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dc.contributor.advisorJeffrey A. Hoffman.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMichel, Wendelin Xen_US
dc.contributor.otherMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2011-08-18T19:14:26Z
dc.date.available2011-08-18T19:14:26Z
dc.date.copyright2010en_US
dc.date.issued2010en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65292
dc.descriptionThesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.en_US
dc.descriptionPage 98 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.en_US
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (p. 93-97).en_US
dc.description.abstractThe 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.en_US
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityby Wendelin X. Michel.en_US
dc.format.extent98 p.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherMassachusetts Institute of Technologyen_US
dc.relation.requiresSD card contains supplementary materials.en_US
dc.rightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582en_US
dc.subjectAeronautics and Astronautics.en_US
dc.titleUse and sizing of rocket hoppers for planetary surface explorationen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreeS.M.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
dc.identifier.oclc745019960en_US


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