Lunar Extreme Water Container (LEWC)

NASA is developing in situ water retrieval technologies to excavate regolith-based water deposits from various regions on the lunar surface, then transport, store, and process them into potable water, propellant, fuel cell reactants, and life support consumables for Artemis missions. Part of this logistics chain is a collapsible water container that can operate in harsh environments such as lunar dust and Permanently Shaded Regions (PSRs) where extreme cold as low as -213deg;C (-351deg;F) is encountered, or in habitable vehicles. Moonprint Solutions will develop a Lunar Extreme Water Container (LEWC) that will support the transport of water to the lunar surface from earth, storage of water on the lunar surface over long periods of time or support the transport of water from production or storage locations to inside pressurized habitable volumes.nbsp;nbsp; The LEWC is a multi-layered collapsible assembly made from high-strength lightweight materials, has a packing factor (ratio of deployed to stowed volume) gt; 100:1 (objective), can be deployed in cryogenic conditions without damage, and is freeze tolerant (9% volume expansion). nbsp;It is also designed to provide dust mitigation when operated in the lunar dust environment by EVA crews in space suits and survive repeated use when exposed to rocks and dust on the lunar surface. nbsp; The LEWC is scalable in size and shape to meet operational constraints such as ergonomic handling while wearing a space suit, minimization of footprint in an airlock, and convenient stowage in vehicles. nbsp;It will be minimal mass but be robust enough to meet the durability requirements of interfacing with highly abrasive lunar dust and sharp rocks in nominal and off-nominal use (accidental drop, dragging, impact) with a target use life of 500 cycles. nbsp;The materials used in the LEWC will be able to be flexed at cryogenic temperatures to accommodate deployment of an empty bag that is cold soaked, which is extremely challenging for polymeric materials. nbsp;