Moondust

I received an interesting request from a third grader the other day. His class is doing a class on different types of dirt. His mom said she knew a Soldier in Afghanistan. I can only imagine how wide his eyes must have gotten, "there's dirt in Afghanistan." Oh yes my young friend there is indeed dirt here. Not much else really. But we don't call it 'dirt' around here; we call it 'moon dust'. Just like the regolith on the Moon, this stuff gets everywhere. After a lengthy walk, you have dust in places you didn't know you had. And it wreaks havoc on our equipment and supplies. Its worst property is also its best and the main reason why people can survive in Afghanistan. The dust absorbs water better than a sponge. Add a teaspoon of water and the stuff turns into miry clay faster than you can blink. This is great if you want to rebuild the fortress at Ghazni or plant crops just before the winter rains but terrible if you have to walk 4 miles across it for some odd reason unbeknownst to you. So here are a few pictures of the moon dust. When I get back to North Carolina I can send you pictures of that other wonderful substance, red clay. :)