Impact of the small body regolith and plasma environment on future exploration missions as part of the DREAM2 sservi node at goddard space flight center, we propose to investigate the significance…

This is a $149,945 cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Maryland, College Park to investigate the characteristics of regolith (surface material) and its interaction with the plasma environment on small bodies as part of the DREAM2 Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) node at Goddard Space Flight Center. The goal is to create analytical and numerical models to predict dust grain behavior and understand its potential impact on the design of future exploration missions to small bodies like asteroids and comets. This effort does not have a set-aside designation. The University of Maryland, College Park is a state-controlled institution of higher learning that has received numerous federal contract and grant awards to support NASA, Department of Defense, and other agency initiatives through its research, engineering, and academic capabilities.

Impact of the small body regolith and plasma environment on future exploration missions as part of the DREAM2 sservi node at goddard space flight center, we propose to investigate the significance of regolith characteristics and regolith-plasma interactions on the design of future exploration missions. On small bodies, non-gravitational forces (such as cohesion and electrostatics) drive the behavior of regolith. Regolith grains become charged due to their interaction with the solar wind plasma as well as through tribocharging. Grain charging can increase the tendency of grains to clump together and/or adhere to spacecraft or astronauts. The cohesive properties of regolith are likely to significantly influence the design of spacecraft landing and sample collection mechanisms. Grain adhesion to mechanical systems poses a risk to missions, as the highly angular grains may cause accelerated wear and degradation of mechanisms and materials. We will create analytical and numerical models of the cohesion, gravitational, and inertial on dust grains in order to predict dust grain behavior on small bodies, as well as the potential impact on spacecraft design. In addition to cohesion, charged grains also experience an electrostatic force due to the presence of the electric field in the nearsurface plasma sheath. Once grains detach from the small body s surface (either as a result of lander or astronaut activity or micrometeoroid bombardment), they may hover above the surface, due to the opposition of the electrostatic and gravitational forces. Levitating dust could obstruct visual observations (during landing or surface operations) as well as promote the accumulation of dust on surface vehicles. We will create numerical models of dust levitation around small bodies in order to determine the locations where levitation may occur and the potential significance for mission operations. Our contribution to the DREAM2 effort will focus on understanding the behavior of regolith in the small body near surface environment, and its significance for the design of future exploration missions.