Planetary Environmental Simulator

  

Vinod Kumar
Published : May 3, 2023

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Planetary environmental simulator

The practical method for testing and long-term evaluation of planetary exploration spacecraft materials and structures is the planetary environmental simulator. The vacuum or planetary atmosphere conditions, together with a number of other environmental parameters, can only be replicated in simulators.

There will be a lot of novel materials and structural components used in these lunar exploration efforts as they gather up speed. In full analogy to the intensive screening and characterization of materials and structural elements that were and are being developed for use in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary (GEO) environments. LEO simulators, for atomic oxygen effects, and in GEO simulators, for charging effects, the screening, selection, and evaluation of such new materials and structures in ground simulators before they are used on the moon will become a necessary step.

Technical Specifications for the Lunar Simulator

The most recent versions of the lunar environment simulator are based on a number of successfully constructed prototypes. A stainless-steel vacuum chamber to simulate ultra-high vacuum conditions, a source of lunar dust particles, a source of UV radiation, thermal conditions/thermal cycling in the proper temperature range, and the ability to replicate the darkness conditions present on the dark side of the moon are all included in the system’s modular design. Depending on the situation and following consultations, other sources and modules might be added.

Video 01: Testing Satellite for a Lifetime in Space

Dust-Producing Apparatus

A lot of work was put into the design and development of the parameters and performance of this system because the dust particles source is one of the key components of the lunar simulator. A dust cloud surrounds the test object in this scenario.

The existing dust particle sources can be broadly classified into three basic groups, with the last two types, namely the gravitational and the agitational, being the only ones that are generally applicable to laboratory-type lunar simulators.

a) gravity (where the simulant is dispersed from above by gravitational force); 

b) immersion (where the tested object is submerged on a sizable bed of simulant); and 

c) agitational

The gravity type of dust source was chosen and designed based on the results of the initial tests with both types of sources, and the agitational type lunar dust particles source was rejected for future development. 

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