13. Tiny Threats

Even if they avoided a great meteor or asteroid, astronauts still have to worry about micrometeorites and solar wind irradiation. These come about when the relentless conditions break up a deep layer of the moon’s soil. The solar wind doesn’t just sweep up gray dust and rock fragments, you see. It could also contain pieces of volcanic glass. Astronauts found that the aggressive pressure of these conditions was a lot to bear – to the point that even their equipment would suffer. Photo Credit: NASA/Public Domain