IRNCLAM – InteRNational CisLunar Ascension Module Brian Anderson ASTE /11/23

Background  Requirement: commercial development of ISS  Solution: send tourists to Moon on Earth-Moon transport  ISS to exist for ~10 more years  use existing tech for cislunar transport

Concept  Launch tourists & astronauts to ISS  Depart ISS in Cislunar Transfer Vehicle  Insert into Lunar orbit, stay few days  Return to ISS  Return to Earth

Vehicle Design Cislunar Transfer Vehicle 4x Centaur TLI stages Sundancer “habitation module” Radiation hardened for SPEs

Habitation Module – Bigelow Sundancer  Pros Much MORE VOLUME for SIMILAR MASS as other space vehicles Designed with comfort in mind Existing ballistic protection + radiation shielding ECLSS as well as hygiene facilities Good exterior viewing possibilities  Cons: Large surface area  more mass for addt’l radiation hardening

Additional Radiation Hardening  5 g/cm^2 to protect against worst case SPE  Al, LiOH, Polyethylene or H 2 0 (last two best)  Sundancer Area~=2.35x10^6 cm^2  Rad shield mass~=11700kg  Assuming Sundancer already has shielding equivalent to 2 g/cm^2  Rad shield mass~=7000kg

TLI – Centaur Upper Stage  Pros Repeatedly flight tested design High Isp  Cons Propellant mass could be higher for such a mission

Stack Design  Requried V = 2x(3700 m/s)=7400 m/s  Requires 4xCentaur stages!!  Payload Mass = 15’600 kg Sundancer + Rad shield  Total Propellant Mass = 83’320 kg  Total Mass = Metric Tons  Achieved V=7429 m/s

IRNCLAM Centaur Sundancer

Merits & Limitations  Merits Uses existing designs Designed with passenger experience in mind Designed for space-only use, no mass for heat shield  Limitations LARGE TLI stack due to Earth Orbit Injection and ISS docking ~14 days with no gravity

Future Studies  Use water supply for radiation shielding?  Direct Earth Reentry to reduce stack size?  J2-X better option for TLI?

References  Wertz, James R. Space Mission Analysis and Design. Dordrecht [u.a.: Kluwer Academic Publ., Print.  Bigelow Aerospace er.php er.php  Bernabeu, J., and I. Casanova. "Geant4- based Radiation Hazard Assessment for Human Exploration Missions." Advances in Space Research 40.9 (2007): Print.