Project Morpheus

For the virtual reality headset, see PlayStation VR. For other uses, see Morpheus (disambiguation).

Project Morpheus
Logo
Country of originUnited States
Last flightDecember 15, 2014[1]
DesignerNASA
ManufacturerNASA/JSC
ApplicationPlanetary and lunar lander
StatusCompleted[2]
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellantliquid oxygen / methane[3]
Performance
Thrust24000 N[4]
Specific impulse321 s[5]
Burn timetested: 123 s[6]
Used in
Morpheus Lander
References
Referencesmorpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov

Project Morpheus was a NASA project that began in 2010 to develop a vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) test vehicle called the Morpheus Lander. It is intended to demonstrate a new nontoxic spacecraft propellant system (methane and oxygen) and an autonomous landing and hazard detection technology. The prototype planetary lander is capable of autonomous flight, including vertical takeoff and landings. The vehicles are NASA-designed robotic landers that will be able to land and take off with 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of cargo on the Moon.[7] The prospect is an engine that runs reliably on propellants that are not only cheaper and safer here on Earth, but could also be potentially manufactured on the Moon and Mars.[8][9] (See: In-situ resource utilization.)

The Alpha prototype lander was manufactured and assembled at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Armadillo Aerospace's facility near Dallas.[7] The prototype lander is a "spacecraft" that is about 12 ft (3.7 m) in diameter, weighs approximately 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) and consists of four silver spherical propellant tanks topped by avionics boxes and a web of wires.[10][11][12]

The project is trying out cost and time saving "lean development" engineering practices. Other project activities include appropriate ground operations, flight operations, range safety and the instigation of software development procedures. Landing pads and control centers were also constructed.[7] From the project start in July 2010, about $14 million was spent on materials in the following 4 years; so the Morpheus project is considered lean and low-cost for NASA.[11][13] In 2012 the project employed 25 full-time team members,[14] and 60 students.[15][16] At any one time an average of 40 people worked on the project.[2] Project Morpheus devised and used streamlined processes and practices.[17] The Morpheus Lander's last flight was in December 2014. As there were no funds for further flights the lander was returned to JSC in February 2015.[18] Six formal documents were produced by the project. At the end of project review on March 12, 2015, it was estimated that $50 million had been saved by the lean development methods, minimising documentation, and buying parts from Home Depot, MSC Industrial Direct, and W. W. Grainger.[2]

Morpheus Lander in launch position
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Chris Bergin (March 14, 2015). "NASA dreams of future Morpheus project templates". NASA Spaceflight.com. NASA. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref099 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref030 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c "Morpheus Lander Website's Home Page". NASA. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  8. ^ "Innovative Partnership Tests Fuels of the Future". NASA. October 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  9. ^ Nasa's new Mars landing craft Morpheus bursts into flames on take-off. The Telegraph 10 August 2012.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref037 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Dean, James (August 2, 2012). "Morpheus lander prototype ready for KSC tests". Florida Today. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference PMref079 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Thom Patterson (May 19, 2014). "A father-son chat leads to first-of-its-kind NASA spacecraft". CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  14. ^ Moskowitz, Clara (September 14, 2012). "NASA pushes ahead with new prototype of Moon lander". Space.com. Retrieved September 19, 2012.[dead link]
  15. ^ "NASA Advisory Council briefing by Advanced Exploration Systems on November 15, 2012" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  16. ^ Dean, James (December 10, 2013). "Prototype Morpheus lander completes test flight at KSC". Florida Today. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  17. ^ Hart, Jeremy J., Devolites, Jennifer L. (September 10, 2013). The Tailoring of Traditional Systems Engineering for the Morpheus Project. Conference Paper JSC-CN-29415 (Report). NASA. hdl:2060/20140002833.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ James Dean (February 22, 2015). "SpaceX nearing commercial satellite launch". Florida Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved February 22, 2015.