What is the lunar dust made of?

The bulk chemical composition of lunar dust varies across the lunar surface, but is about 50\% SiO2, 15\% Al2O3, 10\% CaO, 10\% MgO, 5\% TiO2 and 5-15\% iron (Table 1), with lesser amounts of sodium, potassium, chromium, zirconium.

What does moon dust feel like?

Feel it–it’s soft like snow, yet strangely abrasive. Taste it–“not half bad,” according to Apollo 16 astronaut John Young. Sniff it–“it smells like spent gunpowder,” says Cernan.

Is moon dust toxic?

A study has recently shown that human neuron and lung cells exposed to simulated lunar dust experienced DNA damage and cell death, even in very small quantities. This isn’t totally unexpected. Earth dust can have similar effects, toxic or not. Volcanic ash has been known to cause bronchitis and emphysema when inhaled.

What Colour is moon dust?

grey
The powdery grey dirt is formed by micrometeorite impacts which pulverize local rocks into fine particles.

Is moon dust hot?

Surprisingly, the temperature of the dust would not be a huge danger to your hand. Lunar dust is a great insulator — it’s full of hollows and crevices, and the lack of air prevents heat from flowing from one part of the soil to another (or to your skin).

Is it illegal to have moon rocks?

Although NASA’s lunar missions returned more than 842 pounds of moon rock to Earth, it is illegal for private citizens to own any of it (lunar meteorites, however, are perfectly legal). Instead, lunar samples were used as goodwill gifts to 135 countries and each of the 50 states.

Can moon dust be found on Earth?

On 16 December 2020, China’s Chang’e 5 mission returned to Earth with a cargo of about 2 kilograms of rock and dirt it picked up from the Moon. It is the first sample of lunar regolith to come back to Earth since 1976. China is the third country in the world that has brought such material back to Earth.

Why is the moon powdery?

Due to myriad meteorite impacts (with speeds in the range of 20 km/s), lunar surface is covered with a thin layer of dust. The dust is electrically charged and sticks to any surface with which it comes in contact.

What is the texture of moon dust?

It was determined that the Apollo lunar dust particles consist mainly of impact-produced glass, with complicated morphologies, extensive surface areas per grain, and sharp, jagged edges. Importantly, many grains contain elaborate vesicular textures, representing minute agglutinates.