Will the Earth's Tail Fry Moon Visitors?

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers working for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission have discovered that the Earth's magnetic tail could be harmful to future astronauts. The moon stays inside Earth's 'magnetotail' for six days every month — during full moon. This can have consequences ranging from lunar 'dust storms' to strong electrostatic discharges, according to one researcher quoted by NASA in 'The Moon and the Magnetotail.' So far, this is pure speculation: no man has been on the moon when the magnetotail hits. As added the same scientist, 'Apollo astronauts never landed on a full moon and they never experienced the magnetotail.' But read more for additional details about how Earth's magnetotail could affect men on the moon."

Comments

All I know

[Bastard of Subhumani]

All I know is, I don't get any tail for six days every month!

Re:All I know

[Anonymous Coward]

who said you could leave the kitchen? Go make me a sandwich sweetie.

Re:All I know

[that IT girl]

Spoken like a true anonymous coward.

Re:All I know

[budgenator]

All I know is, I don't get any tail for six days every month! on the moon the tail gets you, 6 days a month

Re:All I know

[Ethanol-fueled]

She works in IT. She dosen't make sandwiches, she makes the coffee, you insensitive clod!

Re:All I know

[that IT girl]

Haha! And people wonder why more women don't take an interest in computers. It's not the computers they're afraid of, it's putting up with all the comments like this... Good thing I can handle it -flex- :D

Fix from article

[Anonymous Coward]

"So far, this is pure speculation: no man has been on the moon" Fixed.

Magneto Tail?

[that IT girl]

Am I the only one who can't get past the image of the villain from X-Men? ;)

moot

[McGiraf]

This is moot, as we all know they will not make it thought the Radiation Belt anyway.

Safe Space Travel

[byronne]

Alas, the days where one could travel to the moon in comfort and safety are behind us. Now it is nearly as hazardous as trying to merge onto 294.

Simple Solution

[jeffkjo1]

Imagine what it feels like to be a sock pulled crackling from a dryer. Astronauts on the moon during a magnetotail crossing might be able to tell you. Walking across the dusty charged-up lunar terrain, the astronauts themselves would gather a load of excess charge. Touching another astronaut, a doorknob, a piece of sensitive electronics -- any of these simple actions could produce an unwelcome discharge.

There's a simple solution to the excessive static discharge, all NASA needs to do is get a dryer sheet the size of Michigan. Plus, it would have the added bonus of being able to be used as a giant parachute, ala pre-school... think about how high you could bounce with that thing.

Electrostatic discharge ?

[d3m0nCr4t]

They are going to need one hell of a cable to earth that...

Re:Roland the Plogger again

[Cecil]

This was in the early 1970s.

See, there's your problem. The magnetotail wasn't so big back then, because of the ozone hole and global warming and oprah winfrey. Also, gnomes did it.