Electrostatic Dust Transport Effects on Shaping the Surface Properties of the Moon and Airless Bodies across the Solar System

Abstract

Electrostatic dust charging and subsequent transport on the lunar surface due to direct exposure to the solar wind plasma and solar radiation is a more than five-decade-old problem. Dust activity has been suggested as an explanation for several lunar surface observations from the beginning in the Apollo era. Beyond the Moon, related observations indicate that this electrostatic process may be a universal phenomenon on airless bodies across the solar system. Recent studies have made important breakthroughs in understanding the fundamentals of dust charging, mobilization and lofting mechanisms, offering strong support for its occurrence on the surfaces of airless bodies. This white paper reviews historical and recent observational evidence, reports recent findings, examines knowledge gaps and outstanding science questions, and provides recommendations for future studies. Special attention is given to in situ measurements over the next decade in order to ultimately solve the outstanding questions and, more importantly, understand the primary implications for the evolution of the surfaces of the Moon and other airless bodies across the solar system. Furthermore, potential risks posed by electrostatic dust transport to future surface exploration of these bodies, especially any long-term human presence on the lunar surface, needs to be well characterized in order to define and implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies and methods through proper systems design and testing.

The lunar dust environment: concerns for Moon-based astronomy

“…Most open questions about near-surface dust mobilization could be answered by precursor missions delivering small dedicated experiments to the lunar surface. For example, the size and speed distributions of electrostatically levitated dust could be measured on the surface [ 73 , 74 ]. A complementary measurement of the dust coverage as a function of height could be measured by the optical transmission changes of a series of glass plates [ 75 ] or quartz crystal microbalance set-ups [ 72 ].…”