When NASA sends humans to the moon for the first time in nearly 50 years as part of its Artemis Exploration Program, research conducted by an S&T Ph.D. student will help crew members understand the ways plasma interacts with lunar surface dust.
David Lund, a third-year Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T, has received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) award to support his research.
“I am looking at the effect of lunar surface and dust grains that are electrically charged by solar wind particles and photoemissions and how this surface charge affects the safety of astronauts and equipment on the lunar surface,” Lund says. “This award from NASA will further my research.”