Reader\'s Digest AU NZ 03.2020

I

nthepublicimagination,theAmerican

astronautswholandedonthemoonfive

decadesagoweresuperhumans,notthe

typestoworryabouthousekeeping.But

theydid,obsessively.Eachtimeaftera

moonwalk,theywereshockedathowmuch

dustthey’dtrackedinandhowharditwastobanish.

arerelevantoncemore.InJanuary

lastyear,ChinalandeditsChang’e-4

probeonthefarsideofthemoon.

Two monthslater, theJapanese

AerospaceExplorationAgencysaid

itwaspartneringwithToyota to

designa six-wheeledmoonroverby

2029.Aroundthesametime,USVice

PresidentMikePenceannounced

planstoputAmericanbootsonthe

moonby2024.AccordingtoNASA,

thegoalis“togosustainably.Tostay.

Withlandersandrobotsandrovers–

andhumans.”IndiaandRussiahave

missionsplanned,too.Theprivate

ventureslikeMoonExpresswillpros-

pectforwater,mineralsandother

resourcestomine.

Allofwhichraisesa crucialques-

tion:whattodoaboutthattrouble-

somedust?AnAustralianphysicist

namedBrian O’Brien may have the

answer.

O’BRIENBECAMEEARTH’Sfore-

mostauthorityonmoondustalmost

byaccident.In1964,hewasa young

professorofspacescienceatRice

UniversityinHouston,specialisingin

radiation. This was during the early

Thiswasnoearthlygrime;itwas
stickyandabrasive,scratchingthe
visorsonhelmets,weakeningseals
onpressuresuits,irritatingeyes,and
givingsomeofthemsinustrouble.“It
justsortofinhabitseverynookand
crannyinthespacecraftandevery
poreinyourskin,”A p o l l o 17 ’sG e n e
Cernansaid.
Overthesixmoonlandings,the
DustyDozenfoughtvaliantlywith
theirfoe.Theystompedtheirboots
outside,thencinchedgarbagebags
aroundtheirlegstostopthedust
fromspreading.Theyattackedit
withwetrags,bristlebrushesanda
low-suctionvacuumcleaner,which
PeteConradofApollo 12 called“a
completefarce”.Cernan,uponre-
turning fromhis lastmoonwalk,
vowed,“Iain’tgoingtodomuch
moredustingafterI leavehere.Ever.”
Intheend,NASAcouldn’tfinda solu-
tion.YearsafterJohnYoungcom-
mandedApollo 16 , hestillbelieved
that“dustisthenumberoneconcern
inreturningtothemoon”.
Now,withnationalspaceagencies
andprivatecorporationspoisedto
dojustthat,theApollo dust diaries

READER’S DIGEST

112 March 2020