Project Morpheus

Project Morpheus started in July 2010 and was named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. The Morpheus spacecraft was derived from the experimental lander produced by Project M with the assistance of Armadillo Aerospace. Project M (NASA) was a NASA initiative to design, develop and land a humanoid robot on the lunar surface in 1000 days. Work on some of the lander's systems began in 2006, when NASA's Constellation program planned a human return to the Moon. The Morpheus #1 Unit A test vehicle was first hot-fired on 15 April 2011. Morpheus's new engine permitted NASA to fly longer durations by lifting more propellant into the air. The engine was upgraded again in 2013 to finally reaching . For Range Safety purposes the Morpheus#1 prototype falls into the category of guided suborbital reusable rocket. In July 2012 the prototype lander was sent to the Kennedy Space Center for free flight testing and the media invited to view the Morpheus Lander. On August 9, 2012, the prototype Morpheus #1 Unit A (Alpha) lander crashed on takeoff, whilst performing its second untethered flight at Kennedy Space Center. No one was injured and no property was damaged but the vehicle was damaged beyond repair. The project investigated the cause and continued by building unit B. In the second half of 2012 the Project Morpheus and ALHAT teams were combined. On May 1, 2013, the replacement Morpheus #1.5 Unit B testbed was Hot Fired at the Johnson Space Center. The replacement's enhancements include a thrust main engine and integrated oxygen/methane reaction control system (RCS), making it the first oxygen/methane vehicle with Main and RCS engines drawing propellant from the same tanks and first vehicle to use a cryogenic RCS. In November 2013 the Bravo Lander was taken to Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida for free flight testing. $750,000 of parts were purchased to make the replacement lander. KSC limited the noise vibrations on the lander as it lifts off by designing a mobile launch pad with a built-in flame trench. A paper was published in 2013 revealing the lessons learnt during the development, which may be useful to future projects. In 2014 a paper describing the integrated test campaign, including the free flights, was published. An article giving a short history of the project was printed in RocketSTEM on July 11, 2014. In November 2014, the Morpheus Lander was fitted with additional ALHAT sensors. The new optics permit the Navigation Doppler Lidar to accurately measure the vehicle's velocity relative to the ground. ==Objectives==

The primary objectives of the Morpheus project were to demonstrate: • the integrated system performance of the autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) system, • terrain hazard avoidance sensors, • the coupling of the sensors with the GN&C, • the utilization of an integrated Main/RCS engine liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system. Specifically, the Morpheus project and the Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project provide technological foundations for key components necessary to transport humans beyond low Earth orbit. In June 2013 the team remarked on the potential to scale the 500 kg payload lander up to one able to land a habitable module with a crew on places such as the Moon. == Hardware specifications ==

The Project Morpheus vehicle 'Morpheus' is a full scale vehicle that NASA intends to be capable of landing Robonaut or a similar sized payload on the lunar surface. The spacecraft will perform all propellant burns after the trans-lunar injection. Navigation is completely autonomous from Lunar Orbit to touchdown. Navigation updates come from TRN Laser altimetry and star trackers after deorbit burn. Deep space navigation relies on radiometric and star trackers. To save money and time the prototype Morpheus landers are "single-string" prototypes, this means that unlike a spacecraft rated for actual space flight they do not have redundant systems. The exceptions are stated below. • The pressure-fed cryogenic engine supports 4:1 throttling and uses an impinging element injector design. • Size about (). • The Version 1.5 lander, with its HD5 engine, can land , this includes performing all propellant burns after the trans-lunar injection. • On the ground liquid nitrogen is used for avionics cooling. Before flights the avionics is purged of water using gaseous nitrogen. • The standalone accelerometer units were built using the Modular Instrumentation System (MIS) designed by Johnson Space Center • Optional ALHAT hardware. The ALHAT equipment and its mass are considered part of the payload. • The project estimates that the new engine could lift the ascent stage of a crewed lander containing 3-4 people to lunar orbit == Software ==

Project Morpheus lean development philosophy resulted in a mix of new and previously existing software being used. Software is used in: • the vertical test bed (lander). The NASA-Goddard-Space-Flight-Center-developed Core Flight Software (CFS) has been enhanced with specific applications software and custom sensor and I/O applications. • hardware development. Including using the OVERFLOW package (and wind tunnel tests). • the ground environment, including mission control. Mission Control Technologies has been used to display propellant tank pressures and other parameters during test firing. • the ALHAT system. • flight simulation, both offline and connected to flight hardware. Packages used include JSC Trick Simulation Environment, the JSC Engineering Orbital Dynamics (JEOD) package and the JSC generic models Valkyrie package. The parameters have been tuned to reflect the Morpheus flight hardware such as actuators and data obtained from the tethered test flights. • the Microsoft SharePoint package was used by the engineers and managers to plan, share documents and to provide a method of configuration change control. • documents were frequently written using Microsoft Office. == Test bed tests ==

;2011 As of April 2011 the primary focus of the test bed is to demonstrate an integrated propulsion and inertial-based guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) systems that can fly a lunar descent profile, thereby exercising the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT), safe landing sensors and closed-loop flight control system. A set of integrated vehicle test flights including hot-fire, tethered hover tests and untethered "free-flights" were devised for the Morpheus vehicle. ;2012 Videos of the test flights have been posted on the Morpheus Lander Channel on YouTube. This includes the 2012 regression test flights with the more powerful V1.5 engine whilst the lander is tethered, and the problematic early test flight that shows "This is why we test". On May 10, 2012, the testbed passed its hover and soft abort tests, shown in video "Morpheus Tether Test 15". During the Summer 2012, the Morpheus Lander V1.5 Unit A was transferred to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for an untethered flight testing. Also, a "hazard field" was built containing hazards such as rocks and craters built at the end of the Space Shuttle's runway to test that the ALHAT system can automatically navigate to a clear landing site. As can be seen in the photograph, the Kennedy's wide open spaces permit the entire flight path including runway and hazard field to be surrounded by a fire break consisting of a moat filled with water. The hazard field included five potential landing pads, of rocks and that mimic an area on the Moon's south pole. ;2013 During Autumn 2012 and early 2013 a fourth and a fifth generation Morpheus methane/LOX rocket engine were test fired at Stennis Space Center. A successful long duration burn lasted 123 seconds. Other tests verified capabilities and throttle levels. On May 16, 2013, at JSC the testbed was fired whilst fastened to the ground, and later tethered above the ground, followed by some reaction control system tests. A small leak was repaired, allowing the testing of the effects of vibration to be nominal. In preparation for the tests, the fire break around the test area had been paved and a mini "flame trench" dug. On May 24, 2013, at JSC the V1.5B testbed was high tethered. There was a good ignition and climb. A soft abort terminated the flight when the vehicle exceeded an internally set boundary limit whilst attempting to stabilize itself. On June 6, 2013, at JSC in Tethered Test 22 a tethered testbed successfully flew for 74 seconds. The hover lasted 60 seconds and was smooth. Used the primary IMU. On June 14, 2013, two tethered flights were performed. The first firing was soft aborted when the vehicle exceed its safety zone due to an imbalance in the fuel load. The 2nd firing was successful. This counts as a restarting of the engine. During the second flight, the vehicle successfully switched from using its primary Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to the secondary IMU. On July 2, 2013, integration tests were performed with an ALHAT attached to the Morpheus Lander. These tests included "tilt" tests where the lander's legs were raised on different heights of blocks so the attitude is off vertical. On July 11, 2013, the first tethered flight test of Morpheus vehicle "Bravo" with Autonomous Landing & Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) laser sensors integrated on top was performed. On the second attempt there was a good ignition, but during ascent the vehicle translated downrange and exceeded the internally set range safety boundary limit (+/−4 m) for tether tests, triggering an automatic soft abort. On July 23, 2013, Tethered Test 26 was successfully performed. The lander and ALHAT flew to and hovered at two different heights. Both the primary RCS (methane/LOX) and the backup RCS (He) were used, producing a successful 'landing' at the end of the tether. Lateral excursion was a maximum of only ~0.2 m. The ALHAT's tracking and imaging were nominal, managing to identify the hazard target. On August 7, 2013, Tethered Test 28 was successfully performed. In a flight lasting ~80 seconds the vehicle executed an engine ignition, ascent, a 3-meter lateral translation over simulated Mars soil, 40 seconds of hover at the apex, and a slant descent to "landing" using free flight guidance. The Mars simulated soil was provided by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as part of a plume study. On August 23, 2013, Bravo lander successfully performed Tethered Test 29 at JSC. During the ~50 second flight Bravo's actions included ignition, ascent and a 3-meter lateral translation. There was a 10 seconds hover at the apex, and a slant descent to the crane "landing" using free flight guidance. On August 29, 2013, Bravo lander successfully performed the ~63 second Tethered Test 30 flight at JSC. After an ascent of 5 meters with 15 seconds of hover at the apex, a 3-meter backwards lateral translation was performed. Followed by another 15 seconds of hover, and a forward slant descent. On September 18, 2013, in strong winds, the Bravo lander successfully performed Tether Test 31. This flight was a quick turnaround after the previous day's testing had been scrubbed. Various problems were solved by the team. On September 24, 2013, the Lander was launched from the ground. Several problems were detected resulting in an abort. The problems included a false "engine nozzle burn-through" alert and engine startup instability. On September 26, 2013, test HF10 was performed. This involved 20 short firings of the engine on the same day at a variety of pressures, temperatures and power levels. The investigation aimed to probe the instability boundaries of the engine during startup. On October 29, 2013, the lander and its rocket engine methane/LOX performed six off 600 ms burns whilst on top of the trench at JSC. There were no instabilities. On November 1, 2013, with all the software and hardware enhancements included, the lander successfully performed a tethered flight test. The vehicle performed an air start whilst being supported by the tether. On November 7, 2013, the project completed testing the lander at JSC with a Ground Test Takeoff and Landing (GTAL). The vehicle flew nominally and landed within cross range and downrange of its intended target. The GTAL test characterized the performance of the vehicle in lifting off from launch stands on the ground, flying to a height of , hover and descent profile, and landing back on the ground at a separate pad from its launch point. This suggests that the faults revealed by Incident 2 below on August 9, 2012, have now been found and fixed. On December 6, 2013, the integrated vehicle passed Tether Test 33 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was a repeat of Tethered Test 29. The test was primary performed to verify that the Bravo lander was OK after being transported from Texas. On December 10, 2013, the first free flight of a Morpheus prototype lander was successfully conducted at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The 54-second test began with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending approximately 50 feet, then hovering for about 15 seconds. The lander then flew forward and landed on its pad about 23 feet from the launch point and about 6 inches from the target point. On December 17, 2013, the Morpheus Lander successfully performed Free Flight 4. The preplanned trajectory was flown flawlessly, landing within of its intended target. Morpheus ascended from the ground over the flame trench to an altitude of about (), after pausing briefly at () to maintain the target ascent velocities. The vehicle then flew forward, covering about () in , before descending and landing on a dedicated landing pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. ;2014 On January 16, 2014, Free Flight 5 was successfully performed at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. The Bravo vehicle flew higher and faster than in all of its previous flights. The preplanned trajectory involved ascending quickly to (), traversing () while descending, then landing approximately 11 inches from intended target in the Hazard Field about a minute after launch. On January 21, 2014, Bravo performed Free Flight 6. In a flight lasting 64 seconds the vehicle ascended to and then flew forward in 25 seconds. As planned, Bravo landed in the Hazard Field, () from the target. The maximum ascent velocity was (). On February 10, 2014, Free Flight 7 was flown at KSC. Bravo flew to () altitude and then traversed () in before landing in the hazard field. The vehicle flew its pre-planned trajectory flawlessly, reaching a maximum ascent velocity of , and landing an on its intended target after launch. The engineers state the altitude during tests is not the important part, but the flight experience gained, including all phases of the check-out, ground loading, flight, and recovery operations. The multi-center Morpheus Team successfully completed Free Flight 8 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Bravo vehicle flew to an altitude of and then traversed in 36 seconds, including diverting course mid-flight, before landing in the hazard field from its original target (simulating hazard avoidance). The vehicle reached a maximum ascent velocity of 13 m/s, and landed approximately 10 inches from its intended target 79 seconds after launch. On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, the Morpheus team successfully completed Free Flight 9 (FF9) at the KSC SLF. This was Morpheus' highest (, higher than the VAB & Washington Monument), fastest ( vertical & horizontal) and farthest () flight to date. During the rest of March 2014 the ALHAT hardware was inserted again permitting a successful tethered test of the assembly on March 27, 2014. Tether Test 34 flight trajectory was similar to TT33 and TT29 with two hovers and a translation during a ascent. Free Flight 10 (FF10) took place on April 2, 2014, with the ALHAT in open loop mode. The ALHAT imaged the Hazard Field and calculating navigation solutions in real time. Morpheus ascended to a maximum altitude of about 804 feet (245 m), then flew forward and downward initially at a 30-degree glideslope, then levelling out, covering a total of about 1334 feet (406.5 m) horizontally in 50 seconds while diverting to a landing site location 78 feet (23.8 m) from its initial target, before descending and landing on a dedicated landing pad at the front (south) of the ALHAT Hazard Field. The total flight time was ~96 sec, the longest flight to date. Free Flight 11 on April 24, 2014, was a repeat of Free Flight 10 with some changes to the ALHAT. April 30, 2014 Free Flight 12 was a repeat of FF10 but with the ALHAT choosing the landing location. On May 22. 2014 in Free Flight the ALHAT determined a safe location in the hazard field the landing location and flew the lander to it. The Morpheus/ALHAT team successfully completed Free Flight 14 (FF14) at the KSC SLF on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, Bravo's 12th and ALHAT's 5th free flight—and the first ever night flight. Initial data indicated nominal performance of all vehicle systems. The ALHAT Hazard Detection System (HDS) performed well, but identified a safe site just outside the conservatively established limits around the center of the landing pad. ALHAT then navigated the vehicle in closed-loop mode through the entire approach, with the vehicle taking over navigation during the descent phase of the trajectory when ALHAT was already dead-reckoning. Had less conservative position error limits allowed ALHAT to continue to navigate to landing, the vehicle still would have landed safely on the pad. The team overcame a few preflight issues, including a failed ignition due to a non-critical temperature exceeding its limit, which was corrected for the successful second attempt. On November 19, 2014, tested the Morpheus Lander at KSC. The ALHAT hardware had been enhanced with new optics that permit the Navigation Doppler Lidar to accurately measure the vehicle's velocity relative to the ground. Tether Test 36 (TT36) at the KSC SLF on Tuesday December 2, 2014 was a regression test. The Bravo vehicle followed its planned 40 sec trajectory flawlessly, although a handful of discrepancies were identified. The data was reviewed to assess these anomalies and ensure the vehicle and ground systems were ready to support a free flight test. On December 15, 2014, the prototype lander soared 800 feet above the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on free flight test No. 15. During the 97-second test, ALHAT, surveyed the hazard field for safe landing sites, then guided the lander forward and downward to a successful landing. ;Conclusion In February 2015, planned testing had been completed. The lander was taken back to JSC. The project review, including testing, was held on March 12, 2015. == Test equipment and ground operations ==

In addition to the normal engineering tools several items of test equipment was made or procured. These include cranes wrapped in shielding against heat and debris, a tether, a bungee to control the tether and an energy absorber. The energy absorber was a metal tube filled with a fire proof aluminium honeycomb. == Collaborations ==

NASA's Johnson Space Center collaborated with several firms, academic installations and other NASA centers whilst building and testing the Alpha and Bravo prototype Morpheus landers. For Morpheus and ALHAT, JSC has partnerships with Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for flight-testing; Stennis Space Center (SSC) for engine testing; Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for engine development and lander expertise; Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for core flight software development; and Langley Research Center (LaRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for ALHAT development. Commercial partnerships with enterprises such as Jacobs Engineering, Armadillo Aerospace, Draper Labs, and others have augmented the development and operation of many aspects of the project." Purdue University's Zucrow Labs assisted in the design of an early Morpheus engine. Tests were conducted at Zucrow Labs in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2014 including multiple successful hotfires of the engine. This work was done under the guidance of Dr. William Anderson and multiple masters and PhD students. == Health and safety issues ==

Although the liquid oxygen/liquid methane bipropellant mix is considerably easier and safer to handle than hydrazine, the propellants can catch fire and cryogenic fuel tanks and Dewars can explode. == Incidents ==

• On June 1, 2011, a test of the Morpheus lander caused a large grass fire on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center. A minor incident: no one was injured and the Lander was fine. Subsequently, a wide fire break was dug around the test area to prevent the spread of any possible grass fires. • On August 9, 2012, the lander tipped over, crashed, caught fire, and exploded twice during its initial free-flight test at the Kennedy Space Center. The fire was extinguished after the tanks had exploded. No one was injured but the vehicle was not in a recoverable condition. A paper acting as an investigation report was published at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: SPACE 2013 conference. == Status ==

The Morpheus prototype liquid oxygen and methane (LOx/Methane) propulsion system demonstrated advantages in performance, simplicity, reliability, and reusability. LOx/Methane provides new capabilities to use propellants that are manufactured on the Mars surface for ascent return and to integrate with power and life support systems. It was determined that Lox/Methane is extensible to human spacecraft for many transportation elements of a Mars architecture. The propellants provide significant advantages for reliable ignition in a space vacuum, and for reliable safing or purging of spacecraft. "Through this test, NASA obtained Level 6 of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) related to the planet landing technology" The Morpheus lander flight demonstrations led to the proposal to use LOx/Methane for a Discovery Program mission, named Moon Aging Regolith Experiment (MARE) to land a science payload for the Southwest Research Institute on the lunar surface. The technology developed is also being applied to the Nova-C lunar lander, which landed on the moon on February 22, 2024. == See also ==