Desert Research and Technology Studies Exposure of Lotus Coated Electrodynamic Shield Samples
The passive Lotus dust mitigation coating currently being developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), was selected by the Habitation Demonstration Unit Deep Space Habitat (HDU-DSH) for participation in the 2011 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RaTS). Based on the unique surface architecture of the Lotus leaf, the nano-engineered Lotus coating seeks to replicate these structures on space flight and habitation surfaces. By decreasing both the surface energy and area for particle attachment, the Lotus coating greatly diminishes dust accumulation on surfaces. This is a problem that can be encountered on lunar, Martian, and asteroid missions. Two different application methods of this coating were tested in summer 2011 at the D-RaTS site: the wet chemistry applied version and combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) applied version. These Lotus coatings, along with two common thermal control coatings, were combined with the active dust mitigation electrodynamic shield (EDS) technology developed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The EDS technology uses an electrified grid to remove dust particles from the surface of a Kapton (Trademark) substrate. The Lotus coating and thermal control coatings were applied to these Kapton (Trademark) substrates for testing. The combination of these two innovations was theorized to be an applicable countermeasure for addressing dust accumulation during long-duration human space exploration. This theory was tested and characterized prior to, during, and after D-RaTS exposure.