JAKARTA – Before flying its four astronauts to the moon, NASA must develop technology that can combat pollution there. The reason is that lunar dust is very dangerous for astronauts.
Unlike Earth particles, lunar dust or regolith is abrasive and will easily attach to any object. This dust is the most difficult for the Apollo crew because of very bad health effects and can interfere with navigation.
Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, the Apollo 17 crew member who went to the moon, revealed a reaction when he accidentally blew in lunar dust. Called powder fever, the effect of the regolith will make the eyes watery, convoluted, and the throat sore.
Although they disappear, the symptoms are very worrying for humans. Not only that, the navigation process can also be hampered because the former will limit the performance of the hardware. Therefore, NASA supports the creation of systems that can protect astronauts for the Artemis mission.
Lunar Outpost, a dedicated aerospace startup for an autonomous robotic system, will help NASA develop the system. Joining as a contributor to NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership (NeXTSTEP) program, Lunar Outpost will manufacture air quality sensor systems.
“The company, headquartered in Denver, Golden, Colorado, developed an air quality sensor called Space Canary and donated the sensor to Lockheed Martin Space for the NextSTEP lunar orbital habitat prototype,” NASA said.
When the device that Lunar Outpost is developing is completed and has been integrated into the habitat control system, the device will bring many benefits. Space Canary, will detect and measure the amount of lunar soil in the air, while detecting pollutants on Earth.
“This sensor now meets the need for low-cost wireless air quality and weather monitoring on Earth,” NASA explained. “This unit can measure a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, methane, greenhouse gases, and volatile organic compounds, among others.”
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