MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY An Update on Moon

MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY An Update on Moon. LITE Rob Gowen UK Penetrator Consortium EGU Vienna 2009 April 23

MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY Moon. LITE - Update q q q Mission Overview Impact trial Programme advances International Engagement Next steps

MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY Polar comms orbiter Moon. LITE - Mission 3 § Spacecraft: Lunar polar orbit, altitude ~100 km, <40 km for penetrator release. Potential ILN comms link § Payload: 4 descent modules, each to implant a ~13 Kg penetrator at 300 m/s into lunar surface Far side 4 2 § Landing sites: Globally spaced - far side, polar regions, near side § Launch & Duration: Planned for 2014 & 1 year operations § Objectives: – network seismology – polar water and volatiles – ISRU (water/radiation/quakes) 1

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Moon. LITE Heritage • UK commissioned study of Lunar Mission options • BNSC-NASA Joint study on Lunar Exploration • Lunar. Ex Cosmic Visions proposal (= Phase 0) • (May 08) Pendine Impact Trials • (July 08) International Peer Review • (Mar 09) Phase-A Proposal Review • (Mar 09) Parallel technology development Prog

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Pendine Impact Trials

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Pendine Impact Trials • • Full Scale ‘component level’ trials Conducted at Pendine, South Wales May 2008 3 penetrators fired at 300 m/s into dry sand

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Penetrator Outline Full-scale trial – Scheduled May 19 -23 2008 Fire 3 penetrators at 300 m/s impact velocity ~13 Kg 0. 56 m

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Impact trial – Contributors

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Impact trial – Payload Radiation sensor Batteries Magnetometers Mass spectrometer Accelerometers Power/Batteries Interconnection Processing Micro-seismometers Accelerometers, Thermometer Batteries, Data logger Drill assembly

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Trial Hardware Bays Stack

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Impact Trial - Configuration • Rocket sled • Penetrator

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Target • Dry sand • 2 m x 6 m(deep) entrance aperture

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Results - 1 st Trial Firing parameters: • Impact velocity: 310 m/s (c. f. 300 m/s nominal) • Nose-up ~10 degs (c. f. 0 degs nominal) => worst case • Penetrator found in top of target • Glanced off a steel girder which radically changed its orientation. • Penetration: ~3. 9 m • Much ablation to nose and belly • Rear flare quite distorted. • Penetrator in one piece ✓

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 1 st Trial

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 1 st Trial – Opening up • s

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 1 st Trial – after opening up. . Micro seismometer bay Connecting to MSSL accelerometer and data processing bay

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 1 st Trial – accelerometer data Peak gee forces 10 kgee Firing Along axis Vertical Horizo ntal 1’st 10 kgee 15 kgee 4 kgee 3’rd 11 kgee 17 kgee Along axis cutter Main impact Girder 15 kgee Vertical axis Along axis: • Cutter : 3 kgee • Main impact : 10 kgee • Girder : 1 kgee 4 kgee Horizontal axis

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Lots of high frequency structure Hi-res MSSL accelerometer data

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 2 nd Trial

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory 3 rd Trial Steel nose for 3 rd trial

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Triple worst case: exceeded 300 m/s, and >8 deg attack angle Survival Table Item Firing 1 Firing 2 Firing 3 Penetrator ✓ ✓ ✓ Q-accel sys ✓ ✓ ✓ Rad sensor ✓ not present Batteries ✓ (x reduced capacity) not present Drill assembly ✓(x mounting) not present Magnetometer ✓ not present Micro seismometers not present ✓ (protected) Mass spectrometer not present x pressure sensor x 3” heating element ✓ 6” heating element MSSL proc, power & accelerometers ✓ (triggered prematurely) ✓ ✓ No critical failures

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Impact Trial Objectives üDemonstrate survivability of penetrator body, accelerometers and power system. üAssess impact on penetrator subsystems and instruments. üDetermine internal acceleration environment at different positions within penetrator. üExtend predictive modelling to new penetrator materials, and impact materials. üAssess alternative packing methods. üAssess interconnect philosophy.

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory International Peer Review

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory International Peer Review (9 -11 July 2008, London) • Dr. Carle Pieters 1 (Chair), Brown University – Dr. Catherine L. Johnson, University of British Columbia and Scripps Institution of Oceanography – Dr. Gregory Neumann, NASA GSFC – Professor F. W. Taylor, University of Oxford – Dr. Mark Wieczorek, CNRS & IPGP • • Assessed science of Moon. LITE Assessed strawman payload Provided prioritization (penetrators/instruments) Plus a lot of useful advice and direction

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Outcomes • ‘The Panel found the scientific potential of the Moon. LITE penetrator network concept to be exceptionally high in the context of the international exploration activities. • In particular the internal structure of the Moon and the existence/nature polar volatiles. • This exciting mission would provide a stand-alone cornerstone to the proposed International Lunar Network and is a particularly valuable contribution to the early phases of a broader Global Exploration Strategy (GES). ’ ‘Both of these fundamental science issues (Internal structure and nature of possible polar volatiles) are well suited to be addressed by an approach that uses a distributed network of instrumented penetrators across the Moon. This is the unique capability potentially provided by the Moon. LITE concept. ’

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Phase A

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory UK announces Phase A Study • In December 2008 the UK announced it would undertake a Phase A study of the proposed Moon. LITE mission • This study would be supported by NASA • Study duration 9 months, K. O. April 2009

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Moon. LITE Phase A Academic Institutes: Birkbeck College Imperial College London (2 departments) Open University of Cambridge University College London (2 departments) University of Leicester University of Surrey Industrial Sub-contracts: Astrium Magna Parva Qineti. Q (2 sites) Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Baseline Mission Architecture Mission Level Comms Interface Definition PDS Level PDS Interface Definition Mission Requirements Science Requirements Penetrator Level Penetrator Interface Definition

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Penetrator Product Breakdown Structure Penetrator Structure Shell Bays Impact protection Thermal insulation Platform Subsystems Thermal control Communications Power Digital Electronics Descent Camera Science Instruments Seismometer Geochemistry package Water/Volatiles package Heat flow Sample Acquisition Magnetometer Radiation monitor Accelerometer/Tilt Sample imager Other

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory International Engagement

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Baseline Mission Architecture Mission Level Comms Interface Definition PDS Level PDS Interface Definition Mission Requirements Science Requirements NASA support to Phase A Penetrator Level Penetrator Interface Definition

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory International Lunar Network • Moon. LITE is potentially the UK’s contribution to the ILN • The Moon. LITE orbiter could go on to become a relay communications orbiter for a future ILN • (Penetrator data could be uplinked to other orbiters) • (EOL satellites could provide useful artificial seismic events)

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory International Mission Participation • Mission Level – Mission sub-system – Launch – Mission planning • Penetrator Level – Contributions to penetrator elements and instruments • Science Level – Contribution to science exploitation

UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Instrument AO • Given a successful Phase A and UK funding approval: – During 2010/11 an International AO will be made for penetrator payload instruments against a strawman payload – Selection will be according to: • Scientific merit • Impact of penetrator systems budgets • Technological maturity/risk