MUN professor reaches for stars
Researcher receives $150,000 to see how materials perform in space
Memorial University professor Liam Morrissey has received $150,000 from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to further his research on understanding how materials perform in space.
“We need to understand how the environment interacts with the structures so that we can safely and sustainably have a presence there,” said Morrissey.
“We do not have a human presence outside of Earth, so it’s important for the people and structures that we are sending up there, that we better understand how they interact.”
BETTER UNDERSTANDING NEEDED
In space, he explained, materials are exposed to a stream of high plasma, called solar wind, that can damage the surfaces it contacts.
Currently, the understanding of these contacts isn’t great, but it is needed for future space exploration.
While he’s confident in his research, he believes it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
“There’s people that do these global models, but all these models are very dependent on inputs,” said Morrissey.
“What I do is I attack those inputs that are the most sensitive, and the most poorly understood, and I simulate them on the atomic scale.”
THE ATOMIC SCALE
To understand how the materials perform or break down, he said, they need to be simulated on the scale in which it’s happening. That’s where the atomic scale comes in.
“The atomic scale is like zooming in super close, way past seeing things as big pieces. Instead, it’s like peeking at 10,000 tiny building blocks all stuck together, seeing how they hold up and react,” said Morrissey.
“So, when something breaks, it’s not sudden, it’s because those little pieces had trouble before we could notice.”
Morrissey said the atomic scale is helping him to see how solar winds are affecting not only the materials but also how they affect planets without an atmosphere.
‘EXPOSED TO SOLAR WINDS’
On Earth, we see solar wind as the northern lights because we are protected by the atmosphere. Bodies such as the moon and Mercury are fully exposed to this space weathering.
“The connection between these
planets’ surface and exosphere remains misunderstood due to limited data,” said Morrissey.
“Besides the atomic scale, myself and my team have been leveraging flyby missions and analyzing data. We’re refining models to better predict their formation and dynamic interaction with the sun.”
The data they’ve collected is helping to better understand how solar winds affect these planets and materials, something he said is crucial for mitigating risks in exploration.
MORE RESILIENT STRUCTURES
Spacecraft can be eroded over time by solar winds, he explained, which poses risks to their integrity and longevity.
But Morrissey said his research also will help engineers design more resilient spacecraft and structures.
“We need to take a step back and investigate these things in more detail, with better models and better experiments, so we can actually say what’s going on when we build the structure,” said Morrissey.
“We also want to say it can last for 100 years, and when we send it out to the stars, we have the confidence that it can do that.”
POTENTIAL HUB
Morrissey said what excites him most about his research is it has the potential to make Memorial a hub for space exploration research.
“For a long time, our main industries have been fishing and oil, and now we have a pretty big tech sector, but I want to add another dynamic to that,” said Morrissey.
“Memorial took a chance on my research, but by doing so, it’s allowing Newfoundlanders to work on problems that are global and I think it is something we’ll see more of here.”
Morrissey’s research has also provided opportunities for students, allowing them to contribute to scientific advancements in the field.