Effects of lunar and mars dust simulants on HaCaT keratinocytes and CHO-K1 fibroblasts

Exposure to lunar dust during Apollo missions resulted in occasional reports of ocular, respiratory and dermal irritations which showed that lunar dust has a risk potential for human health. This is caused by its high reactivity as well as its small size, leading to a wide distribution also inside habitats. Hence, detailed information regarding effects of extraterrestrial lunar dusts on human health is required to best support future missions to moon, mars or other destinations. In this study, we used several methods to assess the specific effects of extraterrestrial dusts onto mammalian skin by exposing HaCaT keratinocytes and CHO-K1 fibroblasts to dusts simulating lunar or mars soils. These particular cell types were chosen because the skin protects the human body from potentially harmful substances and because a well orchestrated program ensures proper wound healing. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to the dusts for different durations of time and their effects on morphology and viability of the cells were determined. Cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT assay and by monitoring culture impedance, while phalloidin staining of the actin cytoskeleton was performed to address structural integrity of the cells which was also investigated by propidium iodide intake. It was found that the effects of the two types of dust simulants on the different features of both cell lines varied to a considerable extent. Moreover, proliferation of HaCaT keratinocytes, as analyzed by Ki67 labeling, was suppressed in sub-confluent cultures exposed to lunar dust simulant. Furthermore, experimental evidence is provided for a delay in regeneration of keratinocyte monolayers from scratch-wounding when exposed to lunar dust simulant. The obtained results will facilitate further investigations of dust exposure during wound healing and will ease risk assessment studies e.g., for lunar lander approaches. The investigations will help to determine safety measures to be taken during extraterrestrial expeditions in order to minimize risks to human health associated with exposure of human skin to dust contaminants.     

Electrostatic particle collection in vacuum

Lunar grains accumulate charges due to solar-based ionizing radiations, and the repelling action of like-charged particles causes the levitation of lunar dust. The lunar dust deposit on sensitive and costly surfaces of investigative equipment is a serious concern in lunar explorations. Inspired by electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), the Electrostatic Lunar Dust Collector (ELDC) was proposed for collecting already charged lunar dust particles to prevent the lunar dust threat. As the conditions for terrestrial counterparts are not valid in the lunar environment, equations developed for terrestrial devices yield incorrect predictions in lunar application. Hence, a mathematical model was developed for the ELDC operating in vacuum to determine its collection efficiency. The ratios of electrical energy over potential energy, kinetic energy over potential energy and the ratio of ELDC dimensions were identified to be the key dimensionless parameters. Sensitivity analyses of the relevant parameters showed that depending on ELDC orientation, smaller particles would be collected more easily at vertical orientation, whereas larger particles were easier to collect in a horizontal ELDC configuration. In the worst case scenario, the electrostatic field needed to be 10 times stronger in the vertical mode in order to adequately collect larger particles. The collection efficiency was very sensitive to surface potential of lunar dust and it reached the maximum when surface potential was between 30 and 120 V.     

水泥立窑除尘技术的现状与趋势

本文首先在论述大型水泥企业除尘技术经验的基础上，介绍了几种新型除尘技术和设备，最后介绍了国内外先进的电除尘技术。     

Response of a pentagonal PZT element as a component of a 4π-real-time detector

The detector characteristics of a pentagonal element were studied by colliding it with hypervelocity micro-particles. A charge-sensitive amplifier was developed for the element of its capacitance ∼10 nF. The output amplitudes were expressed as a linear function of the momentum at collision. Empirical formulas obtained from on-ground experiments could be used for the calibration of the detector. The pentagonal element was potential to measure the momentum during collision from the output amplitude. A set of electrodes on the surface was used to confirm the measurement of the coordinates at collision. A possible application of this pentagonal element on a real-time dust detector was discussed.     

空间粉尘高速撞击对光学玻璃透过率影响的研究

航天器在轨服役期间会遭受到大量的微陨石及空间微小碎片撞击作用。这些微陨石和空间微小碎片可能吸附在航天器光学玻璃表面,也可能与光学玻璃表面碰撞产生陷坑等缺陷。文章采用爆炸式粉尘加速器加速微米级铝粉末撞击K8光学玻璃,在玻璃表面产生大量碰撞陷坑形成砂蚀磨损现象,利用CΦ-46型分光计测量光学玻璃的透过率。结果表明,光学玻璃磨损区域的透过率明显下降。透过率下降程度与陷坑数量成比例。通过对单个陷坑的计算,当陷坑深度大于或等于一个粒子直径时,光线衰减程度达到最大。     

A synchrotron-based facility for the in-situ location,chemical and mineralogical characterization of ∼10 μm particles captured in aerogel

NASA’s Stardust mission collected dust from the coma of Comet Wild-2 on January 2nd, 2004, by direct capture into aerogel cells that flew through the dust coma at ∼6 km/s. Stardust collected several hundred comet particles >10 μm in size. These comet samples were delivered to Earth on January 15th, 2006. We developed a facility at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY, USA) for the in-situ characterization of ∼10 μm particles collected in aerogel. These analytical instruments allow us to perform extensive chemical, mineralogical, and size-frequency characterization of particles captured in aerogel. These analyses are conducted without any invasive extraction, minimizing the possibility of contamination or particle loss during preparation. This facility was used to determine the chemical composition, the oxidation state, the mineralogy and to provide an indication of the grain size of the Wild-2 particles before they were removed from the aerogel. This information provides a catalog of particle types, allowing a more reasoned allocation of the particles to subsequent investigators based on a relatively detailed knowledge of the chemical composition and mineralogy of each particle. These measurements allowed a comparison of the chemical and mineralogical properties of the Wild-2 particles with other types of extraterrestrial materials, including interplanetary dust particles and meteorites. The success of in-situ analysis for Wild 2 particles demonstrates that synchrotron-based facilities will be important for the analysis of particles collected in aerogel on future earth-orbiting satellites and spacecraft.     

The dust content of clusters of galaxies

We have statistically investigated the infrared luminosity of clusters of galaxies in comparison with the known tracers of the cluster mass like the X-ray luminosity and the cluster richness (e.g. the number of member galaxies). Our results show that there is a clear positive correlation of the infrared luminosity with the cluster mass. Quantitatively speaking, the infrared luminosity is on average 20 times higher than the X-ray luminosity. Moreover, the infrared luminosity increases with the redshift. This probably shows that a major part of this infrared luminosity is due to star formation in the member galaxies. Another possible contribution would be the thermal emission from dust particles in the diffuse intracluster medium. However our method does not allow us to infer conclusions about this second hypothesis. Depending on their size and abundance, such particles would contribute to the infrared luminosity of galaxy cluster and have an impact on the cooling function of the baryons and thus on the formation of the large scale structures. This is an important cosmological question which still remains open.     

模拟月尘对巡视器车轮轮轴材料的磨损试验研究

文章以CE-3巡视器车轮轮轴为研究对象,利用北京卫星环境工程研究所的月尘环境模拟器、摩擦磨损试验机以及自行研制的模拟月尘,对车轮轮轴主要材料进行了磨损试验研究。试验样品为轮轴常用的铝合金、聚四氟乙烯及轴承钢。文章分析了试验前后样品的表面形貌,采用测试系统获得了轮轴材料在不同试验条件下的摩擦系数曲线,采用电子天平测量了材料的质量损失;分析了真空、大气、有无月尘等试验条件以及材料本身在磨损试验中的效应。研究结果可为月面巡视器等月面应用设备的研制提供可借鉴的信息。     

空间粉尘探测器研究进展

文章在系统地总结空间粉尘（微小空间碎片和微流星体）探测技术的基础上,重点分析了压电型探测器、半导体型探测器、电离型探测器、组合式探测器等的工作原理、技术特点及其应用,同时简要评述了空间粉尘探测技术的发展趋势。     

月尘累积特性测量技术研究与应用

月尘是月球环境对月球探测器影响中的一个重要因素。文章针对月表的自然环境和月尘累积特性分布机理,开展对月尘累积特性的测量技术研究,提出了采用黏性石英晶体微量天平(SQCM)和太阳电池短路电流两种测量方法,分别测量月表自然悬浮月尘的累积特性和着陆月表时扬起的月尘量,并在此基础上设计了月尘测量系统。该测量系统包括SQCM探头、太阳电池探头和电控箱,地面标定试验结果验证了其设计的可行性。此测量系统成功应用于嫦娥三号月球探测任务中,并实现了月尘累积特性的在轨原位测量。