Toxic Moondust Bounces Like A Cannonball

Jotii writes "A new NASA article says that moondust fetched to Earth by Apollo 17 is now being studied. From the article: 'Zen-like, he studies the a single mote of dust suspended inside a basketball-sized vacuum chamber for as long as 10 to 12 days.' Moondust is apparently very static, and bounces like cannonballs. Another article from NASA emphasizes the dust's toxicity: 'In some ways, lunar dust resembles the silica dust on Earth that causes silicosis, a serious disease.'"

Comments

I for one,

[SauroNlord]

I for one welcome our statically bouncing moondust neighbours.

flubber

[know1]

whee, it's flubber! i bet those scientists had lots of fun. that is a long time for somehing to bounce, but i would imagine in a vacuum with no air resistance any bouncy ball would go on for a long time

Watch out NBA

[NitsujTPU]

If this dust bounces like canonballs, then the NBA will be ALL OVER toxic moondust basketballs.

Suggestion...

[KingSkippus]

I think that if this study proves that moondust can be dangerous, any astronauts stationed to a moonbase should probably just stay inside. Or at least, cover their mouths while they're roaming around outside. No sense in risking your health by walking around outside on the moon without any kind of protection for your lungs.

Re:If you find yourself breathing moondust...

[KingSkippus]

Yeah.

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicolunarconiosis.

Re:Bouncing like a cannonball

[Anonymous Coward]

That reminds me of one of my favorite Douglas Adams quotes:

"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

I'm confused

[presidentbeef]

Don't cannonballs bounce similarly to how lead balloons fly...?

Re:I'm confused

[Potato Battery]

They tested it by firing it at a model of the USS Constitution carved out of a grain of rice. The moondust cannonballs were found to be much more effective at doing damage to the hulls of an armada of less-well crafted microscopic ships of war.

I think the "cannonball" reference indicates the powers that be have let slip a little too much:

• there is life on the moon
• it has attained a level of technology roughly that of 16th century through 18th century Europe
• they are very little
• we are planning to fight them on their terms

bounces like cannonballs?

[OBeardedOne]

Last time I tried to bounce a cannonball I was thrown off the team.

Zen-like, he studies the a single mote of dust...

[Shanep]

Are all our moondust belong to them?

statically bouncing

[xfletch]

I for one welcome our statically bouncing moondust neighbours

I think the poster has grasped the less than clear point that 'bouncing like cannonballs' means not bouncing at all. Perhaps 'bounces like watermelons' would have been better, but then again 'melons' and 'bouncing' in the same sentence may have distracted some of our younger readers...

Re:Zen-like, he studies the a single mote of dust.

[lxs]

Moondust bounces high
Suspended in emptiness
A scientist coughs