[meteorite-list] Lunar Lander Firing Up For Touchdown

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMSEF7YBZG_index_0.html

Lunar lander firing up for touchdown
European Space Agecny
5 March 2012

Europe's ambition of touching down at the Moon's south pole by 2018 has
been boosted by recent test firings of the craft's thrusters. The robot
lander will prove new techniques for sending humans to the Moon and
assess lunar hazards.
 
With no atmosphere on the Moon, Lunar Lander cannot rely on parachutes
to slow its descent. Instead, the craft will need to fire its engines in
a rather unconventional way.

One of these thrusters was recently put through its paces at Astrium's
specialised facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.

The test chamber was configured to reproduce the vacuum and temperatures
that Lunar Lander will face on its way down to the Moon's surface.  
 
A complete descent and touchdown was simulated, with the thruster firing
in a series of short bursts, reaching a white-hot 1100ºC.

According to ESA's Berengere Houdou, the results are positive: "The
thruster operations were smooth and stable, with great performance, even
under the stress of Lunar Lander's operating conditions."
 
To save the cost of developing a new engine, ESA engineers looked to the
tried-and-tested thrusters of Europe's proven Automated Transfer Vehicle
(ATV) space ferry.

ATV has already completed two fully automated missions to the
International Space Station, delivering supplies and boosting the
complex to a higher orbit.

The third ATV is set for launch this month.

But landing on the Moon is very different from docking with a space
station. Before these tests, it was unclear whether the thrusters would
be suitable for a lunar voyage.

Ahead of landing, the craft will orbit the Moon some 100 km above the
surface. To descend to the Moon's southern pole, central engines will
fire for 10 minutes as the ATV thrusters steer the spacecraft to a safe
landing.

There is no GPS for the Moon, so Lunar Lander will navigate by digitally
imaging the surface and recognising features.

A laser will complete the picture to avoid hazards such as boulders and
craters at the target site.

Lunar Lander's powerful processor will make intelligent decisions to
search for a safe area and touch down without human help. European
technology will be used throughout.