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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Engineering the Interface: Advanced Surface Technologies for Lunar Dust Management and Equipment Longevity

Through the Artemis program, NASA intends to develop a sustainable human foothold on the Moon, ultimately paving the way for crewed exploration of Mars. The Moon's hostile environment poses numerous obstacles, including exposure to radiation, temperature extremes, micrometeoroid threats, and particularly the persistent problem of lunar dust. Lunar dust impacts nearly every aspect of surface operations through adhesion and abrasion mechanisms, with contamination from anthropogenic activities (landing, rovers) far outweighing natural phenomena. Multiple adhesion pathways contribute to surface contamination in the lunar environment, including van der Waals forces, electrostatic forces, chemical reaction, and magnetic forces from elemental iron deposits. Sharp asperities from micrometeoroid bombardment and atmospheric absence increase interaction potential and enable mechanical interlocking. Low cohesion between dust particles exacerbates these challenges, as minimal interaction potential between dust and nearby surfaces overcomes particle cohesion, causing contamination. Lunar dust adhesion mitigation technologies can be categorized as either active, requiring external energy, or passive, relying on intrinsic material properties. Ultrasonic and electrodynamic technologies have been developed to the highest technology readiness level for active approaches. Passive strategies primarily focus on surface chemistry and topography modifications. At NASA Langley Research Center, approaches include surface migration agents to reduce surface energy, topographical modification using laser ablation patterning, and tailored surface conductivity to reduce intrinsic adhesion force. Performance has been evaluated using custom-built ultrasonic and centrifuge instruments. Plume-surface interactions from lunar landers can propel micrometer-sized particles at velocities up to 1000 m s-1.8 These particles pose risks to landers, habitats and infrastructure, leading to erosion, degradation, and reduced component lifespan. A panel recovered from Surveyor III was determined to have been severely abraded because of lunar dust displaced from the Apollo 12 lunar module that landed 160 m away. The performance of metallic surfaces has been evaluated via high velocity single particle impact using the laser-induced project impact test (LIPIT) facility at the University of Utah. Peridynamics modeling, a form of continuum mechanics that uses a nonlocal approach enabling greater simulation capabilities of crack initiation and fracture, has also been utilized to gain greater insight into material response during impact events. Lunar dust contamination challenges extend to power generation systems and moving equipment. Cables, rotation stages, and other mechanisms may experience limited range of motion and reduced lifetime due to dust infiltration. NASA Langley Research Center has evaluated traditional aerospace alloys, softgoods, wear resistant ceramics, and several polymer and polymer composite materials. Test methods have included traditional techniques like Taber abrasion testing, as well as designed test configurations developed in the DUSTE (dust, ultraviolet radiation, and space thermal environmental) chamber that reproduce mechanism functions in operational environment. Beyond laboratory experiments, several flight experiments have been conducted. Materials were exposed to the low Earth orbit environment on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) and to the lunar surface environment through the Aegis Aerospace Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) payload and the Honeybee Robotics PlanetVac payload. Determining lunar dust's impact on surface exploration and habitation requires comprehensive experimental and computational capabilities combined with lessons learned from initial lunar activities. Identifying the greatest environmental challenges and developing mitigation technologies provides the clearest path toward successfully, expeditiously, and efficaciously completing NASA's mission. This presentation will discuss ongoing efforts at NASA Langley Research Center and collaborator contributions to these critical objectives.

Surface Engineering↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancements in Lunar Dust Mitigation and Leveraging the Contamination Control Community

Lunar Dust Contamination: As we get closer to putting landers, rovers, payloads, and astronauts on the Moon, dust mitigation is becoming more critical than ever. To address the many challenges of dust mitigation on the surface, engineers and scientists are looking at various technologies that may have relevance for the contamination control community. This includes active, passive, architectural, and operational solutions. There have been advances in coatings for dust mitigation at NASA and through commercial partnerships (see Wiesner, Wohl, et al). There have been advancements to previous solutions as well as novel solutions to address dust mitigation on the surface and on-orbit. There have been several efforts to better understand the effectiveness of various terrestrial and dust mitigation solutions with much of this data published in recent years. In the area of dust mitigation, dust contamination or infiltration refers to the impingement or contact of planetary dust with items not normally dusty and whose operation may therefore be compromised. Recent Advancements in Dust Mitigation: Dust mitigation strategies are becoming more common for hardware heading to the Moon, with most major programs implementing lunar dust contamination requirements for human health and equipment. In the last couple of years, NASA has created more guidance to assist hardware developers with dust mitigation. This includes NASA-STD-1008 (Classifications and Requirements for Testing Systems and Hardware to be Exposed to Dust in Planetary) and NASA TP 20220018746 (Lunar Dust Mitigation Guide and Reference). Several projects are testing hardware in relevant dusty environments to understand their tolerance to lunar dust. There has been a significant increase in the amount of testing with lunar simulants, with the NASA Simulant Advisory Committee serving a resource for NASA and our partners. There are new solutions for detecting and monitoring the dust internally and externally. Learning from the contamination control community: In addition to sharing potentially relevant solutions at the workshop, the dust mitigation community is also interested in learning from the contamination control community on ways to address lunar dust. For instance, a major aspect of managing the dust is monitoring and detection. This is critical for understanding when maintenance is needed and to inform future missions. Another challenge of working with lunar dust is quantifying and characterizing the smallest of particles. There are also challenges in modeling lunar dust and its behavior. The dust mitigation community can also leverage lessons learned from the planetary protection community.

dust mitagation↗
NASA NTRS2014

Chronic Lunar Dust Exposure on Rat Cornea: Evaluation by Gene Expression Profiling

Lunar dust is capable of entering habitats and vehicle compartments by sticking to spacesuits or other objects that are transferred into the spacecraft from the lunar surface and has been reported to cause irritation upon exposure. During the Apollo missions, crewmembers reported irritation specifically to the skin and eyes after contamination of the lunar and service modules. It has since been hypothesized that ocular irritation and abrasion might occur as a result of such exposure, impairing crew vision. Recent work has shown that both ultrafine and unground lunar dust exhibited minimal irritancy of the ocular surface (i.e., cornea); however, the assessment of the severity of ocular damage resulting from contact of lunar dust particles to the cornea has focused only on macroscopic signs of mechanical irritancy and cytotoxicity. Given the chemical reactive properties of lunar dust, exposure of the cornea may contribute to detrimental effects at the molecular level including but not limited to oxidative damage. Additionally, low level chronic exposures may confound any results obtained in previous acute studies. We report here preliminary results from a tissue sharing effort using 10‐week‐old Fischer 344 male rats chronically exposed to filtered air or jet milled lunar dust collected during Apollo 14 using a Jaeger‐NYU nose‐only chamber for a total of 120 hours (6 hours daily, 5 days a week) over a 4‐week period. RNA was isolated from corneas collected from rats at 1 day and 7 days after being exposed to concentrations of 0, 20, and 60 mg/m3 of lunar dust. Microarray analysis was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array with Affymetrix Expression Console and Transcriptome Analysis Console used for normalization and secondary analysis. An Ingenuity iReport"TM" was then generated for canonical pathway identification. The number of differentially expressed genes identified increases with dose compared to controls suggesting a more severe response to the lunar dust insult at higher levels. Pathways of interests that have been identified in all exposed samples include oxidative stress response, mitochondrial dysfunction, fibrosis, epithelial healing, TGF-Beta signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Several biological processes related to cell migration, cellular proliferation, and eye development were also identified to be altered by exposure to lunar dust. Our preliminary results suggest that even a chronic insult of lunar dust as low as 20 mg/m(exp 3) elicits a molecular response in cornea tissue. Lunar dust on the surface of the moon would have the added properties of ionization and activation potentially leading to further damage to the cornea and greater sensitivity to any other environmental insult such as exposure to radiation. Additional studies are required to fully assess the risk of vision impairment and the mechanistic responses initiated in cornea exposed to lunar dust as well as the potential for long‐term effects to astronaut health

Theriot, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Comparative Benchmark Dose Modeling as a Tool to Make the First Estimate of Safe Human Exposure Levels to Lunar Dust

Brief exposures of Apollo Astronauts to lunar dust occasionally elicited upper respiratory irritation; however, no limits were ever set for prolonged exposure ot lunar dust. Habitats for exploration, whether mobile of fixed must be designed to limit human exposure to lunar dust to safe levels. We have used a new technique we call Comparative Benchmark Dose Modeling to estimate safe exposure limits for lunar dust collected during the Apollo 14 mission.

James, John T.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Lunar Dust Characterization for Exploration Life Support Systems

Lunar dust effects can have a significant impact on the performance and maintenance of future exploration life support systems. Filtration systems will be challenged by the additional loading from lunar dust, and mitigation technology and strategies have to be adapted to protect sensitive equipment. An initial characterization of lunar dust and simulants was undertaken. The data emphasize the irregular morphology of the dust particles and the frequency dependence of lunar dust layer detachment from shaken surfaces.

Agui, Juan H.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Chemical Reactivity of In-Situ Lunar Dust

Is in-situ lunar dust less, the same, or more chemically reactivity reactive than the Apollo samples currently stored in curation facilities here on Earth? This question has been debated extensively across the community of scientists that have focused on lunar dust biotoxicity. A definitive answer will further mitigate exploration risks to future human explorers on the Moon and will provide useful information for astrobiologists and space biologists as well.

Lunar Dust↗
NASA NTRS2009

Cytotoxic Effects of Re-Activated Lunar Dust Stimulant on Human Lung Cells

Lunar dust has been of significant concern due to various problems observed on the Apollo missions. Reports from astronauts have shown that the dust may have caused eye and nasal irritation as well as possible hay fever like symptoms. As NASA hopes to go to the Moon within the next few years, we hope to understand the possible toxic effects the dust might have. In these studies, we are looking at the effect of "re-activated" lunar dust stimulant on human bronchial cells. A simple grinding analog as a method of simulating micrometeorite crushing on the moon is used to "activate" the dust stimulant, i.e. capable of producing hydroxyl radicals. These radicals could then interact with human cells and may lead to a loss in membrane integrity and cell death. (Castranova, 1994) Cells are exposed to the dust for 6 and 24 hour intervals to assess cytotoxicity. Cytotoxicity is measured by looking at the production of inflammatory cytokines. Cells are exposed to ground and unground stimulant and compared to cytokine production from cells exposed to quartz which have a known toxicity. Here we look at the cytotoxicity of the lunar dust stimulant relative to quartz by measuring the production of inflammatory cytokines.

Upadhyaya, Krishna↗
NASA NTRS2008

Lunar Dust Mitigation Technology Development

NASA s plans for implementing the Vision for Space Exploration include returning to the moon as a stepping stone for further exploration of Mars, and beyond. Dust on the lunar surface has a ubiquitous presence which must be explicitly addressed during upcoming human lunar exploration missions. While the operational challenges attributable to dust during the Apollo missions did not prove critical, the comparatively long duration of impending missions presents a different challenge. Near term plans to revisit the moon places a primary emphasis on characterization and mitigation of lunar dust. Comprised of regolith particles ranging in size from tens of nanometers to microns, lunar dust is a manifestation of the complex interaction of the lunar soil with multiple mechanical, electrical, and gravitational effects. The environmental and anthropogenic factors effecting the perturbation, transport, and deposition of lunar dust must be studied in order to mitigate it s potentially harmful effects on exploration systems. This paper presents the current perspective and implementation of dust knowledge management and integration, and mitigation technology development activities within NASA s Exploration Technology Development Program. This work is presented within the context of the Constellation Program s Integrated Lunar Dust Management Strategy. The Lunar Dust Mitigation Technology Development project has been implemented within the ETDP. Project scope and plans will be presented, along with a a perspective on lessons learned from Apollo and forensics engineering studies of Apollo hardware. This paper further outlines the scientific basis for lunar dust behavior, it s characteristics and potential effects, and surveys several potential strategies for its control and mitigation both for lunar surface operations and within the working volumes of a lunar outpost.

Hyatt, Mark J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of NASA Gateway Lunar Dust Mitigation and Contamination Modeling and Analysis

The planned NASA Artemis campaign has several lunar surface missions in which the NASA Gateway is the waypoint between lunar orbit and the lunar surface for Human Lander System (HLS). Each of these missions is an opportunity for lunar dust to be introduced into the Gateway environment, post surface mission, potentially causing end of life (EOL) performance degradation due to lunar dust contamination of sensitive hardware and systems on the exterior of Gateway and Visiting Vehicles. The Gateway Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) and Induced Environments teams are addressing the challenge of lunar dust with a two-pronged approach. Characterization of the lunar dust induced environment around Gateway and contamination risk is accomplished with a comprehensive physics-based framework, the Gateway On-orbit Lunar Dust Modeling and Analysis Program (GOLDMAP), which is currently in development. Analysis results from GOLDMAP define Gateway-level induced environments requirements and are flowed to elements and subsystems. In parallel, a dust mitigation strategy is being developed with a focus on lunar dust protection, dust mitigation technologies, mitigation and testing guidance, and cross-program coordination and is informed by outputs from GOLDMAP analyses. Activities supporting both components include hardware susceptibility assessments and testing, and scientific experiments on lunar regolith.

Gateway↗
NASA NTRS2023

Protective Coatings for Lunar Dust Tolerance

Materials capable of withstanding the harsh lunar environment are critically needed to support long duration, sustainable missions on the Moon’s surface. Lunar dust significantly threatens the durability and reusability of components and vehicles due to possessing a fine, jagged morphology and highly abrasive nature. These characteristics result in the particles eroding, adhering and/or embedding onto component surfaces and into device confined geometries (e.g., gear housing, interlocking systems, etc.) potentially leading to premature failure. The aim of this study is to identify and characterize wear-resistant commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) materials, including advanced ceramics, for use as protective coatings to minimize abrasion and adhesion caused by lunar dust. Preliminary testing that mimics various aspects of lunar dust degradation, such as abrasive wear and adhesion, suggests that COTS ceramic coatings can improve lunar dust tolerance and protect underlying metallic substrates.

Valerie. L. Wiesner↗
NASA NTRS1991

Design of equipment for lunar dust removal

NASA has a long range goal of constructing a fully equipped, manned lunar base on the near side of the moon by the year 2015. During the Apollo Missions, lunar dust coated and fouled equipment surfaces and mechanisms exposed to the lunar environment. In addition, the atmosphere and internal surfaces of the lunar excursion module were contaminated by lunar dust which was brought in on articles passed through the airlock. Consequently, the need exists for device or appliance to remove lunar dust from surfaces of material objects used outside of the proposed lunar habitat. Additionally, several concepts were investigated for preventing the accumulation of lunar dust on mechanisms and finished surfaces. The character of the dust and the lunar environment present unique challenges for the removal of contamination from exposed surfaces. In addition to a study of lunar dust adhesion properties, the project examines the use of various energy domains for removing the dust from exposed surfaces. Also, prevention alternatives are examined for systems exposed to lunar dust. A concept utilizing a pressurized gas is presented for dust removal outside of an atmospherically controlled environment. The concept consists of a small astronaut/robotic compatible device which removes dust from contaminated surfaces by a small burst of gas.

Belden, Lacy↗
NASA NTRS2008

Electrostatic Characterization of Lunar Dust

To ensure the safety and success of future lunar exploration missions, it is important to measure the toxicity of the lunar dust and its electrostatic properties. The electrostatic properties of lunar dust govern its behavior, from how the dust is deposited in an astronaut s lungs to how it contaminates equipment surfaces. NASA has identified the threat caused by lunar dust as one of the top two problems that need to be solved before returning to the Moon. To understand the electrostatic nature of lunar dust, NASA must answer the following questions: (1) how much charge can accumulate on the dust? (2) how long will the charge remain? and (3) can the dust be removed? These questions can be answered by measuring the electrostatic properties of the dust: its volume resistivity, charge decay, charge-to-mass ratio or chargeability, and dielectric properties.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2014

Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response to Chronic Lunar Dust Inhalation

Background: Due to millennia of meteorite impact with virtually no erosive effects, the surface of the Moon is covered by a layer of ultra‐fine, reactive Lunar dust. Very little is known regarding the toxicity of Lunar dust on human physiology. Given the size and electrostatic characteristics of Lunar dust, countermeasures to ensure non‐exposure of astronauts will be difficult. To ensure astronaut safety during any future prolonged Lunar missions, it is necessary to establish the effect of chronic pulmonary Lunar dust exposure on all physiological systems. Methods: This study assessed the toxicity of airborne lunar dust exposure in rats on pulmonary and system immune system parameters. Rats were exposed to 0, 20.8, or 60.8 mg/m3 of lunar dust (6h/d; 5d/wk) for up to 13 weeks. Sacrifices occurred after exposure durations of 1day, 7 days, 4 weeks and 13 weeks post‐exposure, when both blood and lung lavage fluid were collected for analysis. Lavage and blood assays included leukocyte distribution by flow cytometry, electron/fluorescent microscopy, and cytokine concentration. Cytokine production profiles following mitogenic stimulation were performed on whole blood only. Results: Untreated lavage fluid was comprised primarily of pulmonary macrophages. Lunar dust inhalation resulted in an influx of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Although the percentage of lymphocytes increased, the T cell CD4:CD8 ratio was unchanged. Cytokine analysis of the lavage fluid showed increased levels of IL‐1b and TNFa. These alterations generally persisted through the 13 week sampling. Blood analysis showed few systemic effects from the lunar dust inhalation. By week 4, the peripheral granulocyte percentage was elevated in the treated rats. Plasma cytokine levels were unchanged in all treated rats compared to controls. Peripheral blood analysis showed an increased granulocyte percentage and altered cytokine production profiles consisting of increased in IL‐1b and IL‐6, and decreased IL‐2 production. Conclusion: Lunar dust inhalation results in significant lung inflammation, and some systemic effects, that does not resolve through 13 weeks. Lunar dust may therefore represent a crew health risk during sortie or long‐duration Lunar missions.

Crucian, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2006

Laboratory Measurements of Optical and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, and transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17, and Luna 24 missions, as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The experimental results were obtained on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with the yield increasing by an order of magnitude for grains of radii sub-micron size to several micron radii, at which it reaches asymptotic values. The yield for large size grains is found to be more than an order of magnitude higher than the bulk measurements on lunar fines reported in the literature.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Review of Lunar Dust Computational Fluid Dynamic Model Development, Applications, and Validation for Habitable Volumes

As humans look to return to the lunar surface, Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) must be able to control lunar dust concentrations to minimize impacts to crew health and equipment within the cabin environment. Lunar dust is abrasive and can deteriorate the performance of spacesuits and equipment inside of habitable volumes. Development and validation of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models assist in understanding the behavior of lunar dust and aids in design of ECLS systems. Previous analysis efforts include modeling the effect of lunar dust on the crew's health, devices to filter out lunar dust from ventilation systems, and module ventilation to predict where lunar dust would settle in modules. This paper is a literature review of the modeling and testing techniques currently used in industry to analyze how lunar dust will affect ECLSS functionality. Details about lunar dust material properties and knowledge gaps are also examined.

Monica Mah↗
NASA NTRS2024

Demonstration of Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy for High-Throughput In-Situ Quantification of Surface Lunar Dust for Testing and Future Surface Missions

In this paper, we present a new method of quantification for surface concentrations of lunar dust and lunar simulant for use and deployment for development testing and potential eventual use for verification and development testing and lunar surface missions. This technique demonstrates the use of portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) to quantify lunar dust loading on surfaces using an adaption of existing pXRF techniques. This paper shows the background in current methodologies for quantification of lunar dust in tests as well as current and potential future techniques for lunar surface missions, as well as current applications of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) pXRF technology. The methodology for adapting current pXRF techniques is presented, followed by a demonstration of this new method on a variety of materials related to spaceflight or lunar surface missions. This technique shows high fidelity for immediate utilization as well as a demonstration of high potential for future surface missions.

Spectroscopy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Protective Coatings for Mitigating Lunar Dust Abrasion and Adhesion

Materials resistant to the harsh lunar environment are needed to support long duration, sustainable missions on the Moon’s surface. Lunar dust poses a significant threat to the durability of components and vehicles due to its fine, jagged morphology and highly abrasive nature. These characteristics result in particles eroding, adhering and/or embedding onto component surfaces and into device confined geometries (e.g., gear housing, interlocking systems, etc.) potentially leading to premature failure. The aim of this work is to identify and characterize wear-resistant materials, including advanced ceramics, for use as protective coatings to minimize abrasion and adhesion caused by lunar dust. Results from testing and evaluation methods devised to elucidate and mimic aspects of lunar dust degradation, including adhesion, abrasion and erosion, as well as the lunar environment, will be presented. Discussion on balancing the need for dust management and tolerance versus dust adhesion mitigation will be shared in context of relevant lunar applications within the NASA Lunar Occupancy Dust Surface Separation Technologies effort, which is part of a NASA-wide effort to enable a sustained lunar presence through the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative.

lunar dust mitigation↗