![]() One promising strategy: Cover sensitive surfaces with an Electrodynamic Dust Shield - essentially, electrically charged panels that shoot currents through thin wires to zap dust away. "Clearly, avoidance of lunar dust inhalation will be important for future explorers," the authors wrote.īut as humans explore the moon in future decades, chance exposures are likely, the researchers wrote.įortunately, NASA has taken this problem seriously for a long time and is developing several dust-mitigation methods. Cells that weren't decimated outright showed signs of DNA damage that could lead to cancer or neurodegenerative diseases if not repaired, the researchers wrote. ![]() The finest-grain samples proved most lethal, killing up to 90 percent of the cells that had been exposed to them. When the team took stock of their cells 24 hours later, they found that every soil type had caused some degree of brain and lung cell death. The scientists ground each soil sample to three different degrees of graininess, the finest of which was just a few micrometers wide (smaller than the width of a human hair) and easily capable of being sucked up into human lungs. The team gauged the effects of moon dust on human organs by mixing their soil samples directly with human lung cells and mouse brain cells grown in their lab. Geological Survey for use in lunar soil studies like these. The simulants included volcanic ash from Arizona, dust skimmed from a Colorado lava flow and a glassy, lab-made powder designed by the U.S. Because actual lunar soil is hard to come by on Earth, the team used five Earth-sourced simulants to represent the dust found on various parts of the moon's terrain. In their new study, a team of researchers from Stony Brook University in New York wanted to find out just how dangerous a lungful of moon dust could really be. ![]() These loose particles can clog sensitive equipment, jam zippers, ruin clothing and - as Schmitt discovered - wreak havoc on the human body if accidentally ingested by astronauts. "This charge can be so strong that the soil particles actually levitate above the lunar surface," the authors wrote in the new study.įrom there, it's easy enough for dust to cling in the nooks and crannies of an astronaut's spacesuit and follow him or her back inside living quarters. ![]()
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