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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 6)
Project Objective
This project aims to develop a Lunar Regolith Simulant distribution system to enable the Space Environmental Effects (SEE) Team to deposit accurate and repeatable amounts of simulant onto test articles.
Project Description
Project short-term goals are to:
Project Results and Conclusions
The SEE team completed design and construction of a vacuum-compatible simulant spreader. After several prototypes and down selecting best functioning designs and features, the final design has been successfully tested in-vacuum for functionality.
The new simulant spreader was used to perform preliminary testing for another EM41 project for designing a dust repellant silicone for sealing surfaces/gaskets to aid in lunar missions.
The simulant spreader is currently being tested for area coverage uniformity using simple code and photographs of simulant covered surfaces. Once the characterization is complete, the technology will be deployed in the new PLANET environmental simulation chamber to continue characterization of lunar simulant electrostatics and supporting other test campaigns.
Regolith dust is expected to be one of the most serious environmental hazards on the Moon. Many technologies are being developed (across the Agency and beyond) to deal with dust, and ground testing these technologies is crucial to ensuring mission success. MSFC’s SEE team has world-class facilities investments in planetary surface environmental simulation in vacuum chambers, but there still are many unknowns in the field of regolith/dust testing.
Objectives: Complete pathfinder testing related to dusty planetary surface environments testing so that the SEE Team is prepared to quickly respond to test requests from customers to enable new exploration technologies. Mission pull: Many missions (Artemis, CLPS, HLS, LTV…) are focused on performance on the lunar surface, and dust is expected to be a significant challenge, especially in the complex plasma/charging environments present on the Moon. The SEE Team has received many inquiries involving charging and dust testing in vacuum. Project deliverables include: • Complete design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel simulant distribution system to accurately deposit a controlled amount of regolith simulant over an area. • Test and characterize lunar regolith simulant in several charging scenarios. Variables include: • Temperature (-170°C to +120°C) • Charging polarity (negative/positive) • Charging method (tribocharging/charged particle/photo emission)
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