[en] Thermal protection systems that integrate management capabilities of thermal radiation are essential to not jeopardize payload operativity and survivability, and to secure shelters and Moon bases when astronauts are operating on the Moon's surface. This work envisions the potentiality of lightweight, high-performance insulation material, exploring the role of a composite aerogel material based on MXenes, lunar regolith, and polyimide (PI) as a passive thermal protection system for payloads during lunar exploration. Advanced numerical simulations were conducted to assess the thermal performance of these composites under lunar environmental conditions, modelling temperature fluctuations across both lunar day and night. The results indicate that lunar regolith and MXenes enhance the heat retention properties of the insulation aerogel material, minimizing heat loss during the lunar night, suggesting the importance of having composite materials to provide solutions for maintaining the integrity and operability of payloads in the harsh lunar environment, extendable to harsh environments on Earth.
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Zabatta, Aniello; Centre for Research and Engineering in Space Technologies, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Machrafi, Hatim ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Thermodynamique des phénomènes irréversibles ; Centre for Research and Engineering in Space Technologies, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Iorio, Carlo Saverio; Centre for Research and Engineering in Space Technologies, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Vincent-Bonnieu, Sebastien ; ESA/ESTEC, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Language :
English
Title :
Mxene-based composite aerogel materials as passive thermal shields at Moon conditions using 3D modelling
BELSPO - Belgian Federal Science Policy Office ESA - European Space Agency
Funding text :
The authors would like to thank the European Space Agency (grant number 4000141524/23/NL/MGu/my) and the Belgian Science Policy Office \u2013 BELSPO (PRODEX grant BE-MAD) for the financial support.
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