Mitigation of lunar dust adhered to mechanical parts of equipment used for lunar exploration

A unique cleaning system has been developed utilizing electrostatic force to remove lunar dust adhered to the mechanical parts of equipment used for lunar exploration. A single-phase voltage is applied to parallel electrodes printed on a flexible substrate to remove the dust. More than 90% of adhered dust was repelled from the surface of the slightly inclined device in a vacuum, and the cleaning performance of the system would be further improved in the low-gravity environment of the Moon. This technology is expected to increase the reliability of equipment used in long-term manned and unmanned activities on the lunar surface.     

月尘被动防护技术的最新研究进展

月球的特殊环境使月尘具有导电等特殊的性质,极易黏附在探测仪器上造成设备的失效,给探月工程带来极大的危害,因此国内外众多研究组针对月尘危害展开深入研究.本文从黏附机理、防护方法和实验测试几方面对月尘的被动防护技术进行综述和展望.首先,阐述了月尘对探测设备造成的不利影响及影响因素,进而具体论述月尘黏附的机理,详细介绍造成黏附的两种主要作用力的理论基础.然后,针对不同作用机理系统阐述了降低月尘颗粒黏附力的主要方法,对月尘被动防护技术的最新进展进行了总结.最后,结合防护方式的不同,总结了测试月尘黏附力的方法,从而为有效实现探测设备表面月尘防护奠定基础.     

月表尘埃颗粒带电的机理及应用研究

研究月尘颗粒在电子束环境下以及紫外源辐照下的带电机理,利用数值方法模拟月尘颗粒在不同背景环境下的充电过程,以探索月表尘埃颗粒的带电机理,进而便于地面月尘环境模拟装置选择合适的月尘带电方式进行空间模拟实验.给出了尘埃在电子束环境下的充电方程,并将紫外辐射带电与具体应用相结合.通过模拟结果可知,在电子束环境下,月尘表面的电荷数随粒径尺寸增大,随电子枪辐照束斑半径减少,随电子枪流强的增加而增多;在紫外源的辐照下,月尘表面电荷数随颗粒尺寸的增大以及紫外线辐照度的增加而增多.由月尘颗粒受太阳紫外辐照带电的数值模拟结果可知,月尘需要在太阳长时间的辐照下才可以带上可观的电荷数,地面模拟该过程需增加辐照源来加速实验.通过模拟结果的分析比较并结合"空间环境模拟装置"中对月尘舱的设计要求,最终优选紫外源辐照带电方式作为月尘颗粒的带电方案.     

Distribution of charged lunar dust in the south polar region of the moon

Lunar dust is one of the most threatening problems confronting the return of human beings to the moon. In this work we studied the spatial distribution behavior of charged lunar dust in the solar wind plasma environment in the south polar region of the moon and considered the influence of a mini-crater using Spacecraft Plasma Interactions Software. The distribution of dust and plasma at low solar altitude angles of 20° and 0° was studied, and the spatial density of lunar dust was ~10^10.4 m^-3 and ~10^11.5 m^-3, respectively. This is because a higher surface potential will result in transportation of small dust particles and photoelectrons can also neutralize positively charged lunar dust. The dust density in the plasma void region created by a mini-crater with a 5 m high wall was studied. We obtained a quasi-neutral electric environment in the plasma void region of the mini-crater, and the dust density was about a magnitude lower than that in other regions. The dust risk to a spacesuit is much lower on the nightside than on the dayside, but there is severe charged lunar dust transport in the region between light and shade, which is dominated by the difference in surface and plasma potential caused by photoelectrons.     

Impacts of fast meteoroids and a plasma–dust cloud over the lunar surface

The possibility of the formation of a plasma–dust cloud in the exosphere of the Moon owing to impacts of meteoroids on the lunar surface is discussed. Attention is focused on dust particles at large altitudes of ~10–100 km at which measurements were performed within the NASA LADEE mission. It has been shown that a melted material ejected from the lunar surface owing to the impacts of meteoroids plays an important role in the formation of the plasma–dust cloud. Drops of the melted material acquire velocities in the range between the first and second cosmic velocities for the Moon and can undergo finite motion around it. Rising over the lunar surface, liquid drops are solidified and acquire electric charges, in particular, owing to their interaction with electrons and ions of the solar wind, as well as with solar radiation. It has been shown that the number density of dust particles in the plasma–dust cloud present in the exosphere of the Moon is ?10^?8 cm^?3, which is in agreement with the LADEE measurements.     

Electrodynamic Dust Shields on the International Space Station: Exposure to the space environment

Electrodynamic Dust Shields (EDS) have been in development at NASA as a dust mitigation method for lunar and Martian missions. An active dust mitigation strategy, such as that provided by the EDS, that can remove dust from surfaces, is of crucial importance to the planetary exploration program. We report on the development of a flight experiment to fully expose four EDS panels to the space environment. This flight experiment is part of the Materials International Space Station experiment X (MISSE-X), an external platform on the International Space Station that will expose materials to the space environment.     

Particle removal by electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces for dust control during lunar exploration missions

Particle removal during lunar exploration activities is of prime importance for the success of robotic and human exploration of the moon. We report on our efforts to use electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces to develop a dust removal technology that prevents the accumulation of dust on solar panels and removes dust adhering to those surfaces. Testing of several prototypes showed solar shield output above 90% of the initial potentials after dust clearing.     

Dusty plasma system in the surface layer of the illuminated part of the moon

The dusty plasma system in the surface layer of the illuminated part of the Moon has been considered. The maximum height of the dust rise has been determined. It has been shown that a dead zone, where dust particles cannot rise over the surface of the Moon, is absent near a lunar latitude of 80°. The size and height distributions of dust have been determined.     

Effect of the solar wind on the formation of a photoinduced dusty plasma layer near the surface of the Moon

A dusty plasma layer formed near the illuminated part of the surface of the Moon under the action of ultraviolet radiation, as well as fast and slow solar wind, has been numerically simulated. The numerical calculations including the photoemission properties of lunar regolith samples delivered to the Earth have been compared to estimates within known theoretical models. It has been shown that the flux of solar wind particles plays an important role in the formation of the surface photoelectron layer. The conditions of the charging and stable levitation of dust particles in the surface plasma layer of the Moon have been analyzed.