Absence of dust on moon and material sciences

**zankaon** · Nov3-09, 10:51 PM

Might absence of dust on moon (such as for astronauts' experience) relate to importance of material sciences? That is, might surfaces interact electronically, seeking a more stable lowest energy configuration? Imaging it as if 2 grates rubbing together, seeking best fit? Air might then disrupt such surface interaction, such as for Martian dust. Hence then the ancillary idea of moving surfaces slightly intermittently, so as to disrupt such 'settling in', for joints of machines, such as Canadian arm on shuttle, and for space probes such as Huygens-Cassini.

**Integral** · Nov4-09, 12:07 AM

Dust on the moon? What are you on about? There is plenty of dust on the moon. It does not hang in the air because there is no air for it to hang in. Any particle that is not on the surface will fall with NO air resistance, so it is a simply proplem of basic physics to find how long it will take to return to the moons surface.

**qraal** · Nov4-09, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Integral

Dust on the moon? What are you on about? There is plenty of dust on the moon. It does not hang in the air because there is no air for it to hang in. Any particle that is not on the surface will fall with NO air resistance, so it is a simply proplem of basic physics to find how long it will take to return to the moons surface.

I think s/he means "adherence" of dust on the Moon. Obviously talking about how "adhesively" the stuff stuck to the "Apollo" moonsuits and everything else.

**Phrak** · Nov5-09, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by qraal

I think s/he means "adherence" of dust on the Moon. Obviously talking about how "adhesively" the stuff stuck to the "Apollo" moonsuits and everything else.

I think you've got it. What role does an atmosphere play in discharging electrostatic charges, so that clinging dust particles may fall-away?

**qraal** · Nov5-09, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by Phrak

I think you've got it. What role does an atmosphere play in discharging electrostatic charges, so that clinging dust particles may fall-away?

Well atmosphere allows electrostatic charges to slow leak away from a surface and obviously the Moon doesn't have that process to allow charge to escape. It does have some other weird electrostatic effects like levitating dust and dust fountains.

**mgb_phys** · Nov5-09, 05:52 PM

Also because of the lack of an atmosphere the dust on the moon is rough and jagged so tends to stick together, especially since there is nothing between adjacent atoms on different dust particles..
On Earth any dust has been weathered into a smoother rounded shape and is less likely to stick together because there is always a surface layer of air/moisture/chemicals on each particle.