Our first feeble steps to the Moon will now begin. At the same time that the Lunar Vehicle (LV) and Cislunar Vehicle (CV) have completed flight testing, we will astonish the world by flying two missions that will loop around the Moon. The Expeditionary crew will accomplish all of the orbital tasks needed, as usual.
The first circumlunar mission will carry an exact duplicate of the stack used to deposit TDRS satellites in GSO. This stack, however, will go to the Moon and separate from the OV. The kick motor eventually fires and places the TDRS satellite at L2 located above the far side of the Moon. The OV loops around the Moon and returns home to be returned to Earth.
OV Payload = TDRS Mass + Kick Motor + Adapter
OV Payload = 3454 + 5327 + 89
OV Payload = 8,870 kg
Delta V Budget = Delta V There + Delta V Back
Delta V Budget = 3.388 + 3.425
Delta V Budget = 6.813 kps
Propellant Requirement = Propellant There + Propellant Back
Propellant Requirement = 15353 + 2680
Propellant Requirement = 18,033 kg
Propellant Requirement = 99.89% full
The second mission will have the OV fly the same profile, but this time we will carry a crew with spacesuits attached. However, the tCM1_04–04–18–2985 is too heavy to make the trip. We will perform a one–time modification of the CM to reduce the mission duration to 12 days instead of 18 days. This modification will also reduce the total mass to 2,784 kg, which includes the Flexible Emergency Airlock in case someone cannot click back in after completing an EVA.
OV Payload = tCM1_04–04–12 + Emergency Airlock
OV Payload = 2757 + 27
OV Payload = 2,784 kg
Delta V Budget = Delta V There + Delta V Back
Delta V Budget = 3.388 + 3.425
Delta V Budget = 6.813 kps
Propellant Requirement = Propellant There + Propellant Back
Propellant Requirement = 12201 + 5850
Propellant Requirement = 18,051 kg
Propellant Requirement = 99.99% full
The astronauts will EVA during the flight outbound and inbound, thus becoming the first to perform a circumlunar spacewalk since Apollo 17.
The spacecraft loops once around the Moon and returns home to be returned to Earth.
The configurations for the two circumlunar missions are depicted in Image 1.
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| Image 1: The two vehicles that will make lunar history |
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