The United States Aerospace Agency (NASA) has called on students at universities across the United States to help solve the difficult moon dust problem as the agency plans to explore the moon in a sustainable way.
Through the Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-Changing Ideas (BIG) 2021 Challenge and Project Space Grant, NASA has awarded nearly $ 1 million to seven groups of undergraduates to develop rewards measures aimed at minimizing moon dust.
“This challenge is an exciting opportunity for students and the space agency,” said Niki Werkheiser, director of the NASA Space Technology Mission (STMD). Moon dust affects everything we do on the Moon, so we need more strategies to reduce or prevent its effects. These creative student ideas could help solve some of NASA’s most pressing moon dust problems. “
Through this challenge, NASA sought innovative ideas from the academic community for a variety of lunar dust mitigation solutions, including reduction of dust clouds on landing, removal of dust from spacesuit and other surfaces, dust prevention of optical systems and reduction of dust particles in the cabin. .
The selected groups will develop methods and technologies both for active dust reduction, such as air purification systems, and also for passive dust reduction, such as landing pads and airspaces. dust-free work.
Prize values vary and are based on each team’s prototype and proposed budget. The winners of the BIG Idea Challenge 2021 are:
Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design with an electrostatic solution for the adhesion of Moon dust to provide systematic layers of protection to the most vulnerable points of the spacesuit through the realism shows tufts of electrostatic propulsion fibers and fibers that capture surface dust.
California Institute of Technology with research on “Navigable and modular electrodynamic shield for the living environment”. It is a set of integrated panels with an electrodynamic dust protection system to minimize moon dust entering living spaces.
Colorado Mining School collaborates with ICON, Masten Space Systems and Adherent Technologies to provide a solution to the Moon spacecraft landing and launch environment to create a lunar dust binder surface and fiber barrier.
Georgia Institute of Technology with Patent Brush minimizes dust mixing by using EDS and UV technology. It is a composite brush that uses electrodynamic and ultraviolet shielding technology to remove moon dust from spacesuits and other surfaces. The bristles contain electrodes that attract charged moon dust particles and clean them from the suit. The remaining dust particles are charged with the ultraviolet emitter for subsequent removal by the system.
Missouri University of Science and Technology has patented solar vibration ultrasonic moon dust removal to remove moon dust from solar cells by ultrasonic vibration through a surface acceleration strategy.
University of Central Florida with Moon Dust research to mitigate electrostatic microstructure coatings. It is a biologically inspired materials engineering solution, such as building a hair-like surface microstructure that mimics pollinators to reduce the strong interaction between dust and the exterior of the plant. combination. The team working with Morphotonics will produce conductive fabrics that dissipate electricity on moon dust and use a design based on Japanese paper folding to improve the longevity of the materials.
Washington State University with research using the Leidenfrost effect as a new tool to minimize moon dust. The Leidenfrost effect is named after the German scientist when he discovered that if water droplets flowed over a hot pan, they moved wildly for a fairly long time, then slowly evaporated at a slower rate than d habit. This study aims to use the new evaporation of frozen liquid droplets to lift and transport moon dust from the space suit materials.
Grants from NASA will be used to develop and test technologies in simulated environments over the next 10 months. The groups will present their research and development results to a panel of NASA and specialist business experts in November 2021.
“This challenge is a great way to find solutions to a common problem that affects landing,” said Dr. Rajiv Doreswamy, director of space grants at NASA’s STEM office, Destroy and Live on the Moon. “
