this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2025
13 points (100.0% liked)

Danger Dust

254 readers
21 users here now

A community for those occupationally exposed to dusts, toxins, pollutants, hazardous materials or noxious environments

Dangerous Dusts , Fibres, Toxins, Pollutants, Occupational Hazards, Stonemasonry, Construction News and Environmental Issues

#Occupational Diseases

#Autoimmune Diseases

#Silicosis

#Cancer

#COPD

#Chronic Fatigue

#Hazardous Materials

#Kidney Disease

#Pneumoconiosis

#The Environment

#Pollutants

#Pesticides

and more

Please be nice to each other and follow the rules : []https://mastodon.world/about

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

2. Could mining change how we see the moon from Earth?

When material is extracted from the moon, dust gets kicked up. Without an atmosphere to slow it down, this lunar dust can travel vast distances.

That surface material is "space weathered" and duller than the more reflective material beneath. Disturbing the lunar dust means some patches of the moon may appear brighter where the dust has been kicked up, while other patches may appear more dull if dust resettles on top.

Even small-scale operations might disturb enough dust to create visible changes over time.

Managing lunar dust will be a crucial factor in ensuring sustainable and minimally disruptive mining practices.

3. Who owns the moon?

The Outer Space Treaty (1967) makes it clear no nation can claim to "own" the moon (or any celestial body).

However, it is less clear whether a company extracting resources from the moon violates this non-appropriation clause.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Your first point is pretty distressing. The fact that you can take resources but have no claim will lead to violence pretty quickly if it ever gets developed.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

The second point diminishes that. Because the dirt is all the same there is no specific reason to covet one pile of dirt over another. It's more like mining seawater for gold.