NASA engineers have qualified regolith-shielded wool buffing wheels for in-situ polishing of lunar habitat components, solving the moon’s destructive dust problem. These vacuum-rated wool pads maintain functionality in extreme conditions (-200°C to 300°C) while preventing abrasive particle embedding.

Extreme Environment Tech

• Electrodynamic Shielding: Repels charged dust particles
• Self-Cleaning Fibers: Vibrational shedding mechanism
• Thermal Compensation: Adaptive fiber density maintains flexibility

Artemis Program Testing
In simulated lunar environment:

• 500+ hours continuous operation
• 0% performance degradation after 50 thermal cycles
• Surface finish maintained at Ra 0.05μm

Industry Collaboration
SpaceX and Blue Origin now use:

• Cryogenic wool wheels for Starship engine nozzles
• Radiation-hardened pads for satellite components

Market Projections

• Off-world manufacturing market: $2.4B by 2030 (Morgan Stanley)
• “Space-grade wool polishing” searches up 320% post-Artemis III
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