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kyle_baron
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<p>When NASA goes back to the moon in 2020, they'll explore the south pole region for a lunar base. Water (ice) is supposed to exist in the craters there. I went to the NASA web site, and they say some of these craters are 2.5-3 miles deep. To get in and out of these craters, astronauts will need a propulsion unit:</p><p> </p><p>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit</p><p> </p><p>Is it possible to upgrade an existing 20 yr. old MMU, for lunar exploratory purposes on the moon? Or, will it have to be completely redesigned? Or, is it even feasible? </p><p> </p><p>From what I've read, a fully suited astronaut, with a fully loaded MMU weighs about 600 lbs. On the moon, that would be 100 lbs. The current MMU creates only 1 lb. of thrust from pressurized nitrogen. I'm thinking of strapping LH2 and LOX to the back of an MMU and turning the astronaut into a real, lunar, rocket man. Would this propellent give the necessary 100 lbs. of thrust to propell an astronaut the necessary 2-3 miles high, out of a crater? How long would an astronaut be able to maintain this thrust, if the tanks can hold 40 lbs. of propellent? Just looking for rough estimates. Here's two more links on the MMU:</p><p> </p><p>http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790008382_1979008382.pdf</p><p> </p><p>http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900001658_1990001658.pdf</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>