Anna Cabra, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) and at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, has earned a series of prestigious awards recognizing her research on lunar dust and its implications for future human exploration of the Moon.
Cabra, who is advised by James Nabity in AES and Xu Wang of LASP and the Department of Physics, conducts research in CU Boulder’s Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) laboratory where her research addresses one of the major challenges facing future Moon missions: lunar dust. The electrically charged, abrasive dust can adhere to everything from solar panels to instruments to spacesuits, impacting both technology and astronaut health.
Cabra’s work, which focuses on lunar dust charging dynamics, dust mitigation strategies, and in-situ resource utilization technologies that could help support long-term exploration of the Moon, was recently recognized with several awards.
At the NASA Exploration Science Forum, which took place July 21–23 at NASA Ames Research Center in California, she tied for first place in the oral presentation competition for her presentation “Advanced Electron Beam Dust Mitigation (EBDM) for Lunar Exploration and Science.” The award includes a $1,500 travel grant to support future conference participation and professional development opportunities.
At the 55th International Conference on Environmental Systems, which was held July 12-16 in Puerto Rico, she earned second place in the student poster competition for her presentation “Energy-Varied Electron Beam Dust Mitigation (EBDM) Source for Lunar Exploration.”
In addition, Cabra was named a finalist for the American Astronomical Society’s Molly K. Macauley Award, which recognizes outstanding student research and contributions related to space science and exploration and seeks to support and recognize future space industry leaders. Finalists are awarded a travel grant to attend and present their research at the annual AAS von Braun Symposium, which will take place from October 26-28 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
“These student competitions are highly competitive and attract exceptional submissions from some of the most promising young scientists in space science,” said Wang. “These recognitions highlight both the quality of Anna’s work and the significance of her contributions to lunar exploration research. We expect even greater achievements from her in the future.”
Cabra graduated from CU Boulder in 2025 with a bachelor’s in physics and received a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her interest in lunar exploration began during her undergraduate studies at the IMPACT lab, when she investigated how lunar dust moves when exposed to solar wind plasma and explored technologies for dust separation and mitigation. Cabra’s research will continue advancing technologies to make future lunar and human exploration safer and more sustainable.
By Sara Pratt, LASP Sr. Communications Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP) is revolutionizing human understanding of the cosmos. LASP is deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs.
