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Project Task

TASK 1: 

Assess and characterize resource inventories of SSERVI Target Bodies.

  • Subtask 1.1 develops a semi-quantitative mineral potential model of resource assessment for water ice on the Moon utilizing state-of-the art knowledge regarding lunar resource inventories to identify prospective regions for the occurrence of ice. We will also test and validate this approach in a terrestrial lunar analog environment.
  • Subtasks 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 focus on scientific analysis of current datasets and numerical modeling to identify the form, character, and distribution of resources on the Moon, near Earth asteroids, and Phobos & Deimos, respectively.
  • Subtask 1.5 uses this analysis to develop predictive capabilities for resource identification where remote sensing data may be insufficient.
     
TASK 2: 

ISRU technology development and testing. Task 2 will focus on technologies relevant to enabling lunar ISRU missions.

  • Under Subtask 2.1 we will focus on a lunar resource prospecting payload where advancements include borehole neutron and near-infrared spectrometers to advance the state of current rover-mounted systems.
  • Subtask 2.2 will demonstrate water extraction from ice cemented ground by using a lunar prototype drill as well as a drill corer. 
  • Subtask 2.3 will analyze lunar mining and demonstrate technologies for the collection and processing of extracted water for future mining feasibility. 
  • For completeness, Subtask 2.4 is a paper study focused on feasibility of a mineral-based ISRU system.
     
TASK 3:

Assessing concepts of operations, capabilities and related human-robotic interactions in support of lunar robotic ISRU exploration. Task 3 focuses on optimization of the robotic and human interactions for a mission to prospect for resources and conduct lunar ISRU.

  • Task 3.1 will assess the concept of operations and develop methodologies to optimize human-machine collaboration (HMC) and human factors engineering task allocation among humans and machines in the context of a lunar rover mission to characterize and process polar volatiles.
  • Task 3.2 will critically examine human-robotic interactions (HRI) and develop best practices and solutions for optimizing the mission architecture, including assessment of continuous science operations via autonomy and novel distributed robotic swarms and multifunctional robotic platforms for lunar polar ISRU.
  • Task 3.3 will design and test different components of mixed reality (including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)) to enhance and optimize the productivity of a lunar polar rover mission.
     
TASK 4: 

Future ISRU robotic mission support activities (lunar test case).

  • Subtask 4.1 will produce data products required for lunar polar rover mission traverse planning purposes.
  • Subtask 4.2 will develop advanced mission planning capabilities for a lunar polar rover prospecting mission and will integrate mission scheduling tools into the ground data system software suite.
  • Subtask 4.3 includes a field test of integrated systems (including prospecting payloads integrated into the lunar prototype drill and operated with relevant ground data systems). We will test the ISRU hardware, software, and operations where subsurface ground ice is overlain by several to a few 10s of cm of dry regolith, the same ice stratigraphy expected in the polar regions of the Moon, and specifically compare the rover mounted near-infrared and neutron spectrometer approach with the drill-integrated instrumentation suite (developed in Subtask 2.1).