Date of Award

2024-12-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Geological Sciences

Advisor(s)

José M. Hurtado, Jr.

Abstract

This body of work undertakes three distinct projects, all with the ultimate goal of improving the future efforts of human space exploration.Chapter 2 is a seismic analysis of rocket launch and landing operations. Being able to identify and understand anthropogenically induced seismic signals in comparison to naturally occurring seismic signals is an important step in characterizing and monitoring both types of signals on the Moon. Relatively few terrestrial studies have been performed to explore this, but there is a growing opportunity to record, discern, and understand the differences between anthropogenic and naturally occurring seismic signals due to the increasing pace of rocket launch activity by governmental agencies and commercial companies around the world. This study analyzes seismic data for launch and landing operations of the New Shepard reusable suborbital rocket system at Blue Originâ??s Launch Site One near Van Horn, Texas. Through the investigation of 14 launch events between October 2020 and August 2024, we were able to use data from existing seismic monitoring networks that captured data during Launch Site One operations to (a) visualize and discern seismic activity from the rocket launch and landing operations; (b) distinguish those signals from naturally occurring seismic signals; and (c) identify and correlate seismic signatures related to critical phases of rocket launch and landing operations. We can consistently identify a variety of seismic signals that correspond to the critical phases of Blue Originâ??s New Shepard flight profile with seismometers 36 km to 74 km away from Launch Site One. Data from seismometers closer to Launch Site One (~8 km) increase our ability to further characterize the seismic signals and to discern signals not evident at farther distances. Our results are an exciting step in the seismic analysis of terrestrial space port operations and launch-and landing operations on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. Chapter 3 is a concept-of-operations for documenting planetary surface operations. NASA and its commercial partners are taking humanity back to the Moon and then on to Mars with the Artemis program. At present, it is planned for two astronauts to land on the lunar surface during each Artemis mission to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs) in support of operations, engineering, and science objectives. Each Artemis astronaut is expected to have a video camera embedded into their spacesuit helmets and each be equipped with a handheld camera for still images. These first-person perspective imaging tools, along with the astronautsâ?? voice transmission, are presently all that will be available for the astronauts to document their EVAs and the associated operations, engineering, and science tasks. Motivated by the limitations of the Artemis imaging plan, we conducted a first-of-its-kind test of third-person perspective imaging concepts-of-operations (CONOPS) at the Kilbourne Hole planetary analog site. We utilized four first-person and 17 third-person perspective cameras during a 2-hour 40-minute 17-second analog EVA in which we conducted various Artemis-like geologic tasks, such as sample collection and station characterization. We obtained 19 hours 27 minutes 18 seconds of video and 1,294 still images, with which we demonstrate the value of third-person perspective cameras working in coordination with first-person perspective cameras. We are able to more completely capture the spatial and temporal context of crew activities, crew localization, collected data, and collected samples at multiple scales, as well as create supporting data products that can be used to reconstruct traverses and study sites. We highlight five case studies to demonstrate viable uses of the imaging tools and data at various scales of task execution. We strongly advocate for a camera affixed to a tripod that mounts to the tool cart in its monopod/mast configuration and can be quickly and easily detached, manipulated into its tripod configuration, and deployed to the planetary surface. Chapter 4 is a field geologic mapping and analysis of the distribution of volcanic blocks at Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico. Kilbourne Hole is a maar volcano in the Potrillo Volcanic Field in Southern New Mexico that was explosively formed approximately 24,000 years ago by a phreatomagmatic eruption. A characteristic of Kilbourne Hole that has been largely underexplored is the distribution of the basalt volcanic blocks around the crater rim. This research effort focuses on the spatial distribution of those basalt volcanic blocks to better understand and constrain the explosive and erosive history of this maar volcano. Through field mapping and analysis of high-resolution images, we (a) determine the farthest extent of volcanic blocks ejected during the explosive activity; (b) map the nonuniform abundance of volcanic blocks around the crater rim, including a relative absence of volcanic blocks in the southwest and southeast; and (c) identify and two, distinct populations of volcanic blocks that while lithologically identical, have distinct color appearances owing to their weathering characteristics. We present a conceptual model for the formation and erosional modification of the Kilbourne Hole surge deposits, particularly the burial and exhumation history of ejected blocks of the pre-existing Afton lava flow. This model allows us to constrain the original shape of the explosively-excavated crater to an ellipse, likely the result of multiple smaller explosive eruptions with a migrating explosion center along the Fitzgerald Fault, with later significant erosional modification to form the present-day topography. This research effort not only increases our knowledge of Kilbourne Holeâ??s eruptive and erosional history, but it aids in our understanding of maar volcanology both on and off the Earth, with timely application to Mars surface exploration and resulting imagery obtained by the Perseverance rover in May 2024.

Language

en

Provenance

Recieved from ProQuest

File Size

342 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Tara Lynn Sweeney

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