NASA's Perseverance measures fine Mars dust on spacesuit swatches

NASA has used its Perseverance rover to test spacesuit material samples on Mars. Instruments measured very fine dust that collected on the materials.

NASA sent 5 samples of spacesuit material to Mars to study how the materials hold up on the planet's surface.

The swatches measured three-quarters of an inch (20 millimeters) square. The team analyzed Teflon and Vectran swatches on SHERLOC's calibration target, and SHERLOC is mounted on the rover's robotic arm.

PIXL's calibration target carries Teflon and basaltic glass. Teflon has no elements that PIXL can directly detect.

PIXL detected particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers and ultrafine grains around 100 nanometers. On the PIXL Teflon target and the SHERLOC Vectran swatch, the average particle size was about 2 micrometers, while grains on the PIXL basaltic glass and SHERLOC Teflon swatch were about 100 to 300 nanometers.

Martian dust grains are less abrasive than lunar grains. They contain more silica than lunar dust and are enriched in sulfur, chlorine, and iron.

Dust storms spanning regions or the whole planet can keep Martian grains moving in the atmosphere. Static electricity seems to decide which particle sizes stick to particular surfaces, and the smallest particles stayed attached through years of driving and drilling.

Polymer materials such as SHERLOC's Teflon spacesuit sample gathered fine dust readily, and the study found that some materials hold less dust than others.

Martian dust particles are small enough to reach the lungs and bloodstream. The findings may guide NASA work on spacesuits, habitats, dust cleanup, and crew-health standards for future NASA Mars missions.

Dust is a practical hazard for crewed surface missions. During NASA's Apollo missions, lunar dust scratched visors, wore down outer spacesuit layers, and damaged seals, and some crew members reported hay-fever-like symptoms.

The Mars measurements show that grains can be fine, adhesive, and persistent even though Martian dust is less abrasive than lunar dust. For lunar-industry readers, the Apollo experience and these findings tie dust management to material choice, cleanup, and crew-health standards.