This paper focuses on the global-scale dispersal of dust expected to result from the increasing cadence and size of lunar missions and explores landing pads and/or “spaceports” as a means of mitigating these effects.
This paper focuses on the global-scale dispersal of dust expected to result from the increasing cadence and size of lunar missions and explores landing pads and/or “spaceports” as a means of mitigating these effects. Past studies have demonstrated the effects of dust, explored and modeled the characteristics of the regolith, and experimented with construction techniques. We review these findings and apply them to an analysis of the architectural design, operational considerations, and policy implications of what could be an early and important civil infrastructure of the Moon.