the dangers of moon dust - nasa · 2013-04-10 · ladtag “ l unar a irborne d ust t oxicity a...
TRANSCRIPT
Ass
essi
ng th
e D
ange
rs o
f M
oon
Dus
t
Sar
ah N
oble
NA
SA
Joh
nson
Spa
ce C
ente
rFe
brua
ry 2
8, 2
007
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070011609 2020-03-11T03:13:51+00:00Z
The
Vis
ion
•R
etur
n to
Moo
n by
201
8•
Initi
ally
Apo
llo-s
tyle
sor
ties
(~ 1
wee
k)•
Eve
ntua
lly m
anne
d ba
se (6
mon
th to
urs)
LAD
TAG
“Lun
ar A
irbor
ne D
ust T
oxic
ity A
dvis
ory
Gro
up”
•C
reat
ed b
y th
e O
ffice
of t
he C
hief
Hea
lth a
nd M
edic
al
Offi
cer
•C
ompo
sed
of
–to
xico
logi
sts,
flig
ht s
urge
ons,
oth
er m
edic
al p
rofe
ssio
nals
, –
and
a ha
ndfu
l of l
unar
geo
logi
sts
•G
oal o
f LA
DTA
G is
to d
eter
min
e w
hat t
he e
xpos
ure
limits
to M
oon
dust
sho
uld
be
“It’s
you
r tur
n to
dus
t the
hab
itat”
Dus
t sou
rces
:
•S
pace
sui
ts•
Equ
ipm
ent
•S
ampl
es
Gen
e C
erna
n, A
pollo
17
Apo
llo L
esso
ns•
“The
LM
was
filth
y di
rty a
nd it
had
so
muc
h du
st fl
oatin
g ar
ound
in it
that
I to
ok
my
helm
et o
f and
alm
ost b
linde
d m
ysel
f. I
imm
edia
tely
got
my
eyes
full
of ju
nk, a
nd I
had
to p
ut m
y he
lmet
bac
k on
.”–
Con
rad,
Apo
llo 1
2 (te
chni
cal c
rew
deb
riefin
g)
Apo
llo L
esso
ns•
“The
re w
as a
lot o
f irri
tatio
n, a
t lea
st to
my
sinu
ses
and
nost
rils,
soo
n af
ter t
akin
g th
e he
lmet
off,
abo
ut 2
hou
rs la
ter t
hat h
ad
decr
ease
d co
nsid
erab
ly.”
–S
chm
itt, A
pollo
17
(tech
nica
l cre
w d
ebrie
fing)
Apo
llo L
esso
ns•
“I th
ink
dust
is p
roba
bly
one
of o
ur g
reat
est i
nhib
itors
to a
no
min
al o
pera
tion
on th
e M
oon.
I th
ink
we
can
over
com
e ot
her p
hysi
olog
ical
or p
hysi
cal o
r mec
hani
cal p
robl
ems
exce
pt d
ust.”
–
Cer
nan,
Apo
llo 1
7 (te
chni
cal c
rew
deb
riefin
g)
•"A
com
mon
sen
se, l
ayer
ed, e
ngin
eerin
g de
sign
def
ense
ca
n so
lve
any
appa
rent
pro
blem
with
dus
t dur
ing
long
-te
rm h
uman
act
ivity
and
hab
itatio
n in
the
luna
r en
viro
nmen
t.“–
Schm
itt, A
pollo
17
(Lun
ar D
ust S
ympo
sium
, 200
4)
Apo
llo L
esso
ns•
Sev
eral
ast
rona
uts
repo
rted
that
the
soil
smel
led
like
gunp
owde
r (su
gges
t rea
ctiv
e su
rface
s).
•O
ne fl
ight
sur
geon
had
“alle
rgic
” res
pons
e to
dus
t, w
hich
w
orse
ned
with
repe
ated
exp
osur
e.
•A
utop
sies
on
five
Apo
llo a
stro
naut
s sh
ow n
o lu
ng
abno
rmal
ities
.
Acu
te p
robl
ems
•E
ye ir
ritat
ion
•N
ose
and
thro
at ir
ritat
ion
•S
kin
irrita
tion
Pos
sibl
e lo
nger
term
effe
cts
•In
flam
mat
ion
in lu
ng le
adin
g to
fibr
otic
chan
ges
•Tr
ansl
ocat
ion
of s
mal
lest
frac
tion
of
parti
cles
, lea
ding
to in
jury
out
side
the
resp
irato
ry s
yste
m
Oth
er e
ffect
s•
Dus
t can
pos
e a
serio
us h
azar
d fo
r sui
t co
mpo
nent
s, z
ippe
rs, a
nd s
eals
–C
reat
e co
atin
gs th
at p
reve
nts
seal
–
Abr
asiv
enes
s th
at c
an le
ad to
hol
es in
m
ater
ial a
nd il
l fitt
ing
join
ts–
Gra
ins
can
caus
e zi
pper
s to
stic
k an
d jo
ints
to
bind
Som
e D
efin
ition
s
•R
egol
ith -
Loos
e, u
ncon
solid
ated
rock
, min
eral
, an
d gl
ass
fragm
ents
pro
duce
d by
impa
cts
•S
oil –
defin
ed a
s th
e <1
cm
frac
tion
of re
golit
h,
thou
gh c
ollo
quia
lly u
sed
as th
e <1
mm
frac
tion
•D
ust ~
<20
μm
Wha
t doe
s M
oon
dust
look
like
?
•C
omm
inut
ed b
y im
pact
s•
No
air o
r wat
er•
Sol
ar w
ind
•M
icro
met
eorit
es
Wha
t doe
s M
oon
dust
look
like
?
Imag
e co
urte
sy L
. Tay
lor,
U.T
enn.
Wha
t doe
s M
oon
dust
look
like
?
10μm
200n
mLu
nar s
oils
can
be
up
to 7
0% a
gglu
tinat
es
Wha
t doe
s M
oon
dust
look
like
?
50nm
40nm
Nan
opha
se ir
on-r
ich
rims
coat
indi
vidu
al g
rain
s.
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
•S
imul
ant
•R
eal l
unar
soi
l•
“Act
ivat
ed” l
unar
soi
l•
In-s
itu
•B
ioch
emic
al a
ssay
s•
Cel
l cul
ture
s•
Ani
mal
stu
dies
•U
nder
stan
d so
il pr
oper
ties,
es
peci
ally
the
fines
t fra
ctio
n
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
:“F
oren
sic
geol
ogy”
LiO
Hai
r filt
ers
–W
hat i
s m
ovin
g ar
ound
insi
de?
Apo
llo S
pace
Sui
ts
and
vacu
umed
par
ticle
s–
Wha
t got
car
ried
in?
Cla
m S
hell
Sam
plin
g D
evic
es–
Wha
t’s o
n th
e su
rface
?
Ste
p 1:
Fol
low
the
dust
pat
hway
s to
und
erst
and
wha
t get
s in
:
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
:S
imul
ant v
s. R
eal
•P
oint
of u
sing
sim
ulan
t is
to p
ract
ice
and
perfe
ct
tech
niqu
es.
•A
lso
good
to te
st s
imul
ant i
tsel
f.
•Ev
en o
ur b
est s
imul
ants
don
’t do
a g
ood
job
of
repr
oduc
ing
the
prop
ertie
s of
soi
l.
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
:U
tiliz
ing
Rea
l Sam
ples
•Lu
nar s
oil i
s a
prec
ious
com
mod
ity.
•In
hala
tion
stud
ies,
in p
artic
ular
, req
uire
fairl
y la
rge
quan
titie
s of
ver
y sm
all p
artic
les,
whi
ch a
re d
iffic
ult t
o se
para
te.
•S
oil s
ittin
g on
Ear
th fo
r nea
rly 4
0 ye
ars
is n
ot n
eces
saril
y th
esa
me
as fr
esh
soil.
•Lu
nar s
oil i
s no
t all
the
sam
e:
–hi
ghla
nds
vsm
are
–m
atur
e vs
. im
mat
ure
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
:A
ctiv
atin
g S
ampl
es•
We
will
atte
mpt
to re
crea
te s
ome
of th
e co
nditi
ons
on th
e lu
nar s
urfa
ce th
roug
h:–
heat
ing/
dryi
ng th
e sa
mpl
es–
expo
sing
them
to U
V–
bom
bard
ing
them
with
pro
tons
–A
nd/o
r cru
shin
g to
exp
ose
fresh
sur
face
s
Pla
nned
Stu
dies
:In
-situ
Exp
erim
ents
•N
o la
bora
tory
on
Ear
th c
an
repr
oduc
e th
e en
viro
nmen
tal
cond
ition
s on
the
luna
r sur
face
.
•W
e ne
ed to
dec
ide
if in
-situ
ex
perim
ents
are
nec
essa
ry
•E
ven
if th
ey a
re d
eem
ed n
eces
sary
, we
won
’t ha
ve
resu
lts u
ntil
wel
l afte
r the
tim
e fra
me
whe
n re
quire
men
ts
for t
he h
abita
t and
oth
er s
yste
ms
will
be
deve
lope
d.
Dea
ling
with
Unc
erta
inty
•D
ecis
ions
hav
e to
be
mad
e in
ord
er to
m
ove
forw
ard.
•W
e w
ill no
t hav
e al
l the
info
rmat
ion
we
need
to m
ake
a fu
lly in
form
ed d
ecis
ion.
Com
mun
icat
ing
Acr
oss
Dis
cipl
ines
•Ja
rgon
= B
ad•
Acr
onym
s =
Bad
•N
eed
to b
e cl
ear a
bout
wha
t you
nee
d an
d w
hat y
ou c
an o
ffer
Mak
ing
Lem
onad
e(tu
rnin
g lu
nar s
oil f
rom
a li
abilit
y to
an
asse
t)
•M
agne
tic “l
int”
brus
hes
•E
lect
rom
agne
tic a
ir fil
ters
•M
icro
wav
e si
nter
ing
of s
oil
•R
adia
tion
shie
ldin
gTa
ylor
and
Mee
k, 2
005
On
to M
ars
•M
ars
dust
is v
ery
diffe
rent
from
luna
r dus
t•
It’s
finer
•Th
ere
are
frequ
ent d
ust s
torm
s•
No
sam
ples
mea
ns th
at w
e do
n’t
unde
rsta
nd M
ars
dust
pro
perti
es a
s w
ell