Lunar Module plans for next moon missions?

Question

For the moon missions NASA wants to do next, I know they are working on the next version of the command module. Are they planning on LOR again? If so are they working on the next version of the LM? I wonder how different this will all be due to miniaturization of the electronics and metallurgy advances. On the old Apollo LM, I wonder where they really needed to save weight. I'm thinking in the propulsion system, they probably had to use heavier materials than they could use now. Did the old LM have any steel or iron in it at all?

Answer 1

The new lunar mission profile uses both Earth-orbit rendezvous and lunar-orbit rendezvous.  All crew transfer to the LM for descent and surface activities, leaving the Orion spacecraft in orbit unoccupied.

The new LM is projected to be substantially larger than the Apollo LM, and uses the same ascent-descent staging.  Mass budgeting on the Apollo LM dry mass was across the board; no subsystems were particularly targeted for mass reduction.  While miniaturized electronics save some mass these days, this is generally not the primary concern.  Consumables and structure are the largest mass items.

The LM had only small amounts of ferrous metals.  it was built largely of aluminum alloy.  Aluminum is still the material of choice for much aerospace construction, owing to its exceptional mechanical behavior under different thermal conditions.  But I expect 21st century design to employ carbon-fiber composites to a greater extent.