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Contour Crafting Simulation Plan for Lunar Settlement Infrastructure Buildup

Conference Paper · April 2012

DOI: 10.1061/9780784412190.155

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Contour Crafting Simulation plan for Lunar
settlement infrastructure Buildup
Berok Khoshnevis, Anders Carlson, Neil Leach, Madhu Thangavelu
University of Southern California
ABSTRACT: Several unique systems including the Lunar Electric Rover, the unpressurized Chariot
rover, the versatile light-weight crane and Tri-Athlete cargo transporter as well as the habitat module
mockups and a new generation of spacesuits are undergoing coordinated tests at NASA’s D-RATS.
A synergetic plan is proposed for utilizing these maturing systems coupled with a fabrication
technology called Contour Crafting, tailored for swift and reliable lunar infrastructure development.
The intent is to increase astronaut safety, improve buildup performance, ameliorate lunar dust
interference and concerns, and attempts to reduce time-to-commission, all in an economic manner.

Introduction
Current lunar settlement buildup philosophy holds that in order to minimize the materials needed
to be flown in, at great transportation cost, strategies that maximize the use of locally available
resources must be adopted. This area of study is often referred to as In Situ Resource Utilization
or ISRU. ISRU may be effectively used for several crucial solutions to safe and reliable
habitation (Khalili 1989, Duke 1998).
Roads and landing pads, habitat platforms and shade walls may all be built from lunar rock and
other ISRU materials. Microwave sintering of lunar soil can create a hard, dust-free surface for
vehicles.(Taylor 2005, Wilson 2005) Accordingly, tools and robotic equipment such as
excavators, graders, rock crushers and aggregate sorters are proposed to be flown in from planet
Earth during the first phase of cargo missions. The use of rocks for building is an ancient yet
sturdy technology and could be used effectively and extensively in permanent lunar settlement
development.(Thangavelu 2000).
The Contour Crafting technology1, invented at USC, is a fast maturing robotic building
technology that offers potential for an economically viable lunar infrastructure buildup. By
virtually eliminating much of the tools and systems that are proposed to be flown in at great cost
and risk, CC offers a strategy and level of automation that also eliminates associated problems of
constrained schedules, and attempts to reduce complexity of operations, coordination and
supervision.
Ongoing NASA Desert Research and Test Studies(D-RATS) provides an ideal platform to study
the merits and limitations of Contour Crafting(CC) technology.
This proposal seeks NASA funds and resources to study the synergies that are offered by
bringing together ISRU, CC and D-RATS. In this study phase we propose to lay out a detailed
plan to conduct a high-fidelity D-RATS simulation exercise in the next phase. A candidate
architectural framework for a lunar settlement upon which this simulation is based is also
presented (Thangavelu M., Mekonnen 2009). The authors are familiar with the NASA D-RATS

1
Please see www.ContourCrafting.org and
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4420610/CC_Video_All_Clips%20copy.mov
field personnel and intend to use their expertise, and tailor the simulation using lessons learnt
from experience.
The proposed project results will be effectively incorporated in several educational courses in
engineering and architecture schools at USC and at International Space University.

Contour Crafting Technology

The basic CC technology, invented at USC, works using
layering of paste material extruded through a nozzle which is
maneuvered by a gantry or a mobile robot. The nozzle is
equipped with computer controller trowels and other features
that assure controlled surface geometry and possibility of
hollow walls with intricate internal structures. The
technology also allows integration with other robotic
modules for concurrent placement of blocks, tiles and other
external objects such as plumbing, electrical and sensor
modules in and around the extruded structures. The CC
technology is currently at TRL4. Successful experimentations
have been conducted on several materials, such as plastics,
ceramics, composites and concrete. The CC technology as a
building system tool has targeted the economic viability of
the built-up environment and has demonstrated this
capability.CC machines have produced full-scale structural
elements such as walls with complex internal features (Figure
1). In fact, NASA has evaluated the CC technology and an
elementary CC machine has been used to demonstrate dome Figure 1. CC nozzle with co-extrusion
construction with internal features at NASA MSFC (Figure building walls with corrugated fill
2).

Contour Crafting and Astronaut Safety

Automated building technology such as Contour Crafting is
critical to improving astronaut safety in construction
scenarios where conventionally several large and bulky
components are depicted employing astronauts in risky EVA
procedures. The assembly and building of roads and
platforms are essential to setting up an initial operational
capability base. Usng CC, it is possible to reduce or eliminate
astronaut presence on site. This planned simulation hopes to
conduct a series of activities to establish the merits and
limitations of using CC in establishing an IOC lunar base.

Lunar Resources
The lunar surface is scattered with minerals and compounds
that may be readily accessed to produce metals, glass, bricks,

Figure 2.Dome structures built using

Contour Crafting
paints and other materials that are necessary for construction for permanent settlements and
infrastructure (Heikenetal 1991).
There had been a long debate about whether the Moon is barren and dry or if it has water(Arnold
1979, Lanzerotti 1981), as those terrestrial planets Mercury and Mars exhibit. Several spacecraft
flybys have shown enigmatic signatures in the past but none had provided conclusive evidence
regarding the presence of water ice.In September 2009, data from the Indian lunar orbiter
spacecraft Chandrayaan-1, equipped with the Moon Minerological Mapper, an instrument built
by NASA, clearly pointed to the evidence that water exists all over the Moon, and indicated that
repositories are viable in the polar regions. Data also pointed that water formation is perhaps an
ongoing process (Pietersetal. 2009). Shortly thereafter on October 9th, 2009,NASA's
LRO/LCROSS mission directly verified it by sampling the ejecta plume of an impactor in the
permanently shaded crater Cabeus in the south polar region, and reported findings on November
13th, 2009. The data indicated the presence of other volatiles and carbon compounds as well
(Colaprete etal 2010).
If water is abundant, then water ice may be quarried and used for a variety of purposes including
production of potable water, Oxygen for atmosphere production and Hydrogen for rocket fuel. If
other volatiles are present in substantial quantity, as some of the data from recent missions show,
chemical compounds necessary for life sustenance including agricultural fertilizer and
hydrocarbons for a variety of uses may be produced on site. Water would also make a good
binding agent for making lunar concrete (Lin 1982, 1987) allowing straightforward regolith
stabilization and dust suppression, for lunar development in permanently shadowed areas. Sulfur
has also been proposed as a binder (Omar 1992). Finally, regolith molten by direct sun, electric
furnace and microwave may also be used by the Contour Crafting extrusion system to build
structures.

Building Structures on the Moon

Habitat structures on the Moon may be broadly classified as temporary and permanent structures.
Temporary structures like the Apollo landers fall in the pre-integrated class. They arrive fully
equipped and ready for human activity. No additional work is required before commencing
operations. Larger lunar surface structures that require assembly on-site using components that
are flown in from Earth fall under the prefabricated class. Structures built employing extensive
use of local materials fall in the third class (Cohen, 2002). Tools and heavy equipment flown as
cargo from Earth, are proposed to build large, spacious permanent settlements on the Moon.
There are two schools of thought regarding lunar settlement build-up. One suggests that the
initial settlement be built entirely using robots teleoperated from Earth, and the other proposes
that crew be involved directly on-site in the process (Neal 2009).
Earth-based lunar teleoperations will entail a roundtrip time delay of 2.77 seconds caused by the
distance between the Earth and the Moon and will be compounded by communication and
robotic end-effector system latencies as well. This delay may hamper certain operations, and
may not be effective for those events requiring swift response in aberrant situations or anomalies,
and will require redundancies and fall back options that are not fully predictable. Robots respond
poorly to unpredictable situations.
On the other hand, if crew are directly involved in the buildup on-site, they will have to be
monitored closely during risky EVA operations involving large structures as well as heavy tools
and robotic equipment. Crew-time and time limitations imposed by factors such as maximum
permissible radiation dosage will affect duration of tour-of-duty. Introducing crew into the
process chain also has the disadvantage of an end-point dictated by consumables such as air,
water, food and departure vehicle system characteristics that cannot be extended at will.
A hybrid architecture employing crew for supervision and robotic buildup employing real-time
telerobotics from the lander cabin on the lunar surface near the settlement buildup activity site
might be the happy medium strategy. Such a lander would be outfitted with a teleoperations
cabin from which the crew would direct a variety of robotic equipment to complete required
tasks. EVA would be used sparingly to correct anomalies, thus helping to hold to schedule as
much as possible. The Cabin for Teleoperations(C-TOPS) is a candidate lunar lander for fielding
such an architecture(Thangavelu 2009). Larger lunar habitat site office concepts have also been
proposed involving space station derived modules and technology, and the MALEO is one such
lander capable of larger crew and longer missions(Thangavelu 1988).
Initially, when there is a paucity of crew and infrastructure, lunar settlement buildup crew will
depend on prefabricated habitats which do not require any additional work in order to initiate
operations. Just like the Apollo LEM, such landers will be operational upon touchdown. These
lander habitats will be used as site offices from which to supervise lunar settlement build up.
Settlement buildup activities such as constructing a lunar landing pad(Alred, 1988) for handling
cargo sorties or a service road between the pad and habitat location could be accomplished by a
small crew operating equipment telerobotically, from the cabin of the lander- based habitat. A
schematic site plan for such an initial settlement is shown in Figure 3 (Thangavelu 2009).
Figure 3. Schematic of an initial lunar settlement - An initial settlement will need a serviceable
landing pad for crew and cargo, a service road between the landing area and habitat and a
reliable transportation system, both for routine operations as well as for crew escape if the need
arises. CC technology offers promise to build up such architecture. A D-RATS simulation is
proposed.
Current philosophy holds that in order to minimize the materials needed to be flown in, at great
transportation cost, strategies that maximize the use of locally available resources must be
adopted. This area of study is often referred to as In Situ Resource Utilization or ISRU. In the
case of the Moon, ISRU may be effectively used for several crucial solutions to safe and reliable
habitation (Khalili 1989, Duke 1998, Simon 2007).

Roads and landing pads, habitat platforms and shade walls may all be built from lunar rock and
other ISRU materials. Microwave sintering of lunar soil can create a hard dust-free surface for
vehicles (Taylor 2005, Wilson 2005). Accordingly, tools and robotic equipment such as
excavators, graders, rock crushers and aggregate sorters are proposed to be flown in from planet
Earth during the first phase of cargo missions. The use of rocks for building is an ancient yet
sturdy technology and could be used effectively and extensively in permanent lunar settlement
development (Thangavelu 2000).

The CC technology holds promise as a safe and reliable strategy for initial settlement buildup
operations, requiring crew to minimize EVA while providing on-site supervision from the safety
of the temporary shelter. CC machines outfitted with appropriate end effectors may be used to
precisely emplace ISRU building components such as slurry, blocks rough-hewn rocks, tiles and
other surface finishes as required to build up a dust-free zone around the lunar settlement and
activity sites.

Contour Crafting and Lunar Settlement Logistics

ISRU using CC technology promises substantial savings from a much reduced and more
manageable lunar logistics channel. Large components and elements that are proposed to be
shipped to Earth may be built using locally benefictaed and refined materials. Titanium from
anorthite, Aluminum and Iron from oxides abundantly scattered over the lunar surface may be
used as feedstock on lunar CC machines to build a variety of beams and columns,

A conceptual deployment sequence of the mobile Lunar CC machine is shown in Figure 4. Note
that in this figure a material excavation and moving module is also depicted. The material
delivery system for the Lunar Contour Crafter will be based on batch delivery, because
continuous mode delivery (e.g., conveyor, screw feed, circulating air, etc.) is unsuitable for the
lunar condition. The material will be supplied by a material excavator / transporter unit that can
gather loose regolith, transport it, and deliver it to the automatic scooping arm installed on the
Lunar CC machine. A typical operational scenario of such a mobile gantry robot is as follows: a)
launch the mobile gantry robot with the gantry collapsed or retracted, b) after landing, traverse to
the construction site with the gantry still retracted, c) upon arrival to the construction site, deploy
the gantry, d) perform self-alignment and leveling of the gantry, e) ensure that the nozzle,
hopper, and material delivery system operate properly, f) perform Contour Crafting construction,

Figure 4. Deployable Contour Crafting Machines could create unpressurized structures and allied
building infrastructure for lunar settlements and also in other hostile environments here on Earth

g) after the completion of the construction, retract the gantry into transport configuration, and h)
traverse to a new construction site for the next construction.
Architectural and Structural Engineering Concerns
The main differences for structural design on the Moon instead of Earth include the following:
 The proposed layered deposition of in situ processed materials requires a compression-
based structure due to possible lack of in situ materials to reinforce regolith concrete with
sufficient tensile strength(although basalt fiber reinforcement could be a possibility).
Forms must be developed to ensure a compressive load path or that require a minimal
amount of tensile reinforcement of Earth based materials such as the light weight carbon
fiber composites.
 Less energy is needed on the Moon to lift materials. Because the proposed structures are
predominantly compressive, buckling is an issue to consider. The advantage on the Moon
is that the buckling load will be one sixth Earth gravity buckling loads allowing for more
slender structures reducing construction time, material and energy. On the other hand,
vehicle traction is considerably diminished and needs special design attention.(simon etal
2007).
 Since the moon has no atmosphere ,there are no wind generated lateral forces and it is a
seismically quiet body (Heiken etal., 1991). This assists in limiting unbalanced loading
that could introduce tensile forces while enhancing buckling stability.
 Severe temperature differences between stark daylight and shadow and even more severe
surface temperature differences in the diurnal thermal cycling. Fixed structures induce
internal stresses based on thermal gradients and temperature differences from initial
construction temperatures. A structure that is partially shaded can develop large
unbalanced thermal stresses. Uniformly heated or cooled structures can be designed more
readily to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction and minimize the unbalanced
stresses that may introduce tension and cracking.
 Severe temperature differences based on sun angle. Sunlight can be harvested and if
consideration is being made for developments near the South Pole, this will be necessary
to reduce heating demands for habitation and for fluidity of the concrete regolith during
construction.
 Meteorites, radiation and light intensity. The regolith concrete must form the desired
habited and uninhabited spaces as well as resist and provide durability against meteorites,
radiation, thermal loading and direct sunlight. An optimal solution that takes advantage of
increased buckling strength to minimize the material but still resist meteorites and
provide a barrier for radiation will be sought.
 Lava tubes have been suggested as potential sites for permanent settlement because they
provide natural shelter from the harsh lunar environment. Recent images show natural
“skylight” apertures on lava tube formations and may offer potential for access without
major excavation and drilling(Harayuma 2009).
 Dust is a primary concern and this has hampered Apollo mission operations (Gaier J.J,
2005). Architectual design must address this concern directly.

Solar intensity will influence both architectural and structural design. To avoid extreme
variation, forms need to be sought with similar sun exposure throughout the exposed surface.
Particular attention will therefore need to be paid to the geometry and behavior of the sun with
regard to the solar envelope. Layout of Moon development should carefully consider the long
shadows that will occur at a polar development to ensure equal exposure.
Shading walls can be slender due to increased buckling capacity with lower gravity and also due
to lower wind and seismic lateral loadings. The walls should be curved in a manner that will
allow further slimming of the profile with the curve helping resist buckling. The curved surface
should also be designed to counter the thermal gradient of the exposed side to the shaded side to
minimize development of tension on any surface. A double wall system could be used to heat
gases or fluids that could be used for any development needs including conditioning air and
water for human use or for irrigation of moon farming. It could also be used as a geothermal heat
pump to increase temperatures above the low below surface levels to habitable temperatures
within the space.

Tasks to be performed
Following are the proposed simulation tasks.

Adapting CC to lunar environment

CC technology and CC machines are currently designed for use on Earth. The technology must
be evolved for adaptation to the lunar environment. Mitigating and ameliorating lunar dust
effects, adapting CC system to vacuum, accommodating large temperature variations, both from
dynamic shadowing effects as well as diurnal variations are all needed for successful CC
deployment on the Moon. Different end effectors for emplacing different types of building
components, alternate methods to package the CC machine for launch and deployment also need
study.

Structural Design of a Lunar CC system, setup and operations

Lunar CC system will be called upon to accommodate a variety of tasks and for it to be versatile,
it is important that CC components and systems be compatible with other NASA systems being
empirically tested. So, the existing CC system will be evolved to be able to work with the other
NASA assets such as the light-weight crane, the pressurized and unpressurized rover, and the
payloads like the habitat module, various cargo and accessories that are part of buildup
operations. Knowing the loads of these various components to be deployed, it is possible to
design the structural system for the lunar CC machine. It is also possible to evaluate potential
failure modes and effects of the CC system. Thus the merits and limitations of CC technology for
lunar application may also be addressed by direct D-RATS simulation.

Overall layout of the simulated D-RATS Lunar Settlement using CC Technology

Using the number of NASA studies of initial operational capability lunar bases, it is possible to
lay out alternative simulation scenarios and depict them in detail so that the D_RATS simulation
may pick the appropriate build up strategy and plan for execution. The USC school of
Engineering and the school of Architecture have joined efforts to realistically portray such an
evolutionary base employing the CC system in concert with other NASA assets described here.

Conclusion
Following the administration’s directive, NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-
RATS) group have been doing some pioneering, highly empirical projects, assessing potential
technologies, developing tools and systems, and tailoring efficient operational strategies for
returning crew to the moon, this time to build permanent settlements, as we push outwards into
the solar system (Romig B.A 2010). Several unique systems including the Lunar Electric Rover,
the unpressurized Chariot rover, the versatile light-weight crane (Doggett etal., 2008) and Tri-
Athlete cargo transporter (Wilcox B., 2007) as well as the habitat module mockups and a new
generation of spacesuits are undergoing coordinated tests there. This proposal intends to draw up
a detailed synergetic plan to utilize these maturing systems coupled with CC machines, tailored
for swift and reliable lunar infrastructure development. This proposal intends to increase
astronaut safety, improve buildup performance, ameliorate lunar dust interference and concerns,
and attempts to reduce time-to-commission, all in an economic manner.
This D-RATS effort will take on an entire end-to-end simulation that includes building the
necessary components and systems of a lunar settlement utilizing all of these NASA developed
systems mentioned above in concert with the proposed CC machines. Maximizing ISRU using
CC technology as an enabler is the prime driver for this architecture. Such an effort will produce
a figure or merit(FOM) for the CC technology while ferreting out the limitations of undertaking
such a complex endeavor on the Moon. Once successful demonstration of infrastructure
construction has been achieved the next natural step would be the consideration the CC
technology for building Lunar human habitats and other airtight structures.
Completion of the proposed project will not only set the stage for transition of the CC technology
to higher TRL, but also will have a positive impact on the utilization of the technology on Earth.
CC has the potential to revolutionize construction on Earth by: a) rapidly providing shelters to
disaster victims (37 million annually), b) offering dignified housing to the low income occupants
around the world , c) offering accident-free construction (currently 400,000 injuries at
construction sites in the US annually), d) offering construction without waste, noise, dust and
harmful emissions (construction of a house generates 3 to 7 tons of waste), and e) improving the
aesthetics of our buildings by offering elaborate architectural designs at no additional cost over
rectilinear structures. There will also be useful DoD applications such as rapid construction of
ECBRN collective protection shelters, building bunkers and barriers, bridge segments, etc.
Finally, the proposed project results will effectively impact several educational courses in
engineering and architecture schools at USC and at International Space University.
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Thangavelu, M.(1993) MALEO:Modular Assembly in Low Earth Orbit. An Alternative Strategy

for Lunar Base Establishment, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, January 1993.

Thangavelu M., etal.,(1999) The Exploration of Mars:Crew Surface ActivitiesSpace Exploration

Studio Team Project, Aerospace Engg. USC.http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/reports/CB-
979/usc.pdf
Thangavelu, M.(2000)., Lunar Rock Structures, Return to the Moon ll, pp106-08 Proceedings of
the 2000 Lunar Development Conference, Las Vegas, NV. Edited and published by the Space
Studies Institute, NJ.ISBN 0-9701278-0-4

Thangavelu M.etal., (2003), Elements of Sustainable Lunar Base in the South Polar Region,
International Lunar Conference, Hawaii, http://www.spaceagepub.com/pdfs/Khaled.pdf
Thangavelu M., (2003), CONCEPT FOR A LUNAR HUMANITY CENTER AND
RETIREMENT COMPLEX, AIAA 2003-6314, Space 2003 23 - 25 September 2003, Long
Beach, California

Thangavelu M., etal., (2005) USC Hercules Program for Return to the Moon, AIAA-2005-6791
Space 2005, Long Beach, California, Aug. 30-1, 2005, University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, CA 90089 http://astronautics.usc.edu/hercules.htm

Thangavelu, M., etal., (2007) Return to the Moon : Jules Verne Project Fall 2006 Team Project,
ASTE527 Space Exploration Architecture Concept Synthesis Studio, AIAA Space 2007
Conference, September 2007, Long Beach,CA Astronautics and Space Technology
Division(ASTD), University of Southern California, CA 90089-1191
 Thangavelu, M., etal (2007) Human Space Activities : The Next Fifty Years, USC School of
Architecture Faculty Adviser : Madhu Thangavelu, AIAA Space 2007 Conference, September
2007, Long Beach, California Arch 599 Graduate Seminar in Human Space Exploration, Fall
2006, School of Architecture,University of Southern California. Los Angeles, CA 90089-1191

Thangavelu, M.,(2008) “Critical Strategies for Return to the Moon: Altair Dust Mitigation and
Real Time Teleoperations Concepts,” Joint annual meeting of LEAG-ICEUM-SRR, # 4056,Cape
Canaveral, FL, Oct. 2008.

Thangavelu, M., Mekonnen, E.(2009) Preliminary Infrastructure Development for Altair Sortie
Operations, AIAA Space 2009 Conference, September 2009, Pasadena, California

Thangavelu, M.etal.,(2009) Return to the Moon:Looking Glass 204, AIAA Space 2009
Conference, September 2009, Pasadena, California

Thangavelu M., (2010), Living on the Moon, Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, John
Wiley and Sons, London, UK.

Toups, L., & Kennedy, K. J. (2008). Constellation Architecture Team-Lunar: Lunar Habitat
Concepts. AIAA SPACE 2008 Conference and Exposition, 9-11 Sep. 2008. San Diego, CA,
United States : Johnson Space Center.

Wilcox, B., et al.,(2007) Athlete: A Cargo Handling and Manipulation Robot for the Moon,.
Journal of Field Robotics, Volume 24 Issue 5, Pages 421-434, Wiley InterScience 2009,
NASA/JPL, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 2007

Wilson, T. W. (2005). REGOLITH SINTERING: A SOLUTION TO LUNAR DUST

MITIGATION?Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI .

USC ASTE527 Astronautical Engineering site that leads to some related papers:
https://sites.google.com/a/usc.edu/aste527/home

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