Project Parsec - Human Lander Challenge
Faculty Mentor Name
Siwei Fan
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
During powered descent on the Moon, engine exhaust interacts with lunar soil through heat and momentum exchange blowing dust out from the landing site and producing high speed ejecta particles. These particles - ranging from a few micrometers to a few centimeters in diameter - can reduce visibility of sensors and optics, sandblast nearby landed assets, and erode the surface around the vehicle. Additionally, exhaust plumes can produce deep craters beneath landers and direct ejecta particles up towards the lander. This causes damage to onboard assets and compromises the stability of the landing site. Collectively, these interactions between the plume and surface are termed plume-surface interactions (PSI). Understanding and mitigating the effects of PSI is critical for safe landings and sustainable exploration on the Moon. PARSEC (Plume Additive for Reducing Surface Ejecta and Cratering) is a project that aims to develop an on-board mechanism to mitigate the adverse effects of PSI. Utilizing concepts of thermal spray technology, the mechanism would deploy a temporary landing pad to increase the strength and stability of the landing surface. Through a fluidization process, granular additives can be injected into the exhaust plume Upon injection, additive particles would melt and accelerate towards the lunar surface, conglomerating with lunar regolith and resolidifying to form a high-strength coating, or landing pad. The objective is to apply this coating to the surface below the lander before PSI begins to take effect, reducing the amount of cratering and ejecta that would otherwise occur.
Project Parsec - Human Lander Challenge
During powered descent on the Moon, engine exhaust interacts with lunar soil through heat and momentum exchange blowing dust out from the landing site and producing high speed ejecta particles. These particles - ranging from a few micrometers to a few centimeters in diameter - can reduce visibility of sensors and optics, sandblast nearby landed assets, and erode the surface around the vehicle. Additionally, exhaust plumes can produce deep craters beneath landers and direct ejecta particles up towards the lander. This causes damage to onboard assets and compromises the stability of the landing site. Collectively, these interactions between the plume and surface are termed plume-surface interactions (PSI). Understanding and mitigating the effects of PSI is critical for safe landings and sustainable exploration on the Moon. PARSEC (Plume Additive for Reducing Surface Ejecta and Cratering) is a project that aims to develop an on-board mechanism to mitigate the adverse effects of PSI. Utilizing concepts of thermal spray technology, the mechanism would deploy a temporary landing pad to increase the strength and stability of the landing surface. Through a fluidization process, granular additives can be injected into the exhaust plume Upon injection, additive particles would melt and accelerate towards the lunar surface, conglomerating with lunar regolith and resolidifying to form a high-strength coating, or landing pad. The objective is to apply this coating to the surface below the lander before PSI begins to take effect, reducing the amount of cratering and ejecta that would otherwise occur.