Characterizing the Lunar Particulate Atmosphere with the Autonomous Lunar Dust Observer (ALDO)

Introduction: Billions of years of meteoroid bombardment have shaped the lunar surface, created and stirred the lunar regolith, and covered the moon with dust. Since the Apollo era, the particulate atmosphere and mobility of dust, have been recognized as both a hazard to human health and a challenge to equipment function and longevity. The NASA Constellation Program promises sustained human and robotic presence on the moon, affording a unique opportunity in the next decades for better study of the natural dust formation, lofting and redistribution processes on airless bodies such as the moon, as well as the development a working understanding of the effects of human activities on the lunar dust environment.