Moon dust eaten by cockroaches? There are so many embarrassing things in space travel

Recently, a small piece of lunar dust sample brought back to Earth by American astronauts in 1969 was auctioned. What is different is that this piece of lunar dust has been eaten by cockroaches and then extracted. When the public heard about this, they could not help but feel embarrassed. In fact, humans have encountered many ridiculous and embarrassing things in the process of exploring space, but these have not prevented scientific researchers from overcoming difficulties and moving forward steadily.

The national treasure "Moon Rock" is a fake

If you know the full story of the cockroach eating moon dust incident, I guess everyone's embarrassment will be much less. After the first American astronauts landed on the moon and returned in 1969, NASA built special facilities to isolate the astronauts, lunar soil, etc. from the outside world. During this period, the astronauts received medical examinations, and various small animals (from fish to mice to cockroaches) were exposed to the lunar soil, and researchers observed their reactions.

A sample of lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969

It is reported that the astronauts brought back 22 kilograms of lunar soil, of which about 10% was used for the test. The results showed that no animal was seriously ill from contact with the lunar soil. Later, eight well-preserved cockroaches were dissected and no evidence of any infectious pathogens was found, nor was there any sign that the lunar soil was toxic or harmful to the cockroaches. It can be said that these cockroaches are important helpers in scientific research.

However, another incident involving lunar objects was a complete embarrassment.

According to statistics, American astronauts have brought back more than 2,400 rock samples weighing more than 380 kilograms from the moon, which has effectively promoted related research. The United States has also given lunar rock samples as diplomatic gifts to more than 100 countries. The then Prime Minister of the Netherlands was given a rock sample the size of a child's fist.

After the prime minister's death, the rock sample was collected by the National Museum of the Netherlands. It was placed in a prominent display booth with strict security measures. Even the glass cover on the outside was made of special bulletproof glass.

In 2006, a "miracle twist" occurred. A scientist came to the Rijksmuseum of the Netherlands and discovered at a glance: this "moon rock sample" was a fake!

As we all know, the surface of the moon is generally gray, but the rock sample collected by the Netherlands is colorful and reddish-brown in color. Soon, geologists found that the rock sample was petrified wood. After being buried deep underground for many years, the organic matter contained in the wood will be oxidized and eroded by the mineral components in the soil, gradually forming fossils. Obviously, this petrified wood could not have come from the moon.

What's more interesting is that NASA responded that it had never given the Netherlands a lunar rock sample. So where did the Netherlands get this rock sample from? I don't know which side was joking. The Dutch side took it easy and the rock sample is still on display in the museum.

Practice moon landing without fear of accidents

Before the American astronauts landed on the moon, they went through a detailed rehearsal on Earth. One of the problems was gravity: how could we simulate the 1/6 gravity of the moon in the Earth environment? The simulators used at the time did not give the astronauts a sense of intuition, so NASA decided to implement real-person flights.

Since the Apollo lunar lander had not yet been finalized, American companies spent 14 months trying to build a lunar landing test vehicle, abbreviated as LLRV. From 1964 to 1968, American astronauts repeatedly trained for lunar landing on the LLRV and nicknamed it the "flying bedstead."

This nickname aptly describes the appearance of the LLRV: four landing legs supported by aluminum alloy frames, the pilot sitting in an open-air seat, and a General Electric CF700-2V turbofan engine installed in the middle on the gimbal. The initial training plan was to use the turbofan engine to propel the entire bed frame to an altitude of 1,200 meters, and then reduce the throttle to simulate 1/6 of the gravity of the descent. Astronauts can also use the two hydrogen peroxide rockets on the bed frame to simulate the operational details of the descent mission.

Ideals are full, but reality is very skinny - the performance of the electronic control system at the time was limited, and the "flying bed frame" was not stable in climbing, hovering and translation. Astronauts would over-manipulate it if they were not careful. Although it was not high from the ground, if it crashed, it would be enough to cause a tragedy.

On May 6, 1968, during routine training at Ellington Air Force Base near Houston, the "Flying Bed Frame" suffered a propellant leak. At the time, the "Flying Bed Frame" was more than 60 meters above the ground. After the propellant leaked, its control surface quickly failed, the seat tilted to one side, and the "Flying Bed Frame" fell rapidly. The on-site personnel were all stunned, and the company representatives broke out in a cold sweat when they heard the news of the accident.

Fortunately, the astronaut who was training at the time reacted very quickly, without hesitation, activated the ejection seat instantly, ejected before hitting the ground, and landed next to the burning wreckage of the "flying bed frame" 4 seconds later. Then, the astronaut, who was worthy of his skill and courage, calmly returned to the office to write a report as if nothing had happened.

This astronaut was Armstrong, the "first man to land on the moon" who became famous all over the world a year later. It seems that opportunities often come to those who are prepared.

Space Flood

When astronauts are walking in space, the space suit is the only safety guarantee. Because the space suit is related to life safety and mission success, it has extremely high technical requirements. It must protect astronauts from cosmic radiation and micro-dust, and accurately adjust the internal temperature, oxygen, pressure, etc. to create a comfortable internal environment for astronauts. The structure is complex and accidents are unavoidable occasionally.

In 2013, ESA astronaut Parmitano discovered during a mission that many small water droplets appeared inside his space helmet. In a microgravity environment, these water droplets floated around and once submerged his mouth and nose, and he was choked by water while breathing. Soon, the water droplets entered his eye sockets, seriously affecting his vision, causing Parmitano to be unable to open his eyes for about 45 minutes. Fortunately, his colleagues discovered his abnormality and helped him return to the International Space Station in time, avoiding a tragedy. Afterwards, nearly 1.5 liters of accumulated water were drained from his space helmet. In recent years, astronauts on the International Space Station have repeatedly encountered water leaks in their extravehicular space suits and space helmets. Some astronauts have even nearly lost their lives, with serious consequences.

Investigations show that the cause of the accident is often a leak in the cooling water pipe system that covers the astronauts' bodies. The ISS space suits are generally supplied by NASA, and frequent accidents have inevitably made the US lose face. In fact, these space suits were continuously modified based on the model developed in 1974. At that time, researchers had insufficient knowledge of the space environment and were inevitably inconsiderate about the long-term work and life of humans in space. By today's standards, the designed products have safety hazards and have many minor problems after long-term use.

In response to space flooding, NASA, on the one hand, has stepped up the development of new space suits with the help of major missions such as "Artemis", trying to reduce potential components such as cooling water pipes and use new heat dissipation and temperature control materials. On the other hand, it can only continue to repair the existing extravehicular space suits and suspend the spacewalk missions on the International Space Station from time to time for safety reasons.

Aerospace engineering requires long-term and sustained investment. If funds cannot support comprehensive updates, old products can only be patched up, and the price is inevitable embarrassment and unexpected shocks.