Master's Thesis Proposal

Francesco Maria Isidori Pacelli

Advisor: Prof. Álvaro Romero-Calvo

"Flexible Electrodynamic Dust Shields for Lunar Missions"

Friday, September 6

12:00 p.m.

Montgomery Knight 317

Abstract

Since the end of the Apollo missions, humanity is returning to the Moon for the first time with
ARTEMIS. With the plan to establish a stable colony, extended human activity on the lunar
surface will bring renewed attention to the well-known issues caused by interaction with lunar
dust. Finding a functional solution is of paramount importance, as these problems—including
toxic dust inhalation that sticks to astronauts' lungs, reduced eIiciency of solar panels, impaired
motion due to dust adhering to spacesuit mechanical joints, and increased wear from sharp
grains rubbing against surfaces—can irreparably damage equipment and pose significant health
risks to astronauts. One solution stands out as the most promising in terms of both eIectiveness
and implementation: the Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS). This shield generates a traveling
wave that interacts with dust particles, enabling it to touchlessly sweep grains, thus
circumventing limitations of a mechanical approach to the problem. The concept, proposed in
1967 by F.B. Tatom, has been extensively tested across the last decades on rigid devices.
However, flexible EDS and their application on spacesuits remain largely unexplored. The
application of such devices on equipment used by astronauts introduces numerous challenges,
including technology integration and safety, which require innovative solutions.
The thesis will present the results of the design and construction of flexible EDS devices using
multiple fabrication techniques such as spray deposition and laser direct image exposure. Their
performance will be evaluated to determine optimal and safe operating values. Additionally, a
model will be implemented to describe the charge acquired by dust particles in the lunar
environment and how these particles consequently interact with the electrodynamic dust
shields. The implementation of this model will feed Monte Carlo simulations used to validate the
experimental results and explore the trade space of this technology.
 

Committee

• Prof. Álvaro Romero-Calvo – School of Aerospace Engineering
• Prof. Masatoshi Hirabayashi - School of Aerospace Engineering
• Dr. Micah J. Schaible – School of Chemistry and Biochemistry