Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The interaction of energetic solar wind (SW) plasma with exposed minerals and materials on a celestial body is a key process with operational and scientific importance. Multiple countries plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon and these plans require significant advances in the understanding of material performance and degradation in extreme environments. In addition to lunar operations, SW induced sputtering of surface minerals is also a potentially important source process for the exospheres of airless celestial bodies. For nearly 40 years, planetary science studies into the formation of the exospheres of Mercury, the Moon, and other airless bodies have been hindered because of uncertainties in our understanding of the underlying ion sputtering process by the SW. Overall, despite the importance of SW impact processes, there is a lack of research directly quantifying the effects of SW impacts on materials relevant for space operations and planetary science. As such, the overall objective of this research program is to better explain and quantify the interaction of the SW with exposed materials and surface minerals. This will be achieved through the development of a novel multiscale approach combining theoretical and experimental methodologies. This program will therefore have both planetary science and operations applicability, united by the topics of degradation, damage, and sputtering. Results have the potential to significantly advance the knowledge of SW-surface interactions, improving exosphere models and material design methodology for sustainable operations on the Moon. Furthermore, this work has the potential for significant socioeconomic impact in Canada. For example, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has prioritized lunar research as a near term focus, recently the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) and is a partner on the Lunar Gateway. The proposed research program can help to better understand the effects of the space environment on planned sustained research activities, while also further establishing Canada as a key contributor to lunar operations research. In addition, this research program has the potential for significant benefit to HQP. Established collaborations and internships will allow HQP to quickly develop a valuable network while also gaining experience in both the theoretical and experimental aspects of space research. Moreover, the practical/operational focus of this program will uniquely position HQP to use these skills to further both industry and academia.