Grounding and Bonding System
Single-Point Grounding with Equipotential Bonding
The Grounding and Bonding System is a passive, single-point network of tinned copper straps, stainless clips, and conductive epoxy that ties all chassis to a common electrical reference, maintaining bonding resistance below 2.5 mΩ to prevent circulating ground-loop currents. Because the lunar surface provides no true earth ground, the structure itself acts as the primary reference bus, supplemented by an external regolith mat to dissipate static charge. Operating without power consumption, the 10 kg assembly uses differential current measurement for ground-fault detection and is engineered for a 100-year operational lifetime per NASA-HDBK-4001 methodologies.
Single-point grounding architecture with equipotential bonding straps and chassis-to-bus connections per NASA-HDBK-4001 grounding methodology.
Purpose
Single-point grounding architecture with equipotential bonding straps and chassis-to-bus connections per NASA-HDBK-4001 grounding methodology.
Context
Child of L2-PDM-PROT within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Single-point grounding philosophy prevents ground-loop circulating currents
- ▸Equipotential bonding straps tie all chassis to common reference
- ▸Bonding resistance < 2.5 mΩ per NASA-HDBK-4001
- ▸Ground-fault detection via differential current measurement
- ▸Periodic resistance verification
Typical implementations
- ▸NASA-HDBK-4001 grounding methodology
- ▸ISS grounding architecture heritage
- ▸MIL-STD-464C electromagnetic environmental effects
Lunar considerations
- ▸No earth ground available — Ark itself is the ground reference
- ▸Regolith mat provides supplemental low-impedance reference for static-charge dissipation
- ▸Long-mission bonding integrity verified by L1-MNT
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Single-point grounding architecture with equipotential bonding straps and chassis-to-bus connections per NASA-HDBK-4001 grounding methodology. |
| bonding resistance mohm max | 2.5 |
Physical
| mass kg | 10 |
| materials | Tinned Cu bonding straps, Stainless bonding clips, Conductive epoxy |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 0 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
| mtbf hours | 1000000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Common ground reference
Requires
- Chassis bonding attachment points
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Grounding and Bonding System" (L3-PDM-PROT-GND). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-PDM-PROT-GND
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.