NASA missions to Mars will need the utilization of local resources for the production of oxygen, fuel, and water. The extraction of these commodities from the Martian atmosphere will require the removal of dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter from the gas intakes feeding the processing chambers. An electrostatic precipitator is a widely used dust removal technology for dusty environments on Earth. However, the low pressure of the Martian atmosphere limits the electrostatic potentials normally needed for this technology. This low pressure also affects dust particle charging due to the much longer molecular mean free paths of the Martian atmosphere. In this paper, we report on our design for an electrostatic precipitator for the challenging Martian environment. We also show results on dust collecting efficiencies with an electrostatic precipitator prototype that could be effectively used on a future mission to Mars. All experiments were performed at 9 mbars with gases that approximate the Martian atmospheric composition.
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