Design of a Simulated Human-Rover Interaction Spacewalk Experiment in the LUNA Facility

With the Artemis Program, NASA intends to return to the Moon with humans. This time, however, with partners such as Canada, Japan, and Europe, and this time to stay. While Stage 1 of the program focuses on constructing the Lunar Gateway, a mini space station in a lunar orbit whose modules are already in production in the US and Europe, Stage 2 aims at returning to the lunar surface. This time for more extended periods, as seen in the Apollo missions. The focus of attention is on the lunar south pole, where water ice is to be expected in regions called Permanent Shadowed Regions (PSR), usually found inside craters. Water ice is an essential element to establish a long-term presence on lunar soil since it can be used for various applications such as drinking water, creating oxygen, and hydrogen for rocket fuel. To detect regions where increased amounts of water ice is to be found, rovers can be used to collect samples and retrieve them from the PSR, which might be too cold for explorations by astronauts. However, astronauts could be used to sort the collected samples, and analyze them, if they contain water ice and, therefore, be sent back to Earth for further inspection. This thesis looks at the possibility of such an inspection done by astronauts by: First analyzing the thermal environment of such an inspection and secondly by computing the maximum allowed time an astronaut has for such an inspection before the potential water ice in the sample starts to sublimate. With this objective in mind, a MATLAB script was implemented with multiple variable parameters, which can be adjusted if conditions deviate from those assumed in this thesis. With the assumed conditions described in this thesis, the heat-up time of the samples from 90K to 130K is computed to be approximately 20min. In the second part of this thesis, an EVA procedure was created to simulate such a scenario inside LUNA facility, a Moon analogue facility currently under construction at the DLR campus in Porz-Wahn. With that first-of-its-kind prototype EVA procedure for the LUNA facility, that analogue environment could be tested on its operational capabilities during commissioning. Finally, this thesis recommends adjustments and enhancements to the LUNA facility that would ease the execution of simulated EVAs inside. Additionally, it names preconditions and requisites, such as tools needed to perform the proposed EVA

Addressing key psychological and physiological factors in preparation for Long Duration manned missions - suggested Adaptation of current Astronaut training

Long-duration human space flight missions (longer than 6 months) create new challenges in space exploration. Maintaining crew well-being and performance is critical for the success of these missions. In addition to physiological effects (e.g. due to microgravity or radiation), experiments have demonstrated that in this extreme environment, long-term spaceflight can have adverse psychological and sociological 1 Paper ID: 44485effects on the crew. The Space Exploration Working Group of the 2nd and 3rd \European - Space Generation Workshops" (E-SGW) organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) in Paris, France in March 2017 and in Bucharest, Romania in March 2018 set out the following topics that will be addressed in this paper: 1) Identify physiological and psychosocial risks for long-duration manned missions; 2) Propose mitigation measures against these detrimental health effects and impact they could have; 3) Consider if the astronaut selection process and training could be adapted to the needs of future missions. Physiological risks are dominated by the effects of radiation and microgravity causing a myriad of potential short and long term health issues for astronauts. Medical challenges need to be addressed not only with technical countermeasures, but also considering crucial factors such as team composition and training. Potential psychological disorders include a wide range of mental health problems (for example chronic stress, sleep disorders, anxiety, psychosis, psychosomatic illness, mood disorders) that are not only detrimental to the astronaut, but also reduce productivity. Interpersonal challenges that could develop in such conditions include a tendency to avoid social contact, as well as tension and conflicts arising within the team, which increase with the duration of the mission and distance from Earth, as the Crew becomes more isolated. The breadth of the identified psychological problems needs the implementation of countermeasures to minimize the effects of this stress-inducing environment. Suggested evidence-based and applied psychological approaches in contextual behavioural science could successfully reduce the stress imposed and increase psychological well-being, team cohesion and performance of the crew. A range of potential changes to current selection and training techniques for long-term missions is discussed focusing on selection criteria, to ensure a complementary interpersonal mix within teams, and training to Support both the physical and psychological demands and endurance required for long-term space travel. The presented topic will be examined interdisciplinarily, and will aim to identify a practical and pragmatic approach to enable human spaceflight, balancing risk acceptance versus risk mitigation