Podcasts · Universe Today Podcast
[Interview+] How Metamaterials Can Help Moon Rovers Survive Both Days and Nights, NIAC 2026
· 47 min
Episode [Interview+] How Metamaterials Can Help Moon Rovers Survive Both Days and Nights, NIAC 2026
BONUS PART STARTS AT 30:33
Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bbJ3I37yS4o
🟣 Guest: Dr. Austin Phoenix https://nationalsecurity.vt.edu/personnel-directory/phoenix-austin.html
📜 ECLIPSE – Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental control https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/eclipse-efficient-variable-conductivity-lunar-insulator-for-passive-surveyor-environmental-control/
👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/
The Moon is brutal. It's super hot during the day and super cold during the night. Most landers and rovers can't survive that swing. So, how do you mitigate it? One of this year's NIAC projects has a potential solution.
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00:00 Intro
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01:04 Why is the Moon so terrible?
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04:56 Mitigation strategies
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30:33 Bistable booms https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.13818
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37:26 Current obsessions
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45:03 Final thoughts
Links in the notes 5
- https://youtu.be/bbJ3I37yS4o
- https://nationalsecurity.vt.edu/personnel-directory/phoenix-austin.html
- https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/eclipse-efficient-variable-conductivity-lunar-insulator-for-passive-surveyor-environmental-control/
- https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.13818
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