Electrostatic Dust Analyzer (EDA) for Exploring Dust Transport Processes on the Lunar Surface

This proposal is to develop and advance the flight readiness of the Electrostatic Dust Analyzer (EDA) for exploring electrostatic dust transport phenomena on the lunar surface in order to understand its role in shaping the properties of the lunar regolith. The in-situ measurements enabled by EDA will answer one long-standing science question: What is the efficacy of electrostatic dust mobilization and transport as one of the fundamental physical processes shaping the lunar surface? This investigation will advance our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Moon and therefore the history of the solar system, which is a high-priority goal in the Planetary Science Decadal Survey 2013 – 2022 and in the NASA Science Plan 2014. This investigation will also provide enhanced knowledge about potential hazards posed by electrostatically lofted dust and critical inputs for developing the mitigation strategies for future lunar robotic and human exploration, as described in the lunar human exploration Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG). The science objectives are: 1) Detect individual dust particles that are lofted due to electrostatic effects on the lunar surface; 2) Characterize the charge, velocity, and mass distributions of lofted dust particles; and 3) Characterize the electrostatically transported dust flux and its variability as function of local time, solar activity, and orbital phase around the Earth. EDA consists of a dust analyzer module and an auxiliary operating system (AOS). The dust analyzer module is a miniaturized version of the Electrostatic Lunar Dust Analyzer (ELDA) that has been previously developed to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 through NASA’s Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program (PIDDP) at the University of Colorado. The dust analyzer module consists of two Dust Trajectory Sensor (DTS) units with a Deflection Field Electrodes (DFE) unit between them. Wire-electrodes inside DTS measure the charge and velocity of a dust particle passing through them. The dust particle is deflected in the DFE region in which its mass is determined from the deflection trajectory. EDA’s AOS operates the instrument on the surface for an optimized field-of-view (FOV) for dust collection and for preventing solar wind plasma and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation from entering the dust analyzer. To minimize the effect of local plasma environment around lander on the dynamics of lofted dust particles and consequently their collection, EDA is designed for being deployed on the lunar surface by a small stationary lander that also provides power and communication. The volume, mass and power of EDA are estimated to be 23x20x19.5 cubic cm, 4.9 kg, and 5.3 W, respectively. The current development of EDA is at TRL 4 and will be raised to TRL 6 after the proposed work is completed. Beyond the Moon, the exploration of electrostatic dust transport phenomena enabled by the proposed development of EDA is also important for understanding regolith processes on other airless bodies (e.g., asteroids and comets) in the solar system. This instrument is therefore applicable to multiple future planetary science missions. It is of high interest to the planetary science communities as well as NASA’s robotic and human exploration program. More »