Experiments in support of a novel technology to image and study dust-grain dynamics in-situ

The inter-planetary dust (IPD) environment offers key insights into planetary origins and poses significant hazards to space exploration. Due to their high velocities (> km/s), IPD particles, including micrometeorites, typically disrupt when they impact with a surface, and so they are difficult to collect directly or to inspect with images. Current IPD particle measurements rely on indirect surface charge estimations, providing little information on the nature of the particles, such as morphology and compactness.  Addressing these properties is vital to understand dust aggregate growth in planetary formation, and distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic debris sources as human activities in space increase. In addition to the case of IPDs, dust levitation and transport near terrestrial surfaces help understand the geological and exospheric conditions of the Moon, Mars, and comets. However there is no current method to directly track Lunar or Martian dust dynamics. Previous studies tracking cometary dust were conducted at low time resolutions, leaving gaps in understanding the dust ejection mechanisms . While ultra-high-speed imaging systems for particle sizing and dynamical measurements are well-established on Earth, there are no applications of such technology in space environments.  I will present the status of an ESA-sponsored tech-development study, conducted in collaboration with industry [LaVision GMbH], that aims to adapt Earth-based high-speed particle imaging technology to meet the scientific and technical requirements for tracking dust and debris in space. This effort is supported by ground-based experiments at the University of Stuttgart , and the results of the experiments will be discussed.