Bullitt Lecture in Astronomy 2009 - 40 Years: Lunar Exploration

The Physics & Astronomy Department’s Bullitt Lecture is a free lecture aimed at the general public. Since 2001, the Physics & Astronomy Department’s Bullitt Lecture has presented a distinguished astrophysicist to a Louisville audience in the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium. Gale Christianson, Hubble's biographer at Indiana State, Fred Espenak, an eclipse expert at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, stellar astrophysicists James Kaler of U. Illinois, C. R. O'Dell of Vanderbilt and Caty Pilachowski of Indiana U, cosmologists Fang Li Zhi of Arizona, J. Richard Gott of Princeton, Alan Dressler of the Carnegie Observatories and lunar experts Ferenc Pavlics of GM and the Apollo project and Phillip Abel of NASA have been Bullitt Lecturers. College and high school students, teachers, and many others from the community interested in the impact and excitement that astrophysics has generated have attended Bullitt Lectures in large numbers. The public and members of the University community are warmly invited!

The Lecture is endowed through a grant from the family of William Marshall Bullitt, the Solicitor General of the United States under President William Howard Taft. Here is a brief biography and description of his connection to the University of Louisville.

Speaker: Ferenc Pavlics and Phillip Abel

Abstract: Ferenc Pavlics: Lunar Roving Vehicle - Spacecraft on Wheels

The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was the first manned extra-terrestial automotive vehicle, providing a significant leap in exploratory capability, making it possible to traverse substantial distances (35 km) as well as carrying scientific equipment and a color television camera, which provided evidence of this achievement on Apollo missions during 1971 and 1972. Mr. Pavlics will describe the early concepts considered for lunar exploration, the design and development of the LRV and the results of their successful operation.

Ferenc Pavlics' work has included research on soil properties and surface mobility in the moon under several NASA contracts. He was engineering director responsible for the design, development and manufacturing of the Lunar Roving Vehicle for the Apollo program, and he participated as consultant in the development of the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rovers (split and Opportunity). Mr. Pavlics has published numerous technical papers with SAE, AIAA, Science, the Journal of Geophysical Research and other publications.

Phillip Abel: Current and Future Exploration of the Lunar Surface

With the declaration of the Vision for Space Exploration 2004, a return to the Moon for long-term occupancy was established as a goal. A necessary part of that vision, extending the mobility of lunar surface explorers, can take many forms. Building on Apollo achievements, more extensive exploration concepts and mission scenarios are bing examined, along with the technical implications for lunar hardware.

Phillip Abel's research has included studying fundamental aspects of friction and wear processes (tribology), affording him the opportunity to successfully build a Scanning Tunneling Microscope before they were commercially available. Since 2006 he has co-led Glenn Research Center participation in the NASA Human Robotics Systems project, including re-creating exact replicas of Apollo Lunar Rover Vehicle wire mesh wheels for current testing purposes. Dr. Abel's branch has built the Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) facility at GRC for mobility research and design investigations. Dr. Abel has published in numerous journals, contributed book chapters to tribology handbooks, and co-edited a volume on atomistic material modeling.