Preliminary Infrastructure Development for Altair Sortie Operations

NASA’s Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) report envisions humans returning to the Moon in the 2020 timeframe. However, many factors still need to be addressed in depth. They include site selection, materials, and design of inhabitable and survivable infrastructure elements. One of the most important issues dealing with a manned return mission to the Moon is lunar dust. Dust suppression is a critical issue with regard to Altair operations as well as surface vehicles in the proximity of the habitat. Dust and debris thrown up by vehicles can also degrade exposed payloads such as telescope elements and photovoltaic arrays. This paper explores several architectural concepts relating to developing essential preliminary infrastructure for humans on the lunar surface during the first several missions. Concepts discussed include certain selection criteria aspects for lunar habitat location as well as a variety of architectural elements, which can ameliorate the effects of lunar dust during Altair operations and routine surface vehicle movement around the primary lunar settlement. Specifically, these elements include a microwave sintered landing zone around a hard, paved and topped landing pad for repeated service use, inflatable structures for blast aprons, a light rail system with pallet, winch and gantry support for lander and payload transport from landing pad to hangar or habitat location, a hard, topped dust-free platform on which to erect the habitat and allied structures, and a built-up access road from the habitat area to the hangar and the landing pad. An emergency exit route from habitat to a standby escape vehicle is also depicted as well as a dust monitoring system and a dust cleaning rover attachment is suggested as well.