Use and sizing of rocket hoppers for planetary surface exploration
Name
745019960-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
14.6 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7ec8a7ba1499f25aedbdd5a534970c74
Author(s)
Michel, Wendelin X
Advisor(s)
Jeffrey A. Hoffman.
Date Issued
2010
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The utilization of rocket hoppers can provide a valuable means of obtaining enhanced mobility for planetary surface exploration missions. Hoppers offer higher exploration versatility than landers, rovers, or other surface exploration systems through their ability to quickly traverse difficult terrain in a variety of planetary environments. Furthermore, using a hover hop rather than a ballistic hop can provide many operational advantages. As the distance between target sites increases, the advantages of a single hopper compared to multiple landers decreases. However, in certain cases, in-situ resource utilization could overcome this problem. A detailed seven-phase hover hop model, simplified approximation formulas for lunar hops, and an optimization tool are presented in this thesis. With these, it becomes possible to quickly obtain optimized values for the vehicle mass, engine mass, and other mission parameters for a specified hopper mission. Results obtained from the application of a lunar hover hop model to realistic mission scenarios demonstrate the utility of hoppers for tasks relevant to future robotic and human exploration of the Moon.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.
Page 98 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-97).
Subjects
Aeronautics and Astronautics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
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