Lunar Dust Fates in the HLS Crew Compartment: Novel Experimental and Analytical Characterization and Techniques

Despite extensive analysis of Apollo-era lunar regolith samples, there is still a great amount of uncertainty regarding the makeup of the lunar dust that will be brought into the pressurized cabins of NASA's Human Landing System (HLS). This dust will impact crew health and drive the design of Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for HLS and future Artemis vehicles. To reduce this uncertainty, coupon tests were performed using lunar simulant to determine the particle size distribution (PSD) of liberated dust. Weighted handheld bags with an orthofabric exterior and multi-layer insulation (MLI) layup were exposed to a simulated extra-vehicular activity (EVA), post-EVA cleaning, and airlock ingress in a laboratory environment. The liberated dust during this simulated ingress was collected, weighed, and analyzed to determine the full PSD. Results show that liberated dust in the HLS habitable volume trends smaller than the overall particle size distribution of unadulterated regolith across all test variables. To help guide the ECLSS design, this PSD data was analyzed using the unique pressure and gravity conditions present in HLS airlocks.