Impact of dust on lunar exploration

Abstract

All astronauts who walked on the Moon reported difficulties with lunar dust. These problems were likely worsened by the fact that the dust was electrically charged, which enhanced its adhesive properties. In order to develop strategies to tackle these issues it will be necessary to advance our theoretical understanding of the lunar dust-plasma environment, as well as comprehensively characterize it with in-situ measurements. Summarized here are the relevant properties of lunar dust and its impact on astronauts, together with a discussion of the three main problem areas: (1) Dust Adhesion and Abrasion, (2) Surface Electric Fields and (3) Dust Transport. Also discussed are recent calculations relating to some of the Apolloera observations, together with necessary future in-situ measurements and suggested mission strategies.