AMA has been an integral part of, and major contributor to, NASA LaRC lunar exploration studies for the Vision for Space Exploration since 2004. We have participated and led high priority and short turn-around trade space analyses and vehicle conceptual designs/layouts. As a result of this work, AMA personnel received two separate awards - an Exploration Systems Architecture Study Technology Assessment Team Center Award and a NASA Agency Group Achievement Award for work on the Exploration Systems Broad Lunar Trade Study.
Participation history has been extensive, including:
- Broad Trade Study: investigation of overall transportation architecture design. Investigation of extensive trade tree of approaches, including missions utilizing low lunar, weak stability boundary layer, and L1/L2 orbits.
- Lunar robotic proposals: assisted LaRC in generating multiple lunar robotic mission designs, including orbiters, landers, impactors, and penetrator concepts.
- Lunar Lander Preparatory Study: provided support to a range of possible lunar lander configurations, illustrating the functionality and benefits of each. Supported refinement of selected concepts down to subsystem mass refinement and trades, and surface operations support concepts.
- Lunar Architecture Study: concept refinement of lunar surface operations and overall mission concept. Study considered cargo manifesting, cargo offloading, and overall synergy of surface systems and element designs.
