Moon dust may make breathing for astronauts difficult

Malaysia Sun Tuesday 15th July, 2008 Melbourne, July 15 : Researchers from the United States have warned that inhaling fine-grained dust that covers the moon might make it difficult for the astronauts to breathe on its surface. In 1972, when Apollo 17 landed on the surface of the moon the astronauts experienced irritation and discomfort from exposure to dust, with symptoms ranging from sneezing, watery eyes and a peculiar smell resembling gunpowder. "One flight surgeon after a mission was doing microbiological sampling of the (space) suits, and when they opened the containers to check the suits, he had an allergic reaction - irritation, sneezing, irritated mucus membranes in the eyes and nose. Nothing was serious, but it certainly is concerning," ABC quoted NASA flight surgeon Jeff Jones, as saying. This prompted the... [read full story]