Advancing In Situ Resource Utilization Capabilities To Achieve a New Paradign in Space Exploration

摘要

In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) involves any hardware or operation that harnesses and utilizes 'in-situ' resources to create products and services for robotic and human exploration. Within NASA, ISRU is typically divided into six focus areas: Resource Assessment, Resource Acquisition, Resource Processing/Consumable Production, In Situ Manufacturing, In Situ Construction, and In Situ Energy. At this time, NASA does not have one integrated program to develop all six focus areas of ISRU. Instead, technologies and systems in each focus area are currently being developed in different projects within NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). For Resource Assessment, the HEOMD Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is developing a lunar polar volatile prospecting rover and mission under the Resource Prospector mission, and both HEOMD and STMD are funding cubesats for lunar polar water and volatile orbital assessment. Since goals and objectives for science missions have significant synergy with ISRU needs for resource assessment, development and mission work performed by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) also needs to be considered in achieving Resource Assessment goals. While currently diverse in nature, there is a significant amount of work being performed on developing and implementing ISRU by NASA and with NASA support across the technology spectrum from basic feasibility to flight hardware. This work is being guided by ISRU experts in the ISRU Systems Capability Leadership Team. This paper will provide an overview of all of the on-going development activities within NASA associated with the six focus areas of ISRU, and the roadmaps and directions that are currently being used to guide ISRU development. The paper will also discuss relevant technologies and capabilities being performed in other NASA disciplines and efforts that are underway to coordinate ISRU development with other mission elements to achieve the final objective of enabling a new paradigm in how we explore space.