Developing tools and diagnostics to study dust transport and deposition for the Lunar Dusty Plasma eXperiment (LDPX)

One of the main problems with human lunar exploration is the presence of sharp, electrically charged lunar dust on the moon's surface, mainly due to the sun's electromagnetic radiation and lack of a lunar atmosphere. Charged lunar dust particles can be extremely hazardous by sticking to the spacesuits of the astronauts, various electronics and other machines, breathing apparatus etc. We have begun initial studies of lunar dust simulants in an rf plasma device to understand the transport and deposition of lunar dust on various surfaces. The ultimate goal is to develop mitigation procedures of charged and uncharged lunar dust. Initial data collection was done with glass slides and observed underneath a microscope to estimate possible patterns as to where we could expect charged/uncharged lunar dust to settle. We will go over the various tools and diagnostics methods that have been developed to help us study lunar dust transport and deposition on to various surfaces.