Browsing by Author "Cloutis, Edward"
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Item Chemical Lidar Science Payload for the Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Kruzelecky, Roman; Murzionak, Piotr; Lavoie, Jonathan; Sinclair, Ian; Schinn, Gregory; Gao, Yang; Underwood, Craig; Cloutis, Edward; Bridges, Christopher; Armellin, Roberto; Luccafabris, Andrea; Daly, Mike; St-Amour, Amélie; de Lafontaine, Jean; Leijtens, JohanUnderstanding the lunar near-surface distribution of in-situ resources, such as ilmenite (FeTiO3), and volatiles, such as water/ice, is vital to future sustained manned bases. However, there is a large uncertainty in the distribution and quantity of the lunar resources. Moreover, planned future lunar orbiter missions have relatively limited spatial resolution, in the km range, for volatile mappings relative to lander and rover requirements. The VMMO Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter is a low-cost 12U Cubesat that is being designed for a potential flight opportunity with the SSTL Lunar Communications Pathfinder Orbiter. VMMO would be injected into a nominal high-eccentricity lunar orbit. It would then use its on-board propulsion to attain the desired operating orbit. VMMO comprises the LVMM Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapper science payload, the CLAIRE Compact LunAr Ionising Radiation Environment monitor with a COTS electronics testbed, and the supporting 12U Cubesat bus, which has dual ion and cold-gas propulsion, direct to Earth S-band and optical communications, on board data processing and a suite of sensors for semi-autonomous navigation. The compact LVMM is a multi-wavelength Chemical Lidar (<6.1 kg) using single-mode (SM) fiber lasers emitting at 532nm, 1064nm and 1560nm, for stand-off mapping of the lunar water/ice distribution using active illumination, with a focus on selected permanently-shadowed craters in the lunar south pole. This combination of spectral channels can provide very sensitive discrimination of water/ice in various Mare and Highland regolith based on relevant bread-board validations. The use of the SM fiber lasers enables a relatively high spatial resolution in the 10m range. LVMM can also be used in a passive multispectral mode to map the lunar ilmenite in-situ resource distribution during the lunar day using the characteristic surface-reflected solar illumination. This paper discusses the VMMO threshold and augmented science definitions, and the resultant mission architecture and data products.Item Chemical Lidar Science Payload for the Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Kruzelecky, Roman; Murzionak, Piotr; Sinclair, Ian; Gao, Yang; Bridges, Chris; Luccafabris, Andrea; Cloutis, Edward; St-Amour, AmelieThe distribution and quantity of surficial in-situ lunar resources, such as water ice and ilmenite (FeTiO3), is currently highly uncertain. Moreover, planned near-future lunar orbiter missions are limited to a volatile-mapping spatial resolution of several km. VMMO, for Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter, is a low-cost 12U Cubesat that comprises the Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapper (LVMM) science payload, the Compact LunAr Ionizing Radiation Environment (CLAIRE) monitoring payload, a COTS electronics test bed, and the supporting 12U Cubesat bus with dual ion and cold-gas propulsion, direct-to-Earth S-band and 1560nm optical communications, on-board data processing and a suite of altitude and pointing sensors for semiautonomous, vision-assisted navigation. VMMO will most likely be deployed from a commercial lunar transportation provider, such as Astrobotics, and injected into a suitable near-polar orbit. On-board propulsion will be used to achieve a stable near-frozen polar orbit for the subsequent science operations. The compact LVMM is a multi-wavelength Chemical Lidar (<6.1 kg) using fiber lasers emitting simultaneously at 532nm, 1064nm and 1560nm, for stand-off mapping of lunar water/ice distribution using active laser illumination. The active measurements will focus on selected craters in the lunar South pole, such as Shackleton and Faustini, that contain permanently-shadowed regions that could shelter water ice deposits. This combination of spectral channels can provide very sensitive discrimination of water/ice to below 0.5% in various Mare and Highland regolith, based on pre-flight bread-board validations. The use of single-mode fiber lasers enables a spatial resolution of about 10m at the lunar surface. LVMM can also be used in a passive multispectral mode at 300nm, 532nm, 1064nm and 1560nm to map the lunar ilmenite in-situ resource distribution during the lunar day using known characteristics of surface-reflected solar illumination. This paper discusses the VMMO augmented science configuration and the resultant mission architecture and data products.Item DTVAC Dusty Planetary Thermo-VACuum Simulator(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Roman, Kruzelecky; Lavoie, Jonathan; Murzionak, Piotr; Heapy, Jacob; Sinclair, Ian; Jamroz, Wes; Cloutis, Edward; Ghafoor, Nadeem; Aissa, BrahimThe lunar and Mars planetary surface environments can have a significant impact on the operation and performance of landed assets such as landers, rovers, supporting robotics and science instruments. The effects of lunar dust were experienced first-hand by the prior Apollo landed lunar missions between 1969 and 1972; the lunar dust exhibited adherence to all exposed surfaces, as well as significant mechanical abrasiveness. Verification of the performance and reliability of critical subsystems under high-fidelity simulated planetary surface conditions is needed to ensure their successful operation on the lunar or Martian surface. This paper discusses the development of the Dusty Thermo-Vacuum (DTVAC) planetary environment simulator. The system design includes a controlled large-area planetary dust simulant dispenser and electrostatic dust charger. A temperature-controlled platen can accommodate various test devices up to 1.0x0.9x 0.9m3 in volume, including surface (solar cells), optical, and mechanical (motors, rotary) assemblies. The MPBC Planetary DTVAC can be used to validate the operation of subassemblies, small planetary drills or robotic arms, and instruments under combined simulated lunar or Mars surface environmental conditions, including: • Day/night temperatures (<-60°C to >60°C), depending on the selected coolant and illumination, • Software-controlled dispersion rates of charged dust, • Incident illumination to 1000 W/m2 with simulated solar spectrum, • Planetary atmospheric pressures (10-4 Torr (with dust) to 10-7 Torr relevant to the Moon and 3 to 12 mTorr CO2 relevant to Mars). The goal is to provide extended continuous testing over periods exceeding 14 terrestrial days, equivalent to operation over a lunar day or night. The DTVAC modular architecture allows future scaling to permit the functional testing of larger assemblies such as microRovers. Acknowledgements The DTVAC facility development has been financially assisted by the Canadian Space Agency.Item DTVAC Dusty Planetary Thermo-VACuum Simulator and LN2 Commissioning(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Kruzelecky, Roman; Murzionak, Piotr; Lavoie, Jonathan; Mena, Martin; Sinclair, Ian; Schinn, Gregory; Cloutis, Edward; Ghafoor, Nadeem; Newman, JoshIt is important to simultaneously simulate the combined effects of the lunar or Mars surface conditions (diurnal temperatures, levitated dust, ambient pressure and solar illumination) to verify the performance and reliability of critical assemblies to ensure their successful operation. The DTVAC facility combines a controlled dust simulant shower in vacuum with simulated solar illumination and thermal control of the test device from below -193°C to above +120°C. DTVAC includes a software-controlled large-area planetary dust simulant dispenser and electrostatic charger. The temperature-controlled platen can accommodate test devices up to 1.0mx0.9mx0.9m in volume, including surface (radiator), optical (spectrometer, imager), and mechanical (motors, gears) assemblies. DTVAC will be used to validate the operation of relevant payloads and processes under simulated lunar or Mars surface environmental conditions, including: • Day/night temperatures (<-232°C to >120°C), depending on the selected coolant and illumination, • Software-controlled dispersion rates of selected charged dust simulant, • Incident illumination to 1000 W/m2 with simulated solar spectrum, • Planetary atmospheric pressures (10-5 Torr (with dust) to 10-7 Torr relevant to the Moon and 3 to 12 Torr CO2 relevant to Mars). DTVAC was validated to provide continuous testing over periods exceeding 14 terrestrial days, equivalent to operation over a full lunar day or night, under computer control based on a user-selectable script. The planned LN2 upgrades were successfully integrated with the DTVAC system and experimentally validated through a sequence of tests. This included the LN2 automatic dewar interchange, LN2 flow control system, and exhaust system. This paper discusses the LN2 cooling upgrade and commissioning of the Dusty Thermo-Vacuum (DTVAC) planetary environment simulator. Temperatures near 80K were achieved on the 1mx1.1m platen with the LN2 cooling system. Preliminary cooling using liquid helium was also successfully tested on a smaller trial platen, using the LN2-cooled shroud as a thermal buffer.Item DTVAC Dusty Planetary Thermo-VACuum Simulator Commissioning and LN2 Upgrade(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Kruzelecky, Roman; Murzionak, Piotr; Lavoie, Jonathan; Mena, Martin; Heapy, Jacob; Sinclair, Ian; Schinn, Gregory; Cloutis, Edward; Ghafoor, Nadeem; Newman, JoshThe lunar and Mars planetary surface environments can have a significant impact on the operation and performance of landed assets such as landers, rovers, supporting robotics, ISRU processors and science instruments. Verification of the performance and reliability of critical subsystems under high-fidelity simulated planetary surface conditions is needed to ensure their successful operation on the lunar or Martian surface. The DTVAC facility combines a controlled dust simulant shower in vacuum with simulated solar illumination and thermal control of the test device from below -60oC to above +60oC. The system design includes a controlled large-area planetary dust simulant dispenser and electrostatic charger. A temperature-controlled platen can accommodate various test devices up to 1.0*0.9*0.9m3 in volume, including surface (solar cells), optical, and mechanical (motors, rotary) assemblies. The MPBC Planetary DTVAC will be used to validate the operation of relevant payloads and processes under simulated lunar or Mars surface environmental conditions, including: • Day/night temperatures ( -173°C to 60°C), depending on the selected coolant, • Software-controlled dispersion rates of charged dust, • Illumination to 1000 W/m2 with simulated solar spectrum, • Planetary atmospheric pressures (10-4 Torr (with dust) to 10-7 Torr relevant to the Moon and 3 to 12 Torr CO2 relevant to Mars). The goal is to provide extended continuous testing over periods exceeding 14 terrestrial days, equivalent to operation over a lunar day or night. In the preliminary DTVAC commissioning, 21 days of continuous DTVAC relevant operations was successfully achieved based on script-based computer control. This paper discusses the preliminary commissioning and the LN2 cooling upgrade of the Dusty Thermo-Vacuum (DTVAC) planetary environment simulator. Acknowledgements The DTVAC facility development has been financially assisted by the Canadian Space Agency. Special thanks to Daniel Lefebvre, Michel Wanderer, Elie Choueiry and Tongxi Wu for their helpful criticisms and suggestionsItem Lunar Dust In-situ Experiment and Operational Considerations for the Potential CABLE Canadian American British Lunar Explorer(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Kruzelecky, Roman V.; Latendresse, Vincent; Aïssa, Brahim; Lavoie, Jonathan; Nakhaei, Alireza; Jamroz, Wes; Cloutis, Edward; Lappas, Vaios; Underwood, Craig; Gao, Yang; Sweeting, Martin; Sorensen, Trevor; Mouginis-Mark, PeteThe Canadian American British Lunar Explorer (CABLE) is a low-cost lunar lander/microRover mission concept based on international collaboration of niche technologies. CABLE includes collaborations with the University of Surrey/Surrey Space Centre on the soft lander, planetary surface autonomy and communications technologies and the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory on the required Earth-Moon transfer stage and mission operations based on their COSMOS mission operations and flight system software, as well as the prior experience gained in the Clementine lunar mission. CABLE also leverages relevant Canadian technologies in high-performance microRovers, robotics and optical sensors to extend the achievable planetary exploration and science per unit payload mass. The baseline science mission is to investigate the near-surface characteristics of a near-side region of the Moon, the Aristarchus Plateau, that has never been explored in-situ to address for the first time a fundamental lunar geologic process, namely large-scale explosive volcanism that can provide information on the origins of the Moon and the evolution of the Earth-Moon system. The mission drivers include minimizing the mission risks and costs while providing innovative relevant science and data on the lunar near-surface environment and operations. This mission will address key international interests, including mapping lunar surface geology to determine the extent, particle size distribution, and composition of pyroclastic deposits on the plateau. The mission will also explore the availability and distribution of near- surface volatiles from prior impacts and in-situ resources, such as ilmenite, using robotic trenching capability. The lunar surface radiation and dust environments would also be investigated through a set of in-situ experiments using the CABLE lander and rover to provide data both of scientific interest and to assist future potential manned missions. Key data are missing on the levitated lunar dust fluxes to assist validation of various mitigation efforts that could be provided by CABLE. This paper discusses the lunar dust operational considerations for CABLE, as well as the potential in- situ experiments to characterize the levitated lunar dust and its effects on optical measurements and robotic operations.Item Lunar Dust Mitigation for the Potential LORE Science Payload(44th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2014-07-13) Kruzelecky, Roman V.; Aïssa, Brahim; Lavoie, Jonathan; Haddad, Emile; Jamroz, Wes; Cloutis, Edward; Therriault, DanielThis paper considers the lunar dust mitigation requirements of the potential LORE Lunar Origins and Resource Explorer science payload as part of the robotic Lunar Soil Mechanics Investigation System (LSM) subsurface geophysics package on the Selene-2 lander. This includes cleaning the LORE bore- hole fiber-optic Probe between the analysis of different bore-holes near the lander to minimize cross- contamination effects. A multilevel dust shield incorporating Carbon nanotube (CNT) technologies is considered to meet the various LORE dust protection requirements. Indeed, adding CNT could improve both the electrical conductivity of the trapping material to improve the deflection capability, and its porosity toward the trapping of submicron particles size. To improve the study of the effects of planetary dust on optics and mechanical assemblies, two new simulants, namely UW-1M and UW-1H, have been developed that can provide a relatively high fidelity overall simulation of the relevant effects of lunar mare and highland dust (nanophase Fe, size distribution, mechanical wear, optical spectral absorptance, magnetic properties, etc.). Preliminary test results for the CNT magneto-electrostatic dust deflectors/filters are presented and the results discussed.Item VMMO Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Kruzelecky, Roman; Murzionak, Piotr; Lavoie, Jonathan; Sinclair, Ian; Schinn, Gregory; Underwood, Craig; Gao, Yang; Bridges, Chris; Armellin, Roberto; Luccafabris, Andrea; Cloutis, Edward; Leijtens, JohanUnderstanding the lunar near-surface distribution of relevant in-situ resources, such as ilmenite (FeTiO3), and volatiles, such as water/ice, is vital to future sustained manned bases. VMMO is a highly-capable, low-cost 12U Cubesat designed for operation in a lunar frozen orbit. It accomodates the LVMM Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapper and the CLAIRE Compact LunAr Ionising Radiation Environment payloads. LVMM is a multi-wavelength Chemical Lidar using fiber lasers emitting at 532nm and 1560nm, with an optional 1064nm channel, for stand-off mapping of the lunar ice distribution using active laser illumination, with a focus on the permanently-shadowed craters in the lunar south pole. This combination of spectral channels can provide sensitive discrimination of water/ice in various regolith. The fiber-laser technology has heritage in the ongoing Fiber Sensor Demonstrator flying on ESA's Proba-2. LVMM can also be used in a low-power passive mode with an added 280nm UV channel to map the lunar mineralogy and ilmenite distribution during the lunar day using the reflected solar illumination. CLAIRE is designed to provide a highly miniaturized radiation environment and effect monitor. CLAIRE draws on heritage from the MuREM and RM payloads, flown on the UK’s TDS-1 spacecraft. The payload includes PIN-diode sensors to measure ionizing particle fluxes (protons and heavy-ions) and to record the resulting linear energy transfer (LET) energy-deposition spectra. It also includes solid-state RADFET dosimeters to measure accumulated ionizing dose, and dose-rate diode detectors, designed to respond to a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or Solar Particle Event (SPE). CLAIRE also includes an electronic component test board, capable of measuring SEEs and TID effects in a selected set of candidate electronics, allowing direct correlations between effects and the real measured environment.