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BACK TO THE MOON

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HELPING HANDS

HELPING HANDS

Dan Batcheldor 1986-1997 reports on his new role working at the Kennedy Space Center to support the Artemis Program. Led by NASA, this international spaceflight programme aims to land the first female astronaut and the next male astronaut on the moon’s south pole by 2024.

Dan Batcheldor

A mid-life career change during a global pandemic isn’t so worrisome when it’s to work for the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) as a senior scientist supporting NASA’s imminent return to the moon.

Until the summer of 2020 I had spent my entire career working in US academia. However, my increasing administrative duties, the apparent direction of US higher education, and the cascading pressures facing university faculty were pushing me further away from scientific research. So, when the SURA opportunity to return directly to research presented itself, this time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the choice was clear.

Due to its wondrous successes in discovery and human space exploration, NASA holds a special fascination around the globe. I had been lucky enough to visit KSC as a child but, having grown up outside the US, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would ever be able to work at the world’s most iconic launch site.

Fast forward 30 years and I’m back at KSC. This time with US citizenship. And this time helping to solve some of the challenges associated with landing the next two humans on the moon.

Despite six decades having passed since President Kennedy’s seminal speech at Rice University, many of the same motivations for the human exploration of the moon hold true now. There are still new environments to be explored, new knowledge to be gained, and both new and old spirits to be inspired. Today, however, there is a new dimension to the space race. Not only are more nations than ever exploring space, but private companies regularly compete to deliver cargo, and now humans, to low Earth orbit.

The Artemis Program, led by NASA, is the international plan for establishing a sustainable human presence at the lunar south pole. Part of that plan is to use the human landing system being developed by companies such as SpaceX. Another part of that plan is to learn how to survive using the resources found on the moon. And the forward-looking part of the plan is in developing and testing many of the technologies that are needed before Mars can be firmly in our grasp. Each part of this plan requires a deep understanding of the lunar and Martian surfaces.

My new home at KSC is in the Swamp Works. This is a rapid innovation environment that explores new and evolving technologies, like additive manufacturing (3D printing), to reduce risk and increase astronaut capabilities. Swamp Works supports the development of systems that will be used on the surfaces of the moon and Mars, and includes science and engineering labs that cover chemistry, physics, materials, corrosion, cryogenics, electrostatics and granular mechanics. At present my work is focused on granular mechanics (the behaviour of the lunar dust known as regolith) and imaging of the lunar surface while at the south pole.

Regolith is kicked up by the engines of landers. It can clog mechanical systems, coat windows and solar panels, and it can carry electric charges as a result of interactions with the solar wind. However, despite these issues, lunar regolith can also be used as a resource. Swamp Works is therefore also developing technologies to robotically mine regolith and use it to manufacture structures like landing pads, roads and radiation shelters.

As the moon has no atmosphere and no significant tilt to its rotational axis, the sun creates some challenges to imaging of the surface. Sunlight on the moon remains unhindered and unrelenting throughout the year. Shadows as dark as night are in direct contrast to daytime light. And while a steady sun is excellent for solar-powered systems, to see what’s in a shadow requires imaging devices capable of dealing with extreme shifts in brightness. These issues are exacerbated at the lunar south pole where the sun is consistently skimming the horizon.

Granular mechanics and lunar imaging play a major role in developing our understanding of lunar regolith. This understanding is important because lunar regolith contains approximately five per cent water, a vital resource in space exploration. Aside from the obvious need for water to sustain human (and plant) life, water can be broken down to hydrogen and oxygen. While the use of oxygen is also obvious to sustain human life, it is the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen that provides the necessary impulse for rocket engines. Water is rocket fuel and it’s mostly found in the shadows.

Space exploration is often criticised for its perceived costs in the face of the ongoing struggles humanity is facing on the ground. Such criticism distorts the truth, however. Space exploration does not detract from humanity’s struggles, it can help them. It is space exploration that advances technologies that improve our day-to-day lives. It is space exploration that helps us understand the impact our activities are having on our environment.

It is space exploration that opens our imaginations and ambitions to discover more, understand more, and drive for greater and greater achievements.

And it is space exploration that I am proud to be a small part of, in the ongoing story of humanity.

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