A moon lander mission is launching tomorrow and will take about 45 days to get the moon and then spend 14 days or more operating on the surface.
It will take improved radiation tolerant PCs and an electromagnetic dust shield.
The Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) is a technology demonstration of a radiation tolerant computer system. RadPC implements a set of fault mitigation strategies to recover from single event effects (SEEs) caused by ionizing radiation. The recovery procedures are implemented on a commercial Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). By using a modern commercial FPGA, an acceptable level of total ionizing dose (TID) can be achieved inherently while simultaneously taking advantage of the performance and power efficiency of commercial parts. The RadPC payload contains the computer technology running a comprehensive test program along with instrumentation on its state-of-health. Three dosimeters (detectors designed to measure the ionizing radiation) tuned to different sensitivity levels are included in the payload to provide further environmental information for correlation to RadPC's performance and to provide detailed radiation information about the lunar landing site.
Type of Instrument: Radiation tolerant computer system: payload enclosure, dosimeter, thermal management system, Field Programmable Gate array circuit
Key Measurement: Ionizing radiation energy levels
Lead Development Organization: Montana State University
Payload PI: Dr. Brock J. LaMeres
Hazardous dust is present on Mars, the Moon, and comets. The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) is an active dust mitigation technology that uses electric fields to move dust from surfaces and to prevent dust accumulation on surfaces. The EDS, which can lift, transport, and remove particles from surfaces with no moving parts, will be demonstrated for the first time on the lunar surface. This technology will show the feasibility of self-cleaning glass and thermal radiator surfaces. In addition to dust removal, the EDS will apply lunar dust to these surfaces using a new reduster technology that will lift and transport dust from the lunar surface to the desired location without moving parts or gasses. The EDS will be released from a fifth leg of the lander and positioned directly onto the lunar surface to maximize dust contact. High resolution images will determine the dust removal efficiency of the EDS on the lunar surface.
Type of Instrument: Dust Shield
Key Measurement: Demonstrate the operation of two Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) systems on the lunar surface: EDS for a small camera to be located under the lander's deck and EDS on a white aluminum panel to be located on a lander's footpad.
Lead Development Organization: Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Payload PI: Charles Buhler
Charles Buhler made the Electrodynamic Dust Shield going to the moon and also heads Exodus Propulsion Technology.
Dr. Charles Buhler and Exodus Technologies claims that systems with electrostatic pressure differences or electrostatic divergent fields gives systems with a center of mass with non-zero force component (aka generate movement). Buhler is NASA's subject matter expert on electrostatics. They want to move to demo the system in orbit. These kinds of claims are controversial but the work seems to be thorough. It will only cost about $500k to $1M to create a rideshare mission into orbit to test the system. The mass of an early orbital system would greatly exceed the active materials of the propulsion, which would reduce performance. High performance space propulsion would need to increase the active materials as a percentage of the mass of the craft.
Dr. Buhler discussed his independent research into field-effect propulsion systems at Exodus Technologies, leading to a patented new propulsion technology that requires no fuel or ejection-mass to produce thrust.
Buhler told The Debrief that measuring thrust in terms of a percentage of gravity reflects the force generated divided by the test article.
In 2019, the system was 100,000 times weaker than the mass of the test article. They seem to have maintained the thrust whil greatly reducing
the mass of the system. The thrust was about 300-400 micronewtons in 2019 experiments. The claim of over one test mass of force could be 1 millinewton and a 0.1 gram test article. If they increase the thrust to 1 newton then a 100 gram test article would could be self lifting or levitating. The system would have strong performance in orbit.
One newton (N) of force is required to lift a mass of 100 grams vertically upwards.
Another viable combination would be 10 millinewtons for a 1 gram test article. They have said that the strongest force they generated is 10 millinewtons. IF they can setup the experiment correctly they could levitate a 1 gram test article. He described it again to Tim Ventura. He describes the current device as kind of like a crappy battery.