NASA's More Obscure Lunar Research

MickDownUnder writes "Ever wondered what the moon smells like (and no it's not like wensleydale) ? Or how good the skiing is there? If you do decide to hit the lunar slopes you may want to take a torch with you in case you run into your own shadow."

Comments

Re:Sounds like a good way to ruin your skis...

[TubeSteak]

moondust is much more abrasive than sand." Typical grains of Earth-sand measure 250 to 500 microns (millionths of a meter) across and have rounded edges. They easily slip, slide and roll. A typical grain of moondust, on the other hand, measures less than 100 microns wide and has very sharp edges. The fine grains lock together "like Velcro," says Schmitt, "and scratch anything that comes in contact with them." A Teflon ski-coating might not last long.

Sand is not nearly as abrasive, because we have things that don't exist on the moon.

Water and wind to be specific. All that tumbling around takes the sharp edges off the sand grains.

I imagine the sand/dust on Mars will be closer in quality to the sand & dust on Earth, than the Moon's.