All set to move to the moon? Lunar dust is going to be a bigger problem than you think
The dust is powdery but as sharp as the illegal coating of ground glass on Indian kite strings.

As the consignment of lunar dust brought back by the first moonwalkers over 50 years ago revealed, it is powdery but as sharp as the illegal coating of ground glass on Indian kite strings. The lack of erosion due to lack of wind or water on the moon keeps dust particles jagged. That means simply flicking a duster or even wielding an industrial-strength vacuum cannot dislodge them.
Many grandiose plans through human history have come a cropper, so the matter of clingy moondust has to be settled. And the dustbuster prototype created by researchers at the University of Colorado that dislodges regoliths by emitting astrong beam of electrons — negatively-charged, low-energy particles — appears to be the perfect Star Trek-worthy solution. But a similar solution for recalcitrant earthbound dust would be appreciated even more.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.