By Mark S. Kuhar
A team of researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology, who are examining how to enrich materials needed for construction on the Moon, will soon experience what gravity is like on Earth’s closest celestial companion while testing their technology.
“We have made fantastic progress on our technology to separate the Moon’s regolith, or surface-level materials, and the next natural step will be to see how it will operate under lunar gravity conditions,” said Dr. Daoru Han, an S&T associate professor of aerospace engineering and the project’s principal investigator. “For humankind to one day have a larger presence on the Moon, we will need to find the most sustainable and economical methods to use the resources it has available.”
Han said this flight test project is part of a recently funded extension for a $2 million NASA grant the university received in 2022. In spring 2025, Han, along with other S&T scientists and student researchers, will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take part in at least two flights with Zero Gravity Corporation (Zero-G), a company NASA contracts with for flight tests through its Flight Opportunities program.
The S&T researchers will work with a box about the size of a soda vending machine that will have built-in gloves for the team to use when operating their prototype technology.
They will have multiple 20-second windows on each flight when Zero-G’s modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft will perform aerobatic maneuvers known as parabolas that will allow the team to experience lunar gravity, which is one-sixth of Earth’s gravity; Martian gravity, which is two-fifths of Earth’s gravity; and microgravity, or free-fall, conditions.
During this time, up to four S&T researchers will be aboard the flight and focus on how different materials simulating moon regolith are manipulated with a magnetic separator and sorted with an electrostatic sieve in lunar gravity and record the results.
Several S&T student researchers, scientists and faculty members are currently rehearsing how to best operate the technology and see how it works during the 20-second reduced-gravity windows, albeit they are now on the ground and experiencing the Earth’s gravity.
Han said the group’s excitement is continuing to grow as they get closer to the flights, and they will be ready to go once it’s showtime.
“It has always been my dream to work on a project like this and conduct research for NASA, and now I am doing it before I even graduate from Missouri S&T,” said Trey Brown, a senior in aerospace engineering from Rolla, Mo. “To think that my name is going to be related to research like this, while it will ultimately contribute to future human-built structures on the Moon, is amazing.”
Jonah Little, a senior in aerospace engineering from Sullivan, Mo., shared similar sentiments. “The work we are doing is for the future of lunar exploration,” he said. “As an undergraduate student, I am already part of a project enabling something so monumental. The experiences you can gain as a student at Missouri S&T are truly unmatched when compared to other universities.”
Other students on the research team include:
- Joshua Eiter, a senior in aerospace engineering from Chatham, Ill.
- Blake Coffman, a junior in aerospace engineering from St. Louis.
- Lindsay Manteufel, a senior in aerospace engineering from Neenah, Wis.
- Marissa Verduin, a junior in aerospace engineering from Chatham, Ill.
- Justin Viers, a senior in aerospace engineering from Dexter, Mo.
- Charles Wood, a master’s student in materials science and engineering from Galena, Mo.
Co-principal investigators from Missouri S&T joining Han on this project include Dr. David Bayless, professor and chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Dr. William Schonberg, professor of civil engineering; and Dr. Jeffrey Smith, professor of materials science and engineering. Peter Bachle, a senior research associate for mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Mitch Cottrell, an engineer and machine shop supervisor for mechanical and aerospace engineering, have provided support as well.
Dr. Fateme Rezaei from the University of Miami and Dr. Kirby Runyon from the Planetary Science Institute are also involved with the research.