Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Yes, but Space is Big. The density of dust of any description (lunar or other, including residual solar system dust, comet dust, asteroid dust, etc.) is low. Relative velocities can be quite high, however, and even very small particles (sand to ball-bearing sized) can inflict significant damage. Attenuation in low-Earth orbit (where the ISS is) from atmospheric drag is also probably fairly high, so that any dust captured in such an orbit (as opposed to passing through on a one-time or high-inclination orbit) would likely enter the atmosphere fairly quickly.

That said, I've seen discussion elsewhere that lunar dust accelerated by any mechanism (impacts, or rocket fire) won't billow as dust does on Earth, but will launch on a ballistic trajectory. Whether that's suborbital, orbital, or (lunar) escape velocity depends on the initiating event.

We've found numerous lunar and Martial fragments as Earth-impact meteorites, with various sources giving 200--400 known Martian fragments:

<https://www.sciencealert.com/almost-200-fragments-of-mars-ma...>

Lunar dust liberated by impacts is all but certainly a component of near-Earth space dust, but probably a small percentage based on a quick search. Most seems to be of comet or asteroid origin.



Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: