NASA is looking for ideas on how to upgrade a lunar …

In less than four years, NASA plans to send the first woman and next man to the moon as part of the Artemis project. This will be the first manned mission to the lunar surface since Apollo 17, the last mission of the Apollo program, in 1972. It is also the culmination of decades of planning, research, development and robotic missions that have paved the way. And from the start, it was clear to NASA what their ultimate goal was:

“We’re going back to the moon! And this time we stay! “

NASA should not only send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2024, but also create an infrastructure by the end of the decade that would allow for a “sustainable lunar exploration” program. To achieve this, NASA and HeroX have launched the NASA Lunar Delivery Challenge, which sees teams developing systems capable of handling payloads delivered to the lunar surface to receive $ 25,000 in prizes.

Landing on the moon and building a sustainable human presence will be one of the most difficult logistical efforts ever undertaken. Aside from the heavy launch system and the spaceship needed to send astronauts there – the Space launch system (SLS) and the Orion MPCV – It is urgent that landing vehicles provide everything from science instruments and rovers to habitat supplies and modules.

NASA has already won several aerospace industry partners through its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) and Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programs. These programs commissioned commercial developers to create the human landing systems (HLS) needed to move astronauts and equipment to and from the surface and deliver cargo.

However, these landers and all cargo being carried to the surface still need to be unloaded upon arrival. This requires a robust and flexible system that can adapt to the harsh environment. NASA has developed some of its prototypes for this purpose, such as the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) and the Lunar Surface Manipulation System (LSMS).

However, before investing the substantial resources that will still be needed to implement these concepts, they seek input from the wider community. Essentially, they are asking inventors and innovators around the world to consider how to unload cargo from lunar landers and other spacecraft while operating in low gravity and extreme conditions of the lunar surface.

To this end, NASA Tournament Lab (NTL) has once again enlisted the help of the HeroX crowdsourcing platform to reach the public and promote innovative ideas. As Christian Cotichini, CEO of HeroX recently stated in a HeroX press release:

“Repeating our daily activities on the moon continues to be a challenge. Finding ways to do these things in a lunar environment is critical to the success of an ongoing human presence on the moon. Payload unloading is a key part of this overall effort. NASA hopes to reapply crowd splendor so astronauts have access to the equipment and supplies they need. “

Operating on the lunar surface is very dangerous and carries many dangers. To begin with, the moon is an airless body with surface temperatures that vary significantly, from as low as around -173 ° C to as high as 117 ° C (243 ° F). Then there’s the problem of lunar regolith, which is incredibly abrasive and sticks to everything. There is also lunar gravity, which is about 16.5% of what we experience on earth.

The terrain is uneven and full of obstacles. And in terms of radiation, the moon’s surface is exposed to about 1,369 microsieverts (µSv) per day. This is about 2.6 times the exposure of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) per year and 200 times the exposure of humans on Earth in one year (6.2 µSv).

NASA stressed that not only can the proposals be transported under these conditions, they should also be flexible enough to handle a wide variety of payloads and different lander configurations. This includes SpaceXs Spaceship Modified design for moon landings, Blue Origin’s Integrated Lander Vehicle (ILV) and / or Dynetics Human Landing System (DHLS).

NTL specified three categories based on the mass of the payload involved (see graph above). This includes

As NASA Aerospace Vehicle Design and Mission analyst Paul Kessler said:

“We are looking for complete concepts for the public, so this is not an engineering specific challenge. We want to hear everyone. We are interested in concepts ranging from simple to complex. We don’t know what works best yet, so we care about any suggestions. We are thrilled to see what people have to offer and to see them contribute to NASA’s ambitious mission. This is the stuff that makes history. “

For example, a power system would be in the range of

Ideally, NASA hopes for ideas that are completely autonomous and can function for years without human supervision, but are open to semi-autonomous and manually operated concepts. They also seek out ideas that have proven themselves in other areas or are based on proven technologies. While solutions that can handle one mass class of payload are acceptable, NASA would prefer concepts that can handle multiple classes.

In terms of prizes, the challenge will award a maximum of 6 teams up to $ 25,000. The first place winner will win up to $ 10,000, two second place winners will each receive up to $ 4,500 and three third place winners will each receive up to $ 2,000. Other incentives include the opportunity to present the concepts to NASA engineers, advertise NASA and HeroX on social media, and present successful solutions to the public.

The challenge was officially launched on October 29, 2020 and can be submitted until January 19, 2021. NASA Tournament Lab will announce the winners by March 16. Those interested in a contest (or looking for more information) are encouraged to register on the challenges page.

This is just the latest Incentive Challenge organized by NASA and HeroX to promote ideas for the upcoming era of lunar exploration. Some recent examples are the Lunar Loo Challenge, Watts on the Moon Challenge and Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload Challenge (and the sequel). And who can forget the Space Poop Challenge?

Just a few more examples of how public support and private partnerships are ushering in the new era of space exploration!

Further reading: HeroX