Space-Operated Lunar Surface Total Internal Contamination Elimination System
Project number:
21074
Sponsor:
Paragon Space Development Corp.
Academic year:
2020-2021
Project Goal: Successfully filter out 99.97% of dust particles from a lunar surface habitat airlock as part of the NASA 2021 Big Idea Challenge.
Lunar dust accumulation limits extended-stay missions. NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a lunar base to test new systems and designs, ultimately for visiting other astral bodies with more challenging environments.
The Space Operated Lunar Surface Total Internal Contamination Elimination system, or SOLSTICE, effectively mitigates lunar dust accumulation in the habitat airlock via an intricate permanent magnet filtration system. Directed airflow during repressurization and a vacuum pump creating a pressure differential rapidly force dust to the bottom of the airlock. There, the stream of dust and air is sucked through a large particle filter then across an array of precisely designed magnets, which rely on the charged nature of lunar regolith to pull the dust from the air.
Multiple passes through the filtration system ensure highly efficient purification of at least 99.97%. The clean air is recycled back to the main habitat cabin, while the dust is returned to the lunar surface. A compact, lightweight design with minimal power requirements and negligible need for maintenance or upgrades deem this filtration system suited for space applications.
Lunar dust accumulation limits extended-stay missions. NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a lunar base to test new systems and designs, ultimately for visiting other astral bodies with more challenging environments.
The Space Operated Lunar Surface Total Internal Contamination Elimination system, or SOLSTICE, effectively mitigates lunar dust accumulation in the habitat airlock via an intricate permanent magnet filtration system. Directed airflow during repressurization and a vacuum pump creating a pressure differential rapidly force dust to the bottom of the airlock. There, the stream of dust and air is sucked through a large particle filter then across an array of precisely designed magnets, which rely on the charged nature of lunar regolith to pull the dust from the air.
Multiple passes through the filtration system ensure highly efficient purification of at least 99.97%. The clean air is recycled back to the main habitat cabin, while the dust is returned to the lunar surface. A compact, lightweight design with minimal power requirements and negligible need for maintenance or upgrades deem this filtration system suited for space applications.
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