An Investigation of Cryo-Capable Electronics for Surviving the Lunar Night (Renewal)

Nights on the moon last more than two weeks, and during this time temperatures can fall as low as -230°C. Conventional designs for lunar spacecraft either do not plan for survival past the harsh lunar night, or must utilize a heat source to keep electronics at nominal temperatures which can incur large impacts to mass and cost for the mission. Another option, however, is to simply ride out the lunar night conditions and revive the spacecraft using solar power after the sun returns to the surface. This method will require a subset of on-board electronics to operate at cryogenic temperatures to manage the revival process, as at lunar dawn the spacecraft will still be extremely cold from soaking in the lunar night environment for two weeks. Our research focuses on achieving this with readily available commercial off-the-shelf components. Most electronics are assumed to be inoperable below their rated operational temperatures, but this is not entirely accurate. Many components can operate normally at low temperatures, and in some cases, even improve performance. Our research explores which families of parts can thrive in a cryogenic environment and can provide insight into how to extend the mission capabilities with existing technology.

Utilizing cryogenically operable electronics to manage revival from the lunar night environment will greatly extend mission lengths with minimal impacts to the mission itself. The hibernation strategy aims to 1) use commercial off-the-shelf components to incur low overall cost, 2) be relatively low mass as it utilizes existing on-board battery power, and 3) require a low level of complexity, being adaptable to existing spacecraft and not requiring an overhaul in the design. Surviving a single lunar night represents a doubling of mission length. Surviving multiple lunar nights will allow lunar spacecraft to operate for years, as opposed to only one lunar day. Solar and battery powered spacecraft were previously seen as unable to survive the lunar night conditions, disposable after the lunar day ended; but with this technology, they can increase their operational lifespan with low impacts to the design, mass, and cost.

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