LEONARDO THE SPACE PIANIST

VISOR (Vibration and Impact Sensor for Observing Regolith) is a compact lunar payload designed to quantify the effects of regolith and micrometeoroid impacts on optical surfaces. As lunar exploration accelerates under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, understanding how high-velocity dust and debris affect spacecraft systems has become a critical challenge. Even sub-millimeter particles can degrade cameras, telescopes, and navigation sensors through abrasion, coating damage, and increased stray light, posing risks to mission performance and longevity. VISOR directly addresses this gap by providing the first near-real-time, in situ measurements of impact activity and optical degradation on the lunar surface To achieve these objectives, VISOR integrates four complementary sensing systems within a resource-efficient 1U platform: a transparent impact sensor that detects micro-scale surface damage through electrical resistance changes; a photodiode-based transmissometer that monitors optical degradation over time; a MEMS vibration sensor that records impact dynamics and environmental disturbances; and an AI-enabled micro-camera that captures and autonomously selects images of hypervelocity impact events. These systems operate synergistically to provide both quantitative and visual characterization of dust and debris interactions. The payload is designed for low power consumption and optimized telemetry, enabling deployment on commercial lunar landers. Ground validation combines high-vacuum and thermal testing with hypervelocity impact experiments to replicate lunar conditions and ensure system robustness. The significance of this work lies in its direct contribution to NASA's goals of enabling sustainable lunar exploration and safeguarding critical space infrastructure. VISOR will generate unique datasets on dust loading, impact frequency, and optical degradation, supporting the development of improved shielding strategies and more resilient optical systems. These results will inform the design of future lunar missions, surface operations, and long-duration assets, while enhancing the scientific return of instruments deployed on the Moon. By addressing a key environmental hazard of the lunar surface, VISOR advances NASA's broader objectives in planetary science, exploration systems, and long-term human and robotic presence beyond Earth orbit.

Space is getting crowded. Decades of launches have left a growing field of debris orbiting Earth – old satellites, rocket parts and fragments travelling at incredible speeds. Even tiny pieces can hit spacecraft with enough force to cause serious damage, endangering missions and astronaut lives. While shields and dodging manoeuvres help, what happens if a hull gets breached? How can we fix it safely and efficiently, far from Earth?

The ASTROBEAT project explored a fascinating potential solution: cold welding. Imagine two clean pieces of the same metal touching in Space. Without air or oxidation getting in the way, the atoms can bond directly, fusing the metals together without needing heat – like a super-strong, instant “metallic glue”. While usually cold welding adhesion is an unwanted event that causes parts to stick together unintentionally, ASTROBEAT investigated if this phenomenon could be used to patch holes in spacecraft.
Led by Dr Leonardo Barilaro at the Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (MCAST), ASTROBEAT designed a miniature laboratory. This compact experiment package flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in late 2024 aboard a SpaceX CRS-31 mission. On the ISS, automated tests pressed different metal samples (like copper and aluminium) together to see how well cold welding worked in microgravity, mimicking a repair patch being applied to a damaged hull.
After its successful six-week mission, the experiment returned to Earth. The samples are now undergoing detailed analysis at the South East Technological University (SETU) in Ireland to check the strength of the welds formed in space.

But ASTROBEAT isn’t just about engineering. Dr Leonardo Barilaro, also known as ‘The Space Pianist’, collaborated with Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Guo and renowned producer Steve Mazzaro (both veteran collaborators with film composer Hans Zimmer) to create unique space music. In a stunning blend of science and art, the track Moon Seeds, was streamed live from the ISS back to Earth in November 2024, reaching a global audience and highlighting that Space is a domain for human creativity as well as exploration.

The success of ASTROBEAT, recognized by NASA and the ISS National Lab as a top experiment, leads the way for safer long-duration space missions and demonstrates the power of international collaboration - including partners at NYU Abu Dhabi, University of Padova and Skyup Academy. 
Plans for ASTROBEAT 2 are already underway, aiming to further explore cold welding and even add a space debris sensor.