NASA payload to study the effects of Lunar dust on mission equipment
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 26, 2024

The Moon's surface is coated in a gritty layer known as lunar regolith, composed of gravel, pebbles, and fine dust. Astronauts during the Apollo missions discovered that this fine, powdery dust - electromagnetically charged due to solar and cosmic radiation - clings stubbornly to surfaces, including gloves, boots, and spacecraft, and is highly abrasive. This poses a significant challenge for NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Addressing this issue is the RAC-1 (Regolith Adherence Characterization) instrument, part of a suite of 10 NASA payloads slated to fly aboard the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander. Developed by Aegis Aerospace in Webster, Texas, RAC-1 is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Its mission is to study the adhesion of lunar dust to various materials under real lunar conditions.

The instrument will expose 15 different materials - ranging from fabrics and coatings to optical systems and solar cells - to measure dust accumulation during landing and routine operations on the lunar surface. Insights gained from these tests will help NASA and its partners identify materials that repel or shed dust most effectively, paving the way for advancements in spacesuits, habitats, spacecraft, and equipment durability as the Artemis program progresses.

"Lunar regolith is a sticky challenge for long-duration expeditions to the surface," explained Dennis Harris, RAC payload manager for NASA's CLPS initiative at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "Dust gets into gears, sticks to spacesuits, and can block optical properties. RAC will help determine the best materials and fabrics with which to build, delivering more robust, durable hardware, products, and equipment."

NASA's CLPS initiative represents a shift toward leveraging commercial providers to deliver critical payloads to the Moon. By positioning itself as a key customer in a growing market, NASA supports both industry development and the sustained exploration of the lunar surface. Seven of the 10 payloads on Firefly's Blue Ghost lander are managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

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