NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Lunar Dust and Duct Tape

Why is the Moon dusty [ http://cass.jsc.nas…A17_Experiments_SMI. html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.hawastso…micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.…lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://elvis.neep.w…9301.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific [ http://elvis.neep.w…lecture19.html ] and industrial [ http://elvis.neep.w…lecture20.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://cass.jsc.nas…A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.…] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.…a17/a17.eva2prep.htm l ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals [ http://images.jsc.n…10075959.htm ] the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with [ http://www.clavius.…] the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape".

Apollo 17 [ http://www.ksc.nasa…apollo-17.html ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/]

dust

moon

lunar surface

regolith

duct tape

Harrison Schmitt

December 1972

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Washington, D.C.

Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Earth

Moon

Apollo 17

1972

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap011110