Hazards of Lunar Surface Exploration: Determining the Immunogenicity/Allergenicity of Lunar Dust

During the Apollo moon missions, there were consistent reports of lunar dust exposure leading to upper respiratory symptoms in both astronauts and ground support personnel. Crew members and landing vehicles will inevitably be exposed to lunar dust in future lunar missions and the hazards associated with this are essentially unknown. The goal of this study is to determine, in a simple cell culture experiment, if lunar dust has the capacity to serve as an allergen, an adjuvant, or a cellular toxin.