Tucson, Arizona – March 8, 2010 – Creating synthetic extraterrestrial dust is no easy task and requires significant technological innovation. To help in doing so, NASA contractor Honeybee Robotics of New York has asked General Plasma, Inc (GPI) of Tucson, AZ to design an Annular Plasma Source capable of treating dust in a vacuum environment that simulates the conditions the material would be exposed to in extraterrestrial environment. The plasma source will clean organic compounds from the surface of the dust particles and mimic the solar wind. The plasma applied to the dust will also create surface defects on the dust particles similar to those found on the moon.

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