We urge you to explore our documentation and presentation in the following links. An overview can also be found below.

Pitch presentation

Documentation - GitLab repository

Abstract

A broadly scoped lunar dust detection, collection, mitigation and analysis system proposal, developed in an effort to protect crew and equipment throughout the whole mission life-cycle, while contributing to our understanding of lunar conditions. Utilizing various novel technologies, and combining them in an integrated, modular, scalable and standardized system/framework, we aim to provide a complete solution to tackle lunar dust issues. Additionally, we explore ways mankind’s understanding can be greatly enhanced. Lunar dust can not only be avoided, but also analyzed and used to improve our life quality if we ever plan to inhabit our Moon.

Overview

Team Astraea, with the name inspired by the Greek goddess of purity and precision, participates in the NASA Space Apps challenge 2019 organized in Athens, tackling the "Dust your self off" challenge. The scope is to provide ways of detection, mapping, mitigation and analysis techniques for lunar dust, a huge issue faced by all missions landing on the lunar surface. The root of the problem is the very nature of the dust being electrically charged thus sticking to almost anything, while also having small particle size. As past missions have shown, dust is an imminent danger for astronauts, causing even death in some cases. All these problems can also be caused by dust in environment other than the moon, like other planets, so the techniques presented here may also apply to other environments too. Through thorough research and combination of various techniques and some creativity, Astraea is proposing ways to detect, collect, mitigate and analyze the lunar dust. Below the table of contents can be found and a more detailed technical presentation follows. Finally, apart form the disastrous effects that the dust can have, it can also prove very helpful, helping in plant growth in the case of lunar colonization.

Further ideas

Design of a low-cost and affordable, non-invasive field analysis system to study deleterious effects of lunar dust on the respiratory system.

The system includes a lab-on-a-chip platform, where the astronaut can place a sample of his sputum, which will be automatically liquefied and added to the TPA reagent (which operates over a wide range of different pH levels, so it's accessible) to observe fluorescence in dust particles with a spectrometer.
At the same time, bacteria or apoptotic cells in which the lunar dust has penetrated can be identified and therefore their cellular localization as well as possible accompanying inflammations (bacterial, fungal) can be detected. The lab-on-a-chip platform will be accompanied with a custom-made imaging system. While a revolutionary approach, we already have constructed a similar microfluidics lab-on-a-chip for cell growth and fluorimetric observations as part of our research (AcubeSAT).

This proposed framework can scale very well, and is thus very applicable:
Lunar bases can be established in the future; current designs already exist and are pioneered by NASA.
Lunar bases (perhaps taking Moon colonization into account) provide way greater facilities and resources, thus unlocking the usage of improved analysis (like EPR) methods in-situ.
Looking at the feature, a time where Lunar expeditions commonly happen is a probable scenario. The standardization of the whole procedure and framework will ascertain that research/design teams are on common ground, and ensure increased mission safety.

• Define the procedure for to be followed when an entity or object re-enters the spacecraft more rigorously, and subsequently make it into a universal standard.

• Construction of hardware prototype of the sensor network and astronaut wearable

• Development of a simple GUI for wearable

• Gradually model the various components proposed

• Develop a VR/AR demo game where the user can take a look at the prototype complete integrated model suggested, with built-in information available about lunar dust characteristics, as well as the different components and technologies used. Furthermore, the standardized procedure will be available in the form of an interactive “manual”.

• Development of Machine Learning-assisted prediction algorithms that can be ran both on the Ground Stations and on the spacecraft/lunar base to better correlate lunar conditions with dust properties, such as distribution, radiation, charge, dissolution rate, etc.

• The images captured can be sent to Earth for further analysis, where also AI algorithms for classification and data correlation can be used.

• A detailed log will be kept with all the measurements for each crew member. This will not only significantly aid in inventing ways to mitigate lunar dust particles harm caused to humans, but also save lives, as crew members can be sent back home when detecting high dust accumulation.

• The capability to gather data on how lunar dust particles affect humans will significantly increase our insights.