Dealing with Dust on the Moon
Voyager Clear Dust-Repellent Coating Lands with Blue Ghost
A proprietary Clear Dust-Repellent Coating (CDRC) developed by Voyager Technologies landed on the Moon aboard Firefly's Blue Ghost lander March 2, after a nearly month-long lunar journey.
"The number of surfaces on Earth that are coated by dust daily, affecting performance and visibility, is astronomical, everything from windows to aircraft turbines and equipment."
Matt Kuta, Voyager Technologies
Voyager's CDRC can help reduce the accumulation of that dust, having demonstrated it significantly reduces the accumulation of lunar-simulant dust on glass, metals and various fabrics through a series of NASA-funded programs. Unlike active dust-mitigation systems, such as Electrodynamic Dust Shield, Voyager's coating is entirely passive, requiring no electricity to function, making it ideal for power-restricted applications.
"The number of surfaces on Earth that are coated by dust daily, affecting performance and visibility, is astronomical, everything from windows to aircraft turbines and equipment," said Matt Kuta, president, Voyager Technologies. "We are exploring how this technology can support not only space missions, but also other industries where dust impacts critical operations."
As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, CDRC is providing data on how lunar dust interacts with various materials used in space exploration. Lunar dust is highly abrasive, clings to surfaces and can cause damage to equipment and suits over time, presenting significant challenges for space exploration missions. Understanding how to appropriately prevent lunar dust damage is essential to the future of lunar exploration, including Artemis missions and lunar habitats.
Now, Blue Ghost is collecting CDRC data on the moon through the Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) experiment. RAC is designed to observe how lunar dust accumulates on different surfaces, exposing materials to the harsh lunar environment. By observing the materials' abrasion over time, researchers can better understand how lunar environments affect materials, such as the exterior of spacecraft and habitats, spacesuits, infrastructure and other components.
RAC includes a sample of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuit fabric coated with Voyager's CDRC. Data returned from this mission will continue to provide insights to the continued development of the technology, ensuring the safety and durability of equipment and spacesuits for future lunar missions and beyond.