Paper Session III-B - A Roadmap for Space Microelectronics Technology into the New Millennium

Advances in microelectronics technologies over the past several decades have truly revolutionized modern society in almost every aspect of human endeavor. The continuous scaling of the commercial semiconductor technology to smaller and smaller device and interconnect feature sizes (referred to as Mooreís Law due to Gordon Moore of Intel) has lead to more and more functionality being developed onto a single silicon ëchipí. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of an on-chip function is getting cheaper and cheaper. These two factors: ëmore for lessí represents the fuel that has propelled the microelectronics technology revolution of the 20th century. How long will this technology revolution last into the new millennium is a key question that the semiconductor industry is continuously evaluating. An excellent roadmap of the commercial semiconductor technology needs for the next 15 years (from 1997 to 2012) is described in The National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, published by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in December 1997 [1]

Science and Enabling Technologies to Explore the Interstellar Medium

This report summarizes two very exciting and illuminating KISS workshops held on September 8, 2014 and January 12, 2015 entitled, “Science and Enabling Technologies for the Exploration of the Interstellar Medium (ISM),” led by Edward Stone (Caltech), Leon Alkalai (JPL), and Louis Friedman (The Planetary Society, Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus). The timing for these workshops aligned with two recent events related to the exploration of the ISM: in September 2013, Caltech professor and Voyager Project Scientist Edward Stone announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had detected the Heliopause a year earlier, in August 2012 [1]. Unrelated to this, the Kepler Space Telescope’s search for exoplanets (planets around other stars) has yielded spectacular results, including the detection of Earth-like planets. Thus, the vast space between our star and those with potentially habitable planets is slowly emerging into focus. This raises the question, “When and how will humanity bridge this divide and reach toward such destinations?” Even more compelling is the question, “What is a reasonable first step in that direction?” knowing full well that reaching another star is far beyond our current technical capability. The workshops brought together over thirty scientists and engineers to address the following key questions: • Is there compelling science to be achieved on the way to, at, and in the ISM? • What is a reasonable first step in the long road ahead? • What are some of the enabling technologies required to reach beyond our solar system? The answers to these questions were formulated in terms of 1) Astrophysics and Planetary science on the way to the ISM at 5–100 AU, which would include the zodiacal background and dust measurements and flyby of one or more Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs); 2) Heliophysics measurements to obtain a better understanding of the complex environments inside and outside the protective bubble created by our Sun as it travels through the ISM; 3) and Astrophysics from the vantage point of being in the ISM at 100–700 AU, including parallax science, gravitational measurements, and the imaging of exoplanets using gravitational lensin

Fault-tolerant communication channel structures

Systems and techniques for implementing fault-tolerant communication channels and features in communication systems. Selected commercial-off-the-shelf devices can be integrated in such systems to reduce the cost

A Breakthrough Propulsion Architecture for Interstellar Precursor Missions: Phase I Final Report

Our breakthrough propulsion architecture is an innovative way to take advantage of kilometer-scale, multi-hundred megawatt, space-based, phased-array lasers to enable rapid transportation throughout the solar system. In this architecture, the laser would beam power over distances of up to 40 AU increasing the available power density relative to solar insolation by two orders of magnitude. The receiving vehicle would have a photovoltaic array with cells tuned to the laser frequency that outputs a voltage of 6 kV to directly-drive a lithium-fueled gridded ion thruster system at an ultra-high specific impulse of 40,000 s. Such a system could enable final spacecraft speeds of greater than 40 AU/year, potentially enabling missions to the solar gravity lens focus at 550 AU in less than 15 years. This is the propulsion architecture of the 22nd century

Transformers for Lunar Extreme Environments: Ensuring Long-Term Operations in Regions of Darkness and Low Temperatures

This report shows how solar power could enable robotic operations in permanently shaded regions at lunar poles, to extract water ice and further produce liquid hydrogen and oxygen (LH2/LO2) propellant. The power needs are derived from an Architecture for Human Exploration of Mars based entirely on lunar propellant. The extraction of 10 metric tons of water per day (at 10% water in regolith) requires approx. 0.6 MW thermal power. Additional approx. 2 MW electric power are required to produce 7.5 metric tons of LH2/LO2 propellant per day, as needed by the architecture. To provide power to processing equipment inside Shackleton Crater, optimal locations are determined on the crater rim, from which several reflecting TransFormers (TFs) would redirect sunlight, achieving a combined period of illumination of approx. 99% of the year. A single 40-m diameter reflector could provide up to 1 MW solar power. Inflatable rigidizable tower support structures raise reflectors above ground for better solar exposure. There are trade-offs: e.g., two reflectors at ground level would provide the same combined total illumination as a single tower approx. 100-m tall. Such a TF based on a 100-m tower made with inflatable 2-m beams and 40-m diameter reflectors would be of similar dimensions as an MSL-class rover (approx. 1000 kg, 10 m(exp 3)). A TF-prospector rover combo could be designed and deployed in a Discovery-class mission searching for water. The TransFormers would be nodes of a Lunar Utilities Infrastructure that provides solar power year-round in the proximity of the pole, as well as local data transmission andintermittent direct to earth communications. This infrastructure would be instrumental infacilitating the development of a lunar economy

Direct Multipixel Imaging and Spectroscopy of an Exoplanet with a Solar Gravity Lens Mission

We examined the solar gravitational lens (SGL) as the means to produce direct high-resolution, multipixel images of exoplanets. The properties of the SGL are remarkable: it offers maximum light amplification of ~1e11 and angular resolution of ~1e-10 arcsec. A probe with a 1-m telescope in the SGL focal region can image an exoplanet at 30 pc with 10-kilometer resolution on its surface, sufficient to observe seasonal changes, oceans, continents, surface topography. We reached and exceeded all objectives set for our study: We developed a new wave-optical approach to study the imaging of exoplanets while treating them as extended, resolved, faint sources at large but finite distances. We properly accounted for the solar corona brightness. We developed deconvolution algorithms and demonstrated the feasibility of high-quality image reconstruction under realistic conditions. We have proven that multipixel imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets with the SGL are feasible. We have developed a new mission concept that delivers an array of optical telescopes to the SGL focal region relying on three innovations: i) a new way to enable direct exoplanet imaging, ii) use of smallsats solar sails fast transit through the solar system and beyond, iii) an open architecture to take advantage of swarm technology. This approach enables entirely new missions, providing a great leap in capabilities for NASA and the greater aerospace community. Our results are encouraging as they lead to a realistic design for a mission that will be able to make direct resolved images of exoplanets in our stellar neighborhood. It could allow exploration of exoplanets relying on the SGL capabilities decades, if not centuries, earlier than possible with other extant technologies. The architecture and mission concepts for a mission to the strong interference region of the SGL are promising and should be explored further

Direct Multipixel Imaging and Spectroscopy of an Exoplant with a Solar Gravity Lens Mission

We report here on the results of our initial study of a mission to the deep outer regions of our solar system, with the primary mission objective of conducting direct megapixel high-resolution imag- ing and spectroscopy of a potentially habitable exoplanet by exploiting the remarkable optical properties of the SGL. Our main goal was not to study how to get there (although this was also addressed), but rather, to investigate what it takes to operate spacecraft at such enormous distances with the needed precision. Specifically, we studied i) how a space mission to the focal region of the SGL may be used to obtain high-resolution direct imaging and spectroscopy of an exoplanet by detecting, tracking, and studying the Einstein ring around the Sun, and ii) how such information could be used to detect signs of life on another planet