Event Title
Electrodynamic Dust Shield Performance on High-Convex Surface
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Location
Clifford Hall, Room 210
Document Type
presentation
Start Date
9-5-2019 1:45 PM
End Date
9-5-2019 2:00 PM
Description
Lunar regolith is an important target for in-situ resource utilization, potentially providing future space missions with propellant, life support consumables, and building material. However, excavating and working with lunar dust presents several challenges. First, the regolith is extremely abrasive and adhesive: it clings to every exposed surface, obscures lenses and solar panels, impairs thermal control, and wears down moving parts. [1] Second, the lesser gravity of the lunar surface reduces the effectiveness of terrestrial-style excavators, which use their weight to penetrate soil. [2]
The electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) was developed to clean regolith off a spacecraft via an array of wire electrodes embedded in the craft’s surface and charged in sequence, causing dust particles to be lifted and carried away. [3] This technology potentially allows a novel method of regolith excavation: a rolling robot with no external moving parts that collects regolith passively by adhesion, and deposits its cargo by cleaning itself via EDS. The amount of dust collected would be proportional to the excavator’s surface area. In the interests of efficiency, it should have a surface area-to-mass ratio as high as possible. This can be accomplished by two methods: by making it as small as possible, and by covering it in finger-like structures.
Thus far, EDS has been tested extensively on a wide variety of surfaces, including flexible fabric. [4] However, no literature was found on the effectiveness of EDS when applied to highly-convex shapes, such as the previously-mentioned fingers. The purpose of this project is to fill this research gap and determine what variables affect EDS performance on such shapes, with the intention of eventually developing a prototype electrodynamic excavator.
References: [1] Gaier, J. R. (2005) NASA/TM— 2005-213610. [2] Skonieczny, K. (2016) IJRR Vol. 35(9) 1121-1139. [3] Calle, C. I. (2008) Proc. ESA Annual Meeting on Electrostatics, Paper O1. [4] Manyapu, K. K. (2017) AA Vol. 137 472-481.
Electrodynamic Dust Shield Performance on High-Convex Surface
Clifford Hall, Room 210
Lunar regolith is an important target for in-situ resource utilization, potentially providing future space missions with propellant, life support consumables, and building material. However, excavating and working with lunar dust presents several challenges. First, the regolith is extremely abrasive and adhesive: it clings to every exposed surface, obscures lenses and solar panels, impairs thermal control, and wears down moving parts. [1] Second, the lesser gravity of the lunar surface reduces the effectiveness of terrestrial-style excavators, which use their weight to penetrate soil. [2]
The electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) was developed to clean regolith off a spacecraft via an array of wire electrodes embedded in the craft’s surface and charged in sequence, causing dust particles to be lifted and carried away. [3] This technology potentially allows a novel method of regolith excavation: a rolling robot with no external moving parts that collects regolith passively by adhesion, and deposits its cargo by cleaning itself via EDS. The amount of dust collected would be proportional to the excavator’s surface area. In the interests of efficiency, it should have a surface area-to-mass ratio as high as possible. This can be accomplished by two methods: by making it as small as possible, and by covering it in finger-like structures.
Thus far, EDS has been tested extensively on a wide variety of surfaces, including flexible fabric. [4] However, no literature was found on the effectiveness of EDS when applied to highly-convex shapes, such as the previously-mentioned fingers. The purpose of this project is to fill this research gap and determine what variables affect EDS performance on such shapes, with the intention of eventually developing a prototype electrodynamic excavator.
References: [1] Gaier, J. R. (2005) NASA/TM— 2005-213610. [2] Skonieczny, K. (2016) IJRR Vol. 35(9) 1121-1139. [3] Calle, C. I. (2008) Proc. ESA Annual Meeting on Electrostatics, Paper O1. [4] Manyapu, K. K. (2017) AA Vol. 137 472-481.