However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce.
Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website. Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text. To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.
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Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released. Get This Book. Visit NAP. Looking for other ways to read this? No thanks. Page i Share Cite. Suggested Citation: "Front Matter. Page ii Share Cite. Copyright by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
Page iii Share Cite. Page iv Share Cite. This page intentionally left blank. Page v Share Cite. GARY L. GARY S. JOHN R. JOHN E. TODD J. Page vi Share Cite. AMY L. JOHN M. Page vii Share Cite. Page viii Share Cite. Page ix Share Cite. Acknowledgment of Reviewers. Crippen, Thiokol Propulsion retired , John C. Recommendation: The Exploration Technology Development Program should institute external advisory teams for each project that 1 undertake a serious examination of potential external collaborations and identify those that could enhance project efficiency, 2 conduct peer review of existing internal activities, and 3 participate in a number of significant design reviews for the project.
Recommendation: The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate should implement cooperative research programs that support the Exploration Technology Development Program ETDP mission with qualified university, industry, or national laboratory researchers, particularly in low-technology-readiness-level projects. Testing is needed to address specifically the risks inherent with any new technology. The lack of testing in the current ETDP poses the threat that the technologies will not ultimately be available to be integrated into the Constellation Program, which increases the overall programmatic risk.
Available at www1. Of particular importance is that several ETDP projects, as currently formulated, do not include mission-critical tests—that is, system or subsystem model or prototype demonstrations in an operational environment—that are needed to advance the technology to TRL 6.
Recommendation: The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate should evaluate its test capabilities and develop a comprehensive overall integrated test and validation plan for all Exploration Technology Development Program ETDP projects.
Where new facilities or flight tests are required, conceptual designs for the facilities or flight tests should be developed in order to establish plans and resource requirements needed to include the necessary testing in all ETDP projects. At the conclusion of its study, the committee had developed an appreciation of the enormity of the task faced by the NASA workforce engaged in the ETDP, especially in light of the significant constraints under which the ETDP operates.
These include the following:. The still-dynamic nature of the requirements handed over from the Constellation Program,. In spite of these constraints, the committee was impressed with the intensity of the effort and with the dedication and enthusiasm that personnel showed for playing a part in contributing to the VSE.
The committee hopes that the observations, findings, and recommendations offered in this report will contribute to the ultimate success of the ETDP and to eventual success in a program to explore the solar system and beyond.
Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration VSE , which instructed NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year , in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations," among other objectives. As acknowledged in the VSE, significant technology development will be necessary to accomplish the goals it articulates.
However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.
Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text. To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter. Ready to take your reading offline?
Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available. Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released. Get This Book. Visit NAP.
Looking for other ways to read this? No thanks. Suggested Citation: "Summary. Page 2 Share Cite. Page 3 Share Cite. Page 4 Share Cite. Integration of the Human System. Page 5 Share Cite. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion. Program Management and Implementation Methodology. However, one of the alternative fuel forms investigated in the s, tungsten loaded with uranium dioxide, demonstrated the ability to retain radioactivity and did not lead to cracking or to erosion due to thermal loading under the hydrogen flow conditions.
Thus, the major issue for fuel development is materials behavior, including cracking, erosion, and thermal expansion. Electrical heating of candidate fuel elements can be accomplished in university or government laboratories—no nuclear conditions need be considered in the early stages of research.
Development and demonstration of improved fuel material behavior would be a first, modest-cost step. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. Borowski and L. Finding on Nuclear Thermal Rocket Technology: NASA has no project for examining the fundamental issues involved in recovering the nuclear thermal rocket NTR technology even though the utility and the technical feasibility of the NTR have been established.
Recommendation on Nuclear Thermal Rocket Technology: The Exploration Technology Development Program should initiate a technology project to evaluate experimentally candidate nuclear thermal rocket NTR fuels for materials and thermal characteristics. Using these data, the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate should assess the potential benefit of using an NTR for lunar missions and should continue to assess the impact on Mars missions.
NASA must couple the human aspects of its mission with its technology development program in order to succeed. NASA could return humans to the Moon without nuclear thermal propulsion technology, but the ability to go beyond the Apollo program would be substantially reduced.
Such a reduction would call into question the rationale for exploration provided in the Vision for Space Exploration, the national space policy, and the NASA Authorization Act of Public Law A better integration of the human systems would help to ensure the efficient completion of mission objectives by reducing barriers or obstacles to the human operation of Constellation systems.
In January , President George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration VSE , which instructed NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year , in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations," among other objectives.
As acknowledged in the VSE, significant technology development will be necessary to accomplish the goals it articulates. However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce.
Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website. Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.
To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter. Ready to take your reading offline?
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