Simulations of Lunar Dust interaction with exploration systems and instruments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Cipriani ◽  
François Piette
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Compositional Analysis ◽  
Thermal Control ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Predictive Algorithms ◽  
Performance Variations

<p>Lunar Dust is representing both an engineering challenge for future exploration missions due to systems potential contamination (due to regolith mobilization during e.g. traverse phases, landings, scooping, astronauts EVAs..) and a scientific target for e.g. mineralogical and compositional analysis of the Lunar surface. Therefore predicting not only interactions with systems but also payloads landed at the lunar surface is an important part of future missions design. Strong partnerships and synergies between agencies and space industries are now allowing the preparation of new missions with challenging timescales, for a return to the Moon in the next couple of years. In this context, the analysis of re-analysis of some of the Apollo era data and other landed assets is of high interest to perform the calibration of predictive algorithms and simulations tools of regolith transport and interactions with systems.</p> <p>The present work is organized in two parts: in the first part, we present a modelling study of two experiments included in the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP): the Lunar Ejecta and Meteoroids Experiment (LEAM), which experienced failures linked to thermal control and the Dust Detector Experiment (DDE) which could measure solar cells performance variations due to dust coverage.</p> <p>In the second part, we present simulation results for the contamination of the Imaging System accommodated on the PROSPECT experiment that will be embarked on the Luna 27 lander, due to land on the Moon in the next couple of years.</p> <p>We will discuss the quality of our predictions, the uncertainties inherent to the measurements, and the way forward in terms of better representation of lunar dust transport and interactions processes through models.</p>

Future lunar missions and investigation of dusty plasma processes on the Moon

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
SERGEY I. POPEL ◽  
LEV M. ZELENYI
Keyword(s):  
Dusty Plasma ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Charged Dust ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Plasma System ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dusty Plasma System

AbstractFrom the Apollo era of exploration, it was discovered that sunlight was scattered at the terminators giving rise to “horizon glow” and “streamers” above the lunar surface. Subsequent investigations have shown that the sunlight was most likely scattered by electrostatically charged dust grains originating from the surface. A renaissance is being observed currently in investigations of the Moon. The Luna-Glob and Luna-Resource missions (the latter jointly with India) are being prepared in Russia. Some of these missions will include investigations of lunar dust. Here we discuss the future experimental investigations of lunar dust within the missions of Luna-Glob and Luna-Resource. We consider the dusty plasma system over the lunar surface and determine the maximum height of dust rise. We describe mechanisms of formation of the dusty plasma system over the Moon and its main properties, determine distributions of electrons and dust over the lunar surface, and show a possibility of rising dust particles over the surface of the illuminated part of the Moon in the entire range of lunar latitudes. Finally, we discuss the effect of condensation of micrometeoriod substance during the expansion of the impact plume and show that this effect is important from the viewpoint of explanation of dust particle rise to high altitudes in addition to the dusty plasma effects.

POSSIBILITIES OF STUDYING THE LUNAR SOIL AND COMPARING THE COMPOSITIONS OF LUNAR AND TERRESTRIAL CLINOPYROXENES

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Z. Golitsyna ◽  
◽  
A. Kirdyashkin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Compositional Analysis ◽  
Lunar Soil ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Initial Composition ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
Lunar Rocks ◽  
Celestial Bodies ◽  
Temperature And Pressure

The problem of compositional analysis of extraterrestrial crystalline rocks in the study of celestial bodies is considered. Since most of the bodies, terrestrial planets and their surrounding objects may contain clinopyroxenes, it is possible to study the temperature and pressure of rock formation in certain areas according to the state of these minerals, and the studies can be carried out identically to the geothermobarometry of Earth rocks. The paper presents the results of experimental studies of clinopyroxene compositions of the basic model system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 in the pressure range of 12...30 kbar and temperatures of 1325...1650 °C, which can be assumed as conditions for the formation of lunar rocks. The development of the necessary experimental data obtained in terrestrial conditions will help in the future to conduct remote studies of the Moon and other celestial bodies without the need to deliver soil to Earth. The revealed clinopyroxenes can be analyzed with existing geothermometers and geobarometers obtained for different ranges of P-T conditions. The possibility of creating a new geothermobarometer based on the distribution of minals or cations in clinopyroxene specifically for lunar rocks is not excluded. The main features and possible instrumentation of the apparatus intended for the study of the lunar surface are described. The study of different areas of the lunar surface will determine where the country rocks are located most closely to the surface. Analysis of silicate components of the lunar rocks will make it possible to get closer to the solution to the problem of initial composition of the lunar mantle

Lunar Cargo Transportation (LuCaT): Semi-Autonomous Vehicle With Suspended Cable and Solar Power

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hershle Ellis ◽  
Chase Casher ◽  
Jamal Longwood ◽  
Abel Taye ◽  
Laura Ruhala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Heat ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Thermal Control ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Unique Problem ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Vehicle Operation ◽  
High And Low Temperatures

Abstract NASA is planning to send astronauts to the moon and then establish sustainable lunar exploration during the 21st Century under the Artemis program. The lunar south pole target site will need ground transportation to transport materials such as lunar ice from one location to another. This paper explores an alternative transportation system that is based on earth aerial tramways, which involves a chassis, wheels, drivetrain, and elevated cables with supporting structure. The wear of regolith lunar dust and the difficulties in traversing the uneven lunar terrain are reduced. Also, the speed and size of the cargo being transported should be superior to the lunar roving vehicle. By implementing a drivetrain system powered by solar energy, long term power generation and vehicle operation is achieved in the south polar region, which remains in sunlight at near horizontal incidence during the lunar cycle. Because of the extreme high and low temperatures of the moon, strength of materials that vary with temperature must be considered. The internal components of the vehicle and the chassis are protected by a lightweight shell. On earth, heat generated by electric charging and use of batteries can be removed by convection with the surrounding air. The lunar atmosphere presents a unique problem of possessing virtually no heat transfer through convection, while solar radiation will add or remove heat more extremely than earth-based conditions. A thermal control system is designed to manage the battery waste heat, utilizing optical solar reflectors and an internal conductive cooling system.

scholarly journals Design and Analysis of the Independent Communication Module for LESPA- Lunar Electric Surface Potential Analyzer

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.24) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Arunima Prakash ◽  
Diwakar R. Marur ◽  
Sakshi Namdeo
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fields ◽  
Surface Potential ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Lunar Exploration ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Communication Module ◽  
Lunar Satellite ◽  
Link Budget ◽  
Two Sides

Moon, our closest celestial neighbor and Earth’s only natural satellite is of utmost scientific importance. So far there have been 67 missions to the Moon, thus to enhance and aid further research understanding of lunar surface is vital. The Moon meets the Earth’s magnetotail (an extension of Earth’s magnetosphere) twice in a month encountering a gigantic sheet of ionized particles or plasma. These charged particles intersperse on the lunar dust and give it a negative charge. The electric field created by this phenomenon creates a substantial potential difference across the two sides of the lunar surface. Electrified dust grains can adhere to machinery and the large electric fields can affect electronics of landers or payload machinery. A payload is proposed Lunar Electric Surface Potential Analyzer (LESPA) to measure the effects of these magnetotail crossings. LESPA will need to establish a low BER link with the in-orbit lunar satellite at optimum frequencies to relay the raw data. This paper aims to analyze and study the link budget requirements for designing an Independent Communication Module (ICM) for LESPA as well as antenna models for the transmitter. The scope of the designed ICM is to ultimately assist in designing lander missions for future lunar exploration and aid in future lunar exploration missions and colonization activities. 

Lunar Dust

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Zakharov
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Lunar Regolith ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
The Impact

The surface of the Moon, as well as the surface of an airless body of the solar system, is subject to constant bombardment of micrometeorites, the effects of solar radiation, solar wind, and other space factors. As a result of the impact of high-speed micrometeorites for billions of years, the silicate base of the lunar surface is crushed, turning into particles with an approximately power-law-sized distribution. Given the explosive nature of the occurrence, these particles are characterized by an extremely irregular shape with pointed edges, either droplets close to spheres or conglomerates sintered at high temperatures. The plasma of the solar wind and the solar radiation, especially its ultraviolet part of the spectrum, when interacting with the upper layer of regolith causes a charge of the regolith upper layer and creates a near-surface double layer and an electric field. In this field, regolith particles of micron and submicron sizes can break away from the surface and levitate above the surface. Such dynamic processes lead to the transfer of dust particles over the surface of the Moon, as well as to the scattering of sunlight on these particles. Glows above the lunar surface of this nature were observed by television systems of American and Soviet landers in the early stages of lunar exploration. The American astronauts who landed on the lunar surface during the Apollo program experienced the aggressive properties of lunar dust. The results of the Apollo missions showed that dust particles are one of the main causes of danger to humans, spacecraft systems, and activities on the lunar surface. Based on the results of late 20th- and early 21st-century lunar research, as well as the proposed models, the article discusses the formation of the lunar regolith and the near-surface exosphere of the Moon under the influence of external factors in outer space. Relevant considerations include the causes and conditions of dust particle dynamics, the consequences of these processes as well as possible threats to humans, engineering systems during the implementation of planned research programs, and the exploration of the Moon. Also of relevance are models of the formation of a plasma-dust exosphere, the dynamics of dust particles in the near-surface region, and dust clouds at a distance of several tens of kilometers from the Moon’s surface, based on the available experimental data. The main unresolved problems associated with the dynamics of the dust component of lunar regolith are given, and methods for solving problematic issues are discussed. The Moon research programs of leading space agencies and their role in the study of Moon dust, its dynamics, human impact, and its activities in the implementation of promising programs for the study and exploration of the Moon are examined.

A Photographic Map of the Moon

1962 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 113-115
Author(s):  
D. W. G. Arthur ◽  
E. A. Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Map Projection

The cartography of the lunar surface can be split into two operations which can be carried on quite independently. The first, which is also the most laborious, is the interpretation of the lunar photographs into the symbolism of the map, with the addition of fine details from telescopic sketches. An example of this kind of work is contained in Johann Krieger'sMond Atlaswhich consists of photographic enlargements in which Krieger has sharpened up the detail to accord with his telescopic impressions. Krieger did not go on either to convert the photographic picture into the line symbolism of a map, or to place this picture on any definite map projection.

Optimization of a low-gravity reflux boiler system for lunar surface thermal control

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Simon ◽  
Fred Young ◽  
Terrence Chambers ◽  
Sean Nolan
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Thermal Control ◽  
Low Gravity

scholarly journals From “the Moon Is Rounder Abroad” to “Bravo, My Country”: How China Misperceives the World

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haifeng Huang
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Global Affairs ◽  
Chinese Public

AbstractFor a long time, since China’s opening to the outside world in the late 1970s, admiration for foreign socioeconomic prosperity and quality of life characterized much of the Chinese society, which contributed to dissatisfaction with the country’s development and government and a large-scale exodus of students and emigrants to foreign countries. More recently, however, overestimating China’s standing and popularity in the world has become a more conspicuous feature of Chinese public opinion and the social backdrop of the country’s overreach in global affairs in the last few years. This essay discusses the effects of these misperceptions about the world, their potential sources, and the outcomes of correcting misperceptions. It concludes that while the world should get China right and not misinterpret China’s intentions and actions, China should also get the world right and have a more balanced understanding of its relationship with the world.

scholarly journals Modeling and image quality enhancement for dynamic compressive imaging system

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 174830262110080
Author(s):  
Changjun Zha* ◽  
Qian Zhang* ◽  
Huimin Duan
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Quality Enhancement ◽  
Target Image ◽  
Compressive Imaging ◽  
Image Quality Enhancement ◽  
System A ◽  
Single Column ◽  
The Impact

Traditional single-pixel imaging systems are aimed mainly at relatively static or slowly changing targets. When there is relative motion between the imaging system and the target, sizable deviations between the measurement values and the real values can occur and result in poor image quality of the reconstructed target. To solve this problem, a novel dynamic compressive imaging system is proposed. In this system, a single-column digital micro-mirror device is used to modulate the target image, and the compressive measurement values are obtained for each column of the image. Based on analysis of the measurement values, a new recovery model of dynamic compressive imaging is given. Differing from traditional reconstruction results, the measurement values of any column of vectors in the target image can be used to reconstruct the vectors of two adjacent columns at the same time. Contingent upon characteristics of the results, a method of image quality enhancement based on an overlapping average algorithm is proposed. Simulation experiments and analysis show that the proposed dynamic compressive imaging can effectively reconstruct the target image; and that when the moving speed of the system changes within a certain range, the system reconstructs a better original image. The system overcomes the impact of dynamically changing speeds, and affords significantly better performance than traditional compressive imaging.

scholarly journals Detection of the Lunar Surface Soil Permittivity with Megahertz Electromagnetic Wave

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2466
Author(s):  
Qingwen Rao ◽  
Guanjun Xu ◽  
Wangchen Mao
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Scattering Theory ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Stable Phase ◽  
Em Scattering ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Lunar Ionosphere ◽  
Spaceborne Radar ◽  
Reflection Characteristics

In this paper, the detection of the lunar surface soil permittivity with megahertz electromagnetic (EM) waves by spaceborne radar is studied based on the EM scattering theory, the Boltzmann–Shukla equations, and the improved scattering matrix method (ISMM). The reflection characteristics of the lunar surface soil subject to megahertz waves are analyzed through the EM scattering theory and expressed by the lunar surface soil permittivity. Then, the lunar ionosphere is assumed to be composed of dusty plasma, and its EM characteristics are described with the Boltzmann–Shukla equations. Finally, the transmission and reflection characteristics of the propagation of EM waves in the lunar ionosphere are numerically calculated with ISMM. Thus, the complex permittivity of lunar surface soil is obtained. In addition, the effects of detection environment situations, such as the lunar illumination intensity, characteristics of the lunar dust and dust charging process in the lunar ionosphere, on the amplitude and phase of EM waves are also investigated in this study. The simulation results show that an EM wave at a high frequency induces a strong effective wave with a stable phase shift and a significantly small interferential wave. Moreover, the lunar illumination is more effective under EM waves in low frequency bands; the characteristics of the lunar dust have a notable influence on the transmission and absorption coefficients of the effective waves. These conclusions help in real applications involving the detection of the lunar surface soil permittivity by spaceborne radar in various lunar environments.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document