Human Lunar Return study
Encyclopedia
NASA
began its "Human Lunar Return study" in September 1995 to identify ways it could conduct future human spaceflight
missions to the Moon
. The final Human Lunar Return (HLR) briefing took place on August 7, 1996. The study was seen as laying, "the foundation for human space activity over the next three decades."
It baselined a lightweight architecture including an open-cockpit lunar lander
weighing 4565 kilograms (10,064.1 lb) including fuel. Components and crew for the mission would have been transported to the International Space Station
(ISS) by two Space Shuttle
flights. The HLR schedule called for the first mission to depart from the ISS in August 2001.
The projected cost of the mission over the five year development timeline was $2.5 billion. The mission required two shuttle and three Proton launches to land two astronaut
s and a small habitat structure at Aristarchus
crater.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
began its "Human Lunar Return study" in September 1995 to identify ways it could conduct future human spaceflight
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
missions to the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. The final Human Lunar Return (HLR) briefing took place on August 7, 1996. The study was seen as laying, "the foundation for human space activity over the next three decades."
It baselined a lightweight architecture including an open-cockpit lunar lander
Lander (spacecraft)
A lander is a spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. For bodies with atmospheres, the landing is called atmospheric reentry and the lander descends as a re-entry vehicle...
weighing 4565 kilograms (10,064.1 lb) including fuel. Components and crew for the mission would have been transported to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) by two Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
flights. The HLR schedule called for the first mission to depart from the ISS in August 2001.
The projected cost of the mission over the five year development timeline was $2.5 billion. The mission required two shuttle and three Proton launches to land two astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s and a small habitat structure at Aristarchus
Aristarchus (crater)
Aristarchus is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the northwest part of the Moon's near side. It is considered the brightest of the large formations on the lunar surface, with an albedo nearly double that of most lunar features. The feature is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye,...
crater.