NASA Seeks Information for Gateway Cargo Delivery Services
NASA will lead the development of the Gateway, a permanent spaceship orbiting the Moon, to serve as a home base for human and robotic missions to the surface of the Moon and ultimately, Mars. The first orbiting lunar laboratory will be a temporary home and office for astronauts for up to three months at a time, with cargo deliveries likely scheduled when crew are not present
In order to achieve the perfect logistic process from home to the orbit and back, NASA is asking US companies for their input on the options to transport cargo, food and other necessary goods. They also have to determine a fuel source that will transport the goods.
“The Logistics Module must deliver pressurized and/or unpressurized cargo to the Lunar Gateway located in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) beginning no earlier than 2024” according to the Gateway request letter.
The Gateway will be used to deliver to and from the orbits not only for current Lunar, but also for the Mars 2020. Although this is not a new invention, it is a big improvement to the current process. If we were to go to Mars, which we probably will, this “delivery service will provide astronauts’ necessities upon arrival. This could also serve as an emergency supply deliverer.
Our team project in a way is similar to NASA’s Gateway project since both require team work and cooperation. NASA employees and outside resources must collaborate to find the most efficient way of delivering this cargo.
Our team has divided up work to be as efficient as possible. While some members are finalizing the design and getting it ready for testing, others (including me) are working on the poster that will be presented alongside our prototype. Similar to the NASA project, tasks are distributed among members to develop a working prototype while also working on other required supplements.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-seeks-information-for-gateway-cargo-delivery-services
Comments