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John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
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John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
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Planetary Industrial Operations

Within space studies, the basic premise is that living and working productively is fundamentally necessary to permanent human presence in space. Central to that premise is that the initial outposts on planetary surfaces will grow to population centers in which the functions of human life must be sustained by exploitation of in situ resources. Resources must be located, extracted, and refined to produce and distribute the products needed for sustainment and growth. The development of such integrated production systems is the focus of this research area. Technology concerns in this area include, among others, extraction, material handling, and processing plant design in hostile environments. Megaproject management, risk, governance, economics, and policy are overarching concerns. Additionally, while in the early stages, several commercial interests are actively pursuing various mining concepts on the Moon and among the asteroids.

Recent student research projects have explored production system complexity, propellant depot location, and lunar oxygen production systems. Current research has turned to lunar excavation techniques and lunar infrastructure construction. Research questions abound in this area.

Department of Space Studies
4149 University Avenue, Stop 9008
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9008
P 701.777.2480
info@space.edu
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John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences

3980 Campus Rd Stop 9007
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9007

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