Lunar Dust: Spacecraft's 'Most Dangerous Enemy' Revealed by New Study

• A new study by Chinese researchers reveals why lunar dust is a "most dangerous enemy" for spacecraft, developing a model for low-speed dust-spacecraft interactions.
• The Moon's lack of atmosphere allows dust and spacecraft surfaces to become electrically charged, creating invisible electric fields that influence dust behavior.
• Lunar dust is sharp, electrically charged, and highly adhesive, posing significant risks like coating solar panels, clogging instruments, and shortening mission lifetimes.
• The study found that at low speeds, dust rarely bounces, with Van der Waals forces often causing it to cling tightly to surfaces, making escape difficult.
• Key findings include that thicker coatings and low-permittivity materials reduce adhesion, and very slow dust almost always sticks permanently, highlighting challenges for future long-term lunar missions.

Why It Matters: New Chinese research explains why lunar dust is a critical threat to spacecraft, vital for future missions.