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ISAE-SUPAERO’s researchers are working on establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

Publication Date

10 October 2023

Category

Research

Return of manned missions to the Moon

ISAE-SUPAERO is conducting a wide range of research projects aimed at improving our understanding of the Moon, developing spacecraft and life support systems, optimising the use of resources available in situ, and limiting the environmental impact of lunar missions.

  • Involvement in the renewal of lunar seismology

In order to anticipate the potential effects of a meteorite impact or an earthquake on the Moon’s surface, seismology research is being carried out around the development of instruments designed to probe the vibrations of the lunar soil, as well as the first few metres beneath the Moon’s surface. The Space Systems for Planetology and Applications research group is notably involved in the renewal of lunar seismology through the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) instrumental suite, supplied by JPL/NASA, which will deploy sensors on the far side of the Moon by 2025.

The research group to which Raphaël Garcia belongs – a researcher in planetary geophysics – is also involved in the Lunar Quake Service, which will be responsible for detecting earthquakes and meteorite impacts using the data collected, as well as producing imagery of the Moon’s interior based on this data.

  • Preparing for a lasting presence on the Moon

Although manned flights to the Moon are currently only envisaged for a few days, research is nevertheless being carried out to enable a permanent presence on the Moon one day. Among the obstacles to a long-term presence, the question of radiation is the subject of a thesis by ISAE-SUPAERO, studying the various possible protection solutions.

Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and TRAD Tests & Radiations, in cooperation with INSERM, Yulia Akisheva’s thesis – directed by Yves Gourinat, professor of material structures – is studying the ability of materials available on the lunar surface to protect astronauts from cosmic rays. Regolith in particular has been identified as a preferred resource for the construction of habitacle linings capable of protecting against radiation. Other types of materials, metals or liquids, particularly those rich in hydrogen, are also being studied.

Through various simulations, this research aims to understand how radioactive particles are deposited and to assess the doses ingested by the body in order to measure the effectiveness of the materials studied in terms of protection. A particle accelerator simulation will be carried out in early 2024 to test the prototypes resulting from this research as closely as possible to real-life conditions.

  • Limiting the environmental impact of lunar missions

In addition to crew safety, there is also the question of the environmental impact of space missions, and in particular the management of space objects in lunar space. There is currently no system for tracking and monitoring debris in lunar orbit. The increase in the number of lunar missions could rapidly lead to heavy pollution, especially as natural clean-up is out of the question, as the atmosphere near the Moon is too thin to allow this.

Research work is being carried out as part of the Advanced Space Concepts chair created in 2017 on the initiative of ISAE-SUPAERO, Airbus and Ariane Group. The aim is to develop the study of future space concepts from a systems and architecture perspective, through research and teaching projects within a Space Advanced Concepts laboratory (SACLab).

This is the focus of Paolo Guardabasso’s thesis, funded by ESA and Thalès Alenia Space and supervised by Gregoire Casalis – Dean of Research and Pedagogical Resources – and Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez – Professor of Space Systems. This work involves simulating the environment of lunar and cislunar debris, based on different scenarios of future lunar traffic.

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