Allergic To Moon Dust? Yes! Here’s The Story Of One Apollo Astronaut’s Allergic Reaction On The Moon

Humankind has not been on the surface of the Moon for more than 50 years.

It’s shocking & sad.

The last crewed lunar mission was the Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Geologist Harrison Schmitt was one of the mission crew members who landed on the Moon.

After one of the “moonwalks” (lunar Extravehicular Activity), Schmitt suddenly showed allergic reactions while he and Commander Gene Cernan were brushing themselves off from lunar dust.

Schmitt began sneezing while his eyes reddened, his throat itched, and his sinuses clogged.

Schmitt recalled his experience a few years ago:

“First time I smelled the dust, I had an allergic reaction, the inside of my nose became swollen, you could hear it in my voice. But that gradually that went away for me, and by the fourth time I inhaled lunar dust, I didn’t notice that.”

NASA takes this issue quite seriously.

The agency has been working on a solution to support future lunar crewed missions so other astronauts won’t have to experience such allergic reactions.

Because who wants to go to the Moon and struggle with sneezing and throat itching?!