1. Introduction
Mission scenario contains a description of the 4-month IBMP-NASA isolation study on the SIRIUS project. The document represents the mission goals and a number of supporting works aimed at creation of the analog environment for simulation of a mission to the Moon.
In the course of two weeks before the mission launch crew members will make themselves at home in the ground test facility (NEK) and be familiarized with composition of different systems including elements of control and life support, participate in baseline data collection within the research program, decide where to place research and service equipment with consideration of ergonomics and ease of use, and make personal quarters comfortable to their liking.
2. Mission scenario
The scenario dictates reproduction of the basic analog features owing to which the crew will feel very much like they are on a real mission and dismiss from their minds the life outside the modules. It must also have a reason for every event and inspire the crew to teamwork. The ultimate goal of the mission is acquisition of original and high-quality research data.
а. Moon mission – transit, flying around to find a place for landing; landing of 4 crew members for on-surface operations; staying on the Moon orbit and remote manipulation by the rover delivered to the satellite; return. I. General scenario, milestones:
- The crew starts for the Moon, arrives to the orbit and docks to an orbital station (a DEEP SPACE GATEWAY analog);
- For the period of 2 months the crew conduct observation and decides where to land and perform several (usually night) docks with transport vehicles;
- Four crew members land to the Moon and several egresses are fulfilled by 2 or 3 members in spacesuits. Meanwhile, the orbiting vehicle and the rest two crewmembers continue orbiting and provide technical assistance and advice to their mates on the surface;
- Departure from the moon and dock with the orbiter.
- Orbiting the Moon over several weeks in order to operate rovers remotely and to receive transport vehicles that dock usually at nighttime.
- Return to Earth
II. Main goal: Choice of the area for future construction of a settlement and foundation.
III. Mission duration – 4 months
- Transit and dock with the Moon orbital station: 3+7 days
- Orbital phase: observation and choice of the landing site; several (usually night) docks with transport vehicles ~ 7 weeks
- Landing and on-surface operations – 10 days
- Departure from the moon and dock with the orbiter. Decontamination procedures 10 days
- Orbiting the Moon over several weeks in order to operate rovers remotely and to receive transport vehicles that dock usually at nighttime ~ 4 weeks
- Return to Earth – 7+3 days
Mission milestones
| Scenario duration (days) | Simulation duration (days) | Mission days Module | ||||
| Launch, insertion into near- Earth orbit | 3 | 3 | MD 1-3 EU150 | |||
| Transit, dock with orbital station | 7 | 7 | MD 4-10 /EU150 | |||
| Orbital operations | 50 | 50 | MD 11-60 All modules | |||
| Landing and post-landing operations | 10 | 10 | MD 61-70 EU50 | |||
| Departure, dock with orbital station. Decontamination | 10 | 10 | MD 71-80 All modules | |||
| Orbiting the Moon in order to control rovers on the | 30 | 30 | MD 81- | |||
| satellite; docks with transport vehicles | 110 All modules | |||||
| Transit to Earth | 7 | 7 | MD 111 – 117 EU150 | |||
| Reaching the Earth’s orbit, undock and landing | 3 | 3 | MD 118 – 120 EU150 |
IV. Crew composition: six members including 3-4 males and 2-3 females
- Crew commander
- Flight engineer
- Crew Surgeon
- Payload specialist 1
- Payload specialist 2
- Payload specialist 3
V. Brief definition of mission objectives
- Crew health and safety maintenance
а. Daily health check and profound medical examination, if necessary
b. Monitoring of motor activity and regular physical training. The type, intensity, duration etc of exercise will be decided later
c. Monitoring of the module cleanness and tidying up procedures
d. Refresher training in medical aid skills, emergency responses and escape. Night dock or undock operations
e. Landing on the Moon. EVAs in spacesuits with a remotely controlled rover
- Scientific observation of the Moon surface and well-grounded choice of the landing site, as well as the area for construction of a settlement in future.
- Implementation of the program of researches in spaceflight psychology, physiology, human factors and habitability
- Maintenance of transport and other vehicle systems
- Educational and outreach activities
- Communication delay:
1) MD 11 –110 – 5 and 5 min.
IBMP will develop a draft of a Communication document that will be jointly concurred and approved.
2) Between MD 30 and MD 110 – loss of communication up to 5 days (preplanned off-nominal event).
A few other type of off-nominal situations will be planned during the mission.
3. Operations in support of successful mission implementation
In general, the crew will have 16 hours waking period including 8 hours as working day (science and vehicle ops activities); the rest will be considered as free time that could also could be somewhat used by the crew for some ops or science activities.
Sleep studies will be a part of overall mission scenario associated with planned docking operations. There will be planned two periods of sleep deprivation during 40 hours each. Additionally, there will be a plan to have two 5 hours periods of short sleep as well as two periods of intermittent sleep (the crew to be awakened for 5-10 minutes every hours during night)
а. Purpose: crew health and safety maintenance
- Daily health check and periodic profound medical examination with the use of instrumental methods
- Recording motor activities throughout the mission with regular physical exercise .
- Implementation of all sanitary and hygienic procedures
- Use of the standard and test countermeasures
- Emergency response simulation for the purpose of safety skills refreshment. The crew will perform two sessions of medical ops to train crew coordination during the planned emergency events.
b. Purpose: Landing on the Moon; foundation of the future construction of a settlement.
Simulated operations:
А) Docks (including at nighttime) with the lunar orbital station and arriving transport vehicles
B) Moon surface observation to find a place for landing and future construction of a settlement
C) Remote operation of rovers on the Moon
D) Landing and egress operations of suited crewmembers
c. Purpose: Comprehensive medico-biological researches in the field of space psychology, physiology, metabolism, immunology, genetics, microbiology, sanitation and hygiene, human factors and habitability
The crew will conduct investigations included in the Program during in accordance with IRD and daily timeline.
I. Crew activities and locomotion (investigation) will be registered throughout the experiment. Mood, behavior and mental performance will be evaluated with the use of different instrument and questionnaires.
II. Functioning of the body organs and systems will be evaluated using appropriate devices and equipment. Main emphasis will be put on the cardiovascular and other systems crucial for physical ability. Some investigations will be performed before and after isolation.
III. Integrated studies of metabolism and immune status will be done during isolation. Blood, urine and saliva will be collected for a variety of analyses. Of special interest will be revealing the biomarkers of stress.
IV. The crew will be responsible for microbiological investigations of their environment and personal microflora including microbiome.
V. Effectiveness of countermeasures for physiological systems of the participants in the project will be assessed.
VI. The crew will be responsible for all investigations and types of work put down in the Research program including registration, filing and transmission to the ground control center of the entire bulk of information.
d. Purpose: Maintenance of vehicle systems
I. Operations: Crew will interact with the internal components of environmental monitoring and NEK life support systems.
II. Operations: Crew will control the environmental sanitation and hygiene in the modules.
III. Operations: Crew will fulfill the primary duty of cleaning the habitat, crew quarters, public spaces such as the galley and sanitary zone.
IV. Operations: Crew will provide good and undisturbed operation of the video surveillance and information exchange systems.
e. Purpose: Educational and outreach activities
I. Activities: photography and filming of all crew activities, keeping diaries, contacting with the media adhering to the bioethics rules and in accordance with the nondisclosure provisions in the Informed consent and Agreements to participate in the project.