Testing and Analysis of a Passive Thermal Management System and Superconducting Data Transfer for Use in Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Abstract

NASA’s future return to the moon as part of the Artemis program requires the development of infrastructure capable of operating on the harsh lunar surface as well as the cryogenic conditions of Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). The Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab (PSTDL) at Michigan Technological University designed the Tethered Mechanism for Persistent Energy Storage and Transmission (TEMPEST) to operate in these harsh conditions while minimizing size, weight, and power constraints as part of the NASA’s Watts on the Moon challenge. The development of TEMPEST was a continuation of the Tethered-permanently shadowed Region EXplorer (T-REx) rover as part of NASA’s 2020 BIG idea challenge where the PSTDL developed an infrastructure deployment rover designed to operate in TEMPEST. PSRs is a stationary power infrastructure solution, designed to transmit power 3km from a periodic generation source to a customer load. The TEMPEST system is divided into three subsystems: Upstream TEMPEST, tether connection, and Downstream TEMPEST. Upstream TEMPEST receives power from a generation source and boosts the voltage level to the transmission voltage of 700 VDC. This power is then transmitted across an aluminum tether to Downstream TEMPSET via the tether connection. Downstream TEMPEST houses the energy storage component of the system, which is used to supply power to the customer’s load. Since the TEMPEST modules are exposed to the harsh thermal environment of the Lunar PSR, a thermal management system (TMS) for each subsystem must be designed and integrated to keep all critical components within their operating temperature limits. Due to the mission profile, TEMPEST has high power dissipation for 6 hours, followed by 18 hours of cold temperature survival. To address this challenge, a passive multi-component TMS was incorporated into the design. Most notably, the design contains a significant mass of Phase Change Material (PCM). Since there is little heat generation due to disconnection from the power source during the 18-hour discharging cycle, the primary function of the PCM is to store thermal energy from component inefficiencies and slowly release that heat with its low thermal conductivity over time to keep components within their minimum operating temperature limits. In addition to the TEMPEST thermal system, testing was performed on the communication characteristics of the tether. A benefit of a tethered system is the capability of non-line-of-sight communication between nodes, a major advantage inside of a PSR. TEMPEST’s tether takes advantage of the extreme thermal environment of the PSRs to enhance the resistive properties of the tether. Tether testing at cryogenic temperatures characterizes the transient properties of the tether and provides conclusions on how this impacts mission design.

Publication Title

AIAA Aviation Forum and Ascend 2025

ISBN

[9781624107382]

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