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NASA and private space equipment is ready for companies to send equipment back to the moon — and eventually astronauts — in the face of an almost invisible threat to any position on the future moon: small dust particles. The rock of the lower moon, known as the regolito, covers the drills and other delicate tools, and is so sharp that it violates the garments of space. As dust absorbs sunlight, it can also heat sensitive electronics.
Dust particles also pose a health risk. Although Apollo-era astronauts only went outside for a few days on each mission, some complained of burnt eyes and suffocating nasal passages on their return from lunar walks and undressing dust-covered space suits inside the capsule. Images of the Apollo 17 mission, which focused on geology and made seven-hour trips in the lunar vehicle, show the astronaut. Gene Cernan’s face covered with dust, like some charcoal from outer space. During technical briefing When he returned to Earth, Cernan told NASA authorities that the moon’s dust had nothing to do with it. “I think dust is one of our biggest inhibitors to a nominal operation on the moon,” Cernan said. “I think we can overcome other physiological or physical or mechanical problems, except for dust.”
The granules covered the radiators that removed heat and carbon dioxide from the spacecraft and carried a hole in the knee of Cernan’s outer suit. Phil Abel, researches the moon dust as the manager of the Tribology and Mechanical Components Branch at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. (Tribology is the study of wear and friction.) The Apollo 17 astronauts put the powder into the capsule, which smelled of gunpowder, and the pilot of the lunar module Harrison Schmitt caused symptoms of grass fever. NASA workshop on lunar dust 2020.
Here’s how an Apollo 12 astronaut described what happened when he returned to the lunar module after walking on the moon: ” [module] it was so dirty and it had so much dust, I was almost blinded when I removed the helmet. The rubbish immediately fell into my eyes. ‘ (The quote appears in a 2009 NASA report “Risk of Harmful Health Effects of Moon Dust Exposure. ”)
Researchers at Stony Brook University found that human lung and brain cells were exposed to lunar dust and found that 90 percent of the cells were killed, according to a study published in the journal. GeoHealth In 2018. In fact, respiratory health is a major concern when and when humans return to the moon, according to Abel. “These particles are stored deep in your lungs, which is a long-term health risk,” says Abel. “If we had to do more on the surface of the moon that was a concern at the time, some space suits would start at too high a pace. It’s something we’ve been working on to improve.”
The last Apollo spacecraft left the moon on December 14, 1972, bringing home Schmitt and Cernan. Now, NASA officials have said they plan to land scientific equipment for the moon in 2022 so that astronaut boots can be placed on the moon’s surface as soon as 2024. Artemis program. Scientists at NASA’s Glenn Research Center are launching an experiment in 2023 Characterization of adherence to the regolith mission, which will determine how dust sticks to materials during landing and landing operations. The information they return will help them figure out how to design equipment that can repel dust and space suits that will not be destroyed by the wear and tear of the sandstone that covers them.
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