All 12 moonwalkers had "lunar hay fever" from dust smelling like gunpowder (2018)

Lunar Dust: Properties and Hazards

• Lunar regolith is described as “fine like powder, sharp like glass,” highly abrasive, and electrostatically charged.
• It sticks to suits, skin, tools, and interior surfaces; Apollo reports describe hardware (locks, hinges, mirrors, cameras) progressively jamming despite cleaning attempts.
• Dust irritates eyes, skin, and lungs; astronauts reported “lunar hay fever.” It can damage seals and mechanical systems.
• Comparisons are made to asbestos, fiberglass, and silicosis: particles are sharp, biologically indigestible, and may accumulate in lungs with chronic exposure.
• Many note Apollo exposure was brief, suggesting low but nonzero lifetime cancer risk; concern is focused on long-term bases rather than short missions.

Smell, Oxidation, and Ozone

• Moon dust and airlocks reportedly smell like spent gunpowder when first exposed to air; commenters attribute this to rapid oxidation of previously unoxidized minerals, especially sulfides.
• Airlocks and EVA gear in orbit are said to smell like ozone, burnt metal, or burnt steak, linked to hard vacuum, atomic oxygen, and surface reactions.
• Long subthread on ozone and UV sterilization: how to generate it, its strong oxidizing and health risks, and proper precautions.

Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Terraforming

• Mars regolith contains perchlorates; some see this as a major toxicity challenge requiring strict isolation or biochemical detox, others note their main effect (thyroid disruption) may be medically manageable and/or chemically neutralizable (e.g., water, microbes).
• Venus cloud cities and Mercury subsurface habitats are discussed as alternative concepts, each with serious trade-offs.
• Several argue full planetary terraforming (Mars, Moon) is likely beyond practical energy and material limits; crustal reactions would consume introduced oxygen on geological timescales.
• Others counter that over centuries–millennia, self-sustaining biological processes might transform environments, citing Earth’s Great Oxidation Event.

Alternative Settlement Concepts and Engineering

• Strong support from some for skipping planets entirely and building rotating space habitats with artificial gravity, controlled environments, and asteroid-sourced materials.
• Mitigation ideas for dust and toxicity: suitports (suits stay outside), electrodynamic dust shields, electrostatic repulsion, air showers, and sintered-regolith “concrete” floors or construction.

Meta: Value of Space vs Earth

• Multiple comments stress that space and other bodies are extraordinarily hostile; Earth is “pretty nice” and deeply undervalued.
• Skepticism toward “we’ll just move to Mars” narratives; concern that such stories may enable neglect of Earth.
• Tangents cover astronaut fitness, hygiene vs immune system, and whether space budgets are ethically justified relative to homelessness and war, with disagreement but no clear consensus.