{"id":73075,"date":"2019-04-18T17:45:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T21:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-443767"},"modified":"2023-10-11T10:22:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T14:22:58","slug":"kennedy-scientist-leading-team-to-combat-lunar-dust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/kennedy\/kennedy-scientist-leading-team-to-combat-lunar-dust\/","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Scientist Leading Team to Combat Lunar Dust"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?w=1365\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Dr. Carlos Calle is the lead scientist in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=267,400 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=600,900 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=800,1200 800w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?resize=1333,2000 1333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Dr. Carlos Calle, lead scientist in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares an Electrostatic Dust Shield (EDS) for testing on July 19, 2018. The EDS technology launched to the International Space Station April 17, 2019, as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE)-11 mission.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong><em>Credits: NASA\/Kim Shiflett<\/em><\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>By Jim Cawley<br>\nNASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1430\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?w=1430\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Dr. Carlos Calle has worked on the Electrostatic Dust Shield (EDS) for 15 years.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg 2712w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=209,300 209w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=768,1100 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=715,1024 715w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=1072,1536 1072w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=1430,2048 1430w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=279,400 279w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=419,600 419w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=628,900 628w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=838,1200 838w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_1.jpg?resize=1396,2000 1396w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Dr. Carlos Calle has worked on the Electrostatic Dust Shield (EDS) for 15 years. He leads a team of about eight researchers striving to perfect the technology that uses dynamic electric fields to remove dust from surfaces. Calle is hopeful that the EDS will play a major role in NASA\u2019s plans to send humans back to the Moon and on to Mars.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong><em>Credits: NASA<\/em><\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Dust can be a nuisance \u2014 on Earth and the Moon. Astronauts exploring the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/moon-s-south-pole-in-nasa-s-landing-sites\" rel=\"noopener\">Moon\u2019s South Pole<\/a> will need a way to help keep pesky lunar dust out of hard to reach places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A team at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida may have the solution. The technology launched to the space station April 17, 2019, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/wallops\/home\" rel=\"noopener\">Wallops Flight Facility<\/a> on the eastern shore of Virginia as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/armstrong\/features\/misse-11.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE)-11<\/a> mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is the first flight of the Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) and the first exposure to the space environment,\u201d said Kennedy scientist Dr. Carlos Calle. \u201cIt is a big deal, and we are very excited. We\u2019ve been working on this for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The senior principal investigator for the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Lab, Calle has worked at Kennedy for 20 years, including 15 on the EDS. He currently leads a team of about eight researchers striving to perfect the technology that uses dynamic electric fields to remove dust from surfaces. They have had many successes and performed hundreds of hours of testing in vacuum chambers. But the upcoming year spent on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/main\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">space station<\/a> will provide Calle and his team invaluable data that can be used for future missions on the Moon and Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe idea is to expose the EDS to the low-Earth orbit space environment, which approximates the lunar surface environment during the daytime,\u201d Calle said, \u201cso we can validate the technology and prepare us to fly it on the lunar surface.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EDS is activated using transparent electrodes. \u201cYou don\u2019t see them \u2014 they\u2019re invisible,\u201d Calle said. It can be integrated on astronauts\u2019 visors, camera lenses, solar panels, optical instruments, habitat windows, lander viewports and even spacesuits. The EDS can operate manually \u2014 through a switch that would clear the dust in just seconds \u2014 or autonomously, which would continuously deflect the dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On MISSE-11, EDS samples flew in experiment carriers, which are about the size of a shoebox. They will be installed inside a flight facility platform, attached to the outside of the space station using a robotic arm. There, the EDS can operate in the true vacuum of space, while being exposed to space radiation and solar wind. At Kennedy, Calle and his team will simultaneously operate an exact replica of the setup outside the space station. A data communications unit will transmit information on the health of the EDS, as well as a weekly high-resolution image throughout its time in orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/apollo\/missions\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Apollo missions<\/a>, there were several issues with dust. It covered camera lenses, visors and was tracked into the lunar module on spacesuits. Although brushes have been improved, Calle pointed out they can\u2019t be relied upon for longer stays on the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow we know that lunar dust is harmful,\u201d Calle said. \u201cIt has sharp edges, for example; it can affect the lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea for EDS originated in 1969 with a NASA researcher who wrote a paper on possible dust mitigation technologies available at that time, as well as potential future technologies. Years later, that concept was reduced to practice by a University of Tokyo professor who developed it for terrestrial applications. He moved on to other work and the idea was abandoned for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, at a conference in 2004, Calle met University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor Dr. Malay Mazumder, who had been working on the concept. The two began to collaborate, and a joint proposal was awarded through the university and NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate. Together, they named it EDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe revived it,\u201d Calle said. \u201cWe took that idea and developed it for space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calle is hopeful EDS will play a major role in NASA\u2019s plans to send humans back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/moontomars\" rel=\"noopener\">Moon and on to Mars<\/a>. Recently, Vice President Mike Pence tasked the agency with getting American astronauts to the Moon in the next five years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDust is just one big problem that needs to be solved to establish a presence on the Moon,\u201d Calle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also remains keenly aware that his contributions could benefit humankind for many years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what has kept us going for all these years,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The MISSE flight facility hardware and missions are funded by the International Space Station Program Office (ISSPO) and managed by <a href=\"http:\/\/alphaspace.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance<\/a>. NASA materials investigations are selected by NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/spacetech\" rel=\"noopener\">Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jim Cawley NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center Dust can be a nuisance \u2014 on Earth and the Moon. Astronauts exploring the Moon\u2019s South Pole will need a way to help keep pesky lunar dust out of hard to reach places. A team at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida may have the solution. The technology [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":78280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2862,13004,2879],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[10285,3917,3934],"coauthors":[8386],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Kennedy Scientist Leading Team to Combat Lunar Dust","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/kennedy\/kennedy-scientist-leading-team-to-combat-lunar-dust\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/kennedy\/kennedy-scientist-leading-team-to-combat-lunar-dust\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jim Cawley"}],"creator":["Jim Cawley"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Directorates","Space Technology Mission Directorate","Kennedy Space Center","Research and Technology at Kennedy Space Center"],"dateCreated":"2019-04-18T21:45:00Z","datePublished":"2019-04-18T21:45:00Z","dateModified":"2023-10-11T14:22:58Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Kennedy Scientist Leading Team to Combat Lunar Dust\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/kennedy\/kennedy-scientist-leading-team-to-combat-lunar-dust\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2019-04-18T21:45:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Directorates,Space Technology Mission Directorate,Kennedy Space Center,Research and Technology at Kennedy Space Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Jim Cawley\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"5 years","featured_image":{"id":78280,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/carlos_calle_2.jpg","title":"Electrostatic Dust Shield","alt":"Dr. Carlos Calle is the lead scientist in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.","caption":"Dr. Carlos Calle, lead scientist in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares an Electrostatic Dust Shield for testing on Thursday, July 19, 2018. Scientists are developing the Electrostatic Dust Shield to help mitigate the problem of dust on equipment, astronauts' space suits and helmet visors of astronauts exploring the Moon or Mars. The device is slated for analysis aboard International Space Station in the spring of 2019 to verify the effects of the space environment."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73075"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73075"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":387678,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73075\/revisions\/387678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73075"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=73075"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=73075"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=73075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}