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UCF Regolith & Dust Physics Cluster

Last updated: Session 21, 2026-04-06

Summary

The University of Central Florida hosts the largest sustained research cluster in the Flight Opportunities portfolio: 13 FO projects spanning 14 years (2012–2026), led by a tightly connected group of 5 researchers. The cluster studies the fundamental physics of regolith — dust, granular materials, and low-energy surface interactions — in microgravity.

The cluster's evolution tracks NASA's strategic pivot: early projects (2012–2017) focused on asteroid regolith for OSIRIS-REx–era science; later projects (2018–2026) pivoted to lunar surface operations for Artemis. This is the clearest example in the FO portfolio of a research group adapting its FO pipeline to match changing NASA priorities.

Archetype: Primarily 10 — Academia → Earth/Science Deployment, with elements of 6 — FFRDC Data Gap Closure for the lunar-focused work. No commercial outcomes, but deep scientific knowledge production and direct relevance to Artemis surface operations.

The Five Researchers

Researcher Role Projects Focus
Josh Colwell Core PI PI on 5, Co-I on 4 = 9 projects Low-energy impacts, regolith simulants, dust behavior
Adrienne Dove Core collaborator PI on 3, Co-I on 4 = 7 projects Electrostatic charging, penetrometers, regolith testbeds
Julie Brisset Cluster member PI on 2, Co-I on 2 = 4 projects Particle aggregation, protoplanetary disk physics
E. Todd Bradley Early collaborator Co-I on 3 = 3 projects CubeSat systems, dust detection
Philip Metzger Cluster member PI on 1 = 1 project Plume-surface interaction, regolith ejecta

External collaborator: Karen Daniels (NC State) — PI on EMPANADA, collaborating with Colwell on granular mechanics using bio-inspired probes.

The 13 Projects

Phase 1: Asteroid Regolith Fundamentals (2012–2017)

ID Name TRL Period PI Key Finding
12204 PRIME 6→8 2012–2015 Colwell Low-energy impact experiments into dusty regolith simulants; baseline dust behavior characterization
91331 COLLIDE 6→8 2013–2023 Colwell Heritage from two Space Shuttle missions; higher-quality video on sRLV; led to NanoRocks ISS experiment
91327 CORE 4→6 2013–2020 Colwell Regolith retrieval mechanism testing; asteroid sample return relevance
14155 MEASE 4→6 2014–2017 Colwell Dust accretion onto larger objects; planet formation earliest stages
93893 CubeSat Attitude Control 5→6 2014–2017 Bradley Magnetic torque coil CubeSat ACS; mentions dust detection missions

Phase 2: Miniaturization & Suborbital Scaling (2015–2020)

ID Name TRL Period PI Key Finding
71988 PRIME-4.0 4→5 2015–2019 Colwell Miniaturized PRIME for suborbital/orbital use; reusable chambers
71940 SPACE-2 4→6 2015–2023 Brisset Particle collision & aggregation; Solar Nebula processes; feeds Q-PACE CubeSat
93970 Strata-S1 6→6 2017–2020 Dove Regolith behavior testbed for suborbital; complements ISS Strata-1

Phase 3: Lunar Surface Operations (2017–2026)

ID Name TRL Period PI Key Finding
106596 EMPANADA 4→6 2017–2020 Daniels (NC State) Bio-inspired probes for safe asteroid regolith interaction; built on PRIME platform
106614 ERIE 4→7 2019–2026 Dove Active. Electrostatic charging of lunar dust via tribocharging; flew Blue Origin P-12 (2022-09) and P-13 (2023-12); electrometer for lunar vehicle charging
106648 Strata-2P 5→6 2021–2026 Dove Penetrometer for lunar regolith bearing strength; 4 parabolic campaigns (2021-2024); partnered with SwRI
106706 Ejecta STORM 4→6 2020–2023 Metzger Four-laser regolith ejecta instrument; flew on Masten Xodiac (2020-11, 2023); targets CLPS missions
106645 DIMS 4→6 2019–2026 Brisset Active. Dust cloud creation/control in microgravity; targets Blue Origin suborbital

Q-PACE: The FO → CubeSat Pipeline

Q-PACE (CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment) is referenced in SPACE-2 and COLLIDE descriptions as a follow-on CubeSat mission but does not have its own TechPort FO record. It was likely funded through a different NASA mechanism (Science Mission Directorate or ISS National Lab). This is a concrete example of FO research migrating to orbital platforms — the suborbital FO work validated the physics and hardware, then a full orbital mission was funded separately.

Cluster Characteristics

Density: 13 projects / 5 researchers = 2.6 projects per researcher. Most UCF FO projects involve 2-3 of the five researchers, creating a tight collaboration web.

Evolution: The cluster tracks NASA strategic priorities: - 2012–2017: Asteroid regolith (OSIRIS-REx era, ARM concept) - 2017–2020: Transition period (EMPANADA bridges asteroid→lunar) - 2020–2026: Lunar surface operations (ERIE electrostatics, Strata-2P penetrometer, Ejecta STORM landing plumes)

TRL pattern: Most projects show modest TRL gains (+1 to +2). The exceptions are the early heritage experiments (PRIME, COLLIDE) at TRL 6→8. This is consistent with fundamental physics research — the goal is data and publications, not TRL advancement.

No commercial outcomes. Zero downstream contracts, zero products, zero acquisitions. The value is in the fundamental science: understanding how dust behaves in microgravity is a prerequisite for any lunar surface activity, but it doesn't produce a sellable widget.

Artemis relevance: The Phase 3 projects (ERIE, Strata-2P, Ejecta STORM) are directly relevant to Artemis surface operations: - ERIE: How much will lunar regolith charge vehicles via tribocharging? (Safety concern for EVA) - Strata-2P: Can you measure bearing strength of lunar regolith in situ? (Construction/mobility) - Ejecta STORM: How much debris does a CLPS lander kick up on landing? (Surface asset protection)

Comparison to Other FO Academic Clusters

Cluster Projects Years Key PI Outcome
UCF Regolith 13 14 Colwell No commercial; deep science; Artemis relevance
Cryogenic Cluster 27 12+ Collicott, Zimmerli, Chung Artemis propellant data; industry collaboration
Carthage College 8+ 10+ Crosby Acoustic gauging; ISS deployment path
Draper Precision Landing 7 14 Paschall CP-12 CLPS $57M contract

UCF is the second-largest FO cluster by project count but the largest single-PI cluster. Unlike the cryogenic cluster (which has heavy industry integration), UCF is purely academic — no industry co-investigators, no follow-on contracts.

Cross-References