Engineers at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration have found a way to help future lunar colonists and their equipment withstand dangerous lunar dust. It is an electrodynamic dust curtain that resembles the operation of a kind of vacuum cleaner.

By the end of the decade, Americans will set foot on the Moon again. Astronauts will try to do this during the third mission of the Artemis program (“Artemis”). NASA plans to build a lunar base (the same “Artemis” program) on the surface of the Earth satellite after 2030 and settle there. But before implementing such ideas, engineers need to solve the moon dust problem.

The Moon does not have a magnetic field to protect it from meteors. That’s why the surface there is constantly bombarded by meteors, even if they are relatively small. Over millions of years, these micrometeorites hit the surface, heat up and break down mineral rocks into the smallest particles (dust) up to a few micrometers in diameter.

Since Selene has no oxygen, wind, rain and rivers (there is no full atmosphere here), these particles do not “erode” and do not dissolve, so they have sharp, glass-like edges. This makes them extremely corrosive. In other words, on the Moon, colonists will encounter clouds of sharp debris that can damage or even penetrate not only equipment and machines, but also spacesuits.

Let us remind you that such a problem already arose during American flights to the moon in the 1970s: spacesuits gradually began to lose their tightness after the first ascent, dust covered the landing module and made it difficult for the astronauts to breathe. .

Additionally, the extreme “dryness” and constant cosmic radiation on the Moon creates an electrostatic charge on the particles, so they stick to spacesuits, boots, solar panels, and instruments. The absorption of solar radiation on the surface of devices covered with dust increases sharply, which can lead to overheating.

Engineers at NASA and other space agencies, including private companies, have long been trying to find a way to help solve the lunar dust problem. The other day, experts from the American space agency talked about Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) technology, which allows protecting astronauts and their equipment from dust.

EDS uses transparent electrodes to create an electric field that moves like a wave. This creates an irregular field around the static charged particles, causing the particles to move as if they were being swept away by an invisible broom. EDS can lift and clean static-charged particles from a variety of surfaces, from radiators, solar panels and camera lenses to spacesuits, boots and helmets.

NASA experts tested their technology in a vacuum chamber containing simulated lunar dust and then sent it to the ISS for testing in orbit. It should be noted that EDS was already used in the field during the IM-1 mission to deliver the Nova-C lander to the lunar surface. This technology protected the lens of the removable EagleCam camera from dust, which was successfully launched from the Odysseus lander by the private American company Intuitive Machines.

NASA hopes that after all the testing, EDS can be used on manned missions of the Artemis program to protect astronauts’ instruments and spacesuits. The agency emphasized that this technology is suitable for use not only outside the environment but also inside the base, machinery and other equipment. According to some experts, EDS remains the best method scientists have for combating lunar dust.