Apollo 17 moonwalker, Jack Schmitt, works on the lunar surface during 1972 mission. Note the fine lunar dust that covers his spacesuit – an issue that faces future lunar expedition crews.

Credit: NASA


Researchers with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) in Houston, Texas are deep in dust…lunar dust that is.

NSBRI scientists are looking into housekeeping and health issues for future astronauts who visit the Moon. A key question: What health risks are associated with lunar dust deposits in the lungs in the reduced gravity of the Moon?

Kim Prisk is a NSBRI Human Factors and Performance Team researcher. She observes that there are major questions that need to be answered, such as: How much goes into the lung? Where does it go? How long does it stay? And just how nasty is the stuff in the first place?

Prisk, who is an adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, adds: “In the Moon’s fractional gravity, particles remain suspended in the airways rather than settling out, increasing the chances of distribution deep in the lung, with the possible consequence that the particles will remain there for a long period of time.”

Out-of-this-world odor

There’s a bit of history in pondering lunar dust.

During the Apollo lunar missions in the late 1960s and 1970s, the clingy particles were easily transported via spacesuits into lunar landers following moonwalks. The amount of dust inside the vehicle was so great some astronauts reported they could smell it.
Indeed, Apollo astronauts noticed that they had tracked back into their lunar lander particles of rock and dust. In taking off their helmets, an out-of-this-world odor was likened to wet ashes in a fireplace, even spent gunpowder from a just fired shotgun.
During the Apollo program, there were no known illnesses due to human exposure to the lunar dust.

Still, the material is a concern because it has properties comparable to that of fresh-fractured quartz, a highly toxic substance. While Apollo flights lasted only a few days, future expeditions to the Moon will be exposed to lunar dust for longer periods of time – perhaps for months.


Chantal Darquenne (left) and Mark Olfert measure aerosol deposition in Janelle Fine’s lungs during a lunar gravity portion of a Reduced Gravity Flight for an experiment funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). The experiment is seeking to determine how dust inhaled in the low gravity environment of the lunar surface acts in the human lungs and its health risks to astronauts.

Credit: NSBRI

Taking it to the air

To help study this issue further, Prisk is taking it to the air. That is, onboard NASA’s Microgravity Research Aircraft. These airplanes are used to provide short periods of reduced- and zero-gravity during a series of steep climbs and descents.

“During the portions of the flight in which gravity is reduced to levels seen on the lunar surface, we inject particles into a mouthpiece through which the study participants breathe,” Prisk explained in a recent NSBRI statement. “Subjects breathe in and out, and we measure how the particles behave and how many end up inside the lung.”

The next step is to investigate the risks and determine ways to limit a person’s exposure to lunar dust.

Prisk also pointed out that this sky-high research can be of benefits here on Earth. The work could give scientists a better understanding of how the lungs work, improving the understanding of how particles distribute within the lungs.

“If we learn how to target drugs to specific areas inside the lung, it will be possible to achieve optimal results with small quantities of drugs delivered to exactly the right place in the lung, and it will minimize side effects,” Prisk said.

Funded by NASA, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is a consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight. The Institute’s science, technology and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States.