Laboratory Studies of ³He Enrichment of the Early Lunar Regolith by the Young Sun

This project proposes to quantify the ³He budget implanted in the early lunar regolith (< 500 Myr) by the young Sun, which was 100x denser and twice as fast as the current solar wind, with 1000x higher flare rates and proportionally more ³He-rich impulsive energetic particle events. The study combines: (1) 3D MHD-constrained models of young solar wind and Corotating Interaction Region (CIR) structures; (2) data-driven estimates of early ³He-rich flare frequency from young solar analogs (1 Ceti, EK Dra, DS TucA); and (3) the first laboratory irradiation experiments exposing ilmenite (FeTiO3) and aluminosilicate samples to 1.5 MeV ³He ions using a van de Graaff accelerator and Radiation Effects Facility at GSFC, followed by extraction and measurement of ³He isotopes using a Thermo Scientific HELIX-MC mass spectrometer with a custom-built laser heating and extraction line at GSFC.

Production of a scientific paper describing findings; establishment of efficient collaboration between NASA GSFC and Interlune for future lunar ³He site exploration; improved understanding of the total ³He inventory in the lunar regolith; first laboratory irradiation data for ³He implantation in ilmenite and aluminosilicate samples

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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