Crater Profile Roughness Tool That Predicts PSI Physics

Gaseous or solid impactors can disrupt the regolith-covered surfaces of small bodies or the moon, causing extensive surface modification and posing a severe risk to on-surface structures. Gas-granular plume surface interactions (PSI) cross multiple physics regimes, featuring a mixture of viscous (Navier-Stokes assumptions are valid) and rarefied flow (particle-particle collisions dominate; the plume behaves as a granular gas), high turbulence, and fluidization of the soil. Understanding the behaviors of these granular materials in vacuum and microgravity environments is vital for mitigation of unwanted plume surface interaction effects. This proposal focuses on developing the innovative use of crater profile roughness as an indicator of the PSI physics behaviors and regimes at play during any given landing scenario. Development of this model in 2D (Phase I), expansion into 3D space (Phase II), and development of a software product (“Lunar CPR”) to allow access to this data for commercial applications and NASA missions (Phase III) will result in a robust model (Phase I-II) and tool (Phase III) which can be used to predict the PSI physics of cratering and surface erosion in low-pressure and rarefied environments. This tool, validated with experimental data, will allow customers to access geotechnical properties of landing zone regolith, only requiring (a) information about the lander such as thrust, descent rate and height over time, and total mass, and (b) a camera capable of imaging the surface, both of which are available for historical landings of record and will be available for any future commercial or private landers. Much like the maps referenced when building on Earth, this data would allow for creation of geotechnical maps vital for making informed geoengineering decisions on the Moon or remote locations on Earth.

NASA will need to develop lunar geotechnical maps considering the properties of the surface and subsurface materials to enable the development of lunar infrastructure (i.e., landing pads, roads, structures) to support repeated landings and long duration stays. Using the proposed physics-based model and software tool, NASA will be able to estimate the basic geotechnical information for any area with a lander of some scale. Rather than needing to mobilize hands-on tools across the lunar surface, customers can land anything small equipped with optical cameras, then use this software to estimate the cohesion, density, and bulk strength of the regolith bed in question. Over time, the physics model will continuously improve as more landing configurations are explored, improving the capabilities of our software over time. As NASA transitions to exploring Mars, the tools can be adapted to provide similar functionality to map geotechnical information on the Mars surface. Commercial entities or other Space Agencies engaged in space exploration can leverage the tools developed under this SBIR to provide lunar and Mars geotechnical mapping capability in the same manner as NASA. Using the proposed physics-based model and software tool, NASA will be able to estimate the basic geotechnical information for any area with a lander of some scale. Rather than needing to mobilize hands-on tools across the lunar surface, customers can land anything small equipped with optical cameras, then use this software to estimate the cohesion, density, and bulk strength of the regolith bed in question. The tool may also prove useful for the DoD and/or FEMA to assess terrestrial landscape for remote/hard-to-traverse places and/or military operations in fast-acting situations. This could prove especially useful to support program like the rocket cargo program where the provider is attempting to get cargo to remote areas quickly.

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.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.