Lunar Ranging Group - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Lunar Ranging GroupLUNAR Team

Gravitational Physics

Lunar Physics

Lunar Laser Ranging

12 April 2011

Pasadena, CaliforniaSlide2

Overall Schedule

University of

Califonia

, San Diego

Tom Murphy

Via Telephone

Goddard Space Flight

Centrer

Stephen

Merkowitz

/

Alix

Preston

Via Telephone

University of Maryland, College Park

Doug CurrieSlide3

Decadal Survey Submissions

Astronomy and

AstroPhysics

Decadal Survey

Gravitational and Particle Physics Panel Report

Many Excellent Comments on the Value of LLR

Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey

Lunar Geophysical Network

Recommended for New Frontier Mission

Would Place Four Retroreflectors on the MoonSlide4

murphySlide5

gsfcSlide6

Topics UMd

Talks

Decadal

Computer Simulations

Result

Review Deployment & Roles

GLXP

Candidates

Functions

Deployment

Lander

Surface

Drilling

Lifetime

Murphy

Sun Shade

Dust Bombardment

Future Talks & Activities

Dust

ILRS

Status and Suggestions

Ground Stations

Tests at Frascati

NLSI

Talk

DemonstrationSlide7

Conference Proceedings

Currie, D. G., , the LLRRA-21/LSSO Team & the

MoonLIGHT

/INFN-LNF Team 2010, “A Lunar Laser Ranging

RetroReflector

Array for the 21

st

Century” 40

th

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, The Woodlands, TX 1

Currie, D. G.,

Zacny

, K., 2010 Regolith Drilling for the Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector Array for the 21

st

Century, LUNAR Workshop, Cambridge MA

Currie, D. G.,

Zacny

, K., the LLRRA-21/LSSO Team & the

MoonLIGHT

/INFN-LNF Team 2010 ”A Lunar Laser Ranging

RetroReflector

Array for the 21

st

Century” Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Washington DC.

Dell'Agnello

, S.,

Delle

Monache

, G. O., Currie, D. G

., et. All,

G., &

McElfresh

D. “The Moon as a test body for General Relativity and new gravitational theories” presented at the conference European Planetary Science Congress 2010 (ESPC2010) at the

Angelicum

Centre – Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy.

Dell’Agnello

, S. , Currie, D. G. ,

Delle

MonacheG

. O.

, et al

Cantone

, C.

Garattini

, M. Martini, M.

Intaglietta

, N. Lops C. , March, R ,

Tauraso

, R,

Bellettini

G. ,

Maiello

, M ,

Berardi

, S. ,

Porcelli

, L.; "Next Generation Lunar Laser Ranging and its GNSS Applications"; IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky (MT

),

Peron, R.;

Bellettini

, G.;

Berardi

, S.;

Boni

, A.;

Cantone

, C.;

Coradini

, A.; Currie, D. G.;

Dell'Agnello

, S.;

Delle

Monache

, G. O.;

, et al.

“Advanced instrumentation for Solar System gravitational physics” EGU General Assembly 2010, held 2-7 May, 2010 in Vienna, Austria,

Currie, D. G.,

Delle

Monache

& G. O.

Dell’Agnello

, S. 2010 “A Lunar Laser Retroreflector for the FOR the 21ST Century (LLRRA-21):

Selenodesy

, Science and Status” 2010 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting San Francisco, CA

Currie, D. G.,

Dell’Agnello

, S. &

Delle

Monache

, G. O. 2011 “LUNAR LASER RANGING: FLIGHT HARDWARE SIMULATION, TESTING AND STATUS”. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, The Woodlands, TX

,

 Slide8

Talks, Colloquia and Public Presentations

Talks at Scientific Conferences

Currie, D. G., & the LLRRA-21 Teams 2011 “A LUNAR LASER RANGING RETRO-REFLECTOR ARRAY for the 21st CENTURY” 2

nd

Lunar Laser Ranging Workshop, International Space Sciences Institute, Bern Switzerland

Currie, D. G., & The LLRRA-21 Teams 2010 “A LUNAR LASER RANGING RETRO-REFLECTOR ARRAY for the 21

st

CENTURY” LUNAR Workshop Boulder CO

Currie, D. G.,

Dell’Agnello

, S. &

Delle

Monache

, G. O. 2010 A Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector Array for the 21

st

Century

ISOT 2010 International Symposium on

Optomechatronic

Technologies

,

Toronto, Canada

Currie, D. G., & the LLRRA-21 Teams 2011 “A LUNAR LASER RANGING RETRO-REFLECTOR ARRAY

for the 21st CENTURY” 2

nd

Lunar Laser Ranging Workshop, International Space Sciences Institute, Bern Switzerland

Dell’Agnello

, S.; Currie, D. G.;

Delle

Monache

, G. O.; Lops, C.; M. Martini 2010 “LLRRA21/

MoonLIGHT

: a 2nd Generation Lunar Laser Ranging Array for Precision Gravity Tests and Lunar Science Measurements” at the Conference Global Lunar Conference – Beijing, China.

Ddd

31 May-3 June 2010 talk

Colloquia and Public Presentations

Currie, D. G. 2011 2

nd

NLSI Commerce Virtual Lecture

A Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector for the 21st Century

 Slide9

Computer Simulations

Problems

Commercial Software Issues

Computer Failures

300 Million Beer’s Law Calculations for Each

Computer simulation Objectives

End to End Simulation

Technical Objectives

Selection of Thermal Coatings

Effects of Shorter Sun Shade

GLXP Candidates for Size / Angular Tolerances

Eclipse Effects

F

or LLRRA-21, not ApolloSlide10

Computer Simulations500 Time Steps Over a Lunation

HeatLoad3D

IDL – University of Maryland

Evaluates Solar Heat Loads in CCR at ~ a Million Nodes

Thermal Desktop

Commercial - Cullimorgan and Ring Technologies

Combine CCR Heat Loads with Solar Inputs to Temperature at 1733 Nodes

TempToPhase

IDL – University of Maryland

Converts Temperatures from thermal Desktop into Phase Errors

Code V

Commercial -

Combines Thermal Phase Errors with TIR Phases and Effect of Offset Angles

Analysis

IDL – University of Maryland

Converts Far Field Diffraction Patterns into Useful Operational ResultsSlide11

Frascati Testing

Thermal Vacuum Tests

Optical Table for Far Field Diffraction Pattern

InfraRed

Camera for Temperature

Meaurements

Optical Simulator for “Sun”

Thermal Sensors on CCR

Images of Chamber and CCR FaceSlide12

Different Deployment VersionsSingle Shot Range Accuracy

Current Single

Shot Accuracy

is ~20 mm

If Mounted on Lander

Thermal Expansion of Lander

Heat Flux from Lander

Single Shot Accuracy of 1-3 millimeters

If a Surface Deployment

Thermal Expansion of Regolith

Heat Flux from Lander

Sub-Millimeter Single Shot Accuracy

If an Anchored Deployment

Anchored at ~1 meter depth

Better than 100 micron Single Shot Accuracy Slide13

Google Lunar X Prize

Prize by Google Corporation for 30 M$

Only Private Money for GLXP Objectives

Can Be Government Money

For Other Objectives – Like LLRRA-21

Currently Working with:

Lunar Express,

Hai

Li

Astrobotics

David Gump

Moon Express Bob Richards

NextGreatLeap

Michael Joyce

Penn State University Miles Smith

FREDNET Sean Casey

Multiple Missions that May Be Successful

Achieve an Array of Retroreflectors Slide14

Deployment LanderSlide15

Surface DeploymentSlide16

Anchored DeploymentAstrobotics & HoneybeeSlide17

Degradation of Laser ReturnsTom Murphy and APOLLO StationFactor of 9.6 over 40 years

Amelioration of Problem

Sun Shade

Blocks Dust Deposition

Block Micrometeorite Bombardment

But What is the Real Reason for Degradation?

For Micrometeorite Bombardment

Test at

Horanyi’s

Dust Accelerator

Lifetime of LLRRA-21Slide18

Signal Level for One LLRRA-21

Briefly

LLRRA-21 Signal ~ Equal to Apollo 15 Array

Therefore Can Works with Sub-Meter Telescopes

Will Need to Upgrade of Laser, Timing Electronics

McDonald at 0.67 meter Currently successfully Ranges to A15

Long Life - Dust Issues Handled with

SunShade

More Precisely –

IsoThermal

Station Angle LLRRA-21 Signal Return

Latitude Offsets

w.r.t

. A15

45 Yes 78%

45 No 58%

00 Yes 88%

00 No 71% Slide19

Future Objectives

Schedule: >> Driven by the Google Lunar X Prize Launch

April/December 2013 i.e.,

Astrobotics

Need to Finalize the Design

Need to Attain Sufficient TRL to Obtain Funding i.e., T/V/O Test

Need to Fabricate/Test/Integrate Flight Hardware

Simulations to Optimize Thermal Coatings

To Control Thermal Gradients and thus Signal

Optimize within Limits of

Pracitical

Coatings

Different Choices for Different GLXP Missions

Interactions with GLXP Teams

Each has Different Physical & Organizational Structures

Therefore Each Requires Somewhat Different Thermal Design

Each Requires Different Emplacement ProceduresSlide20

Future Talks & Activities

Evaluate Dust Bombardment

Mihaly

Horanyi

– Dust Accelerator - Early May

International Laser Ranging Service Meeting – Late May

Present Status of LLRRA-21 to Actual Ranging Groups

Collect Suggestions from Operators

Present What is Needed for Ground Stations for LLRRA-21

Thermal/Vacuum/Optical Tests at Frascati

Early June – TRL 6.5 -> TRL 7.0

NASA Lunar Science Institute – Mid July

Talk on LLRRA-21 Hardware and GLXP Mission Status

Report on Honeybee Grant on Pneumatic Drill for LLRRA-21

Demonstration of Pneumatic Drilling

Probably Mounted on

Astrobotic

LanderSlide21

Future Talks & Activities

Sun Shade & Thermal Coatings

Simulate Various Thermal Coatings

Simulate Stepped Sun Shade

Fabricate Stepped Sun Shade

Thermal/Vacuum/Optical Test of Stepped Sun Shade

Simulate Elliptical Sun Shade

Work with Google Lunar X Prize

Modify Nominal Design for Different Missions

Address Various Emplacement Strategies and Costs

Investigate Funding Routes for GLXP Flights

Fabricate and T/V/O Test Big CCR with Offset Angles