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External Environments

Testing at Lunar Analog Sites

  • Advisement of right locations to perform analog testing
  • POC: Trevor Graff
Testing at Lunar Analog Sites- historic training locations 1963-1972
Testing at Lunar Analog Sites- historic training locations 1963-1972

Aquatic Environments

  • e.g. NEEMO - NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations
  • POC: Marc Reagan

The International Space Station

  • The ISS provides the ability to test experiments and concepts that require long duration exposure to microgravity.
  • Note that beyond the Lunar surface, other Artemis assets will be in microgravity environments.
  • Microgravity research can also serve as a bound for gravity conditions. By performing studies in 1g and in microgravity, we can bound problems that may be exposed to 1/6 g
  • POC: Kristen John
ISS Hermes Regolith Facility- microgravity testing
ISS Hermes Regolith Facility- microgravity testing

ISS Hermes Regolith Facility

  • Hermes ISS Microgravity Regolith Facility
  • On-orbit now
  • Open to new users
  • Quick turnaround for flying payloads to ISS.
  • Up to four experiments each the size of a can of tennis balls.
  • Each contains regolith or simulants.
  • Each can contain up to 7 components or tools.
  • Vacuum in experiments
  • Near real time data downlink
  • Imagery of experiments
  • Commanding and control of experiments performed by user
  • POC: Kristen John

ISS Centrifuge

ISS Centrifuge
ISS Centrifuge

NASA Flight Opportunities

NASA Flight Opportunities- suborbital flights
NASA Flight Opportunities- suborbital flights

The Moon

  • VIPER going to the Lunar South Pole in 2023.
  • CLPS payloads going to the Moon in the next few years.
    • Electrodynamic Dust Shield
    • Lunar Surface Patch Plate Experiment
    • SCALPSS Stereo Descent Imager (2021)
  • HLS to land humans on the Moon in 2024.
  • Sustained presence on the Moon by 2028.
  • Every mission to the Moon will teach us more about Lunar dust mitigation.