Astronomy Picture of the Day - Lunar Dust and Duct Tape

NASA ^ | 28 Mar, 2025 | Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Why is the Moon so dusty? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, eons of constant micrometeorite bombardment have blasted away at the rocky surface creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith. For the Apollo astronauts and their equipment, the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface in December 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their rover's fenders in an effort to keep the rooster tails of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape".

[MtnClimber]

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[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

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[ProtectOurFreedom]

Back in the 1960s, NASA had a real concern that the lunar surface might be covered in a thick layer of fine dust—some scientists speculated it could be meters deep, like a cosmic quicksand pit. The fear was that the first lunar lander, specifically the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, would touch down and just sink out of sight, swallowed up by this powdery mess. It wasn’t a baseless worry either—early theories about the Moon’s surface came from limited data, and some astronomers, like Thomas Gold, argued that billions of years of micrometeorite impacts could’ve pulverized the surface into a deep, fluffy dust layer.

The concern stemmed from how little they knew. Telescopic observations couldn’t resolve fine details, and the Moon’s low gravity (one-sixth of Earth’s) meant dust might not compact like it does here. If it was loose and deep, the lander’s legs could’ve plunged right through, tipping it over or stranding it. Engineers even designed the Lunar Module with wide footpads to spread its weight, just in case.

[packagingguy]

If we ever colonize the moon and try to use water from a comet to make a lake it’ll just be a mud puddle.

[antidemoncrat]

“Why is the Moon so dusty?”

Is it because the May Queen’s vacuum cleaner broke down?

[Freedom4US]

Yeah, even back then, a lot of folks at NASA thought Tom Gold was nuts. The Surveyor lander in ‘66 put all the fears to rest. The surface was go for landing!

[Inyo-Mono]

I wonder why they didn't just use BFG All-Terrain tires on the rover instead of those fancy NASA designed tires? -sarc-

[rxh4n1]

Puff pillows, a leanin’ post, ermine mudflaps, and gangsta whites.

[cgbg]

The rest of the story:

https://www.aulis.com/rover_fenders.htm

Go all the way to the end of the link and look at the oil leak from the left rear wheel.

The identical leak happened in Apollo 15, 16, and 17.

Oops.

[Freedom4US]

You are aware every one of the Apollo landing sites are visible and photographed from lunar orbit satellites, yes?