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Full-Text Articles in Space Habitation and Life Support
Made On Mars: Design And Manufacturing Of Structural Polymer-Regolith Composites, Pailey M. Vitale
Made On Mars: Design And Manufacturing Of Structural Polymer-Regolith Composites, Pailey M. Vitale
Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects
Human exploration of Mars is constrained by harsh environmental conditions and the prohibitive cost of transporting materials from Earth. Long-term sustainability requires the local production of mechanical and structural components using resources available on Mars, thereby minimizing payload mass. This project investigates polymer–regolith composites derived from atmospheric CO₂ and mineral-rich regolith as a pathway toward in-situ manufacturing. These composites, when compatible with additive manufacturing, could replace imported plastics, enable on-demand fabrication, and support closed-loop recycling systems. The objective is to design and evaluate polymer–regolith composites that maintain mechanical integrity and environmental resistance under Martian conditions, including extreme temperature swings, radiation …
Gravity Fed Hopper Flow Of Bulk Solids For Lunar Isru, Jason Bendixen Noe
Gravity Fed Hopper Flow Of Bulk Solids For Lunar Isru, Jason Bendixen Noe
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
With the return to the moon in the decade of the 2020s, there has been a renaissance of lunar technology development and innovation. This has been particularly true for the area of lunar ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization). One key area in ISRU that has been neglected is lunar regolith storage hopper research. Many lunar regolith ISRU researchers use storage hoppers in their work but do not document the properties when designing the hoppers or do not have the information at hand. Because of this, hopper design and documentation are poorly understood, and more research is needed. Hoppers are vital for …
Calorimetric Measurements Of Lunar Regolith Simulant And Water. An Experimental Study Correlating Weight Percent Water And Temperature Change Through Periods Of Phase Change., George B. Johnson
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Permanently Shaded Regions (PSRs) are cold traps located around the lunar south pole that have been confirmed to contain possible interesting quantities or volatiles such as H2O, CO2, SO2, CH4, and others. [1] The identification of these volatiles on the lunar surface was a critical step in the development of NASA’s strategic goals for scientific discoveries, sustained space travel and exploration, and re-establishing a human presence on the moon. These volatiles are vital to the future of operating in and exploring space. The LCROSS impact revealed the existence of these resources in PSRs but more information is needed about the …