NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is preparing hardware for its Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon, focusing on lunar dust. The Lunar Development and Test Facility, located in the Energy Systems Test Area, uses simulated lunar regolith in vacuum chambers to evaluate how dust affects spacesuits, spacecraft components and moving mechanisms. Engineers test hardware under conditions that replicate the lunar environment, including a 3‑foot cube vacuum chamber and a 15‑foot thermal vacuum chamber that employ a closed‑loop nitrogen system. The Propulsion and Power Division has developed these systems, and engineers are advancing techniques to extract resources from lunar regolith for oxygen production and rocket propellant. Mike Salinas, deputy chief of the Propulsion and Power Division, said the facility helps develop technologies needed for long‑duration lunar exploration. A 2024 mural by artist Sebastian Boileau on the facility's exterior depicts astronauts exploring the lunar surface. NASA offers a 3D virtual tour of the facility for public viewing of the hardware development supporting this era of exploration.