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| ID No : | 951 Edit | Title: | Solar Concentrator Demonstrator for Lunar Regolith Processing |
| Summary / Review : | "NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is building a portable inflatable solar concentrator ground demonstrator for use in testing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) lunar regolith processing methods. Of primary interest is the production of oxygen as a propellant oxidizer and for life support. There are various processes being proposed for the in-situ reduction of the lunar regolith, the leading processes are hydrogen reduction, carbothermal reduction and vapor phase pyrolysis. The concentrator system being built at MSFC could support demonstrations of all of these processes. The system consists of a light inflatable concentrator that will capture sunlight and focus it onto a receiver inside a vacuum chamber. Inflatable concentrators are good for space based applications due to their low weight and dense packaging at launch. The hexapod design allows the spot size to be increased to reduce the power density if needed for the process being demonstrated. In addition to the hardware development, a comprehensive simulation model is being developed and will be verified and validated using the system hardware. The model will allow for the evaluation of different lunar locations and operational scenarios for the lunar regolith processing with a high confidence in the predicted results." (Author's abstract) |
| Author(s) : |
Fikes, John C.; Howell, Joe T.; Gerrish, Harold P.; Patrick, Stephen L., [Marshall Space Flight Center] |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Category(s) : |
Bases, industry and manufacturing / Construction and structures / Inflatable Bases, industry and manufacturing / Power / Thermal Bases, industry and manufacturing / Resource processing and outputs / Oxygen production |
| Progress Type: | T ( A=Analysis only, D=Design, T=Testing, C=Completed or Commercial product ) |
| Web URL : |
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20090026381
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| PERMANENT code(s) : | L,U |
|
(Explanation of the last 3 rows above) |
In the row above, there are up to 4 possibilities: U = URL you can click on to get a copy instantly from another source on the internet, or request it from that source D = Downloadable from PERMANENT (such as because no other URL known...) L = LAN copy, PERMANENT has a digital copy but not downloadable from our website P = Paper copy in the PERMANENT office Typically, only 0 to 3 methods are available. |
| NTRS : | 20090026381 |
| Other Ref # : | MSFC-2117-1, IAC-C3.2.5, MSFC-2117-2 |
| Submitted by : | MEP |
| Comments: |
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