A dynamic fountain model for lunar dust

Stubbs, T. J.; Vondrak, R. R.; Farrell, W. M.

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2005.04.048

Cited by 300 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Astronauts in Apollo's command module also witnessed a twilight horizon glow extending 10's of kilometers above the lunar surface which was suggested to result from surface ejection of submicron grains to high altitudes (McCoy and Criswell 1974;McCoy 1976). Lunar Prospector has confirmed the presence of strong and dynamic near-surface electric fields that are capable of lofting small charged grains to high altitudes (10's of km) in a dust 'fountain' effect (Stubbs et al 2006). These near surface electric fields may be strongest at the terminator-the starting location of the lunar wake (Farrell et al 2007).…”

Section: Surface Charging Electric Fields and Dustmentioning

confidence: 89%

ARTEMIS Science Objectives

Sibeck

Angelopoulos²,

Brain

et al. 2011

Space Sci Rev

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NASA's two spacecraft ARTEMIS mission will address both heliospheric and planetary research questions, first while in orbit about the Earth with the Moon and subsequently while in orbit about the Moon. Heliospheric topics include the structure of the Earth's magnetotail; reconnection, particle acceleration, and turbulence in the Earth's magnetosphere, at the bow shock, and in the solar wind; and the formation and structure of the D.G. Sibeck ( ) Code 674, GSFC/NASA,

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Section: Surface Charging Electric Fields and Dustmentioning

confidence: 89%

ARTEMIS Science Objectives

Sibeck

Angelopoulos²,

Brain

et al. 2011

Space Sci Rev

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“…[10] The electric field configuration near the terminator region appears to drive the electrostatic transport of charged dust Stubbs et al, 2006Stubbs et al, , 2007c. The most compelling evidence for this came from the Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites (LEAM) experiment deployed on the surface of the Moon by Apollo 17 astronauts [Berg et al, 1976].…”

Section: Lunar Dustmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[8] Solar photoelectron emission on the dayside tends to drive the lunar surface positive, typically about +10 V, while solar wind electrons incident on the nightside drives the surface negative, typically about À100 V [Freeman and Ibrahim, 1975;Stubbs et al, 2007bStubbs et al, , 2007c, although occasionally regions of the lunar surface can charge up to a few kilovolts negative . It is believed that differential charging of the lunar surface in the terminator region can result in strong local electric fields that are able to eject charged dust into the exosphere [e.g., Criswell and De, 1977;De and Criswell, 1977;Borisov and Mall, 2006;Wang et al, 2007].…”

Section: Lunar Dustmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutral solar wind generated by lunar exospheric dust at the terminator

Collier

Stubbs

2009

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] We calculate the flux of neutral solar wind observed on the lunar surface at the terminator due to solar wind protons penetrating exospheric dust grains with (1) radii greater than 0.1 mm and (2) radii greater than 0.01 mm. For grains with radii larger than 0.1 mm, the ratio of the neutral solar wind flux produced by exospheric dust to the incident ionized solar wind flux is estimated to be $10 À4 -10 À3 for solar wind speeds in excess of 800 km s À1 but much lower (<10 À5 ) at average to slow solar wind speeds. However, when the smaller grain sizes are considered, this ratio is estimated to be !10 À5 at all speeds and at speeds in excess of 700 km s À1 reaches $10 À3 . These neutral solar wind fluxes are easily measurable with current low-energy neutral atom instrumentation. Observations of neutral solar wind from the surface of the Moon would provide independent information on the distribution of very small dust grains in the lunar exosphere that would complement and constrain optical measurements at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths.Citation: Collier, M. R., and T. J. Stubbs (2009), Neutral solar wind generated by lunar exospheric dust at the terminator, J. Geophys.

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“…A cloud of levitated lunar grains with high affinity of adhering to the nearby surfaces, which hampered the lunar surface operations, was observed during the entire Apollo program (from 1969 to 1973) (Gaier, 2005;Stubbs et al, 2006;Colwell et al, 2009;Gaier et al, 2011). Due to the rarefied atmosphere of the moon and absence of a strong magnetic field, the lunar surface is not shielded from high energetic solar radiation and solar winds (Abbas et al, 2007;Colwell et al, 2009;Calle et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While photoemissive radiation (e.g., UV and X-ray) on lunar dayside accumulate positive charges, impingement of electrons on lunar nightside leads to negative charge accumulation on lunar grains (Walch et al, 1995;Halekas et al, 2002;Halekas et al, 2008;Dove et al, 2010). The like-charged particles create a local electric field near the surface, which lifts the particles off from the lunar surface because of interparticle repelling forces (Stubbs et al, 2006;Colwell et al, 2009). The majority of the levitated adhesive particles fall back toward the lunar surface (See Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Back Electrostatic Field on the Collection Efficiency of an Electrostatic Lunar Dust Collector

Afshar-Mohajer

Thakker

et al. 2014

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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Protecting sensitive surfaces from dust deposition in the limiting condition of the lunar atmosphere is imperative for space exploration. In this study, how back electrostatic field due to charge build-up on collection plates may affect the performance of an electrostatic lunar dust collector (ELDC) was investigated. The relationships between ELDC dimensions, collection efficiency and electrical properties of lunar dust particles were derived to develop a model, appropriate for any size of the ELDC. A Lagrangian-based discrete element method (DEM) was applied to track particle trajectories, and sensitivity analyses were conducted for the concentration of the incoming particles, the number of pre-collected particles and the applied voltages. The results revealed that the collection efficiency reduced over time due to the back electrostatic field of the collected particles, which ultimately led to a suspended regime, rather than just collected and penetrated fractions considered in conventional models. The generated back electrostatic field and the cloud of suspended particles were strong enough to disrupt the performances of both the ELDC and the protected device. The maximum time ELDC can run without significant loss in collection efficiency was estimated to be 10 terrestrial days for the studied ELDC size and applied voltage. Because the electrical power was negligible compared to the provided power by the solar panels, increasing the applied voltage was found to be the best option to counteract back electrostatic growth.

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A dynamic fountain model for lunar dust

Cited by 300 publications

References 11 publications

ARTEMIS Science Objectives

ARTEMIS Science Objectives

Neutral solar wind generated by lunar exospheric dust at the terminator

Influence of Back Electrostatic Field on the Collection Efficiency of an Electrostatic Lunar Dust Collector

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