Thermal Storage and Management System for Extraterrestrial Environments

Abstract

A thermal storage and management system and a method of operating is provided. The system includes a storage tank, the storage tank having a first port and a second port. A transfer device is provided to transfer a material from an extraterrestrial surface to the storage tank. A heat storage medium is provided that includes the material disposed within the storage tank. A heat exchanger is provided having a third port fluidly coupled to the second port and a fourth port fluidly coupled to the first port.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system for managing thermal energy in an extraterrestrial environment using in-situ resource utilization, such as using materials commonly found in lunar or other extraterrestrial environments.

[0002] Extraterrestrial environments have a day-night cycle that varies greatly from that experiences in Earth environments. One of the differences involves the day-night cycle. Unlike Earth, an extraterrestrial environment may have periods of “day-light” or “night-time” that last for weeks at a time. This can result in habitats, structures or systems having to adapt to temperatures, light levels and weather that last for extended periods of time. For example, the moon orbits the Earth and is considered to be “tidally-locked” to the Earth. In other words, even though the moon is rotating, the same side of the moon is always facing Earth.

[0003] As a result, the day-night cycle of the moon can last for about four weeks (in Earth time), with two weeks in the dark and two weeks exposed to the sun. During the lunar night-time, the temperatures can drop to 100K or colder depending on latitude and shading. During the lunar day-time, the temperatures near the equator can reach 400K. The lunar night-time can be challenging. While the moon will receive reflected light from the Earth, the amount of light received will be insufficient to generate electrical power using solar panels and some type of electrical storage system would be used to power the structures, habitats and system.

[0004] While existing extraterrestrial heating systems suitable for their intended purposes the need for improvement remains, particularly in providing a thermal storage and management system having the features described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] According to one aspect of the disclosure a thermal storage and management system is provided. The system includes a storage tank, the storage tank having a first port and a second port. A transfer device is provided to transfer a material from an extraterrestrial surface to the storage tank. A heat storage medium is provided that includes the material disposed within the storage tank. A heat exchanger is provided having a third port fluidly coupled to the second port and a fourth port fluidly coupled to the first port.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include a filtration device fluidly coupled between the second port and the third port.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include a pump fluidly coupled between the fourth port and the first port.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include a heater and an energy source. The heater being thermally coupled to the heat exchanger. The energy source electrically coupled to the heater.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include the energy source being at least one solar panel configured to generate electrical power.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include one or more gas reserve tanks having a working gas, the one or more gas reserve tanks being fluidly coupled to the storage tank.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include at least one first sensor and a controller. The first sensor being in thermal communication with the heat storage medium. The controller being responsive to executable computer instructions for flowing the working gas from the storage tank to the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to the at least one first sensor measuring a temperature of the heat storage medium being above a threshold.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include the controller being further responsive to executable computer instructions to flow the working gas from the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to a signal.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include the signal indicates one or more of a temperature of a habitat, a temperature measured at the heat exchanger, a reduction in electrical power from a solar panel, or a solar radiation measurement measured by a pyranometer.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include a heat transfer loop configured to thermally couple the heat exchanger to a structure.

[0015] According to another aspect of the disclosure a method is provided. The method includes flowing material from an extraterrestrial surface to a storage tank and transferring heat to a heat exchanger. A working gas flows from the storage tank to the heat exchanger. Thermal energy is transferred from the heat exchanger to the working gas. The working gas flows from the heat exchanger through a material in the storage tank. The thermal energy is transferred from the working gas to the material.

[0016] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include flowing the working gas from one or more gas reserve tanks to the storage tank before flowing the working gas to the heat exchanger.

[0017] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include measuring a temperature of the material in the storage tank.

[0018] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include flowing the working gas from the storage tank to the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to the temperature being above a threshold.

[0019] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include the transferring of heat to the heat exchanger further comprising generating electrical power with a solar panel and generating the heat with a heater using electrical power.

[0020] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include transferring the thermal energy from the material to the working gas. The working gas flows to the heat exchanger. The thermal energy is transferred from the heat exchanger to a heat transfer loop.

[0021] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the method may include transferring the thermal energy from the heat transfer loop to at least one or a habitat, a vehicle, or structure.

[0022] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a system is provided. The system includes an energy source and a heater electrically coupled to the energy source. A heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the heater. A storage tank is provided having extraterrestrial surface material therein, the storage tank being fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger. A working gas is disposed at least partially in the storage tank. A controller is configured to generate heat with the heater, flow the working gas from the storage tank through the heat exchanger, and back through the extraterrestrial surface material.

[0023] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include the controller being further configured to measure a temperature of the extraterrestrial surface material and stopping a generation of heat with the heater in response to the temperature exceeding a threshold.

[0024] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the system may include at least one gas reserve tank. Wherein the controller is further configured to flow gas from the storage tank to the at least one gas reserve tank in response to the temperature exceeding the threshold.

[0025] These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] The subject matter, which is regarded as the disclosure, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0027] FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of a thermal energy storage and management system in accordance with an embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a control system for the thermal energy management system of FIG. 1A in accordance with an embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a flow-diagram of a method of operating the system of FIG. 1A to store thermal energy in accordance with an embodiment; and

[0030] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of operating the system of FIG. 1A to transfer out stored thermal energy in accordance with an embodiment.

[0031] The detailed description explains embodiments of the disclosure, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a thermal storage and management system that provides for storing thermal energy in a storage tank containing material obtained from the environment. The thermal storage and management systems further provides for transferring material from the environment, sometimes referred to as in-situ material, allowing for the tank to be transported in an empty or unassembled configuration prior to use. The thermal storage and management system further provides for releasing stored heat from the material and transferring the heat to a habitat, vehicle, or other structure.

[0033] The fabrication or occupation of structures or habitats on extraterrestrial environments provides challenges in maintaining a comfortable operating conditions for the occupants due to the wide variety of conditions that the habitat or other structure may be exposed to on a regular basis. In Lunar environments, for example, the so-called “Lunar-night” may extend over a time period that is equivalent to two Earth-weeks. During the Lunar-night, temperatures may drop to 100K, resulting in the use of heating systems to maintain a desired temperature conditions in the habitat or structure. Since the area the habitat / structure is located is not exposed to sunlight, the ability to generate electrical power to operate the heating systems using solar panels may be diminished.

[0034] A further complication involves the cost of launching (from Earth) materials associated with operating the extraterrestrial habitat / structure. Materials such as hydrocarbon based fuel are very heavy and costly to transport. As a result, it is desirable to at least partially us locally acquired materials, sometime referred to as in-situ resource utilization, to decrease the costs associated with Lunar and other extraterrestrial activities.

[0035] It should be appreciated that while embodiments herein illustrate a single storage unit, a single heat exchanger, or a single habitat / structure / vehicle this is for example purposes and the claims should not be so limited. In other embodiments, the system may include multiple components operating in series or parallel without deviating from the teachings herein.

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an embodiment is shown of a thermal storage and management system 100. The embodiment includes a storage tank 102 having a material transfer system 104 coupled thereto. The material transfer system 104 is configured to remove material from the environment, such as regolith from a lunar environment for example, and deposit the material 108 into the interior area 106 of the storage tank 102. In an embodiment, the environmental material is collected from a location remote from the storage tank 102, such as with a vehicle for example, and then transferred into the storage tank. In an embodiment, the material transfer system 104 is the same as or similar to the sample collection system disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 11,479,373, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0037] In an embodiment, the storage tank 102 is transported to the location of operation empty to reduce the weight and associated launch costs. In an embodiment, the storage tank 102 is transported in sections that are assembled at the location of operation. In still another embodiment, the walls of the storage tank 102 are insulated to reduce thermal transfer through the wall. As discussed in more detail herein, the use of in-situ material provides advantages in embodiments where the environment in which it is cost prohibitive to transport the storage tank with a heat storage medium, such as in a lunar environment, a Mars environment, an asteroid, or another extraterrestrial environment for example. In an embodiment, the storage tank 102 is sized to provide 200 W of heat continuously per cubic meter of regolith material collected for the duration of the Lunar-night.

[0038] Fluidly coupled to the storage tank 102 are one or more gas reserve tanks 110. In an embodiment, the gas tanks 110 contain an gas, such as oxygen, helium or nitrogen for example, that is the working gas for transferring thermal energy within the system 100. In an embodiment, the gas in the gas tanks 110 is an inert gas. The gas tanks 110 are coupled to the interior area 106 of storage tank 102 by a bi-directional valve 112. It should be appreciated that the gas tanks 110 may be fluidly coupled to other components (not shown), such as but not limited to pumps, compressors, manifolds, and other valves. The gas tank 110 assembly may also include sensors (not shown) that monitor the pressure, volumes, mass flow, temperatures or other parameters of the gas stored therein. In an embodiment, the gas tanks 110 may be selectively fluidly coupled to the material transfer system 104 to use a working gas for transporting / flowing the regolith to the storage tank 102.

[0039] The storage tank 102 includes an inlet 114 on a first end and an outlet 116 on a second opposing end. The inlet 114 is configured to receive a working gas and flow the working gas into the material 108 in interior area 106. The inlet 114 may include additional components to control the flow of the working gas, such as a valve for example, or a diffuser (e.g. a planar member with apertures) to distribute the working gas within the interior area 106 and increase the transfer of thermal energy to / from the regolith material 108.

[0040] In an embodiment, ancillary devices may be disposed in the interior area 106 to stir or otherwise move the regolith material 108 to increase heat transfer to or from the regolith material via convection. In an embodiment, the storage tank 102 includes gas nozzles within the interior area 106 that direct gas into the regolith material to cause movement of the material. In some embodiments the gas nozzles may receive working gas from conduit 140.

[0041] The outlet 116 is configured to receive the working gas from the interior area 106 and flow the working gas into a first conduit 118. The first conduit 118 flows the working gas into a separation unit 120. The separation unit 120 receives the working gas and separates entrained regolith material 108 from the gas stream. In an embodiment, the separation unit 120 is a filter, a sieve, a cyclone separator, vortex tube separators, inertial particle separators, or a combination of the foregoing for example. The working gas exits the separation unit 120 and into a second conduit 122 that transfers the working gas into a heat transfer module 124. The heat transfer module 124 may include a heat exchanger 126, such as a shell and tube, counter-flow, double pipe, plate-fin, regenerative, adiabatic-wheel, or a combination of the foregoing for example.

[0042] The heat transfer module 124 may include, or be thermally coupled to a heating system 128, such as a resistance heater for example. The heating system 128 may be electrically coupled to a power source, such as a solar array 130 for example. As discussed in more detail herein, the power source supplies electrical power to the heating system 128, which transfers thermal energy Q to the working gas via the heat exchanger 126.

[0043] The heat exchanger 126 may also be thermally coupled to a secondary heat transfer secondary loop 132. The secondary heat transfer secondary loop 132 is configured to receive thermal energy from the heat exchanger 126 into a secondary working gas. The secondary working gas is then flowed to a habitat, structure, or vehicle 134, or combination of the foregoing for example. Secondary heat exchangers or radiators (not shown) may be thermally coupled to the secondary heat transfer secondary loop 132 to provide desired temperatures in the habitat, structure, or vehicle.

[0044] The heat transfer module 124 is fluidly coupled to a third conduit 136 that is coupled to a pump 138. The pump 138 flows the working gas to the inlet 114 via a fourth conduit 140. As discussed in more detail herein, when in a thermal storage mode of operation, the working gas that is heated in the heat transfer module 124 flows into the inlet 114 and transfers the thermal energy to the regolith material 108. After flowing through the material 108, the working gas exits via the outlet 116 and the cycle repeats.

[0045] In an embodiment, the system 100 may include one or more controllers 142. In order to perform the prescribed functions and desired processing, such as the methods described with respect to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, as well as the computations therefore (e.g., the control algorithms for storing and releasing thermal energy, and the like), controller 142 may include, but not be limited to, a processor(s), computer(s), memory, storage, register(s), timing, interrupt(s), communication interface(s), and input / output signal interfaces, and the like, as well as combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing. For example, controller 142 may include input signal processing and filtering to enable accurate sampling and conversion or acquisitions of such signals from communications interfaces.

[0046] The controller 142 may be coupled to receive inputs from one or more devices, such as tank temperature sensor 144, heat exchanger sensor 146, heat exchanger sensor 148, habitat temperature sensor 150, and solar sensor 152 for example. In an embodiment, the solar sensor 152 provides a signal indicating the operational state of the solar array 130, such as whether sufficient power is being generated to operate the heating system 128. It should be appreciated that these devices are examples and not intended to be limiting, in other embodiments more or fewer devices may be coupled to the controller 142. The controller142 receives input signals from the one or more devices and executes control methods in response, such as to store thermal energy, release thermal energy and remove the working gas from the storage tank 102 for example.

[0047] In an embodiment, the control methods cause the operation or one or more control devices in the system 100, such as but not limited to the pump 138 and valve 112 for example. The controller 142 may include additional modules or circuits, such as a communication circuit for example. In an embodiment, the controller 142 may be comprised of a plurality of processing devices that may be geographically local to the storage tank 102 or heat transfer module 124, or may be geographically distributed (e.g. distributed, node, or cloud computing architecture). In an embodiment, at least a portion of the control methods are performed on a processing device located on Earth.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 2, a method 200 is shown of operating the system 100. The method begins in block 202 where regolith material 108 is extracted from the surface of the environment where the storage tank 102 is located. In an embodiment, the regolith material 108 is acquired from a location directly adjacent the storage tank 102 and the regolith material is directly deposited in the storage tank 102. In other embodiments, the regolith material 108 is acquired from another location distant from the storage tank 102 and transported by a vehicle to the storage tank. Once a desired amount of regolith material 108 is acquired and deposited in the storage tank 102, the method 200 then proceeds to block 204 where the storage tank is sealed and pressurized with the working gas from gas tanks 110.

[0049] The method 200 then proceeds to block 206 where electrical power is generated by the energy source, such as solar array 130 for example. In block 208, the heating system 128 is operated with the electrical power from the energy source to generate thermal energy. The method 200 then proceeds to block 210 where the thermal energy is transferred to the heat exchanger 126. The method 200 then operates the pump 138 in block 212 to flow or circulate the working gas from the storage tank 102 through the heat transfer module 124 where the temperature of the working gas is increased.

[0050] The method 200 then proceeds to block 214 where the working gas flows from the heat transfer module 124 to the storage tank 102. The method 200 then proceeds to query block 216 where it is determined whether the heat capacity of the storage tank 102 has been reached. For example, the temperature capacity of the material 108 may limit the amount of thermal energy may be stored. For Lunar regolith, the sintering temperature of the material is about 900 C. As such, the system 100 will store thermal energy to keep the temperature of the material 108 less than the sintering temperature. In other embodiments, the temperature of other components, such as pumps or valves for example, may limit the operating thermal capacity of the system 100. In an embodiment, the operating temperature threshold is 475 C.

[0051] Where the query block 216 returns a negative (the thermal capacity is not reached), the method 200 loops back to block 212 and continues to circulate the working gas. When the query block 216 returns a positive (thermal capacity reached), the method 200 proceeds to block 218 where the pump 138 is deactivated and the working gas is extracted from the storage tank 102 to the gas tanks 110. By removing the working gas, the heat leakage from the system 100 will be reduced.

[0052] It should be appreciated that the method 200 would be performed when there is sufficient electrical power generation capacity to operate the habitat / structure / vehicle 134 and the heating system 128, such as during the Lunar-day when sunlight could be used by the solar array 130. Once Lunar-night occurs, the ability of an energy source such as the solar array 130 to generate electrical power may be limited.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 3, a method 300 is shown for operating the system 100 to extract thermal energy from the storage tank for use by the habitat / structure / vehicle 134. The method 300 begins in block 302 where the working gas flows from the gas tanks 110 back to the storage tank 102. Once the working gas is refilled, the pump 138 is operated causing the working gas to flow through to the heat transfer module 124 where the heat exchanger 126 transfers thermal energy to the secondary loop 132 in block 304. The secondary working gas flows through the secondary loop in block 306 to transfer the thermal energy to the habitat / structure / vehicle 134.

[0054] The method 300 then proceeds to block 308 where working gas exits the heat transfer module 124 and flows back into and through the regolith material 108 to increase the temperature of the working gas. The method 300 then proceeds to query block 310 where the secondary loop temperature, or some other suitable parameter such as the temperature of the habitat / structure / vehicle for example, is monitored. When the parameter is below a threshold, the method 300 loops back to block 302 and the process continues. Once the query block 310 indicates the parameter threshold has been exceeded, the method 300 proceeds to stop block 312 where the method pauses until the parameter is once again below the threshold and the method restarts at block 302.

[0055] It should be appreciated that while embodiments herein refer to the heating of a particular type of structure, such as a habitat or vehicle for example, the claims should not be so limited. In other embodiments, the system 100 may be used to provide thermal energy to other structures or processes. For example, the thermal energy from system 100 may be used to in a processing system (manned or unmanned) for producing a product. The system 100 may be used in any embodiment where thermal energy is stored and used at a later time. Further, while embodiments herein refer to the use of the system 100 on a Lunar environment, this is for example purposes and the claims should not be so limited. The system 100 may be used in other extraterrestrial environments, for example Mercury has a night time that is equivalent to about 44 Earth days and has temperatures dropping to minus 180 C.

[0056] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.

[0057] Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of the invention can be devised without departing from the scope of this invention. Various connections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent, etc.) are set forth between elements in the following description and in the drawings. These connections and / or positional relationships, unless specified otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the present invention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Accordingly, a coupling of entities can refer to either a direct or an indirect coupling, and a positional relationship between entities can be a direct or indirect positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks and process steps described herein can be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional steps or functionality not described in detail herein.

[0058] The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for the interpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, the terms “comprises,”“comprising,”“includes,”“including,”“has,”“having,”“contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0059] Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one” and “one or more” may be understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms “a plurality” may be understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term “connection” may include both an indirect “connection” and a direct “connection.”

[0060] The terms “about,”“substantially,”“approximately,” and variations thereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

[0061] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to making and using aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detail herein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specific computer programs to implement the various technical features described herein are well known. Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, many conventional implementation details are only mentioned briefly herein or are omitted entirely without providing the well-known system and / or process details.

[0062] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0063] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments described herein.

[0064] While the disclosure is provided in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiment(s) may include only some of the described exemplary aspects. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A thermal storage and management system comprising:a storage tank, the storage tank having a first port and a second port;a transfer device to transfer a material from an extraterrestrial surface to the storage tank;a heat storage medium that includes the material disposed within the storage tank; anda heat exchanger having a third port fluidly coupled to the second port and a fourth port fluidly coupled to the first port.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filtration device fluidly coupled between the second port and the third port.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a pump fluidly coupled between the fourth port and the first port.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:a heater thermally coupled to the heat exchanger; andan energy source electrically coupled to the heater.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the energy source is at least one solar panel configured to generate electrical power.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more gas reserve tanks having a working gas, the one or more gas reserve tanks being fluidly coupled to the storage tank.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:at least one first sensor in thermal communication with the heat storage medium; anda controller responsive to executable computer instructions for flowing the working gas from the storage tank to the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to the at least one first sensor measuring a temperature of the heat storage medium being above a threshold.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further responsive to executable computer instructions to flow the working gas from the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to a signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the signal indicates one or more of a temperature of a habitat, a temperature measured at the heat exchanger, a reduction in electrical power from a solar panel, or a solar radiation measurement measured by a pyranometer.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer loop configured to thermally couple the heat exchanger to a structure.

11. A method comprising:flowing material from an extraterrestrial surface to a storage tank;transferring heat to a heat exchanger;flowing a working gas from the storage tank to the heat exchanger;transferring thermal energy from the heat exchanger to the working gas;flowing the working gas from the heat exchanger through a material in the storage tank; andtransferring the thermal energy from the working gas to the material.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising flowing the working gas from one or more gas reserve tanks to the storage tank before flowing the working gas to the heat exchanger.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising measuring a temperature of the material in the storage tank.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising flowing the working gas from the storage tank to the one or more gas reserve tanks in response to the temperature being above a threshold.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the transferring heat to the heat exchanger further comprises generating electrical power with a solar panel and generating heat with a heater using electrical power.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:transferring the thermal energy from the material to the working gas;flowing the working gas to the heat exchanger; andtransferring the thermal energy from the heat exchanger to a heat transfer loop.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transferring the thermal energy from the heat transfer loop to at least one or a habitat, a vehicle, or structure.

18. A system comprising:an energy source;a heater electrically coupled to the energy source;a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the heater;a storage tank having extraterrestrial surface material therein, the storage tank being fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger;a working gas disposed at least partially in the storage tank; anda controller configured to generate heat with the heater, flow the working gas from the storage tank through the heat exchanger, and back through the extraterrestrial surface material.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to measure a temperature of the extraterrestrial surface material and stopping a generation of heat with the heater in response to the temperature exceeding a threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:at least one gas reserve tank; andwherein the controller is further configured to flow gas from the storage tank to the at least one gas reserve tank in response to the temperature exceeding the threshold.

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