Krasen’s research focuses on the in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) of lunar regolith, and more specifically as a heat storage medium. While leveraging the material for radiation protection and micrometeoroid shielding is not a new idea, the Regolith Enabled Heat Energy & Armor Technology (REHEAT) concept proposes to greatly extend the system’s capabilities by including active thermal control. It introduces a paradigm shift which transforms the lunar soil’s inherent physical properties from a limitation into an advantage, creating the first of its kind simple, sustainable, and scalable multifunctional solution that provides a holistic life-critical management, in a single integrated system.
The overall idea could be explained best by visualizing a thermos, where the innermost volume consists of the habitat’s living quarters. Fully surrounding that volume, there is a layer of enhanced regolith which acts as the heat energy storage medium. All of this is then enveloped by another, thicker layer of untreated regolith, which simultaneously provides thermal insulation while also greatly enhancing the overall protection of the occupants from external physical hazards. Solar energy is harvested during the lunar daytime using photovoltaic arrays and converted to thermal energy via resistive heating elements. Then, and without any further transformations, the thermal energy is used directly for habitat heating at nighttime, thus greatly improving the overall efficiency of the system.
In his free time, Krasen enjoys raising his amazing kids, reading, lifting heavy objects, carrying hefty bags to beautiful places, applying physical principles to performance arts, and trying to find at least one musical instrument he could learn to play properly.
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria, 2004