Polymerisation of composite materials in space environment for development of moon base
Abstract
The best way for a Moon base creation is a deployment of light construction on Moon surface after landing. The construction has to be light in deployment and hard at exploitation. A number of proposals for solidification of deployed constructions in space were presented, but the best way is a chemical reaction which leads to a formation of hard frame of space construction. A technology of large-size moon module for industrial and scientific applications is developed on the base of polymerisation technique of composite material with liquid polymer matrix. Experiments with chemical reactions of polymerisation in composite materials under high vacuum, ion beam and plasma discharge showed a possibility to use a liquid viscous polymer matrix of composite materials under space conditions without hermetic coating. Epoxy resins with thermal and photo initiation system of polymerisation were studied. The effects of initiation of the polymerisation reaction under simulated space factors were observed. The polymerised frames can be used in energetic, electronic and other industries on Moon surface. The investigations were partially supported by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and European Space Agency, ESTEC (contract 17083/03/NL/Sfe "Space Environmental Effects on the Polymerisation of Composite Structures"). 1. A.Kondyurin, B.Lauke, Polymerisation processes in simulated free space conditions, Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Materials in a Space Environment, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 16-20 June, 2003, ESA SP-540, September 2003, pp.75-80. 2. V.A.Briskman, T.M.Yudina, K.G.Kostarev, A.V.Kondyurin, V.B.Leontyev, M.G.Levkovich, A.L.Mashinsky, G.S.Nechitailo, Polymerization in microgravity as a new process in space technology, Acta Astronautica, vol.48, N2-3, 2001, pp.169-180.
- Publication:
-
35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004cosp...35..837K