Science
NASA initiates lunar lander plume-surface interaction testing at Langley facility
Researchers are measuring how lander engine exhausts displace lunar soil to protect future Artemis crewed missions and infrastructure.
The short version
- NASA has begun testing inside a 60-foot vacuum chamber at Langley Research Center to analyze how rocket engine plumes disturb simulated lunar regolith.
- The campaign uses an unburnt ethane plume system firing into simulated soil for six-second intervals, with plans to test a 3D-printed hybrid rocket motor later in the year.
- Data on soil displacement, particle speed, and cratering will be used to protect landers, rovers, and surface gear during upcoming Artemis and future Mars missions.
Key facts
- NASA launched a new plume-surface interaction test series inside a 60-foot spherical vacuum chamber at the Langley Research Center in Virginia.[NASA News]
- The initial testing phase utilizes a non-burning ethane plume simulation system built by Purdue University, generating approximately 100 pounds of thrust.[NASA News]
- Each test runs for about six seconds, targeting a bin filled with a simulated lunar dirt mixture known as Black Point-1.[NASA News]
- Instrumentation records metrics such as particle velocity, crater depth, ejecta sheet geometry, and spatial distribution during the blasts.[NASA News]
- A second test phase scheduled for later in the year will employ a 3D-printed hybrid rocket motor from Utah State University producing about 35 pounds of thrust.[NASA News]
- The testing architecture is modular, allowing future configuration adjustments to simulate Martian atmospheric pressure and soil.[NASA News]
What remains uncertain
- The exact extent to which small-scale vacuum ground tests will successfully predict full-scale plume interactions on actual lunar and Martian landings remains to be confirmed by future flight data.[NASA News]