Lunar regolith is the unconsolidated material found on the surface of the Moon and in the Moon's tenuous atmosphere. Sometimes referred to as Lunar soil, Lunar soil specifically refers to the component of regolith smaller than 1 cm. It differs substantially in properties from terrestrial soil.

Feb 12, 2025 · Learn about lunar regolith, the layer of dust, rocks, and minerals covering the Moon’s surface, formed by meteoroid impacts over billions of years. Discover its significance for space exploration and future lunar missions.

May 12, 2022 · This research opens the door not only to someday growing plants in habitats on the Moon, but to a wide range of additional questions. Can understanding which genes plants need to adjust to growing in regolith help us understand how to …

6 days ago · Lunar soils are derived from lunar rocks, but they have a distinctive character. They represent the end result of micrometeoroid bombardment and of the Moon’s thermal, particulate, and radiation environments.

Apr 5, 2019 · Nearly all exposed surfaces on the Moon, rocks, pebbles, soil grains, are covered in material from elsewhere: splashes of glass from nearby impacts, very small grains which cling electrostatically or are “glued” on with glass.

Mar 7, 2025 · Moon dust is part of the lunar regolith, the dusty, rocky material that covers much of the Moon's surface.Scientists study lunar regolith to learn more about what the Moon is made of, how it formed, what has happened to it throughout our solar system's history, and how we can explore it safely.Moon dust can get everywhere—even inside of astronauts' lungs!

Apr 3, 2024 · Gardner and Abbott currently are using various microscopy techniques to analyze eight lunar simulants — faux moon soil that is designed to mimic the real thing — and synthetic plagioclase, a brittle, greyish-white mineral that is a major constituent of moon rock.

Jun 21, 2024 · A crucial element in understanding the Moon is its “soil,” or more accurately, its regolith. This isn’t the fertile, life-sustaining soil we find on Earth; rather, it’s a unique substance resulting from billions of years of space weathering.

May 12, 2022 · Scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon, a first in human history and a milestone in lunar and space exploration. In a new paper published in the journal “Communications Biology,” University of Florida researchers showed that plants can successfully sprout and grow in lunar soil.

Feb 12, 2025 · NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 is preparing to explore the Moon’s subsurface and analyze where lunar resources may reside.The experiment’s two key instruments will demonstrate our ability to extract and analyze lunar soil to better understand the lunar environment and subsurface resources, paving the way for sustainable human exploration under the agency’s Artemis ...