom mobility platform built by Bombardier Recreational Products Centre for Advanced Technology.

Onboard sensors provide feedback and situational awareness for tele-operation, autonomy, and onboard control (future upgrade). Modular onboard software is used to ensure future upgradeability, and offers such features as localization without external aids and visual teach and repeat software developed by the University of Toronto. Future work may involve adding onboard human control, further integration with payloads and deployments in coordination with the international space exploration community.

Figure 2: "Artist’s Concept of the Lunar Exploration Light Rover’s Various Mission Configurations."

In the context of returning systems to the surface of the Moon, there have been several recent developments in the area of Lunar mobility. The Chariot rover is a large-class system designed to carry astronauts and perform regolith moving tasks such as bulldozing. The Eurobot Ground Prototype (EGP) rover is a medium-class system designed to accomplish both science exploration and transport of a single standing astronaut. The Scarab rover is a small-class rover designed to carry resource prospecting instruments and sensors. The goal of the Lunar Exploration Rover (LELR) program is to develop a mobility solution that can accomplish all of these tasks and thereby provide a flexible and versatile platform for development and testing including integration with exploration tools and instruments. This will then allow development and simulation of analogue mission scenarios. The LELR vehicle is a key part of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Exploration Surface Mobility program.

The remainder of this paper will discuss the mission scenarios used to define the LELR requirements, the LELR design, and the current program status and upcoming test plan.

View the full paper, HERE.

Some Related Posts

Update: ISRU mission simulations on Hawai'i 2012 (July 30, 2012)

'A Resolve to mine the Moon' (July 14, 2012)

O Canada! CSA lunar rovers under construction (February 21, 2012)

'A Resolve to mine the Moon'

The Canadian Space Agency's unmanned Artemis Jr. rover with the NASA RESOLVE payload will undergo another season of testing on the Big Island of Hawai'i this year, and not Mare Crisium, as pictured above. Click HERE for a much larger and realistic rendering.

Brian Shiro
Astronaut for Hire
 
I will be on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii next week working with the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES). As I've described in previous posts, PISCES is an international research and education consortium headquartered at the University of Hawaii at Hilo that aims to develop, test, and validate technologies for use on the Moon, Mars and beyond. When humans return to the Moon and journey to Mars, they will have to live off the land. It's just too costly to bring everything we need with us. That includes rocket fuel for the return trip, water, oxygen, and other consumables. Thus, it is critical that we learn how to utilize in situ resources if we are to establish permanent presences on other worlds.

As a geophysicist by profession, my interest lies with applying my terrestrial geophysical exploration knowledge to other planetary bodies. To this end, I carried out experiments at FMARS in 2009 and MDRS in 2010 to study the human factors elements associated with astronaut-conducted geophysical surveys to prospect for subsurface resources like water. I presented my findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference and Lunar Science Forum, the results of which became my UND master's thesis. Now, I am embarking on a Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii to take this work to another level in analog environments such as Hawaii.

The main system being tested at PISCES this year is the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) experiment. This consists of a lunar rover and drill provided by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to support a NASA payload that turns regolith (dirt) into rocket fuel, water, and air. A system developed from the RESOLVE prototype may travel to the Moon in the next few years to prove that water seen from orbit is accessible and that useful products can be made from it.  It could be the key that finally makes the solar system accessible to humans in a safe, cost-efficient manner.

Read Brian's entire post at Astronaut for Hire, HERE.

Team Plan B - Lunar CubeSat update

 

GLXP Team 'Plan B' is a Vancouver based group of Canadian enthusiasts who hope to land their contest entry vehicle on the Moon using minimalist CubeSat architecture.

- Southgate Amateur Radio News

Canadian Moon buggy backed by stimulus cash

Steven Chase
Globe and Mail

"Canadian Space Agency officials say U.S. goals of reaching Mars will require an American-led activity on the moon to prepare for a longer trip. Plus, they say, there are many other nations with their own plans that may want Canadian technology."

Read the article, HERE.

Ottawa space reservation

Peter Rakobowchuk
The Canadian Press

"After studying space physics and learning how to fly, John Criswick's childhood dream of becoming an astronaut was shattered in 1992 when he did not get selected by the Canadian Space Agency."

"Criswick was the first Canadian among the 300 astronauts who have already made reservations for a trip into sub-orbital space on board SpaceShipTwo."

Read the article HERE.

Payette had cookies stolen while in orbit

Julie Payette returns to CSA headquarters to a reception numbering three hundred, welcoming her back after her 16 days stay in orbit an on-board the International Space Station.

Max Harrold
Montreal Gazette

Longueuil — A fellow astronaut stole her maple cookies, and Julie Payette borrowed the only sweater of Canadian crew mate Bob Thirsk while working last month aboard the chilly space shuttle, 350 kilometres above the Earth.

With behind-the-scenes tidbits and off-world snapshots from her history-making, task-packed 16-day mission to space July 15 to 31, Payette commanded everyone’s attention Friday at the Canadian Space Agency’s headquarters on the South Shore.

It was Payette’s first time back at the mothership of Canada’s space program since the mission, and about 300 CSA employees cheered her as they lined the agency’s modest yet soaring atrium.

“Bravo,” CSA head of operations Benoît Marcotte told Payette. “What a superbly successful mission.”

Payette said she was grateful for the team’s efforts. In space, she took a group photo of the Longueuil workers against a porthole with the Earth seen below.

Payette, 45, served as the flight engineer on the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, which flew to the International Space Station.

The crew completed the construction of the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, also known as the space porch, and installed scientific experiments on it.

Payette didn’t do any of the five spacewalks during the mission, but she played a crucial role at the controls of three robotic arms that grappled equipment stowed in shuttle’s payload bay and then handed it off to another robot arm that then placed it in position with spacewalking astronauts assisting.

Asked if she had any close calls during the robotic operations, Payette said yes.

“I can assure you there usually are when you are handing off pieces of equipment that weigh 600 or 700 pounds and you are bringing them within centimetres of a billion-dollar space station.”

Read the full feature article HERE.

STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette
of the Canadian Space Agency

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, will embark on her second space voyage on-board Endeavour (STS-127), destined for the International Space Station, launching June 13.

On the flight Payette will operate three robotic arms during a "robotics-intense mission," the Shuttle's Canadarm, the ISS Canadarm2 and the JAXA arm on the Kibo module.

"Canadian robotic technology will be used almost every day of this assembly mission," says CSA.

Details on the mission, HERE.

Canada's Robert Thirsk bound for ISS

CBC.CA Just when most Canadians are preparing to break out the barbecue, astronaut Robert Thirsk will be saying goodbye to fresh food, swimming pools and sunshine until November.

Thirsk is a member of a six-person crew that will live on the International Space Station for six months. On May 27, he and two other crewmates are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan to join the other three already aboard the station.

This will be Thirsk's second trip into space, and the first time a Canadian has participated in a long space mission.
Endurance will be tested

Many people think being an astronaut is a glamorous career, but Thirsk says he's heard from his colleagues that life on the space station is anything but.

"Living aboard a space station is not like living in a four-star hotel," Thirsk told the CBC News in a February 2008 interview. He is currently sequestered at NASA in preparation for his mission and was unavailable for interviews.

He'll sleep in a bunk the size of a telephone booth, drink water that comes from recycled sweat and urine, and eat freeze-dried food.

A major goal of the mission, dubbed Expedition 20/21 by NASA, is to test the endurance of the human body in space. Scientists hope to use the information to one day build space colonies on the moon and Mars.

Read the profile HERE.

Congratulations to New Canadian Astronauts

Montreal Gazette lauds the two finalists chosen to join Canada's astronaut corp, bemoans 'no place to go'

Congratulations to fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen and medical doctor David Saint-Jacques, newly named as Canada's latest astronauts. Selected by the Canadian Space Agency from more than 5,000 accomplished applicants, they become candidates to join the list of eight Canadians who've been in space.

NASA's space shuttles will be retired next year, before the two Canadians can fly. But they won't be all dressed up with no place to go: After their two-year training they might go to the International Space Station in a Russian vehicle, on a private rocket, or, in 2015 or later, via NASA's new Constellation launch system, also intended to establish a human colony on the moon.

We'll see. Despite the scientific and engineering advantages, the national prestige, and the sheer exultation of it all, the lunar program remains a likely target for budget-cutting.

Read the Gazette Editoral HERE.

Mining the moon, they hope

Scale model of a load-haul dump machine. This machine is hydrogen powered, customized for tele-robotic operation, and can be operated from extreme distances.

Canadian miners aim to regain lost ground as resourceful innovators

Peter Koven, Financial Post

"We've seen a decline in Canadian R&D and innovation over a couple of decades. We've said in mining that that doesn't work for us. If we've lost ground, that's unacceptable," says Jean Vavrek, the CIM's executive director.

"He describes the conference as an attempt to focus on maintaining (and in some cases regaining) Canada's edge in mining innovation, with many more panel discussions than usual and "a lot of soul-searching."

"But, he says, we are still doing awfully well. The conference, with around 400 exhibitors, will show off all kinds of technologies that prove Canada is very much at the forefront when it comes to extracting resources out of the ground.

"Technologies on display will include advanced wireless communications, 3D remote visual equipment, advanced underwater and Arctic drilling equipment and, yes, a focus on mining in outer space."

Read the Article HERE.

Canada's space program, 'far to fly'

Honorary LP and CEO of Odyssey Moon Limited, Bob Richards reports he was glad Ottawa Business Journal made mention of the possibilities presented by the growing Commercial Space industry.

Elizabeth Howell, Ottawa Business Journal Staff

Years of non-direction from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) caused by underfunding are putting the space industry at risk of stagnation in Canada, points out a report issued Wednesday by the Rideau Institute and the Secure World Foundation.

Although Rideau Institute president Steve Staples notes the appointment of former astronaut Steve MacLean to head the CSA has brought new blood into an agency plagued by short-term presidents, he fears the economic crisis may push MacLean's long-awaited Long Term Space Plan into the background.

As a solution, Mr. Staples and the institute propose moving from a space plan into a more wide-ranging space policy that could be adopted by other government departments with a strategic interest in space exploration, such as defence.

"A whole government approach towards space, I think, would be welcomed by many," Mr. Staples says.

"But in the meantime, the (space) sector is looking for direction from the government to guide CSA into the future, and then that needs to be followed up by some (financial) resources into the CSA."

The report, called "Looking Up: A Report on the State of Canada's Space Sector,"(Adobe pdf file) tracks the progress of the Canadian space industry.

Follow the rest of the article HERE.

Olympian on the Canadian Shortlist

Peter Giles, Physicist, Olympian, and now on the shortlist of 15, narrowed down from 5,300 applicants, of Canadians hoping to be among the next class of the Canada Astronaut Corp.

John Gillis, staff reporter for the Chronicle-Herald, offers an interesting backgrounder on Giles, "who along with his brother Steve was part of Canada's canoe-kayak team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

"Reached in Toronto, the 38-year-old, who now lives in Hammond Plains, said he was having a pretty good day."

"I've dreamed about that for a long time," he said. "If you're interested in a career in science and technology, I kind of think if it as the pinnacle of that career. What could be more inspiring to other Canadians in terms of the power of science and the power of technology than manned spaceflight?"

Mr. Giles, who has a B.Sc. in physics from Dalhousie University and masters and doctoral degrees from Stanford, works as a systems engineer with General Dynamics in Dartmouth.

He said in that role, he has learned about the operations of military and naval vessels, skills that would be valuable as an astronaut.

The selection process, which began last May, is geared toward choosing people well-suited to fly to the International Space Station for extended periods.

Read the article HERE.

ISECG to study three scenarios for international manned and unmanned lunar exploration

Representatives of ten international space agencies, operating together as the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) met in Yokohama March 10-12, and resolved to study three scenarios for coordinated robotic and human lunar exploration.

Chaired by JAXA, the meeting examined past progress of ISECG activities work "in the spirit of the Global Exploration Strategy (GES)."

The three lunar scenarios under study include short and extended duration missions and six months at the proposed Shackleton-Armstrong station at the lunar south pole. Scenarios cover development of infrastructure in space and on the lunar surface.

The ISECG conference discussed standardization of mission-critical system interfaces. Participants expect the scenarios discussed to ensure accomplishment of co-operative lunar exploration objectives while accomplishing individual national goals and expressed interest in building upon success to define an international architecture.

Meeting participants, claim reports, also made significant progress in other areas., including achieving GES objectives through cooperation, development of tools for sharing information on exploration capabilities and mission plans across agencies.

The ISECG issued its 2008 annual report describing world-wide exploration activities and a summary of the three scenarios.

The 3.0 Lunar Exploration Scenarios Workshop participants examined architectures for three major types of lunar exploration: (1.) establishment of a polar outpost (2.) sortie and (3.) extended-stay missions.

Each scenario requires provisions for crew and cargo transportation, ground communications from the Moon to Earth and support for extravehicular activity. Participants discussed key architecture elements.

3.1 Polar Lunar Outpost Scenario

A human lunar outpost at one of the poles can be described as the build up of capabilities and elements that enable the opportunity for continuous presence of astronauts on the Moon, with individual stays of up to 180 days. It is envisioned that a completed outpost can be accomplished with a relatively small number of missions. An outpost can begin satisfying science, public outreach and other objectives during its construction phase and upon completion. A major attribute of a lunar outpost is to allow the international community to develop the systems and capabilities with sufficient reliability to consider undertaking an international mission to Mars.

3.2 Lunar Sortie Mission Scenario

A lunar sortie mission can be described as one or more short duration flights to any location on the moon. These missions will satisfy a range of science objectives as well as public engagement and others. The main characteristic of this type of mission is that the crew lives out of the NASA Altair lander (or another human lunar lander) and can conduct up to seven days worth of scientific or other activities with the resources brought with them. Pre-deployment of resources is not necessarily precluded in this scenario.

3.3 Extended-Stay Mission Scenario

The participants recognized that significant enhancement of sortie mission scenarios can be achieved if elements in addition to a human lunar lander are in-place on the lunar surface. The participants characterized an extended-stay scenario by the pre-deployment of elements that may extend the sortie mission crew time, provide additional capability for crew habitation, science or demonstration of capabilities and technologies necessary for human missions to Mars.

Agencies involved in ISECG include ASI (Italy), BNSC (UK), CNES (France), CNSA (China), CSA (Canada), CSIRO (Australia), DLR (Germany), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan), KARI (Republic of Korea), NASA (United States of America), NSAU (Ukraine), Roscosmos (Russia).

The Global Exploration Strategy, framework for Coordination (Framework document) was released on May 31, 2007 based upon the common interest of fourteen international space agencies to create a shared framework for space exploration to “enhance mutual understanding among partners and to identify areas for potential cooperation. To work collectively towards the further development and implementation of the global exploration strategy set out in the Framework document, the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) was established in Berlin, Germany on November 6, 2007.

Europe reaches deal on space spending

THE HAGUE, Nov 26 (Reuters) - European countries reached a deal on Wednesday allowing them to juggle growing ambitions in space with fears of recession after capping the budget for a mission to Mars in 2016, negotiators said.

Haggling over the ExoMars project as well as the International Space Station dominated wider talks on 10 billion euros ($13 billion) of overall spending sought by the 18-nation European Space Agency at a meeting of science ministers.

"Germany wants to be sure the money is spent during a longer period to ease the pressure on financial commitments. It produced a lot of discussion in the corridors," a delegate said.
ESA meets at ministerial level every three years.

ExoMars would involve landing a rover on the surface of Mars and drilling down 2 metres (6.6 feet) into the soil to take soundings. The cost has roughly doubled since an earlier plan.
ESA ministers, who meet along with Canada every three years, agreed that the financial structure of ExoMars would be set by end-2009 and that their combined contribution must not exceed 1 billion euros, a delegate said.

A further 200 million is expected to be raised through co-operation with the United States and Russia. Meanwhile, Canada has pledged a considerable sum to stay within the European agency's future expeditions.

And, according to The Register, ESA and Innovation minister Lord Drayson have signed an agreement to build a research center at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, england.

"The centre will focus on space robots and innovative power sources including development of ExoMars." ExoMars, a source of some controversy as ESA's ministers worked out their priorities, is a planned robotic probe designed to search for life on Mars.

Toronto threatens Canada's Space industry

VANCOUVER -- A few months ago, John MacDonald got a call from an executive at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., the company he'd co-founded in 1969 and that had gone on to become the heavyweight of Canada's space sector.

MDA had bid for - and won - a contract to build the chassis for a Mars rover that would be part of the European Space Agency's ambitious ExoMars mission, the caller said.

But the Canadian government was dragging its feet on funding its share of the work as required by ESA policies. Would Mr. MacDonald intervene?

Mr. MacDonald, who'd left the company a decade ago but remains close to management, says he picked up the phone and contacted a senior official at Industry Canada who promised to see what he could do.

It was too late. The contract, involving $40-million over three years, went to the runner-up.

For MDA, the lost contract is part of a pattern of inaction on Canadian space policy by successive governments over many years. That lack of direction, say Mr. MacDonald and others, now threatens the viability of the Canadian space sector.

Read more HERE.