• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.373-387
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• 2023

Scientific exploration of extraterrestrial planets has gripped human imagination since the advent of space travel. Human missions to Mars could produce insight into the essential questions of how, when and where life began on Earth. Such missions would only be feasible using local space resources materials, a concept called in situ-resource utilization (ISRU). The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough review of the currently available Mars soil simulants and to determine those with geotechnical properties most appropriate for vehicle mobility studies. Sourcing and processing are considered since full-scale studies require bulk quantities of material on the order of tens of tons. This review identifies the simulants with the highest fidelity to Mars wind drift soils. In addition, recommendation guide for mars soil simulant development made.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.581-594
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• 2018

This paper is the follow-on of a previous paper by the author where it was pointed out that the forthcoming, manned exploration missions to Mars, by means of complex geometry spacecraft, involve the study of phenomena like shock wave-boundary layer interaction and shock wave-shock wave interaction also along the entry path in Mars atmosphere. The present paper focuses the chemical effects both in the shock layer and on the surface of a test body along the Mars orbital entry and compares these effects with those along the Earth orbital re-entry. As well known, the Mars atmosphere is almost made up of Carbon dioxide whose dissociation energy is even lower than that of Oxygen. Therefore, although the Mars entry is less energized than the Earth re-entry, one can expect that the effects of chemistry on aerodynamic quantities, both in the shock layer and on a test body surface, are different from those along the Earth re-entry. The study has been carried out computationally by means of a direct simulation Monte Carlo code, simulating the nose of an aero-space-plane and using, as free stream parameters, those along the Mars entry and Earth re-entry trajectories in the altitude interval 60-90 km. At each altitude, three chemical conditions have been considered: 1) gas non reactive and non-catalytic surface, 2) gas reactive and non-catalytic surface, 3) gas reactive and fully-catalytic surface. The results showed that the number of reactions, both in the flow and on the nose surface, is higher for Earth and, correspondingly, also the effects on the aerodynamic quantities.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.877-888
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• 2022

Recently, as the CAPSTONE, a precursor mission for Lunar Gateway, was launched on a small launch vehicle for the purpose of demonstrating communications and navigation technology in the NRHO, large attention was brought to this event that enabled high-impact deep space mission using dedicated small launch vehicle and small spacecraft. In this study, we introduced the concept of a dual launch operation and examined the capability of the new concept in the exploration of the Moon, Mars and asteroid. It turned out a single launch is sufficient for the lunar low orbit mission up to around 247 kg, and the dual launch option can transport 215 kg and 183 kg to nearby destinations as such as Mars and astroid Apophis respectively.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.413-422
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• 2012

In recent years, a number of missions have been planned and conducted worldwide on the planets such as Mars, which involves the unmanned robotic exploration with the use of rover. The rover is an important system for unmanned planetary exploration, performing the locomotion and sample collection and analysis at the exploration target of the planetary surface designated by the operator. This study investigates the development of mobility system for the rover ground model necessary to the planetary surface exploration for the benefit of future planetary exploration mission in Korea. First, the requirements for the rover mobility system are summarized and a new mechanism is proposed for a stable performance on rough terrain which consists of the passive suspension system with 8 wheeled double 4-bar linkage (DFBL), followed by the performance evaluation for the mechanism of the mobility system based on the shape design and simulation. The proposed mobility system DFBL was compared with the Rocker-Bogie suspension system of US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration and 8 wheeled mobility system CRAB8 developed in Switzerland, using the simulation to demonstrate the superiority with respect to the stability of locomotion. On the basis of the simulation results, a general system configuration was proposed and designed for the rover manufacture.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2016

Caves can serve as major outposts for future human exploration of the Moon and Mars. In addition, caves can protect people and electronic equipment from external hazards such as cosmic ray radiation and meteorites impacts and serve as a shelter. Numerous pit craters have been discovered on the Moon and Mars and are potential entrances to caves; the principal topographic features of pit craters are their visible internal floors and pits with vertical walls. We have devised two topographical models for investigating the relationship between the topographical characteristics and the inner void of pit craters. One of our models is a concave floor void model and the other is a convex floor tube model. For each model, optical photographs have been obtained under conditions similar to those in which optical photographs have been acquired for craters on the Moon and Mars. Brightness profiles were analyzed for determining the profile patterns of the void pit craters. The profile patterns were compared to the brightness profiles of Martian pit craters, because no good-quality images of lunar pit craters were available. In future studies, the model profile patterns will be compared to those of lunar pit craters, and the proposed method will likely become useful for finding lunar caves and consequently for planning lunar bases for manned lunar expeditions.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.27-30
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• 2007

Martian meteorites are the only available Martian Materials on Earth. A suite of demagnetization experiments, temperature dependence of saturation magnetization, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe analysis were carried out to characterize the remanent magnetization carriers of Martian meteorite SaU 008. A stable paleomagnetic record of SaU 008 originates from a newly found spinel ((Fe, Cr, Ti)-spinel) whose composition has never been documented (or identified as magnetic).

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.741-757
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• 2016

Over 60 years has passed since mankinds started space exploration beyond the Earth with lunar explorer Luna 1 launched by Soviet Union. Unprecedently remarkable outcomes have been obtained by sending unmanned spacecrafts to most planets in the solar system and having the lander landed on the approaching comet toward the Earth even though any evidence of life presence has not been discovered yet. Only moon is an natural object beyond the earth on which human beings landed. Many countries are planning to send humans to the moon or mars to build colonies and to survive with substantiality. Korean lunar exploration program has officially started as of 2016 after its plan including lunar exploration has been specified in the series of National Space Promotion Plan since Korea initiated space development in early 1990s. In this paper, the plan for Korean space exploration is summarized with reviewing overseas space exploration program status and trends.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.240-246
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• 2016

The hottest news and achievements of space science and research in recent years may be NASA Curiosity rover's exploration (2013) of Mars, China Chang'e 3's exploration (2013) of Moon, ESA Rosetta's exploration (2014) of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and NASA New Horizons' exploration (2015) of Pluto, which are very astonishing achievement since such a deep space journey was possible with current technology. In contrast the wonderful cruise and navigation technologies evolution of explorer in deep space, there are no remarkable changes in deep space data communication, it is still in conservative area, of which much changes are reluctantly accepted so far. But there are some movements of deep space exploration in order to allow ground brilliant technologies to deep space. One of those experiments is internet, whose main topic of this paper. In this paper, we will present the analysis of effectiveness of solar system internet to deep space exploration.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2013

Human spaceflight experience in extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is limited to two regimes: the micro-gravity environment of Earth orbit, and the lunar surface environment at one-sixth of Earth's gravity. Future human missions to low-gravity bodies, including asteroids, comets, and the moons of Mars, will require EVA techniques that are beyond the current experience base. In order to develop robust approaches for exploring these small bodies, the dynamics associated with human exploration on low-gravity surface must be characterized. This paper examines the translational and rotational motion of an astronaut on the surface of a small body, and it is shown that the low-gravity environment will pose challenges to the surface mobility of an astronaut, unless new tools and EVA techniques are developed. Possibilities for addressing these challenges are explored, and utilization of the International Space Station to test operational concepts and hardware in preparation for a low-gravity surface EVA is discussed.

• Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2020

In 2019, the Aerospace Medical Association of Korea celebrated its 30th anniversary. On the other side of the world, it was also the 62nd anniversary of Russian launch Sputnik 1 of the world's first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957. In additionally, the world, especially the United States was shocked, when on November 3, 1957, Sputnik 2 blasted into Earth orbit with a dog named "Laika"; it was the role of veterinarian's activities for aerospace medical research and exploration. Veterinarians (Vets) are responsible for the health of all the animals for aerospace medicine whether on the ground or in space. Vets can enhance animal and public health and this knowledge of Vets and astronauts can extend their mission durations, go to nearby Earth Asteroids, Mars and other heavenly bodies to study their living and non-living characteristics. This review article is the brief history of the original growth of the veterinarian's activities for the aerospace medical research, in order to stimulate future strategies for improvements in the space life sciences and exploration.