Former NASA Administrator Aaron Cohen once said, “Let’s face it, space is a risky business.” These risks are evidenced as we have watched astronauts launch from Earth on rockets, deploy satellites into orbit, construct the International Space Station, and walk on the Moon. Looking to the near future, NASA, along with international and commercial partners, are actively developing the Artemis Mission vehicles and systems. It is these systems that astronaut crews will use to return to the Moon and prepare to travel to Mars.
As NASA prepares for Artemis, countless designers, engineers, and researchers are working to identify and understand mission risks, as well as develop the technologies that will allow astronauts to overcome them. One such risk to be addressed is Lunar Surface Lighting. Artemis missions will take astronauts to the Lunar South Pole, a mostly dark region where the sun never rises much above the horizon. These low sun angles create a more challenging environment by casting long shadows which mask a hazardous terrain. As such, a surface lighting system must be developed that allow astronaut crews to operate safely and efficiently.
During this presentation, we will review, from a lighting perspective, the challenges of operating in space, and discuss how many of these lighting challenges have previously been addressed through task planning, optical design analysis, and employing Human-Systems Integration methods. Additionally, we will detail the challenges created by the Lunar South Pole environment, as well as how NASA is applying industry research to develop robust operational solutions which meet power and mass constraints.
