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A Discrete-Event Simulation of the NASA Fuel Production Plant on Mars
Technical Paper
2017-01-2017
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
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Abstract
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is preparing for a manned mission to Mars to test the sustainment of civilization on the planet Mars. This research explores the requirements and feasibility of autonomously producing fuel on Mars for a return trip back to Earth. As a part of NASA’s initiative for a manned trip to Mars, our team’s work creates and analyzes the allocation of resources necessary in deploying a fuel station on this foreign soil. Previous research has addressed concerns with a number individual components of this mission such as power required for fuel station and tools; however, the interactions between these components and the effects they would have on the overall requirements for the fuel station are still unknown to NASA. By creating a baseline discrete-event simulation model in a simulation software environment, the research team has been able to simulate the fuel production process on Mars.
This research will mainly utilize the fuel component processing times, travel requirements, and In Situation Resource Utilization concepts to reach the end goal of producing enough fuel to safely get the astronauts home. This simulation displays the inner-working of each subcomponent and the effects that they have on the behavior of the overall system. The validation and verification of the fuel station simulation model includes reviewing historic models, NASA subject matter fuel experts, and a concurrent model. The results, which have been sought out for decades but technology and knowledge were limiting, will provide representative metrics and analysis of environmental effects and interaction of resources to create and maintain fuel on the red planet. This simulation model is the just the starting point of the planning and design strategies.
Authors
- Catherine Ninah - University of Central Florida
- Brian Strevens - University of Central Florida
- Cole Barcia - University of Central Florida
- Isabelle Labbe - University of Central Florida
- Michael Frenna - University of Central Florida
- Austin Faulconer - University of Central Florida
- Keon Habbaba - University of Central Florida
- Katherine Loundy - University of Central Florida
- Louis Schaefer - University of Central Florida
- Alexa Frost - University of Central Florida
- Andrew Foran - University of Central Florida
- Robert Brown - University of Central Florida
- Luis Rabelo - University of Central Florida
Topic
Citation
Ninah, C., Strevens, B., Barcia, C., Labbe, I. et al., "A Discrete-Event Simulation of the NASA Fuel Production Plant on Mars," SAE Technical Paper 2017-01-2017, 2017, https://doi.org/10.4271/2017-01-2017.Data Sets - Support Documents
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References
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