Operations Analysis for Lunar Surface Construction: Results of Two Office of Exploration Case Studies

Abstract

In an environment of intense competition for Federal funding, the U. S. space research community is responsible for developing a feasible, cost- effective approach to establishing a surface base on the moon to fulfill long- term Government objectives. This report presents the results of a construction operations analysis of two lunar scenarios provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Activities necessary to install the lunar base surface elements are defined and scheduled, based on the productivities and availability of the base resources allocated to the projects depicted in each scenario. The only construction project in which the required project milestones were not completed within the nominal timeframe was the initial startup phase of NASA's FY89 Lunar Evolution Case Study (LECS), primarily because this scenario did not include any Earth-based telerobotic site preparation before the arrival of the first crew. The other scenario analyzed. Reference Mission A from NASA's 90-Day Study of the Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars, did use telerobotic site preparation before the manned phase of the base construction. Details of the analysis for LECS are provided, including spreadsheets indicating quantities of work and Gantt charts depicting the general schedule for the work. This level of detail is not presented for the scenario based on the 90-Day Study because many of the projects include the same (or similar) surface elements and facilities. The major differences between the two construction efforts are clearly defined in Chapter 4, however.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241643

Entities

People

  • Alvin Smith
  • Lisa Y. Bell
  • Walter Boles

Organizations

  • Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Case Studies
  • Civil Engineering
  • Construction
  • Construction Equipment
  • Control Systems
  • Cosmic Rays
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Excavation
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Frequency
  • Gantt Charts
  • Materials Handling
  • Radiation Protection
  • Regenerative Fuel Cells
  • Space Stations
  • Space Systems

Readers

  • Clinical Trial Research.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris