97 citations · 651 across the 39 of their papers we have counts for
42 papers
Lunar Cold Trap Contamination by Landing Vehicles
Scott T. Shipley, John E. Lane, Philip T. Metzger
Tools have been developed to model and simulate the effects of lunar landing vehicles on the lunar environment, mostly addressing the effects of regolith erosion by rocket plumes a…
Thermal Extraction of Volatiles from Lunar and Asteroid Regolith in Axisymmetric Crank-Nicholson Modeling
Philip T. Metzger, Kris Zacny, Phillip Morrison
A physics-based computer model has been developed to support the development of volatile extraction from regolith of the Moon and asteroids. The model is based upon empirical data…
Modeling the Thermal Extraction of Water Ice from Regolith
Philip Metzger
Modeling has been developed to support the development of volatile extraction technologies for the Moon, Mars, asteroids, or other bodies. This type of modeling capability is impor…
Results of the 2015 Workshop on Asteroid Simulants
Philip T. Metzger, Daniel T. Britt, Stephen D. Covey +1
The first asteroid simulants workshop was held in late 2015. These materials are needed for tests of technologies and mission operational concepts, for training astronauts , for me…
Further Analysis on the Mystery of the Surveyor III Dust Deposits
John Lane, Steven Trigwell, Paul Hintze +1
The Apollo 12 lunar module (LM) landing near the Surveyor III spacecraft at the end of 1969 has remained the primary experimental verification of the predicted physics of plume eje…
Soil Test Apparatus for Lunar Surfaces
Laila A. Rahmatian, Philip T. Metzger
We have studied several field geotechnical test instruments for their applicability to lunar soil simulants and analog soils. Their performance was evaluated in a series of tests i…
Rocket Cratering in Simulated Lunar and Martian Environments
Christopher Immer, Philip Metzger
With NASA's planned return to the moon and possibly with lunar outposts being formed, repeated landings at the same site will be necessary. Understanding rocket plume interaction w…
The Physical State of Lunar Soil in the Permanently Shadowed Craters of the Moon
Jacob N. Gamsky, Philip T. Metzger
The physical state of the lunar soil in the permanently shadowed craters of the moon is inferred from experimental investigation. The permanently shadowed craters do not undergo th…
Lagrangian Trajectory Modeling of Lunar Dust Particles
John E. Lane, Philip T. Metzger, Christopher D. Immer +1
A mathematical model and software implementation developed to predict trajectories of single lunar dust particles acted on by a high velocity gas flow is discussed. The model uses…
The Damage to Lunar Orbiting Spacecraft Caused by the Ejecta of Lunar Landers
Philip T. Metzger, James G. Mantovani
This manuscript analyzes lunar lander soil erosion models and trajectory models to calculate how much damage will occur to spacecraft orbiting in the vicinity of the Moon. The soil…
Economics of In-Space Industry and Competitiveness of Lunar-Derived Rocket Propellant
Philip Metzger
Economic parameters are identified for an in-space industry where the capital is made on one planet, it is transported to and teleoperated on a second planet, and the product is tr…
The Cost of Lunar Landing Pads with a Trade Study of Construction Methods
Philip T. Metzger, Greg W. Autry
This study estimates the cost of building lunar landing pads and examines whether any construction methods are economically superior to others. Some proposed methods require large…
Moons Are Planets: Scientific Usefulness Versus Cultural Teleology in the Taxonomy of Planetary Science
Philip T. Metzger, William M. Grundy, Mark Sykes +5
We argue that taxonomical concept development is vital for planetary science as in all branches of science, but its importance has been obscured by unique historical developments.…
Apollo Video Photogrammetry Estimation of Plume Impingement Effects (conference version)
Christopher Immer, John Lane, Philip Metzger +1
The Constellation Project's planned return to the moon requires numerous landings at the same site. Since the top few centimeters are loosely packed regolith, plume impingement fro…
Scaling of Erosion Rate in Subsonic Jet Experiments and Apollo Lunar Module Landings
Philip T. Metzger, John E. Lane, Christopher D. Immer +5
Small scale jet-induced erosion experiments are useful for identifying the scaling of erosion with respect to the various physical parameters (gravity, grain size, gas velocity, ga…
Lunar Dust Particles Blown By Lander Engine Exhaust in Rarefied and Compressible Flow
John E. Lane, Philip T. Metzger, Jeffrey W. Carlson
Previously we presented a numerical model that predicts trajectories of lunar dust, soil, and gravel blown by the engine exhaust of a lunar lander. The model uses the gas density,…
ISRU Implications for Lunar and Martian Plume Effects
Philip T. Metzger, Xiaoyi Li, Christopher D. Immer +1
Experiments, analyses, and simulations have shown that the engine exhaust plume of a Mars lander large enough for human spaceflight will create a deep crater in the martian soil, b…
Modification of Roberts' Theory for Rocket Exhaust Plumes Eroding Lunar Soil
Philip T. Metzger, John E. Lane, Christopher D. Immer
Roberts' model of lunar soil erosion beneath a landing rocket has been updated in several ways to predict the effects of future lunar landings. The model predicts, among other thin…
Cratering of Soil by Impinging Jets of Gas, with Application to Landing Rockets on Planetary Surfaces
Philip T. Metzger, Bruce T. Vu, D. E. Taylor +9
Several physical mechanisms are involved in excavating granular materials beneath a vertical jet of gas. These occur, for example, beneath the exhaust plume of a rocket landing on…
Empirical Scaling Laws of Rocket Exhaust Cratering
Carly M. Donohue, Philip T. Metzger, Christopher D. Immer
When launching or landing a spacecraft on the regolith of a terrestrial surface, special attention needs to be paid to the rocket exhaust cratering effects. If the effects are not…
Furthering Asteroid Resource Utilization in the Next Decade through Technology Leadership
Chris Lewicki, Amara Graps, Martin Elvis +2
A significant opportunity for synergy between pure research and asteroid resource research exists. We provide an overview of the state of the art in asteroid resource utilization,…
Understanding and Mitigating Plume Effects During Powered Descents on the Moon and Mars
Ryan N. Watkins, Philip T. Metzger, Manish Mehta +10
This 2020 Decadal Survey White Paper reviews what is known about lunar and martian lander Plume Surface Interactions (PSI) during powered descent. This includes an overview of the…
Asteroid Resource Utilization: Ethical Concerns and Progress
Andrew S. Rivkin, Moses Milazzo, Aparna Venkatesan +4
As asteroid mining moves toward reality, the high bar to entering the business may limit participation and increase inequality, reducing or eliminating any benefit gained by margin…
Model for Asteroid Regolith to Guide Simulant Development
Philip T. Metzger, Daniel T. Britt
When creating asteroid regolith simulant, it is necessary to have a model of asteroid regolith to guide and to evaluate the simulant. We created a model through evaluation and synt…