Applied, a proven manufacturer of solutions for spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, and ground systems announced that it supported the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander with advanced materials used in both operational systems and on-board experiments. The Blue Ghost Mission 1 was the first successful soft landing on the Moon by a commercial company. Scientific instruments on-board tested the viability of different technologies in the harsh lunar environment. The Advanced Materials and Deployable Systems division of Applied (previously known as NeXolve™) provided two proprietary polymer materials designed to improve spacecraft resistance to lunar dust.
Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Firefly Aerospace launched its Blue Ghost spacecraft earlier this year for a two-month mission culminating in a successful landing on the Moon. Systems operating on the lunar surface are subject to extreme temperatures, cosmic radiation, and exposure to a highly abrasive lunar dust known as regolith. The electrostatic dust clings to instruments and fouls critical systems. Among the Blue Ghost on-board experiments was research into the effects of the gritty ash-like substance.
Two of the advanced materials used on the lander included Thermalbright® N and Toughened CORIN® PTFE, both manufactured by the Advanced Materials team at Applied Aerospace. Thermalbright N is a white polyimide film that was used by NASA for a radiator dust shield. Electrodynamic Dust Shield technology developed at the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center was applied to the Thermalbright® N radiator coating. The combined material provided a “self-cleaning” effect, actively repelling regolith contamination. The second material, CORIN PTFE is a transparent film with UV and radiation resistance, making it ideal for long-duration missions. CORIN PTFE was included as a test material in one of the on-board experiments, known as Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC).
“The success of long-term missions on the Moon depends on how habitats, spacesuits, and other systems can prevent the destructive effects of the surface regolith,” said Jim Moore, Senior Vice President for Advanced Materials & Deployable Systems. “We are proud to be a part of this important first commercial mission to the lunar surface and look forward to continuing to support NASA with advanced materials that perform in the extreme operating environments of space.”
Formerly NeXolve, now a business unit of Applied Aerospace & Defense.
