Design and Development of a Passive Dust Protection System for Lunar Docking Operations

Authors

• Simon Thengvall, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Carl Nelson

Date of this Version

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Major: Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Under the supervision of Professor Carl Nelson

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Simon Thengvall. Used by permission

Abstract

Lunar docking systems face a unique set of environmental conditions that can create significant challenges for mechanical design. Among these, the abrasive nature of lunar regolith can impair the kinematic function of traditional terrestrial mechanisms as well as contaminate critical spacecraft components such as environmental seals, causing them to fail. For crew-rated docking systems, failure of these systems not only threatens mission success, but also crew safety, so dust protection is crucial for docking components. To address the concerns of regolith intrusion, the Simple External Attachment for Lunar Openings (SEALO) is developed as a key architecture for mechanism evaluation when considering the implications of the lunar docking dust protection problem. A combination of known mechanical subcomponents is suggested as a viable design solution, with the goal of producing a versatile dust protection system that integrates seamlessly with existing planned docking hardware. Kinematics and force modeling are then performed on the proposed mechanisms to locate deficiencies, and subsequent parameter optimization methods are used to suggest a fine-tuned design that integrates the chosen subcomponents in series. The theoretically optimized system draws a balance between providing sufficient dust cover motion to expose the docking port and efficient force transmission to promote passive, comprehensive regolith protection.

To validate the analytical models of the proposed SEALO dust protection actuation mechanism, multiple 1/12th -scale models of the system are designed, prototyped, and tested. The initial design focuses on development of a minimal viable product actuation mechanism prototype, seeking to validate analytical models in some basic capacity. Based on lessons learned from this initial prototyping and testing, a final design and prototype is developed and evaluated using custom force testing hardware developed for the project. The results indicate reasonable matching between the analytical predictions of mechanism behavior and experimental observations, validating force models and establishing SEALO as a foundation for the development of dust tolerant lunar crew transfer docking systems with implications for broader applications across the lunar exploration landscape.

Advisor: Carl Nelson