The Moon: Front Line of Asteroid Defense

5 June 2007 Carlton L. Rhoades [email protected]

1

The Moon: Front Line of Asteroid Defense

Carlton L. [email protected]

Rutgers Symposium on Lunar Settlements3-8 June 2007 New Brunswick, New Jersey


2

Objective

• To place a system on the Moon for a 24/7 full sky search for Earth orbit crossing asteroids. This is the first step to reduce or minimize the possibility of any harmful asteroid impact.


3

The System

• The System will consist of several appropriately sited installations to include:– Optical Interferometry Telescopes.– Communication and Control Facilities.– A solar power system. – A shielded and self sufficient living/work

facility.


4

Know Before You Go

• Recover a Lunar Rover to evaluate regolith dust damage to moving parts and any other effects on metal or plastics.

• Identify the minimum number of suitable Moon surface locations that can view the total Moon sky.

• Evaluate methods to smooth and sinter the surface regolith to minimize exposure to dust in operational areas.


5

Minimize Regolith Dust

• Prepare a 100 meter x 200 meter pad:– Select an area with high iron content.– Remove all rocks larger than 2 centimeters to

a depth of 15 cm.– Grade the area.– Prepare a 15 cm crust by:

• Sinter the area by microvave to that depth (multiple passes?), or

• Sinter and lay (2 offset layers) interlocking tiles.


6

Optical Interferometry Telescope

Examples of this type telescope are: The Keck Observatories located on Mona Kea (4,145 M) in Hawaii. Each has a ten meter mirror and are separated by 85 meters.

The Very Large Telescope is located on Cerro Paranal(2,635 M) in Chile. Each has a 8.2 M mirror. A set of four 1.8 M telescopes is dedicated to interferometric observations.

The highest resolution is obtained with this type telescope.This will provide a better indication of asteroid size, shape, and rotation(?) from a faint image.

W. M. Keck ObservatoryCREDIT NASA

Very Large Telescope

CREDIT EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY (ESO)


7

Full Sky Siteing

• Depress telescope to 0o elevation and perform a 360o scan. If no local horizon obstacle is found this is an optimum site.– Four sites – Moon boxed in tetrahedron with

telescopes at the four tangent points.– Six sites – Moon boxed in cube with telescope

at the six tangent points.


8

Communication & Control Facility

• Will be integral with living/work facility.

• Power & communication raceways may be under the sintered area, or the tiles, or overhead.


9

Solar Power System

• Solar cell farm.

• Carbon fiber flywheel nighttime backup.

• Power control and distribution center.

• Power lines to telescopes, communication equipment, and living/work facility.

• Waste heat radiators.


10

Living/Work Facility

• This modular facility will:– Be underground or shielded with regolith.– Contain electrical switching and

communication equipment.– Contain spares and tools to perform repairs

and install upgrades.– Contain facilities including exercise equipment

adequate to support four persons for 30(?) days.


11

Conclusions

• The asteroid threat is near universally seen as real. It is impossible to quantify with the minimal data available.

• A case can be made that this (these) be the first permanent installation(s) on the Moon.


12


13

Meteor Crater II

Note: This material may be dated. Do not use for aerial navigation. Credit NACO/FAA


14

Elements of the Target

The Earth at Night (Credit NASA). A correlation exists between the light intensity and the concentration of population, infrastructure, and industry. However, note North Korea and South Korea

The Moon: Front Line of Asteroid Defense

Documents

Transcript of The Moon: Front Line of Asteroid Defense