Texas A&M University College of Engineering has partnered with NASA Langley Research Center to design reflectors that redirect solar energy to craters on the moon.
Near the south pole of the Moon is a crater 21 kilometers wide and 4 kilometers deep known as Shackleton, named in honor of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton (and similar craters) may contain untapped resources that can be accessed through lunar mining.
Solar energy is the optimal energy source for lunar energy mining, as it does not need to be transported from Earth, but is radiated directly from the sun. The problem with using solar energy inside craters is that even during lunar daytime, some craters can be in complete shadow.
“If you place a reflector on the edge of a crater and have a collector in the center of the crater that receives sunlight, you can harness solar energy,” Professor Darren Hartl, who leads the project, explains in a statement. “So in a way, you’re deflecting sunlight into the crater.”
This research is still in the early stages and researchers are using computer modeling systems to design different designs for the reflector. The models show that a parabolic shape is optimal for maximizing the amount of light reflected from the bottom of the craters.
One of the main engineering challenges facing Hartl and his team is the payload restrictions of space missions. The goal is to create a reflector compact enough for space travel and large enough to serve as an effective reflector.
To meet both requirements, the researchers are using a self-transforming material developed by Hartl and other Texas A&M engineers.
“During space missions, astronauts may need to deploy a large parabolic reflector from a relatively small and light landing system. That’s where we come in,” Hartl said. “We are studying the use of shape memory materials that will change the shape of the reflector in response to temperature changes in the system.”
