NASA’s subsequent moonwalkers might be able to simply spray sticky lunar dust away.
A liquid nitrogen spray blasted away greater than 98% of simulated moon dust throughout experiments right here on Earth, probably offering welcome aid to future lunar explorers. The abrasive, fiberglass-like moon dust was a persistent downside throughout Apollo missions, because it floor away at tools like lunar rovers.
“Moon dust is electrostatically charged, abrasive and will get in every single place, making it a really troublesome substance to take care of,” Ian Wells, lead creator of a research reporting the brand new outcomes and a pupil at Washington State College, wrote in a statement (opens in new tab). “You find yourself with a high quality layer of dust at the least simply overlaying every part.”
Associated: How will NASA deal with the moon dust problem for Artemis lunar landings?
NASA landed 12 individuals on the moon between 1969 and 1972 for excursions of as much as three days. The longest moonwalk was about 7.5 hours on Apollo 17 in December 1972, with that mission racking up a report 22 hours and 4 minutes of spacesuited actions general.
Even throughout these brief sorties, nevertheless, the astronauts discovered that moon dust obtained into every part. Brushing on the stuff did little to take away the fabric, and corrosion on engines, electronics and spacesuit seals was each inconvenient and dear.
Worse, some astronauts obtained a type of “lunar hay fever” that will have been the early indicators of respiratory issues like those that miners have skilled, Washington State officers stated. Coal employees’ pneumoconiosis, also called “black lung illness,” occurs when individuals inhale coal dust. Over time, the dust scars the lungs and makes it harder to breathe, in accordance to the American Lung Association (opens in new tab).
NASA desires to handle the dust downside extra proactively to assist shield its Artemis astronauts, which is able to begin exploring the lunar floor within the mid-2020s, if all goes in keeping with plan. And the Artemis program plans to ascertain a long-term human presence on the moon, so coping with dust might be an excellent greater precedence for NASA now than it was throughout the Apollo period.
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So the brand new dust-spray tech might actually turn out to be useful.
“Of their work, the analysis workforce demonstrated their expertise that makes use of the Leidenfrost Impact to scrub the spacesuits,” Washington State College officers wrote within the assertion.
“The impact could be seen when one pours chilly water on a scorching frying pan, the place it beads up and strikes throughout the pan,” they added. “Spray the very chilly liquid nitrogen at a hotter dust-covered materials, and the dust particles bead up and float away on the nitrogen vapor.”
Research members discovered that the liquid nitrogen spray was not too abrasive to the spacesuit, but was nonetheless efficient at eradicating dust. Brushing causes harm after only a single session, the research discovered, whereas liquid nitrogen required 75 cycles earlier than swimsuit harm occurred.
The brand new analysis, which was supported by a NASA grant, was printed within the journal Acta Astronautica (opens in new tab). The tech additionally obtained high honors on the company’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge (opens in new tab) in 2022. Washington State affiliate professor Jacob Leachman supervised the undergraduate workforce.
Subsequent steps for the analysis, college officers wrote, embody “working to totally perceive and mannequin the complicated interactions between the dust particles and liquid nitrogen that permits the cleansing course of to work.” Research members have additionally utilized for a grant to check the expertise in simulated lunar gravity, which is one-sixth the gravity of Earth.
Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of “Why Am I Taller (opens in new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a guide about space drugs. Observe her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in new tab). Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).
