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Mackey, P. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Mackey, P. J..

9 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

MoonRIDERS: NASA and Hawaiis Innovative Lunar Surface Flight Experiment for Landing in Late 2017

Recently, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Hawaii's state aerospace agency PISCES, and two Hawaii high schools Iolani and Kealakehe have come together in a unique collaboration called MoonRIDERS. This strategic partnership will allow Hawaii students to participate directly in sending a science experiment to the surface of the moon. The MoonRIDERS project started in the spring of 2014, with each institution responsible for its own project costs and activities. PISCES, given its legislative direction in advancing planetary surface systems, saw this collaboration as an important opportunity to inspire a young generation and encourage STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning. Under the guidance of PISCES and NASA, the students will be involved hands-on from start to finish in the engineering, testing, and validation of a space technology called the Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS). Dust is a critical issue for space exploration, as evidenced by the Apollo lunar missions and Mars rovers and landers. Dust creates a number of problems for humans and hardware, including inhalation, mechanical interference, wear and tear on spacesuits, inhibition of heat transfer on radiators, and reduced efficiency of solar panels. To address this, the EDS is designed to work on a variety of materials, and functions by generatingelectrodynamic fields to clear away the dust. The Google Lunar XPRIZE (GLXP), a space competition "designed to inspire pioneers to do robotic space transport on a budget," serves as a likely method for the MoonRIDERS to get their project to the moon. The EDS would potentially be flown as a hosted payload on a competitor's lander (still to be chosen). This briefing will provide an overview of the technology, the unique partnership, progress update and testing leading to this flight opportunity.

Payload experiment↗
NASA NTRS2016

Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Space Applications

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) has chosen dust mitigation technology as a Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) critical technology need in order to reduce life cycle cost and risk, and increase the probability of mission success. NASA has also included Particulate Contamination Prevention and Mitigation as a cross-cutting technology to be developed for contamination prevention, cleaning and protection. This technology has been highlighted due to the detrimental effect of dust on both human and robotic missions. During manned Apollo missions, dust caused issues with both equipment and crew. Contamination of equipment caused many issues including incorrect instrument readings and increased temperatures due to masking of thermal radiators. The astronauts were directly affected by dust that covered space suits, obscured face shields and later propagated to the cabin and into the crew's eyes and lungs. Robotic missions on Mars were affected when solar panels were obscured by dust thereby reducing the effectiveness of the solar panels. The Electrostatics and Surface Physics Lab in Swamp Works at the Kennedy Space Center has been developing an Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) to remove dust from multiple surfaces, including glass shields and thermal radiators. This technology has been tested in lab environments and has evolved over several years. Tests of the technology include reduced gravity flights (one-sixth g) in which Apollo Lunar dust samples were successfully removed from glass shields while under vacuum (10(exp -6) kPa).

ISECG↗
NASA NTRS2013

Characterizing the Performance of the Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer

A Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer has been developed as a surveying tool to be incorporated into a Martian rover design. Electrostatic sensors with various protruding cover insulators are embedded into a prototype rover wheel. When these insulators come into contact with a surface, a charge develops on the cover insulator through tribocharging. A charge spectrum is created by analyzing the accumulated charge on each of the dissimilar cover insulators. This charge spectrum can be used to determine differences in Martian regolith properties. In this study, we analyzed the repeatability of the measurements for this sensor package and found that the sensor repeatability lies within one standard deviation of the noise in the signal. In addition, we tested the need for neutralizing the surface charge on the cover insulators and discovered a need to discharge the sensor cover insulators after each revolution. Future work includes an electronics redesign to reduce noise and a Martian pressure static elimination tool that can be used to neutralize the charge on the sensor cover insulators after each wheel revolution.

Johansen, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Space Environmental Testing of the Electrodynamic Dust Shield Technology

NASA's exploration missions to Mars and the moon may be jeopardized by dust that will adhere to surfaces of (a) Optical systems, viewports and solar panels, (b) Thermal radiators, (c) Instrumentation, and (d) Spacesuits. We have developed an active dust mitigation technology, the Electrodynamic Dust Shield, a multilayer coating that can remove dust and also prevents its accumulation Extensive testing in simulated laboratory environments and on a reduced gravity flight shows that high dust removal performance can be achieved Long duration exposure to the space environment as part of the MISSE-X payload will validate the technology for lunar missions.

Calle, Carlos I.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Characterizing the Perfonnance of the Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer

A Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer has been developed as a surveying tool to be incorporated into a planetary rover design. Electrostatic sensors with various protruding cover insulators are embedded into a prototype rover wheel. When these insulators come into contact with a surface, a charge develops on the cover insulator through tribocharging. A charge spectrum is created by analyzing the accumulated charge on each of the dissimilar cover insulators. We eventually intend to prove charge spectra can be used ~o determine differences in planetary regolith properties. We tested the effects of residual surface charge on the cover insulators and discovered a need to discharge the sensor cover insulators after each revolution. We proved the repeatability of the measurements for this sensor package and found that the sensor repeatability lies within one standard deviation of the noise in the signal.

Johansen, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Characterizing the Performance of the Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer

Insulators need to be discharged after each wheel revolution. Sensor responses repeatable within one standard deviation in the noise of the signal. Insulators may not need to be cleaned after each revolution. Parent Technology- Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment/Electrometer Electrostatic sensors with dissimilar cover insulators Protruding insulators tribocharge against regolith simulant Developed for use on the scoop for the 2001 Mars Odyssey lander Wheel Electrostatic Spectrometer Embedded electrostatic sensors in prototype Martian rover wheel If successful, this technology will enable constant electrostatic testing on Mars Air ionizing fan used to neutralize the surface charge on cover insulators . WES rolled on JSClA lunar simulant Control experiment -Static elimination not conducted between trials -Capacitor discharged after each experiment Charge neutralization experiment -Static elimination conducted between trials -Capacitor discharged after each experiment. Air ionizing fan used on insulators after each wheel revolution Capacitor discharged after each trial Care was taken to roll WES with same speed/pressure Error bars represent one standard deviation in the noise of e ach sensor

Johansen, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

An Electrostatic Precipitator System for the Martian Environment

Human exploration missions to Mars will require the development of technologies for the utilization of the planet's own resources for the production of commodities. However, the Martian atmosphere contains large amounts of dust. The extraction of commodities from this atmosphere requires prior removal of this dust. We report on our development of an electrostatic precipitator able to collect Martian simulated dust particles in atmospheric conditions approaching those of Mars. Extensive experiments with an initial prototype in a simulated Martian atmosphere showed efficiencies of 99%. The design of a second prototype with aerosolized Martian simulated dust in a flow-through is described. Keywords: Space applications, electrostatic precipitator, particle control, particle charging

Calle, C. I.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dust Removal Technolgy for a Mars In Situ Resource Utilization System

Several In Situ Resource Utilization (lSRU) systems being considered to enable future manned exploration of Mars require capture of Martian atmospheric gas to extract oxygen and other commodities. However, the Martian atmosphere contains relatively large amounts of dust which must be removed in tbe collection systems of the ISRU chambers. The amount of atmospheric dust varies largely with the presence of daily dust devils and the less frequent but much more powerful global dust storms. A common and mature dust removal technology for terrestrial systems is the electrostatic precipitator. With this technology, dust particles being captured are imparted an electrostatic charge by means of a corona discharge. Charged dust particles are then driven to a region of high electric field which forces the particles onto a collector for capture. Several difficulties appear when this technology is adapted to the Martian atmospheric environment At the low atmospheric pressure of Mars, electrical breakdown occurs at much lower voltages than on Earth and corona discharge is difficult to sustain. In this paper, we report on our efforts to obtain a steady corona/glow discharge in a simulated Martian atmosphere of carbon dioxide at 9 millibars of pressure. We also present results on the design of a dust capture system under these atmospheric conditions.

Calle, C. I.↗