Lunar Dustbusters

Maggie McKee writes "Moon dust could be a source of oxygen and metals. But moon dust could also lodge in astronauts' lungs, possibly triggering long-term health effects. During the relatively short Apollo Moon landing missions nearly 40 years ago, astronauts reported difficulty breathing. So now, before astronauts return to the moon in 2020, NASA is working on a number of ways to reduce the amount of lunar dust astronauts are exposed to — from simple grates on the floor to magnetic wands and giant lint rollers."

Comments

Re:why not spend 1 billion on asteroid location

[RyatNrrd]

Because 410 Billion was spent on the war, on the real important things it comes down to an either this or that.

Long term effects? What about the guinea pigs?

[clintp]

Let's look at the guinea pigs we sent to the moon:

Still kicking:
Buzz Aldrin is still alive. He's 77.
Neil Armstrong is still alive. He's 76.
Alan Bean is still alive. 75.
Edgar Mitchell. 77 and counting.
David Scott. 75 and counting.
John Young, 77.
Charles Duke, 72.
Eugene Cernan, 73.
Harrison Schmidt, 73.

Died, accident:
Pete Conrad died in 1999 at age 69. (Accident, crash)

Died, disease
Alan Shephard died at age 75 from leukemia.
James Irwin in 1991 at age 61. (Heart failure, which may have been a preexisting condition and caused him to suffer a heart attack during Apollo 15)

Not bad, actually. They should be healthier than the normal person, sure, but I don't see rampant cancer, lung or cardiovascular disease running roughshod over the ranks of the men who've been on the moon.

I call Bullshit.