Exploration Architecture Corporation announces the formation of a design team comprised of leading aerospace firms to support development of an “International Lunar Interconnect Node” (ISLIN) concept for a Lunar Outpost. The ISLIN concept (pronounced Island), is proposed as a first element building block for optimizing growth options in the eventual buildup of a Lunar Outpost. NASA plans to return to the moon and establish an Outpost by 2020. The initial effort of the design team will focus on a design evaluation study to assess viability of the ISLIN concept as a core habitation element for Lunar Outpost construction. The study will assess minimum functionality of the ISLIN structure, its subsystems, and external interfaces to other surface system elements such as an Altair Lunar Lander Common Airlock, International Laboratory Modules, and Pressurized Rovers.
The ISLIN design team consists of Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc), San Antonio, TX, serves as Principal Investigator and responsible for overall Study Management and provides ISLIN Concept Architecture Configuration & Planning; Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, TX, responsible for ISLIN Structural & Materials Analysis; Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon), Tucson, AZ, responsible for ISLIN ECLSS and Surface EVA; and Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering (Wyle), Houston, TX, responsible for ISLIN Crew Systems, Human Factors, and Support Systems.