NASA's Dust Protection Tool Supports Exploration Missions On The Moon

JAKARTA Unlike Earth, the Moon has extreme weather and is filled with dust. So extreme, this dust can damage the various technologies that exist on the Moon so that protective equipment is needed.NASA is one of the institutions that cares about this problem. To support the Artemis mission, the launch and exploration of astronauts on the Moon, NASA researchers created a technology called the Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS). Built specifically at the Kennedy Space Center, EDS is a technology designed using transparent electrodes and electric fields. This protective device can lift and remove dust from various sides of the spacecraft. EDS will also control and remove static electric-charged dust so that this technology succeeds in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Artemis initiatives. Therefore, this mission is of great concern to its success. Dr. Charles Buhler, Principal Researcher of the Kennedy Space Center, revealed that dust exposure is one of the main issues that need to be considered. The reason is, the large and uncontrolled amount of dust could interfere with the course of the mission. "The lunar regolite debris can enter the gasket and seal, into the hatch, and even into the trash, which can cause many problems for spacecraft and astronauts," explained Buhler, quoted from NASA's official blog.

Lunar dust is very dangerous because of its sharp and abrasive nature or such as small glass shards. The shape of this dust is very different from that of the one on Earth because it has not gone through the weathering process and has not been exposed to water and oxygen.Oleh, the sharpness of this dust is becoming very serious. The lunar regolite covering the surface of lunar explorers or other technologies, "could worsen the problem because it is also charged with static and highly isolated electricity." EDS has been developed since 2004 using the concept of the Power Curtain developed by NASA in 1967. EDS technology has demonstrated twice, namely in 2019 and earlier this year at the launch of Intuitive Machines. The researchers will re-test EDS by adding the technology to NASA's next CPLS mission with Firefly Aerospace. The launch of commercial explorers and EDS technology will be carried out later this year.