NASA's BIGGEST Moon Challenges for University Students! [Paul van Susante] - CSP S05E08

About this episode

Dr. Paul van Susante discusses the challenges and innovations in lunar infrastructure with university students.

NASA's BIGGEST Moon Challenges for University Students - Interview with Paul van SusanteHow do we generate power on the Moon — and keep it running through the harsh 14-day lunar night? In this episode of the Cold Star Project, Dr. Paul van Susante of Michigan Tech shares what it really takes to make lunar infrastructure a reality. From lunar robotics to the NASA Watts on the Moon Challenge, Dr. van Susante’s team of students is solving real-world problems that will shape the future of Moon missions and deep space exploration. We share the experiences of his students participating in NASA challenges on regolith handling, power transmission, thermal issues, and what it means to build infrastructure where no one’s done it before. 🔧 Topics Covered: How to power lunar bases through extreme conditions Why the NASA Watts on the Moon Challenge matters — and how student teams are pushing lunar tech forward Robotic design for dusty, low-gravity environments What students are building today to support future Moon missions The future of off-world civil engineering. 🎓 Guest: Dr. Paul van Susante – Professor at Michigan Technological University and Principal Investigator of the Planetary…

People in this episode

Host: Jason Kanigan

Guest: Dr. Paul van Susante

Topics covered

• lunar infrastructure
• NASA challenges
• power generation on the Moon
• robotics in low-gravity
• student innovation
• off-world civil engineering

Keywords

• lunar power
• NASA Watts on the Moon Challenge
• regolith handling
• thermal issues
• robotic design
• deep space exploration

Sponsors

Cold Star Technologies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Michigan Technological University, NASA, Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab

Places: Moon, lunar

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