Kinetic Particle Simulations of Plasma and Dust Environments at Robotic Construction Sites near the Lunar Terminator
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper presents a kinetic particle simulation campaign of plasma and dust environments related to excavation and construction activities at the lunar terminator regions. The electrostatic field caused by the local plasma environment was resolved by a fully kinetic finite-difference (FD) particle-in-cell (PIC) code. Trajectories of lofted charged dust grains were traced in the obtained electric field as well as lunar gravity. Two surface terrain scenarios, one convex and the other concave, were considered, each with three cases of dust generation locations with respect to the surface feature. Results show that under average solar wind conditions, lofted charged dust grains are generally concentrated within several meters from the surface near the location of origination, but some dust grains can be lofted as high as about 80 m from lunar surface. A slight amount of dust can even reach over 100 m and migrate further due to greater dust charge. Based on these results, preferred locations to perform excavation and construction activities are recommended.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium through NASA-EPSCoR-Missouri, as well as NSF through Grant Nos. DMS-2111039 and CBET-2132655. The simulations presented here were performed with computing resources provided by the Center for High Performance Computing Research at Missouri University of Science and Technology through a NSF Grant (OAC-1919789).
References
Abbas, M., D. Tankosic, P. Craven, J. Spann, A. LeClair, and E. West. 2007. “Lunar dust charging by photoelectric emissions.” Planet. Space Sci. 55 (7–8): 953–965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2006.12.007.
Anuar, A. K. 2013. “A study of dusty plasma environment.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Lancaster Univ.
Austin, A., et al. 2020. “Robotic lunar surface operations 2.” Acta Astronaut. 176 (Nov): 424–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.06.038.
Baiden, G., L. Grenier, and B. Blair. 2010. “Lunar underground mining and construction: A terrestrial vision enabling space exploration and commerce.” In Proc., 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, 1548. Reston, VA: AIAA.
Carroll, A., N. Hood, R. Mike, X. Wang, H. Hsu, and M. Horányi. 2020. “Laboratory measurements of initial launch velocities of electrostatically lofted dust on airless planetary bodies.” Icarus 352 (Dec): 113972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113972.
Christoffersen, R., and J. F. Lindsay. 2009. Lunar dust effects on spacesuit systems: Insights from the Apollo spacesuits. Houston: Johnson Space Center.
Corazzari, I., et al. 2021. History and future perspectives for the evaluation of the toxicity of celestial dust, 46. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Farr, B., X. Wang, J. Goree, I. Hahn, U. Israelsson, and M. Horányi. 2020. “Dust mitigation technology for lunar exploration utilizing an electron beam.” Acta Astronaut. 177 (Dec): 405–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.08.003.
Fu, J. H. M. 1971. “Surface potential of a photoemitting plate.” J. Geophys. Res. 76 (10): 2506–2509. https://doi.org/10.1029/JA076i010p02506.
Gault, D. E., E. M. Shoemaker, and H. J. Moore. 1963. Spray ejected from the lunar surface by meteoroid impact. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Gawronska, A., et al. 2020. “Geologic context and potential EVA targets at the lunar south pole.” Adv. Space Res. 66 (6): 1247–1264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2020.05.035.
Godwin, R. 2002. Vol. 1 of Apollo 17: The NASA mission reports. Burlington, ON: Apogee Books.
Halekas, J. S., G. T. Delory, D. A. Brain, R. P. Lin, M. O. Fillingim, C. O. Lee, R. A. Mewaldt, T. J. Stubbs, W. M. Farrell, and M. K. Hudson. 2007. “Extreme lunar surface charging during solar energetic particle events.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 34 (2): L02111. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028517.
Han, D., J. Wang, and X. He. 2018. “Immersed finite element particle-in-cell simulations of plasma charging at the lunar terminator.” J. Spacecraft Rockets 55 (6): 1490–1497. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.A34002.
Hartung, J. B., F. Hörz, and D. E. Gault. 1972. “Lunar microcraters and interplanetary dust.” In Vol. 3 of Proc., Lunar and Planetary Science Conf., 2735. Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Heiken, G. H., D. T. Vaniman, and B. M. French. 1991. Lunar sourcebook: A user’s guide to the moon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kawamoto, H. 2020. “Vibration transport of lunar regolith for in situ resource utilization using piezoelectric actuators with displacement-amplifying mechanism.” J. Aerosp. Eng. 33 (3): 04020014. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0001128.
Lane, J. E., P. T. Metzger, and J. W. Carlson. 2010. “Lunar dust particles blown by lander engine exhaust in rarefied and compressible flow.” In Proc., 12th Biennial Int. Conf. on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments, 134–142. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Lund, D., J. Zhao, A. Lamb, and D. Han. 2020. “Fully kinetic pife-pic simulations of plasma charging at lunar craters.” In Proc., AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
McCoy, J. E., and D. R. Criswell. 1974. Evidence for a high altitude distribution of lunar dust. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Metzger, P. 2005. “Rocket exhaust cratering: A serious challenge for space exploration.” In Proc., 11th ASCE Aerospace Division Int. Conf. (Earth and Space 2008), 2–3. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Metzger, P. T., J. E. Lane, and C. D. Immer. 2008. “Modification of Roberts’ theory for rocket exhaust plumes eroding lunar soil.” Preprint, submitted April 12, 2022. http://arxiv.org/abs/2104.05198.
Metzger, P. T., J. Smith, and J. E. Lane. 2011. “Phenomenology of soil erosion due to rocket exhaust on the moon and the Mauna kea lunar test site.” J. Geophys. Res. Planets 116 (E6): E06005. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JE003745.
Metzger, P. T., K. Zacny, and P. Morrison. 2020. “Thermal extraction of volatiles from lunar and asteroid regolith in axisymmetric Crank-Nicolson modeling.” J. Aerosp. Eng. 33 (6): 04020075. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0001165.
Morris, A. B., D. B. Goldstein, P. L. Varghese, and L. M. Trafton. 2016. “Lunar dust transport resulting from single- and four-engine plume impingement.” AIAA J. 54 (4): 1339–1349. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J054532.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). 2020. “Artemis plan.” Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf.
Nitter, T., O. Havnes, and F. Melandsø. 1998. “Levitation and dynamics of charged dust in the photoelectron sheath above surfaces in space.” J. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. 103 (A4): 6605–6620. https://doi.org/10.1029/97JA03523.
Poppe, A., J. S. Halekas, and M. Horányi. 2011. “Negative potentials above the day-side lunar surface in the terrestrial plasma sheet: Evidence of non-monotonic potentials.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 38 (2): L02103. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL046119.
Poppe, A. R., M. Piquette, A. Likhanskii, and M. Horányi. 2012. “The effect of surface topography on the lunar photoelectron sheath and electrostatic dust transport.” Icarus 221 (1): 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.018.
Rhodes, D. J., W. M. Farrell, and L. M. Jason. 2020. “Tribocharging and electrical grounding of a drill in shadowed regions of the moon.” Adv. Space Res. 66 (4): 753–759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2020.05.005.
Sharma, H., M. Hedman, D. Wooden, A. Colaprete, and A. Cook. 2021. “Constraining low-altitude lunar dust using the LADEE-UVS data.” J. Geophys. Res. Planets 126 (11): e2021JE006935.
Wagner, S. A. 2006. The Apollo experience lessons learned for constellation lunar dust management. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Wang, J., X. He, and Y. Cao. 2008. “Modeling electrostatic levitation of dust particles on lunar surface.” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 36 (5): 2459–2466. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2008.2003016.
Wang, J., X. M. He, and Y. Cao. 2007. “Modeling spacecraft charging and charged dust particle interactions on lunar surface.” In Proc., 10th Spacecraft Charging Technology Conf. Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Wang, X., J. Schwan, H.-W. Hsu, E. Grün, and M. Horányi. 2016. “Dust charging and transport on airless planetary bodies.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 43 (12): 6103–6110. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069491.
Watkins, R. N., et al. 2021. “Understanding and mitigating plume effects during powered descents on the moon and mars.” Preprint, submitted February 24, 2021. http://arxiv.org/abs/2102.12312.
Woodcock, G. R., et al. 1990. Robotic lunar surface operations: Engineering analysis for the design, emplacement, checkout and performance of robotic lunar surface systems. NASA Contractor Report. Rep. No. NAS2-12108. Huntsville, AL: Boeing Aerospace & Electronics.
Zhao, J., X. Wei, X. Du, X. He, and D. Han. 2021a. “Photoelectron sheath and plasma charging on the lunar surface: Semianalytic solutions and fully-kinetic particle-in-cell simulations.” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 49 (10): 3036–3050. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2021.3110946.
Zhao, J., X. Wei, X. He, D. Han, and X. Du. 2021b. “Fully-kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of photoelectron sheath on uneven lunar surface.” In Proc., AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum. AIAA Rep. No. 2021-1433. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Zhao, J., X. Wei, Z. Hu, X. He, D. Han, Z. Hu, and X. Du. 2020. “Photoelectron sheath near the lunar surface: Fully kinetic modeling and uncertainty quantification analysis.” In Proc., AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum. AIAA Rep. No. 2020-1548. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Zimmerman, M. I., W. M. Farrell, C. M. Hartzell, X. Wang, M. Horanyi, D. M. Hurley, and K. Hibbitts. 2016. “Grain-scale supercharging and breakdown on airless regoliths.” J. Geophys. Res. Planets 121 (10): 2150–2165. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JE005049.
Zook, H. A., and J. E. McCoy. 1991. “Large scale lunar horizon glow and a high altitude lunar dust exosphere.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 18 (11): 2117–2120. https://doi.org/10.1029/91GL02235.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 2, 2022
Accepted: Jun 15, 2022
Published online: Sep 5, 2022
Published in print: Nov 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Feb 5, 2023
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.