Inside of the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) is in view on Jan. 18, 2023. The dust shield is one of the payloads to fly aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
Defeating dust may be a small concern for most people on Earth, but for
astronauts and spacecraft destined for the Moon or Mars, it is a significant
hazard that must be mitigated. That’s why researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center in Florida are seeking innovative ways to use Electrodynamic Dust Shield
(EDS) technology.
Using transparent electrodes and
electric fields, EDS technology can electrically lift and remove dust from a
variety of surfaces for space applications ranging from thermal radiators,
solar panels, and camera lenses to spacesuits, boots, and helmet visors.
Controlling and removing the statically-charged dust will be critical to the
success of Moon missions under the agency’s’ CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.
“For these CLPS and Artemis
missions, dust exposure is a concern because the lunar surface is far different
than what we’re used to here,” said Dr. Charles Buhler, lead research scientist
at the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at Kennedy. “Lunar
regolith dust can get into gaskets and seals, into hatches, and even into
habitats, which can pose a lot of issues for spacecraft and
astronauts.”
Unlike dust particles on Earth,
dust on the Moon’s surface is sharp and abrasive – like tiny shards of glass –
because it hasn’t been exposed to weathering and elements like water and
oxygen.
“Simply brushing lunar regolith
across surfaces can make the problem worse because it’s also very
electrostatically charged and highly insulating,” Buhler said.
Based on the Electric Curtain
concept developed by NASA in 1967, EDS technology has been in development at
Kennedy since 2004.
It first made its way to low Earth
orbit aboard the NASA Materials International Space Station Experiment 11
mission in 2019.
EDS technology was embedded in 12 different panels made of glass, polyimide,
and prototype spacesuit fabric and sent to the International Space Station for
testing in the vacuum of space.
Before making it to space, EDS had
been predominantly tested in vacuum chambers that produced promising results of
removing simulants and samples of lunar regolith, collected during NASA’s
Apollo missions, from surfaces within a second.
Most recently, as part of Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander mission, EDS technology was
embedded in two lenses of EagleCam, a CubeSat camera system developed by
students at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Following landing, the EagleCam instrument successfully deployed from Intuitive
Machines’ Odysseus lander. The teams at Embry Riddle were unable to acquire
images of the lander as they had hoped, but they were able to collect other
data sets, including from the EDS technology.
Later this year, another EDS
technology demonstration is slated to land on the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative mission with commercial partner Firefly Aerospace.
“The team has put in a tremendous
amount of work and dedication. EDS is considered the leading technology and the
best we have for the removal of dust for space applications,” Buhler said. “To
fly as a dedicated payload on a mission to the Moon is very exciting.”
According to Buhler, EDS technology
could be a first line of defense for establishing an extended human presence on
the Moon with future Artemis missions.
From its applications with
protecting tools, machinery, and spacesuits, the technology could potentially
even help improve day-to-day tasks by being applied to small components like
gaskets, seals, and hatches. This could save astronauts the hassle of traveling
to the Moon with extra cleaning supplies.
“EDS technology can be used outside of a habitat to help clean surfaces like railings and floors, but it can be used inside as well,” Buhler said. “All of those applications are being evaluated and tested.”
Source: NASA Technology Helps Guard Against Lunar Dust - NASA
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