A Review of the Geomechanics Aspects in Space Exploration

Abstract

From the 2000s onwards, unprecedented space missions have brought about a wealth of novel investigations on the different aspects of space geomechanics. Such aspects are related to the exploratory activities such as drilling, sampling, coring, water extraction, anchoring, etc. So far, a whole range of constitutive research projects on the plate tectonics, morphology, volcanic activities and volatile content of planetary bodies have been implemented. Furthermore, various laboratory experiments on extraterrestrial samples and their artificial terrestrial simulants are continually conducted to obtain the physical and mechanical properties of the corresponding specimens. Today, with the space boom being steered by diverse space agencies, the incorporation of geomechanics into space exploration appreciably appears much needed. The primary objective of this article is to collate and integrate the up-to-date investigations related to the geomechanical applications in space technologies. Emphasis is given to the new and future applications such as planetary drilling and water extraction. The main impetus is to provide a comprehensive reference for geoscience scientists and astronauts to quickly become acquainted with the cutting-edge advancements in the area of space geomechanics. Moreover, this research study also elaborates on the operational constraints in space geomechanics which necessitate further scientific investigations.

Shear Wave Velocity Applications in Geomechanics with Focus on Risk Assessment in Carbon Capture and Storage Projects

“…The ongoing utilization of Vs data in geo-related projects is expected to be more extensive as new measurement sensors and instruments are capable of recording the acoustic wave velocities with higher accuracy. Shear wave velocity is increasingly applied in rocks characterization, not only on Earth but also on remote planets [147][148][149].…”

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

“…The atmospheric temperature on the Moon's poles amounts to −230 • C, and on Mars's poles, it reaches −140 • C [10]. Such cryogenic conditions create a diverse spectrum of challenges in the development of extra-terrestrial outposts [32,33].…”

“…For instance, the regolith's cohesionlessness facilitates the excavation operation conducted by construction robots, thereby requiring less energy for regolith removal and haulage. On the contrary, lunar and Martian dust storms perpetually disperse such cohesionless regolith particles in the atmosphere, thereby covering the robots' cameras and lenses and, even worse, penetrating their working units [10]. The latter issue can entirely or partially hamper robots from the construction process.…”

Comparing Several Different Numerical Approaches for Large Deformation Modeling with Application in Soil Dynamic Compaction

“…However, for soil large deformations, due to the distortion of the mesh, they may predict unrealistic results (Bojanowski & Kulak, 2010;Donea et al, 2004). Similarly, for the high-speed impact problems in which an extensive shock renders to severe deformations within the bodies, i.e., astronomical and meteoroid impacts Knez & Zamani, 2021b), the Lagrangian formulation is not effectively applicable. Figure 1 demonstrates the mesh deformation via the Lagrangian formulation applied in impact analysis.…”