Table Of ContentELECTROSTATIC
DUST MITIGATION
AND MANIPULATION
TECHNIQUES FOR
PLANETARY DUST
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ELECTROSTATIC
DUST MITIGATION
AND MANIPULATION
TECHNIQUES FOR
PLANETARY DUST
NIMA GHARIB
DepartmentofMechanicalEngineering,McGillUniversity,
Montreal, QC, Canada
JAVAD FARROKHI DERAKHSHANDEH
American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait
PETER RADZISZEWSKI
Engineering Design, McGill University, Montreal, QC,
Canada
Elsevier
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Contents
1. Introduction 1
1. Lunarenvironment 4
2. Martianenvironment 18
3. Asteroids 27
4. Summary 31
References 32
2. Dust related problems 35
1. Fineandchargeddustparticles 35
2. Dustchallenges 38
3. Futureplan 64
References 67
3. Fundamentals of electrodynamics 71
1. Introductiontoelectrostatics ofparticles 71
2. Electric charge 73
3. Coulomb’slawandelectricfield 75
4. Continues chargedistributions 76
5. Fieldlines,flux,andGauss’slaw 78
6. Electric potential 83
7. Comments onpotential 85
8. Workinelectrostatics 87
9. Ohm’slaw 88
10. Electromotiveforce 89
11. Faraday’slaw 91
Reference 93
4. Dust mitigation techniques 95
1. Introduction 95
2. Particlesremovalapproaches andmechanisms 98
References 124
5. Charging techniques and measurements 131
1. Introduction 131
2. Effectiveparametersondustmitigationmeasurements 138
3. Dustchargingmeasurements andstrategies 140
v
vi Contents
4. Summary 150
References 150
6. Particle handling with electrostatic force 157
1. Introduction 157
2. Mitigationofdustadhesion 157
3. Samplingofregolith 169
4. Utilizationofregolith 177
References 185
7. Analytical and numerical modeling 191
1. Forces appliedon theparticles 193
2. Electric andpotentialfields 197
3. Particles trajectory 204
4. ScreenedCoulomb force 208
5. Electric curtainmodeling 211
6. Summary 220
References 221
8. Summary 223
Appendices 231
Index 261
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The Apollo missions were the start of lunar exploration and a “giant leap
for mankind.” Planetary missions and sending robots and humans are
definedinthefutureroadmapsofspaceagenciesasshowninFig.1.1.Each
Apollo landing location was different and the astronauts had a loss in vis-
ibility owing to dust clouds, with the severity of the problem changing.
This shows that the thickness of the dust layer on the lunar surface varies
depending on the location of the lunar surface. An instrument’s thermal
control system may fail if a substantial amount of dust accumulates on it.
This might lead to inaccurate results. The Apollo missions were the start of
lunar exploration and a “giant leap for mankind.” The lack of adhesion is
also a problem, although it’s not as significant as the loss of mobility.
Nevertheless, Neil Armstrong noted that, at the end of the excursions, the
dust that had accumulated beneath his boots made it more difficult to
Figure1.1 Roadmap1.SpaceexplorationpathwayproposedintheGlobalExploration
Roadmap.(FromLaurini,K.C.,Gerstenmaier,W.H.,2014.TheGlobalExplorationRoadmap
and its significance for NASA. Space Policy 30 (3, Part B), 149e155. https://doi.org/10.
1016/j.spacepol.2014.08.004.)
ElectrostaticDustMitigationandManipulationTechniquesforPlanetaryDust
ISBN978-0-12-821975-1 ©2023ElsevierInc.
1
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821975-1.00004-3 Allrightsreserved.
2 ElectrostaticDustMitigationandManipulationTechniquesforPlanetaryDust
ascend the staircase of the lunar module. However, the buildup of dust
withinexplorationequipmentmightleadtomissionfailure.TheSunvisors
on astronaut helmets and zippers, for example, get clogged with lunar dust
on a regular basis. As it turned out, this dust may cause severe abrasion
when it accumulates. The problem with dust exists in other planetary
environments such as Mars and on asteroids as well. These challenges have
to be addressed before planning a mission. Planetary missions and sending
robots and humans are defined in the future roadmaps of space agencies as
shown in Fig. 1.1. International Space Station (ISS) development and low
earth orbit satellites, understanding the surface of the Moon and Mars are
consideredforupcomingmissions.Fig.1.2showsthenear-futurecommon
international strategy for global space exploration which emphasizes
maximizingtheuseoftheISS,expandingthesynergybetweenhumanand
robotic missions, and launching exploration missions in the vicinity of the
Moon that enable discoveries on the Moon and near-Earth asteroids and
pave the way for enhancing the technologies for Marian mission.
Figure 1.2 Roadmap2. Near-term highlights from the Global Exploration
Roadmap.(FromLaurini,K.C.,Gerstenmaier,W.H.,2014.TheGlobalExplorationRoadmap
and its significance for NASA. Space Policy, 30 (3, Part B), 149e155. https://doi.org/10.
1016/j.spacepol.2014.08.004.)
Introduction 3
The exploration of the Moon and Mars might serve as a platform to
create and test new technologies, experience life on an extraterrestrial
surface, and gain insights into the genesis of the cosmos. A fresh space
habitat, on the other hand, is not easily constructed. This severe environ-
ment, which includes high levels of solar radiation, a wide range of tem-
perature variations, and an almost nonexistent atmosphere, will provide a
challenge to future human and robotic expeditions. Due to dust’s electrical
charge and tendency to stick to everything it comes into contact with, one
of the most significant obstacles to furthering human space travel is its
existence. Dust movement across areas withoutwinds or flowing water has
also been reported. Apollo astronauts’ reported horizon glow above the
surface of the Moon (Mccoy and Criswell, 1974). Radial spokes were
observed by Voyagers around Saturn (Smith et al., 1981, 1982) and fine
dust ponds recorded by the Rendezvous-Shoemaker mission on Eros
(Robinson et al., 2001). The dust is fine and could be highly abrasive. In
addition to that, the dust grains could acquire electrical charge from solar
radiationorlocalweatheringprocesses.Theseelectrically chargedglass-like
particles with sharp edges that float above the surface of the planetary
systemcouldpotentiallyexposehazardstothefuturemannedorunmanned
missions. They can infiltrate into mechanical devices, cover optical in-
struments, and impose health risks to the astronauts. Problems exposed by
the dust on the Moon have been characterized by Apollo missions. The
Martian dust storm has been captured by different rovers on the surface of
Mars and on different asteroid missions, dust particles exposed sampling
difficulties and seal failures.
In this book, the following points will be discussed: the harsh envi-
ronmentoftheplanetarysystemssuchastheMoon,Mars,andasteroidsand
their environment where the robotic systems and astronauts will be facing.
We summarize the problems that previous missions had encountered and
proposeapotentialsolutiontoavoidtheminfuture.Westudythepotential
of using electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces to remove and transport
small particles away from surfaces by using a traveling electric field
generated by a series of parallel electrodes connected to single or multiple
AC power source(s). The traveling electric field created then serves as an
invisible brush to clean surfaces and prevent dust from entering joints in
space applications (e.g., bearing, solar panels, camera). Along the same
route,wewilldiscussastronautsuitcleaningwithmagneticdeviceanddust
sampling and classification. Then, we will look into numerical modeling
and simulation of the electric field by finite element method and then we
