An electrical connector was developed that is tolerant of the presence of lunar dust. Novel features of the connector include the use of a permeable membrane to act both as a dust barrier and as a wiper to limit the amount of dust that makes its way into the internal chamber of the connector. The development focused on the Constellation lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit s portable life support system (PLSS) battery recharge connector; however, continued research is applying this technology to other lunar surface systems such as lunar rover subsystems and cryogenic fluid transfer connections for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications. Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. In addition to posing contamination and health risks for human explorers, the interlocking, angular nature of lunar dust and its broad grain size distribution make it particularly harmful to mechanisms with which it may come into contact. All Apollo lunar missions experienced some degree of equipment failure because of dust, and it appears that dust accumulation on exposed material is unavoidable and difficult to reverse. Both human EVA and ISRU activities are on the mission horizon and are paramount to the establishment of a permanent human base on the Moon. Reusable and dust-tolerant connection mechanisms are a critical component for mission success. The need for dust-tolerant solutions is also seen in utility work and repair, mass transit applications, construction, mining, arctic and marine environments, diving (search and rescue), and various operations in deserts, where dust or sand clogging and coating different mechanisms and connections may render them difficult to operate or entirely inoperable.


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    Titel :

    Lunar Dust-Tolerant Electrical Connector


    Beteiligte:
    Herman, Jason (Autor:in) / Sadick, Shazad (Autor:in) / Roberts, Dustyn (Autor:in)


    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2010-02-01


    Medientyp :

    Sonstige


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch





    Dust-Tolerant Connector Development for Lunar Surface Systems

    Herman, Jason / Sadick, Shazad / Maksymuk, Mike et al. | AIAA | 2009


    Dust-Tolerant Connector Development for Lunar Surface Systems

    Herman, J. / Sadick, S. / Maksymuk, M. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2009


    Dust-Tolerant Power Connector Test Results

    Cooper, B. L. / Doehring, J. / Robertson, R. et al. | ASCE | 2010


    Dust-Tolerant Power Connector Test Results

    Cooper, B.L. / Doehring, J. / Robertson, R. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2010