When, in 1969, the American astronaut Neil Armstrong left his mark on the surface of the Moon, he could hardly have imagined that the dust in which the sole of his boot was marked would be the subject of scientific debate half a century later. But not because of its origin, its characteristics or its composition, but because of a series of properties that could make it a weapon against one of the greatest challenges of humanity: the fight against climate change. .
This is what a group of scientists from the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics of the University of Utah (USA) assures in a curious and detailed article of the prestigious magazine Climate of Plos, publication that includes the main scientific advances in climate science. According to the researchers, the dust could double as de Climate Change Shield, creating a kind of umbrella that mitigates its devastating effects.
“If we take a small amount of lunar dust and place it in a special orbit between the Earth and the Sun, we could block out a lot of sun with a small amount of mass,” said Ben Bromley, professor of physics and astronomy and lead author of the study.
“Since we know the positions and masses of the major celestial bodies in our solar system, we can use the laws of gravity track the position of a simulated parasol over time in different orbits,” added Sameer Khan, another of the study’s co-authors.
“It is amazing to see how the lunar dust, which took more than 4 billion years by being generated, it could help halt the Earth’s temperature rise, a problem that took us less than 300 years to produce,” reflected Scott Kenyon, another of the paper’s co-authors.
Expensive… and difficult
And how does lunar dust get into orbit? It’s simple: shoot it. Either from a space platform located at the point of Lagrange L1, closest between the Earth and the Sun and in which gravity is balanced, or from the Moon’s own surface in the direction of the Sun. In either case, the lunar dust would create a solar shield that would stay in orbit for some time, helping to reduce solar radiation.
The map looks like science fiction. And in fact, its execution would not be exactly simple. Right off the bat, its costs would be – and it’s never said better – astronomical, especially in the first of the scenarios. Therefore, those responsible for the study wanted to emphasize that this is only a series of simulations based on theoretical calculations.
“We are not experts in climate change or the rocket science needed to move mass from one place to another,” Bromley clarified. “We’re just exploring different types of dust in a variety of orbits to see how effective this approach is. We do not want to miss the opportunity to change the rules of the game on such a critical issue.