High voltage transmission line operation in simulated lunar environment

Possible design alternatives of a high voltage transmission line system for use with the proposed lunar base have been studied. Because of substantial environmental differences between the Moon and the Earth, the techniques used in the Earth´s atmosphere may not be applicable in the lunar environment. Therefore, the thermal and electrical characteristics of transmission lines in the lunar environment need to be investigated. The information about the thermal and electrical conductivities of the lunar soil is not sufficient to predict the initiation and the characterization of electrical breakdown on or beneath the soil surface in the presence of high power systems. In addition, the induced electric field and thermal effects may cause failure of high voltage transmission lines operating within the soil. The soil characteristics may be permanently altered due to induced effects and thereby prevent operation of high power systems. We present the results of experiments where a small transmission line segment is placed into simulated lunar soil and operated in a high vacuum environment. The effects of the simulated lunar soil, the applied field strength, geometry and material of the transmission lines, and the ambient temperature on the operation of the high voltage transmission lines were investigated.