Perseverance Measures Ultrafine Mars Dust on Spacesuit Swatches
NASA's Perseverance rover made the first on-site measurements of fine and ultrafine Mars dust clinging to spacesuit materials, with implications for crew health and equipment.
The story in focus
NASA's Perseverance rover, over 1,645 Martian days, measured fine and ultrafine dust particles on spacesuit-material swatches carried aboard the rover. The particles, some as small as 100 nanometers, could penetrate lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards.
- Perseverance measured fine and ultrafine Mars dust on spacesuit-material swatches over 1,645 Martian days.
- PIXL detected particles down to about 100 nanometers, the first on-site measurements of such small grains on Mars.
- Static electricity appears to control which dust sizes stick to different materials.
- The dust is rich in sulfur, chlorine, iron and silica, and contains perchlorates and reactive iron.
- Findings could guide spacesuit materials, dust-removal methods and astronaut exposure limits.
Direct measurements on Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover has made the first on-site measurements of fine and ultrafine dust particles on Mars, according to the agency. Over 1,645 Martian days, the rover examined dust clinging to calibration targets and spacesuit-material swatches carried aboard the rover.
The PIXL instrument detected particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers and ultrafine particles around 100 nanometers, far smaller than earlier measurements that resolved dust down to about 3 micrometers. Lead author Scott VanBommel said PIXL provided the chance to measure these particles directly on Mars. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Why particle size matters
On Earth, fine particles below 2.5 micrometers are linked to health effects because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Ultrafine particles can travel from the nasal cavity to the brain. Martian dust contains silicate minerals, perchlorates that can disrupt thyroid function and reactive iron that can damage cells.
The study found that static electricity appears to determine which dust sizes stick to which surfaces, and that some materials collect less dust than others. NASA said the findings could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards.
Next steps for crew protection
NASA is already testing dust-mitigation technologies. In March 2025, the agency tested an Electrodynamic Dust Shield on the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1. Engineers at Johnson Space Center use vacuum chambers and lunar regolith simulant to test spacesuit components and a handheld electrostatic dust mitigation tool ahead of Artemis missions.
The agency said the Perseverance results can help refine indoor dust-exposure limits for astronauts and develop safe habits for exploring Mars.
What did Perseverance measure that earlier missions could not?
Perseverance's PIXL instrument detected fine particles below 2.5 micrometers and ultrafine particles around 100 nanometers on spacesuit-material swatches, the first on-site measurements of such small dust grains on Mars.
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