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- Dust injury: the gateway for the lunar base will protect people and equipment from regolith
Dust injury: the gateway for the lunar base will protect people and equipment from regolith
Scientists have prepared a prototype airlock for the Russian manned lunar station, which is planned to be built as part of an experimental base on Earth. It is designed to test key technologies. In particular, experts will test methods for removing moon dust from spacesuits and equipment. This will reduce the impact of dangerous particles on the health of astronauts and increase the service life of the equipment. At the same time, experts noted that it is impossible to completely get rid of dangerous particles: due to their physical properties, they are able to penetrate through seals and cleaning systems. However, the technologies being developed will bring closer the creation of a secure infrastructure for a long-term human stay on the Earth's satellite.
What "lunar" technologies will be tested on Earth
Scientists from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), together with specialists from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, have developed a draft gateway module for a manned station on the Moon. It is designed to test technologies that will form the basis of the Russian satellite development program. According to the developers, the diameter of the module will be 2.2–2.4 m, and systems for connecting spacesuits to onboard power, compression and decompression, thermal control, and others will be placed inside it.
The main objective of the prototype is to enable design engineers to develop and test various ways to remove moon dust from astronauts' gear and equipment.
Moon dust is particles of regolith (lunar soil) that have been bombarded by meteorites and exposed to harsh solar radiation for billions of years. As a result, they turned into microscopic fragments with sharp, jagged edges of irregular shape. Their danger is divided into three groups.
The first is the deposition of dust on optical devices, temperature control panels and solar panels, which reduces the efficiency of the devices. Also, regolith particles, getting inside moving mechanisms, contribute to their rapid wear. The third group concerns the effects of moon dust on the health of astronauts. It can enter the lungs and then the bloodstream and brain, causing breathing problems and other consequences.
These effects are confirmed both by the reports of the Apollo crews, who made a series of landings on the Moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and by subsequent medical research.
— Currently, experts are considering two main scenarios among the ways to combat dust. The first involves mechanical purification of impurities. The second is the supply of alternating current to the outer shell of the spacesuits so that charged particles drain away under the influence of an electric field," Professor Alexander Belyavsky, acting head of the Department of Ecology, Life Support Systems and Life Safety at MAI, explained to Izvestia.
However, due to the weak lunar gravity and electrostatic effects, dust in the transition chamber will hang for hours. Therefore, comprehensive solutions are needed that also include air purification before astronauts open the inner hatch and enter the base. These and similar technologies will be tested on the experimental module, the scientist said.
What will the lunar station look like?
It is assumed that the lunar base in the initial configuration will consist of three modules connected through a central transition chamber in the form of the letter "T", said Alexander Belyavsky. These are residential, laboratory and storage compartments — they are designed for permanent residence of a crew of three people or a short-term stay of up to six astronauts.
To protect against galactic radiation, the modules will be placed in the ground to a depth of 1.5–2 m. Airlock compartments will be placed at each end of the T-shaped structure, which will be adapted to prepare for the researchers' exit to the surface in spacesuits or in the cabin of the lunar rover.
The prototype of the gateway module will be built as part of an experimental mock-up of the lunar base, which is being built in Moscow at the FMBA site. The experimental design will include only one residential and one transition chamber. A lunar landscape will be created around them, filling in an analog of regolith in order to bring the test conditions as close as possible to the real ones.
Also, during the project, in addition to dust control, scientists will test other technologies on the prototype. In particular, the means of protection against cosmic radiation, emergency rescue methods in case of emergency situations, as well as methods of maintaining optimal indoor temperature and pressure levels will be tested.
According to the plan, the construction of the prototype airlock compartment will be completed in a year, and operation will begin in 2027.
— Lunar soil particles have high adhesion, high hardness and abrasiveness (the ability to wear out surfaces in contact with them. — Ed.). This poses a problem for all technical, instrumentation and instrumentation, as well as for spacesuits, life support systems, solar panels and electronics. The penetration of dust with a size of less than 20 microns into residential compartments is dangerous for human health, since it is not excreted when inhaled and can accumulate in the lungs," said Alexander Slyuta, head of the Laboratory of Geochemistry of the Moon and Planets at the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
He explained that they are currently considering ways to remove dust using various physical principles. Some methods have already been tested on the lunar surface. For example, the electrodynamic protection system developed at NASA was successfully tested on the Blue Ghost Mission 1 spacecraft in March 2026.
It is also important to provide solid platforms and tracks for moving equipment to accommodate the base. This can be done using regolith sintering technology. In general, the solution to the problem is seen in a combination of different methods.
— It is almost impossible to completely get rid of moon dust. Its size allows it to overcome seals, spacesuit fasteners and various filters. It also penetrates into the lungs and mucous membranes, spreading throughout the body. In particular, dust got on sealing surfaces in containers for the return of lunar samples in the Apollo program. As a result, microparticles created the smallest channels for leakage and breached the tightness of structures," said Alexander Zakharov, chief researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Currently, both passive and active methods of protection against moon dust are being developed, the scientist added. The former are based on the principle of creating surfaces with minimal adhesion. They work like lotus leaves, making it roll down without getting fixed.
According to Alexander Zakharov, among the active methods involve the use of electric fields to repel charged dust from important devices. However, there is no universal solution yet, since the charge of the particles varies depending on the illumination — methods that work well in the light may be useless in the shade.
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