The Impact of a Landing Mishap on a Lunar Base and Mitigation Strategies

Vivek Verma, Drew Wilson, Jekan Thangavelautham

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Once the work to establish a Lunar Base begins, it will be receiving regular supplies from the Earth, resulting in frequent landings and take-offs from the landing pad of the Lunar Base to provide it with necessary supplies. The landers have the potential to pose a threat to the nearby structures of the Lunar base in the case of an explosion. Moreover, in the upcoming mission, the spacecraft's landing on the Moon is going to be more sophisticated and massive than the Apollo. The Artemis landers will be around 20-60 MT, which is 2-6 times more massive than the Apollo lunar module. The massive landers come at the cost of more intricate systems suspected to have a larger chance of failure. In addition, the plume from the landers excites the regolith beneath it, and as a result, the regolith is ejected, covering the surroundings. A blast wall design is proposed to shield the Lunar base from plausible dangerous events and reduce the damage caused. The design takes into account the momentum transfer from the regolith and blast fragments, along with the area influenced by the regolith ejecta. The works also included different material options along with construction options.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA
ISBN (Print)9781624107115
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
Externally publishedYes
EventAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024 - Orlando, United States
Duration: Jan 8 2024Jan 12 2024

Publication series

NameAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024

Conference

ConferenceAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOrlando
Period1/8/241/12/24

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aerospace Engineering

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