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Lunar regolith

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Buzz Aldrin's bootprint on the Moon - a historic moment from the Apollo 11 mission showing how the lunar surface reacted to human contact.

What is Lunar Regolith?

Lunar regolith is the soft, loose dirt that covers the whole surface of the Moon. Sometimes people call it "moondust." It is made of very tiny pieces, smaller than your little finger.

How Did It Get There?

Lunar regolith was made mostly by pieces of space rock hitting the Moon for many years. These hits broke the Moon’s surface into smaller and smaller pieces.

Why Do We Care?

Scientists think lunar regolith might be useful in the future. It could help us build things on the Moon or even grow plants there one day!

Fun Picture

Buzz Aldrin's bootprint on lunar soil was formed during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission.

Tiny Particles Can Move!

The tiny particles of lunar regolith can float around easily because the Moon has no air to hold them down. Astronauts have seen strange glowing lights in the sky from Earth, which might be caused by sunlight shining on these floating dust particles. Experiments left on the Moon have also noticed tiny particles moving around, which helps scientists learn more about our Moon.

Made of Many Things

Lunar regolith is made of many different materials. It includes tiny pieces of rocks, glass, and even some special minerals. It also has tiny bits of ice in the places on the Moon that are always dark.

Fun Picture

Thin section of Apollo 12 Oceanus Procellarum sample 12005 in cross polarized light showing Lunar minerals.

Keeping Astronauts Safe

Lunar regolith can be tricky for astronauts. The tiny particles can stick to spacesuits and tools, making them hard to use. Scientists are working on special ways to clean the dust off so astronauts stay safe during their adventures on the Moon.

Fun Picture

Gene Cernan with lunar dust stuck on his suit from his Apollo 17 moonwalks.

Moon Samples on Earth

People have brought pieces of lunar regolith back to Earth. The Apollo astronauts collected about 360 kilograms of Moon rocks and dirt. In 2020, China’s Chang'e 5 mission brought back more samples, making China the third country to collect Moon material. These samples help scientists learn more about our Moon and how we might live there someday.

Images

A stunning view of the full moon captured from Madison, Alabama.
A sample of moon dust collected by astronauts during the Apollo 17 mission, now displayed in a museum.
A close-up of the unique orange-colored lunar soil found during the Apollo 17 moon mission, created by ancient volcanic activity on the Moon.
A spacecraft observing tiny dust particles floating above the Moon's surface.
A robotics engineer adjusts a robot designed to dig lunar soil during a test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
NASA scientists study moon dust behavior in a special wind tunnel to understand how lunar landers might affect dust on the Moon.
A lunar soil sample collected by China's Chang'e 5 mission, displayed for public viewing.
A colorful montage of the planets in our solar system, showing Mercury, Venus, Earth with its Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Each planet is shown to scale for comparison.
An astronaut's sketch showing special light patterns on the Moon from the Apollo 17 mission.

Related articles

Moon
Dust
Apollo 17

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Lunar regolith, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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