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The apparent toxic effects of lunar dust were never comprehensively studied after the program, and the concentrations of dust that contaminated the spacecraft are not known. In each case, symptoms resolved within 24 hours, and post-flight pulmonary testing found no permanent impacts in the astronauts.
Lunar dust or regolith is the layer of particles on the Moon's surface and is approximately <100 um. [21] The grain shapes tend to be elongated. Inhalation exposure to this dust can cause breathing difficulties because the dust is toxic. It can also cloud astronauts' visors when working on the Moon's surface.
Moon dust is an extremely abrasive glassy substance formed by micrometeorites and unrounded due to the lack of weathering. It sticks to everything, can damage equipment, and it may be toxic. Since it is bombarded by charged particles in the solar wind, it is highly ionized, and is extremely harmful when breathed in.
The box-like machine was now ingesting small quantities of a dusty regolith – a mixture of dust and sharp grit with a chemical composition mimicking real lunar soil. Soon, that regolith was gloop.
Martian regolith is toxic, due to relatively high concentrations of perchlorate compounds containing chlorine. [3] Elemental chlorine was first discovered during localised investigations by Mars rover Sojourner, and has been confirmed by Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity.
However, standard usage among lunar scientists is to ignore that distinction. [citation needed] "Lunar dust" generally connotes even finer materials than lunar soil, the fraction which is less than 30 micrometers in diameter. The average chemical composition of regolith might be estimated from the relative concentration of elements in lunar soil.
First Man, based on the book of the same name, tells the story of one of humanity’s greatest firsts, from the perspective of Neil Armstrong, the first human being to set foot on the Moon.
Since the Moon is now generally considered to be free from life, the most likely source of contamination would be from Mars during either a Mars sample-return mission or as a result of a crewed mission to Mars. The possibility of new human pathogens, or environmental disruption due to back contamination, is considered to be of extremely low ...