“Space Exploration and the Lunar Surface Environment” By Wesley Chambers, NASA Huntsville

Abstract: People and spacecraft exploring the Moon face unforgiving environments. The lunar surface is covered in fine, abrasive dust churned by meteoroid impacts. Explorers face extreme thermal, radiation, and lighting conditions. Landing spacecraft must account for erosion caused by rocket exhaust, which can be hazardous for the vehicle or nearby assets. This talk will survey these challenges and the work being done to overcome them to achieve mission success.

Bio: Dr. Wesley Chambers is a physicist working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. His research interests include planetary surface environments and the gas-granular physics of rocket plume-surface interactions. Wesley earned an A.A. from Seminole State College of Florida and a B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida.