NASA has successfully tested an electric force field on the Moon that protects spacecraft from destructive lunar dust. The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) was carried aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, whose mission ended on March 16.
Lunar dust is one of the major problems that future Moon missions will face. The result of billions of years of micrometeorite impacts on the lunar surface and lack of water on the Moon has left this dust with jagged, razor-sharp shapes and the constant bombardment by cosmic rays has given each particle an electrostatic charge.
The result is a clinging, charcoal-like dust that coats spacesuits, lenses, gaskets, and other equipment. This has been a problem ever since the first lunar landing missions in the 1960s when the Apollo astronauts would return to the Lunar Module looking like coal miners as the dust got everywhere, interfering with equipment, wearing down components, and not doing the Neil Armstrong et al's lungs any good either.
To combat this, NASA has developed the EDS, which uses a pattern of tiny electrodes that carry a high-voltage AC signal in the kilowatt range in a phased sequence. This alternating electric field produces what are called dielectrophoretic forces, which are essentially a non-uniform electric field creating a traveling wave that pushes dust across the surface. By adjusting the phase pattern sequence, the dust can be moved in a desired direction, clearing it away as if by an invisible hand.
The result is a system with no moveable parts that can continuously or periodically remove dust from optics, solar panels, space suits, visors, radiators, windows, and other surfaces without wear and tear.
This can be seen in gif animations (above) released by NASA made from images returned from Blue Ghost. The before image shows the dusty test area and the after the result of a spot of EDS magic. While not a deployable system, the latest experiment demonstrates the potential for protecting future missions from the dust scourge.
Source: NASA