Questions and Responses SMS

NASA NextSTEP-3 Appendix B, Directed-Topic Call #2 White Paper Questions and Answers #

Question

Response

Section 4 describes a Configuration A
standalone system being offloaded from the
lander onto a mobility vehicle and transported
to the element it mates to. Is that surface
transport and offload segment in scope for a
Configuration A offeror to propose, or is NASA
treating it as a government-furnished
assumption? We build lunar surface
transportation infrastructure and have mating
and coupling hardware in a filed application, so
the answer decides whether we propose as a
prime or team with a habitat element provider.
Our current interpretation of the capture
envelopes in 5.2.2 and 6.1.1 is that the mobility
asset will place the active SMS docking
interface (center point of active SMS mating
plane) within a 20 (+/-10) or 50 (+/-25) cm
spherical zone of a predefined target point at an
angle within 3 to 7 deg of the receiving SMS
mating axis. Is that predefined target point at
the center of the receiving SMS mating plane,
or is there an expectation that the initial,
predefined target point will include an
additional (e.g. axial) offset that must be
accounted for by the active SMS?
Are there any other identified umbilical
connections required or desired through the
SMS besides the need for 6kW of 120 VDC bidirectional power and data connections?

No, the transport and offload segment is not in scope for Configuration A. NASA is treating this as government furnished. Our current assumption is that the delivery vehicle provides the offloading function and an existing mobility asset provides the transport of the offloaded system.

You may assume that the predefined target point is at the center of the "ready to latch" fixed reference point, which may or may not coincide with the center of the receiving SMS mating plane, depending on the design of the SMS. The 6-DOF envelope described in the 5.2.2 GRAC is intended to define the delivery precision of the mobility vehicle. Section 6.1.1 defines what the design solution has to do to close the residual gap between the two habitat assets.

There are no other umbilical connections required besides power and data at this time; however, there may be a desire in the future for fluid umbilical connections.

NASA NextSTEP-3 Appendix B, Directed-Topic Call #2 White Paper Questions and Answers

Is there any definition of the desired data
connection?