NASA is pioneering the future of space exploration as we extend humanity’s presence further into the solar system. The 2021 RASC-AL Competition is seeking undergraduate and graduate teams to develop new concepts that leverage innovation to improve our ability to operate in space and on distant bodies. The project calls for:
- a low-mass habitat
- Support 2 crew members
- Duration of 30 days
- Dry mass limit of 6,000 kg
The habitat is set to be ready for first use in 2028, with an annual budget of $1 billion per year from 2022-2028 (including delivery to the lunar surface). The team has created a development timeline with a technology portfolio that can credibly achieve the date. The habitat has been designed with the capability of re-use, as it will serve as the starting point for expanding to greater crew capabilities on the surface, and for preparation for Mars missions. The Artemis project’s main objective is to establish a lunar presence by the end of 2028. Since the Apollo Missions, it has been understood that space is a harsher environment for life than previously understood. A lunar presence would increase the opportunity for further science, establish lunar commerce, extract resources, and use the moon as a waystation to further exploration into space ensuring human survival.
The team that has taken on the challenge of this project include five (5) dedicated students from the Northern Arizona University (NAU). All five students are seniors at NAU studying Mechanical Engineering. The team has an extreme passion for the field of space travel, aerospace engineering, and all the barriers that must be knocked to achieve the result of the project. The team lead of this NASA RASC Capstone group is Keerthi S. Gopi-Nagaruri, the Logistics and Co-Testing Engineer role has been taken by Aidan OBrien, Jelani Peay is the team's Financial Manager, the CAD Engineer is Ryan Navarett, and Salar Golshan has taken the Manufacturing, Co-Test Engineer, and Website Development role.
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