Researchers are studying data from a recent suborbital flight test to better understand lunar regolith, or moon dust, and its potentially damaging effects as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface under the Artemis campaign. The experiment, developed jointly by NASA and the University of Central Florida, sheds light on how these abrasive dust grains interact with astronauts, their spacesuits, and other equipment on the moon.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The New Shepard crew capsule descends under parachutes during its launch Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Blue Origin The Electrostatic Regolith Interaction Experiment (ERIE) was one of 14 NASA-supported payloads launched on Dec. 19 aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard uncrewed rocket from Launch Site One in West Texas. During the flight test, ERIE collected data to help researchers at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida study tribocharging, or friction-induced charges, in microgravity. The moon is highly charged by phenomena such as solar wind and ultraviolet light from the sun. Under those conditions, regolith grains are attracted to lunar explorers and their equipment—think of it as similar to the static created by rubbing a balloon on a person's head. Enough regolith can cause instruments to overheat or not function as intended. "For example, if you…