CLLARE Proposal/Apollo Lite
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[edit] Proposal Name
The name of this CLLARE Proposal is "Apollo Lite".
[edit] Brief Summary
This proposal is largely a stripped-down version of the Apollo moon landing missions. It involves two habitable spacecraft, a Command Module (CM) which is inhabited for the trips from LEO to lunar orbit and back (analogous to the Apollo CM), and a Lunar Lander (LL) which is inhabited for the trips from lunar orbit to the lunar surface and back (analogous to the Apollo Lunar Module). Both spacecraft can support a crew of a single person. The CM is pressurised during flight, while the LL is an "open cab" vehicle, with life support provided by a spacesuit. The open cab lander idea has historical precedents in the Apollo Lunar Escape System ("LESS"), the Langley Light, Lighter and Lightest landers, and the SpaceDev Rocket Chair. The flight profile is of the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR) type: the CM and LL travel to lunar orbit as a single docked unit, with the LL separating from the CM for lunar descent and then re-docking with the CM after ascent. Only the CM returns to Earth, with the LL either left in lunar orbit or crashed into the lunar surface. Transfer between the CM and LL is performed via a spacewalk (EVA). The procedure of transferring between spacecraft via EVA was performed previously (on the Soyuz 5 flight) and was a planned part of the Soviet manned lunar landing program.
Unlike Apollo, the CM is able to act as an entirely independent spacecraft for suborbital or Earth orbital flights. Propulsion for circumlunar or lunar landing missions is provided by a separate Propulsion Module (PM), and consumable storage is provided by an Orbital Support Module (OSM), analogous to the Apollo Service Module.
[edit] Core Hardware Items
- Command Module (CM)
- Orbital Support Module (OSM)
- Lunar Lander (LL)
- Propulsion Module (PM)
[edit] Basic Flight Plan
Launch vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9
Flight profile: Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR)
Reentry mechanism: Ablative heat shielding of reentry vehicle and parachute or ballute deceleration.
Short description: Use this space to briefly (one paragraph) summarise the flight plan.
Abort options: Use this space to outline the proposal's possible abort options at every stage of the flight plan.
[edit] Basic Feasibility Analysis
Use this space to provide a basic feasibility analysis for the proposal. The analysis must include realistic mass estimates for the Core Hardware Items, realistic delta v estimates for all major propulsive maneuvers, and an application of the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation to show that the total, fueled mass of the hardware is within the maximum payload limits of the proposed launch vehicle, using a figure for specific impulse which is a realistic estimate for the proposed propellants.
If the analysis is long and tedious or has been achieved using, e.g, a spreadsheet file, then a link may be placed in this space to a separate Wiki page or an external file containing the analysis.
[edit] Selling Points
Use this space to honestly list the attractive features of the proposal
[edit] Major Challenges or Obstacles
Use this space to honestly list the major scientific, engineering or financial challenges and obstacles involved in the proposal
[edit] Supporting Material
An arbitrary amount of material relevant to making the case for the proposal may be included in this space.
