A private lunar lander carrying a drill, vacuum and other experiments for NASA touched down on the moon Sunday, the latest in a string of companies looking to kickstart business on Earth’s celestial neighbor ahead of astronaut missions.
A private lunar lander carrying a drill, vacuum and other experiments for NASA touched down on the moon Sunday, the latest in a string of companies looking to kickstart business on Earth’s celestial neighbor ahead of astronaut missions.
I’m sure NASA figured out a way, but how exactly does a vacuum work in space?
Excellent question.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/nasa-lander-to-test-vacuum-cleaner-on-moon-for-sample-collection/
Tldr it brings its own gas. It uses pressurized gas to create a vortex of regolith and whatever thin atmosphere exists, and then the vortex is directed into an intake pipe.
the moon has an atmosphere https://science.nasa.gov/moon/lunar-atmosphere/
Surface pressure (night): 3 x 10-15 bar