Chase Pellazar
Papers
1
Total Citations
12
H-Index
1
About
Chase Pellazar is a visionary aerospace engineer whose research focuses on enabling sustainable exploration of the Moon’s most extreme environments. His key contributions lie at the intersection of space power systems, deployable structures, and in-situ resource utilization, with a particular emphasis on the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. Pellazar is best known for his pioneering work on the TransFormers for Lunar Extreme Environments project, a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) study that reimagines how to power robotic missions in the 70K darkness of Shackleton Crater. His analysis demonstrated that large, origami-inspired deployable solar reflectors could redirect sunlight from the crater rim into its interior, providing a continuous power source without the need for nuclear systems. This landmark 2017 paper, which has garnered 12 citations, laid the groundwork for a new paradigm in lunar exploration—one that leverages lightweight, compactable structures to overcome the challenges of extreme cold and perpetual darkness. Pellazar’s work not only advances the engineering of deployable space systems but also directly supports NASA’s Artemis goals, offering a practical path toward sustained robotic and human presence on the Moon.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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