When it comes to the future of space exploration, it is only fitting that the next generation of engineers and scientists play a vital role in imagining that future. A team of undergraduate students from 10 colleges and universities across the United States â members of the Artemis Generation â are turning their creative ideas into reality. They designed a reusable landing pad that could be 3D printed from materials found on the Moon. The novel concept â called the Lunar Plume Alleviation Device, or Lunar PAD â focuses on solving the problems caused when the force of an engineâs powerful exhaust meets the dusty lunar surface. The design features a series of petal-like channels that send exhaust upward and outward, minimizing the amount of dust lofted during launch and landing. The student team presented a paper on the Lunar PAD concept Jan. 12 at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronauticsâ 2021 SciTech Forum.