Lockheed Martin proposes a mega-lunar lander: 62 tons and an elevator

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The company's proposal for a "crewed lunar lander" is fairly ambitious. The 14-meter, single-stage spacecraft can carry up to four astronauts to the lunar surface, where they can stay for up to 14 days before the vehicle's engines blast it back into lunar orbit. This vehicle would be twice as tall as the Lunar Module used during the Apollo missions to the Moon nearly half a century ago. That vehicle carried two astronauts for short stays of no more than a few days.

"There is a lift elevator platform to get the crew down from the cabin to the surface," said Lockheed Martin principal space exploration architect Tim Cichan in an interview with Ars.

The lander would have considerable dry mass—22 metric tons—and would require an additional 40 tons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel for its sorties down to the surface of the Moon from the proposed Lunar Gateway. The vehicle's preliminary design uses four modified RL10 engines, but other engines could be employed. The reusable vehicle could be re-fueled on the surface of the Moon or in orbit and should be capable of at least five to 10 flights.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/lockheed-martin-unveils-a-super-sized-lunar-lander-for-four-humans/
 
Source:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/lockheed-martin-unveils-a-super-sized-lunar-lander-for-four-humans/
 

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/albums/72157671935059557
 
But what launcher would they use to get it there? ???

Reminds me of these guys:
;D
 

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https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2018/ahead-of-the-curve.html
https://lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/space/documents/ahead/LM-Crewed-Lunar-Lander-from-Gateway-IAC-2018-Rev1.pdf
 

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There are two opposite, polarized ways of seeing this

- A reusable lander on the SLS (expendable and insanely expensive) is a little silly
or
- Lockheed is clever (as usual) and follow the wind: NASA LOP-G is cut for SLS and Orion, to give them a place to go.
Now of course people are complaining this stop short of the lunar surface. No problem: Lockheed saves the day, and build a reusable lander to be launched by SLS and fly between LOP-G and Moon surface.

The first is what makes sense, technically.

The second is called pragmatism, cynism or realism "hey, if NASAwants to do it that way, good or bad, we don't care, let's just follow their decision and get a big contract.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukKQw578Lm8

somebody should re-write this song lyrics over the Apollo program... and the atempts to return to the Moon sinc 1972, notably by NASA. ;D

When I was young, 'seemed that NASA was wonderful
A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical
And all the guys on the Moon, well they'd be singing so happily
Oh joyfully, playfully on TV
And then come Proxmire, to make NASA affordable
And Mondale, oh fiscally responsible
Won't you watch your budget, we'd like to feel you're affordable,
Respectable, oh space shuttle, a vegetable !
Oh, take it take it yeah
 
This lander work only with the Gateway or can perform a mission profile type EOR or LOR?
 
carmelo said:
This lander work only with the Gateway or can perform a mission profile type EOR or LOR?

according this
https://lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/space/documents/ahead/LM-Crewed-Lunar-Lander-from-Gateway-IAC-2018-Rev1.pdf

The Lander is launch by SLS and Operate from Lunar Gateway and get Refuel there by tugs
The Lander has Delta V of 5000 meter/s
theoretical it could launch with Vulcan rocket into Low earth orbit and get refueled by other Vulcan launches 42 tons Lh2/lox
then get to Lunar Gateway and get Refuel for lunar landing missions

...or get fully loaded with SpaceX BFR flight to Lunar Gateway during routine resupply mission...



the Tug they mention in PDF could be ULA ACES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu72H3jMpuY

https://youtu.be/BbZKfno1KNc
 

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