The moon could turn astronauts into 'walking, high voltage capacitors' that accidentally zap spacecraft

NASA has opened a competition seeking ideas to prevent static electricity from endangering astronauts and equipment during future moon missions. The agency launched the Lunar Grounding Challenge with a $150,000 prize pool, setting a submission deadline of Jan. 15. NASA aims to protect astronauts scheduled to land at the lunar south pole in 2028 during the Artemis 4 or 5 missions.

According to simulations, moving across the moon causes electric-charge buildup on spacesuits, particularly when workers enter permanently shadowed craters. This creates a risk of electrical arcs when a negatively charged astronaut approaches a slightly positive spacecraft. Such sparks could damage spacesuits, spark fires in the oxygen-rich spacecraft cabin, or shock the crew.

NASA wants lightweight, low-power solutions that operate across extreme temperature swings and survive up to four moonwalks over a ten-day period. Suspended lunar dust worsens the problem by allowing sparks to jump across larger gaps. The multi-phase challenge moves from initial concepts to design refinements and final selections.

NASA has not yet released a target date for deploying the finished technology.