NASA will fund the development of a concept for an instant construction of a landing site on the Moon. The surface under the engine can be cured with an exhaust from the nozzle if melting elements are added to it. The project is funded by a program specifically designed to support bold initiatives.
One of the arguments of the supporters of the lunar conspiracy says that if the Apollo landings were real, then the engines of the lunar module would have lifted giant clouds of dust into the air. In fact, these clouds did rise and obscure the astronauts' view, which they have repeatedly complained about.
In this photo, not bad focus, but thick lunar dust as the Apollo 12 lander descends.
Loss of visibility is not the only problem associated with sinking on the Moon. The greater the mass of the apparatus, the more powerful the pulse of its exhaust, and the lunar modules of the Artemis program will weigh from 20 to 60 tons versus 10 for Apollo. Because of this, future descent vehicles will not only raise dust, but also pull out stones that threaten the skin.
To combat this, several strategies are being considered, ranging from choosing the cleanest landing sites to dropping lightweight slabs a couple of tens of meters from the surface. Masten Aerospace has taken an ingenious approach: a solid platform under the engine can be created using the engine itself. The fact is that rocket fuel burns at a very high temperature (up to several thousand degrees). If, during the descent phase, aluminum (or its compound) is introduced into the torch, it instantly melts and turns into an aerosol, after which it reaches the regolith, solidifies and forms a crust. After that, you can sit down on the prepared site without fear of dust, stones or a spontaneously dug crater. The concept is called the In-Flight Alumina Spray Technique (FAST).
Concept scheme: low-melting particles are injected into the nozzle, fly out of it and stick to the regolith
In early April, NASA approved funding for this development under the Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. I must say that the purpose of this program is to finance high-risk concepts that can potentially lead to a breakthrough, so it cannot be unequivocally stated that the modules of the Artemis missions will use this particular scheme. If the project proves to be workable, it will significantly simplify landings on many bodies of the solar system.
Earlier, NASA decided on a list of potential contractors for the delivery of small commercial cargo to the Moon, including the heir to the Israeli probe Bereshit.