Development and Testing of a New NASA Lunar Dust Filtration Testing Facility

A new Lunar Dust Filtration Testing Facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center will be used to assess the performance of filter media and filter technologies to support future manned lunar surface missions. The facility will serve as an evaluation tool in developing these next generation space particulate matter filters. One of the major aims is to determine the feasibility and efficiency of filtering lunar dust under the constraints of exploration vehicle and habitat cabin design. The facility employs a closed-loop design which facilities a reduced pressure operation, and features several supporting adaptations for working under this environment. The results of initial functional testing, and the challenges of the reduced pressure operation and practicality of using lunar simulant dust will be addressed.