NASA Talks: Harsh Lunar Environments

Stephanie Sipila

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NASA NTRS · 20260006025

NASA Talks: Harsh Lunar Environments

Stephanie Sipila

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Abstract

NASA Talks - Exploration drives technology, and as NASA works toward sustained operations on the lunar surface for a permanent moonbase, it is critical to understand how the location drives what’s needed to accomplish these goals. This is especially important as we land on the lunar South Pole, which will be different and riskier than the previous Apollo landing sites. The thermal conditions will be much colder, the lighting environment is challenged with low sun angles, the regolith holds a charge in the plasma sheath, and the radiation is significantly higher than in low Earth orbit (LEO). Stephanie Sipila, Deputy Manager of Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program (EHP) Technology, Integration and Partnerships Office, provided knowledge and insight into the game-changing technologies NASA is exploring to mitigate these risks.

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Stephanie Sipila. 2026-08-04. NASA Talks: Harsh Lunar Environments. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20260006025

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