CONTACT US HOMEPAGE: www.nasa.gov/flightopportunities →

T0292-P

Strata-2P - characterizing sensor-regolith interactions in reduced-gravity

PI: Adrienne Dove, Adam LaMee (Co-I), University of Central Florida

NASA’s space exploration plans are increasing the need for more detailed understanding of the behavior of dust and regolith on the surfaces of planetary bodies, including how those surfaces respond to disturbances and the subsequent effect on reduced-gravity operations. The University of Central Florida’s Strata-2P: Characterizing Sensor-Regolith Interactions in Reduced Gravityexperiment will enable testing of technologies for investigating the formation and interaction of small particles and layered structures in low-gravity environments to inform robotic and human in-situ exploration.

Technology Areas (?)
  • NA
Problem Statement

NASA’s planned lunar and planetary missions are driving the rapidly increasing need for a more detailed understanding of the behavior of dust and regolith on the surfaces of small, airless bodies, how those surfaces respond to disturbances, and what effects these environments will have on reduced-gravity operations. Strata-2Pbuilds off of previously flown International Space Station and suborbital flight experiments and complements an ongoing station experiment. With successful testing, its technologies could be leveraged for detailed investigations into the formation and interaction of small particles and layered structures in low-gravity environments, informing robotic and human in-situ exploration activities.

Technology Maturation

Testing Strata-2P on a parabolic flight is expected to advance the TRL by enabling evaluation of the performance of the mechanical devicesin variable-gravity environments and comparing to performance in ground-based experiments. In order to meet current and long-term technological and scientific goals, researchers will characterize measurements of regolith penetration and flow with in-situ measurements.

This work is a continuation of previous flight testing underT0182.

Future Customers

•Lunar in-situ resource utilization
•Science missions for characterizing the surface of the Moon, asteroids, and other planetary surfaces

Technology Details

  • Selection Date
    TechFlights20 (Sep 2020)
  • Program Status
    Active
  • Current TRL (?)
    Unknown
    Successful FOP Flights
  • 0 Parabolic

Development Team

Web Accessibility and Privacy Notices Curator: Alexander van Dijk Responsible NASA Official: Stephan Ord Last Update: November 16, 2018