Simulation-Based Assessment of Hazardous States in a Deep Space Habitat

Date
2023-07-16
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems
Abstract

The progression of the Artemis missions is bringing us nearer to extraterrestrial surface habitation and the realization of a sustainable living environment in deep space. This requires that we improve our capability in the design and evaluation of a variety of protocols to mitigate and manage a variety of hazards. Given the near impossibility of in situ testing, computer simulation is a suitable tool for this task. The Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitats institute (RETHi) has developed a Modular Coupled Virtual Testbed (MCVT) to simulate measures to enhance resilience in an extraterrestrial smart habitat (SmartHab). MCVT is composed of several subsystems with damageable/repairable components, and is capable of modeling different disruption scenarios. Micrometeorite impact, fire, moonquakes, and nuclear leakage are included along with typical environmental disturbances such as dust accumulation and solar flux. For each of these disruption scenarios, the location, onset time, and intensity can be specified by the user. The order and the rate of the repair are also user-defined. Consequently, the effect of the damage propagates through different components and subsystems, potentially rendering the habitat unlivable. The goal of this paper is to investigate the use of the MCVT for studying a resilient SmartHab. By altering the initial conditions, certain input parameters, and repair prioritizations across several simulations for different disruption scenarios we demonstrate some scenarios in which simulation is an effective tool to support design. In the end, the lessons learned and the conditions that contribute to placing the SmartHab in an unsafe or unrecoverable state are identified, alongside with the best-practice emergency responses. These results form a framework for future studies into resilient SmartHab design via similar methods.

Description
Luca Vaccino, Purdue University, USA
Kenneth Pritchard, Purdue University, USA
Mohsen Azimi, Purdue University, USA
Shirley Dyke, Purdue University, USA
Alana Lund, University of Waterloo, Canada
ICES502: Space Architecture
The 52nd International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Calgary, Canada, on 16 July 2023 through 20 July 2023.
Keywords
Deep space habitat, Resilience, Damage propagation, Repairing order
Citation