Aerospace
giant Lockheed Martin has released its latest proposal for a "crewed
lunar lander" and it is quite ambitious in terms of industry standards.
With the Trump administration's principal human spaceflight goal for the
near-term being the moon, NASA has begun accepting pitch ideas from
companies on how this could be accomplished.
As the company building the Orion spacecraft for NASA to carry its
astronauts into deep space, Lockheed Martin decided to weigh in with its
expertise in space transportation.
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| The lander would incorporate many aspects of the existing Orion design. |
Measuring at 14 metres, the single-stage spacecraft can carry up to four
astronauts to the lunar surface for up to 14 days.The lander would have
carry a considerable mass - 22 metric tons - and would require an
additional 40 tons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel to travel between
the Moon and the proposed Lunar Gateway. This reusable vehicle could be
re-fuelled on the surface of the Moon or in orbit, with at least five to
ten flights within its lifespan.
Lockheed Martin decided to design such a bulky lander for several reasons. To comply with NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine's wishes, the lunar lander was made to be reusable. Furthermore, the basic design of the spacecraft is built around the same barrel and cone structures of the Orion spacecraft. Most importantly, all of this technology could eventually be adapted for a lander in a future humans-to-Mars exploration mission.
Read more about this fascinating story at: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/lockheed-martin-unveils-a-super-sized-lunar-lander-for-four-humans/
Image Credit: Lockheed Martin
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