Comments on: Researchers have concluded that the dust on the Moon’s surface there pose serious health risks for lunar colonists.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 03:52:43 +0000

I can’t see were anything less than a physical wash down would work.

Nothing will make the suits permanently impervious to the grit of the moon, but I can’t think of a cheaper way to keep it out of any habitation areas on the moon.

We are really just talking about keeping each suit working for a longer period of time.

Any inhabited area will just have to have an aggressive air filtering system to catch any free floating particles.

Basically we just have to take the same precautions as we do now for Silicosis.

By: Kelly Starks

Kelly Starks — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:12:04 +0000

In reply to wade. Not anywhere near as abrasive. Lunar soils kind of a record holder.

By: wade

wade — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 18:02:19 +0000

have a look at an aggregate of pulverized limestone. very similar characteristics as lunar dust.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:44:38 +0000

Couldn’t you just hose them off in a special airlock and recycle the water, filtering out the solids? Then as soon as the suits are washed off they are taken inside and dried off right away.

I’m pretty sure that the suits could be somewhat water proofed. They are already air tight.

By: Kelly Starks

Kelly Starks — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:00:30 +0000

In reply to JohnHunt.

Actually the dust is also wicked sharp – so it chews up moving parts — so you couldn’t leave the space suits out, they’ld need to much servicing or replacement.

On the other hand lunar dust also has a slight electric charge – so charging your space suit slightly would drive away the dust.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:13:39 +0000

Nothing in the article is new (in fact has been known for almost fifty years). Additionally (as John Hunt noted) Constellation Systems was working on several solutions to the problem (including the mentioned Suit Port method).

That in addition to the over the top title “The Moon Is Toxic” makes it sound like a politically motivated attempt to dampen any enthusiasm for a lunar return.

You often use the term “Uncertainty in Science” to describe this sort of thing. I would suggest another term might be (sometimes as in this case) more appropriate – “Politics in Science”.

By: JohnHunt

JohnHunt — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:27:45 +0000

I realize that lunar dust is a significant factor to consider. But the article failed to consider possible remedies. The most straightforward would be for colonists to stay indoors as mug as possible. If thy need to get out and about, doing so telerobotically should be the preferred method. Of you Google “Justin telerobot” you will see an example of a dexterous robot that can do teleoperated repairs.

There was also no mention of the strategy incorporated in the Constellation plans. This was to leave the suits with their dust outside but for the colonists to back into an airlock, connect, and then crawl through the back of their suit into the indoors.

Finally, the Apollo suits were not designed to take into consideration past experience of suit exposure to lunar dust. For example, certain parts of the suit (extensor surfaces of joints) could have metal plates that are more durable than textile. I suppose there could even be a removable liner on the outside of the suit that could protect the suit from dust but could also eventually be melted and recreated into a fresh new liner.

So, whereas there are real issues, we need to be open-minded that there might be engineering solutions as well.

By: Kelly Starks

Kelly Starks — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:13:14 +0000

?? They came to that conclusion decades ago?