Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi bring harsh realities of distant worlds to Earth

High-tech simulator can recreate extreme environments of Mars, the Moon and asteroids

A new planetary simulation chamber at New York University Abu Dhabi could transform how scientists in the UAE conduct space research, allowing them to recreate extreme planetary environments.

Researchers will be able to replicate the surface conditions of the Moon, Mars, asteroids and the Martian atmosphere by adjusting the gas composition, pressure and temperature inside the controlled chamber.

Dr Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at NYUAD and manager of the project, told The National in an exclusive interview that research from the chamber will complement data being gathered by UAE spacecraft on other planets and asteroids.

“Initially it was called the Mars Simulation Chamber because our focus was Mars, but then we got involved in the Emirates lunar programme and the asteroid belt mission,” he said. “So now we have a very flexible system in the chamber where we can explore different parts of the solar system, starting from our neighbour, the Moon, all the way to asteroids.”

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  Dr Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at New York University Abu Dhabi, next to the new planetary simulation chamber. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

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  The high-tech system can recreate the extreme environments of Mars, the Moon and asteroids, helping scientists to analyse planetary conditions and test instruments.

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  Researchers will be able to replicate the surface conditions on other celestial bodies by adjusting the gas composition, pressure and temperature inside the controlled chamber.

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  The research from the chamber will complement data being gathered by UAE spacecraft on other planets and asteroids.

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  Dr Atri with research assistant, Vignesh Krishnamoorthi, at the Space Exploration Laboratory in NYUAD.

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  The lab is also equipped to create simulated regolith - the loose rock and dust that covers planetary surfaces - allowing scientists to better understand the physics and chemistry of these environments.

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  It has an optical system capable of recreating solar conditions across different regions of the solar system. Scientists will be able to expose samples to intense ultraviolet radiation, mimicking the effects of prolonged space exposure.

The lab is also equipped to create simulated regolith – loose rock and dust that covers the surface of planets – allowing scientists to better understand the science behind these environments.

“We can mix them with different types of minerals and chemicals, which are found in space conditions, and we can understand the physics and chemistry of what is going on,” he said. “When space probes send back data, we’ll be able to analyse the underlying mechanisms behind the different observations they capture.”

How the chamber can help future missions

The chamber also has an optical system capable of recreating solar conditions across different regions of the solar system. Researchers will be able to expose samples to intense ultraviolet radiation, mimicking the effects of prolonged space exposure.

Dr Atri is part of the scientific team behind several UAE-led missions, including the Hope probe that is orbiting Mars, the Moon exploration programme and the space flight to an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The parts of most of these craft are usually sent abroad for environmental testing to ensure they can survive the harsh conditions of space travel. Dr Atri said the chamber can be used for testing.

“To test whether an instrument can go into space, it must be space certified, it needs to be put in those extremely low and high temperatures, extremely low pressures of space,” he said. “And generally, people ship it to the US, mostly to JPL [Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory] to test these things, but now we’ll be able to do it in our lab itself.”

This could be the first such technology in the UAE that replicates the environment of a number of celestial bodies. Although Zayed University operates a small Mars simulation chamber and Khalifa University has a compact thermal vacuum chamber, which aims to ensure satellites can survive the harsh environment of space, NYUAD’s chamber also has vacuum capabilities for testing components, including for spacecraft that are bound for other celestial bodies.

“We have a load-lock chamber. It works exactly like an airlock so we can maintain vacuum conditions for several months at a time,” said Dr Atri. “This load-lock chamber can be depressurised or pressurised. We can change its atmospheric composition and temperature, allowing us to transport samples continuously in and out of the space environment.”

On a global scale, planetary simulation chambers are used by some of the world’s leading space agencies and institutions. JPL's Dustie, for example, simulates the temperature and air pressure of other planets. It was used to replicate the carbon dioxide ice found on Mars' southern hemisphere, supporting the study of Martian geological formations known as araneiform terrain.

“We can also train students and scientists here,” said Dr Atri. “One of the main goals of the UAE government is local capability development, and the chamber is an example of a technological and scientific capability.”