Floatinator: A Low Gravity Simulator to Study Plume-Surface Interactions

Astrobotic proposes the continued development of ldquo;Floatinator,rdquo; a one-of-its-kind, tunable lunar and planetary gravity simulator for terrestrial testing of plume-surface interactions (PSI) and cratering. Floatinator will consist of a hot-fire test chamber capable of dropping at a controlled acceleration to simulate a low gravity environment within the test chamberrsquo;s reference frame. For example, accelerating the test stand at ⅚g (8.19 m/ssup2;) would provide a ⅙g (1.62 m/ssup2;) lunar gravity reference frame inside the chamber.nbsp;By providing a relevant gravity environment, Floatinator will control for a major variablemdash;Earth gravitymdash;which limits the applicability of all ground-based PSI and cratering testing to date. This novel test platform will enable collection of valuable data on the effects of lander dust plumes on lander systems, onboard payloads, landing sites, and nearby surface infrastructure. Floatinator will be made commercially available for testing services to the aerospace community, including companies actively developing the landers, surface infrastructure, and services for upcoming CLPS, Artemis, and commercial missions. Floatinator will allow for a range of controlled accelerations, enabling it to simulate the surface gravity of the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. Fine tuning the desired acceleration will also result in data that can help validate models that are being developed to predict PSI effects in reduced gravity environments.