Materials in Dusty Planetary Environments
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dust↗
Engineering topics
Sharon Miller
Publications and source records attributed to Sharon Miller.
Developing Materials and Coating Technologies for Mitigation of Lunar Dust Adhesion and Abrasion
In order to support long duration missions on the Moon’s surface, materials resistant to the harsh lunar environment are critically needed. Lunar dust poses a major threat to the durability of components and vehicles due to its fine, jagged morphology and highly abrasive nature, which enables the particles to adhere and embed into surfaces of components and devices potentially leading to premature failure. Consequently, significant effort within NASA aims to develop novel materials and coating technologies to limit lunar dust adhesion and abrasion by exploring a variety of production routes and examining properties of candidate material systems, including ceramic, metallic and polymeric. Manufacturing methods investigated include traditional powder processing, additive manufacturing and surface modification via laser ablation patterning of bulk materials and coatings. An overview of ongoing NASA materials and coating research and development to enable lunar exploration will be presented.
Materials↗
ACO Diamond-like Coating Assessment for Reduction of Thruster Erosion (DCARTE)
To validate a novel, lightweight coating material for reducing electric propulsion thruster plume erosion of solar array interconnects with the goals of increasing reliability and decreasing cost.
Electrical interconnect coating↗
Passive Charge Dissipating Work Function Matching Coating for Reducing Adhesion of Lunar Dust
The NASA Glenn Research Center Environmental Effects and Coatings Branch is developing a passive coating for lunar dust mitigation. This simple, transparent, conductive coating will be capable of reducing lunar dust adhesion to surfaces and dissipating surface charge. Anticipated benefits include compatibility with active dust mitigation strategies, improved efficiency and performance of solar cells and thermal control surfaces, and protection of astronauts and equipment on the lunar surface.
Lunar dust↗