Project Morpheus is developing vertical take off and landing test bed vehicles. The vehicles are NASA designed robotic landers that will be able to land 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of cargo on the Moon.
Morpheus#1 is being used as an Earth based vertical test bed vehicle demonstrating new green propellant propulsion systems and autonomous landing and hazard detection technology. The Alpha prototype lander was manufactured and assembled at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Armadillo Aerospace's facility near Dallas. The prototype lander is a "spacecraft" that is about 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter, weighs approximately 2,300 pounds (1,000 kg) and consists of four silver spherical propellant tanks topped by avionics boxes and a web of wires.
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. From the project start in July 2010 about $10 million was spent on materials in the following 3+ years; so the Morpheus project was considered lean and low-cost for NASA. In 2012 the project employed 25 full-time team members and 60 students. Morpheus vehicle was to demonstrate: the integrated system performance of the autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) system,terrain hazard avoidance sensors,the coupled of the sensors with the GN&C, the utilization of a quad configuration liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system.
The testbed can optionally be fitted with the Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) equipment permitting landings without operator interaction. ALHAT permits the lander to fly to a specified location with high accuracy and to automatically avoid hazards including slopes greater than 5 degrees and boulders taller than 30 cm.
In June 2013 the team said they hope to scale the 500 kg payload lander up to produce one able to land a habitat with a crew on places such the Moon.
Rocket Lander - Morpheus
MORPHEUS LANDER
Description Size
Payload 500 kg Dry mass 1000 kg Propellant methane/LOX Propellant mass 2900 kg Propellant tanks 4 off Pressurization helium Height (TBD) - Diameter 3 m Main Engine HD5 Primary RCS propellant methane/LOX RCS thrust 22-67 N Backup RCS propellant helium (He) Optional hardware ALHAT Class of lasers in ALHAT IV
MORPHEUS ENGINE (HD5)
Description Size
Thrust 22000 N Specific Impulse 321 s Maximum burn (tested) 123 s Propellant methane/LOX Throttle range (TBD) - Fuel mixture ratio (TBD) - Nozzle ratio (TBD) - Air startable yes
The First successful free flight of the project Morpheus Lander. Tuesday December 10 2013
Published on 17 Dec 2013 Title: Morpheus Second Free Flight Test at Kennedy Space Centre Duration: 1:31 Code: http://youtu.be/nVvvL2UW5Ko
Published on 10 Aug 2012 Title: NASA's Morpheus Lander Crashes During Test Flight On 09th August 2012, Duration: 6:19 Code: http://youtu.be/f2hfOAD6l18 NASA's new moon lander crashed during it's first attempt to fly without any safety backup.
The second free flight of a Morpheus prototype lander was conducted Dec. 17, 2013 at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 81-second test began at 1:37 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about 164 feet, pausing briefly at 82 feet. The lander then flew forward, covering about 154 feet in 30 seconds before descending and landing on a dedicated landing pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology (ALHAT) hazard field. Morpheus landed within 3.5 inches of its target. Project Morpheus tests NASA automated landing and hazard avoidance technology and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or "green" propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces.
