There is a way to mitigate global warming and it involves using moondust. According to a new report, we can make a sun shield using the dust from the moon.
Moondust as Sun Shield Against Climate Change
Researchers from the University of Utah (UU) and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, explored an unorthodox approach to combat climate change - using moondust as a sun shield.
Dust is reportedly effective in scattering starlight. A small amount of dust by mass could deflect more light a full-grown planet, Benjamin Bromley, a researcher at UU's Department of Physics and Astronomy and lead author of the study, told Newsweek. What they were exploring was how much dust they need to reduce the sunlight that the Earth receives.
Potential sources of dust to be used are mines on Earth, lunar dust and those from near-Earth asteroids.
Scientists have considered numerous solar shield designs. These include vast swarms of small, steerable satellites, redirected asteroids, and the placement of dust clouds in specific orbital locations.
The researchers considered delivering moondust to a way station as a possible solution for dust clouds. It would be located at a special orbital location known as the Lagrange L1 point, which is a gravitational sweet spot between Earth and the Sun and is approximately 1 million miles from our planet.
While orbiting our star, a natural or artificial object at L1 can "hover" in the same position relative to the sun and Earth. Essentially, the gravitational forces at L1 would allow the station to move directly between our planet and the sun, alongside the Earth. A spacecraft could eject dust there to create a cloud that would act as a sunshade.
However, after exploring various options, the authors concluded that one novel approach was the most promising. The method involves propelling lunar dust toward L1 using a jet dubbed a "moonjet." The moonjet's flight path would be optimized to provide as much shade as possible.
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Moonjet Approach For Sun Shield Using Moondust
This moonjet approach, according to Bromley, was more "feasible" than the alternatives considered and could safeguard the planet for up to a week.
Also, it is the optimal method for three reasons. First, there is an abundance of lunar dust on the surface of the moon. Second, the available solar energy could be harvested. Third, in comparison to launching a shield from Earth, a relatively low escape velocity is required.
Although moonjet is not as adept as the other methods, it is simpler and easier to maintain. The idea is to autonomously mine lunar dust and transport it to a launch platform or platforms, Bromley said.
The launchers could be powered by a bank of solar panels and be electromagnetic, similar to a rail gun. Instead of chemical explosives, rail guns use electromagnetic energy to propel projectiles at high speeds.
The authors found that if the moonjet concept ever becomes a reality, it could effectively reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth. The objective would be to dim the sun by approximately 2%. According to researchers, this is the threshold for the desired effect on the climate of our planet.
The team determined the effectiveness of various types of dust as a solar shield. The researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a dust shield depending on where it was deployed.
Bromley said this approach is the most energy-efficient. They are looking into this approach to help give people more time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The study is published in the journal PLOS Climate Wednesday.
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