Numerical Analysis of Lunar Dust in Support of the Habitat and Logistics Outpost

The NASA Artemis program aims to send humans back to the Moon for the first time since 1972. To achieve this goal, NASA and its commercial and international partners are constructing the Lunar Gateway, a facility that will support scientific research and surface landings on the Moon and help prepare astronauts for future missions to Mars. The Habitat and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, a critical component of Gateway, is currently under development by NASA and Northrop Grumman. HALO will serve as the first Gateway habitable module where crew members will live and work in the cis-lunar environment. Designing a one-of-a-kind spacecraft orbiting the Moon requires careful consideration of crew safety and comfort. In this paper, we present the results of flow modeling and simulation performed as part of the design of the environmental control and life support system for HALO. Detailed computational fluid dynamic analyses of cabin flow and the effects of a simulated lunar dust seeding event on the cabin environment, examining the spread of dust parcels are presented. Our results cover multiple scenarios, including visiting vehicles, fan speeds, crew operations, and environmental changes. It is shown that the designs provide satisfactory mixing within the module and demonstrated efficient lunar dust removal.