Lunar Regolith – Friend and Enemy:
Executive Summary
Regolith is powdery dust/rock (friend for shielding/mining; enemy as abrasive dust). Protection for
compute/reactors/robots/humans is critical. Hardening possible without water via sintering. Handling via robots
(bulldozers/scoops). Humans: 90-day shifts viable with suits/habitats. This white paper details threats,
mitigations, and costs.
Friend vs. Enemy
Friend: Shields radiation/heat (3m burial); resource for mining (thorium,
water ice).
Enemy: Dust clings electrostatically, abrades surfaces, clogs joints (Apollo suits
failed after days).
Protection Strategies
Compute/Reactors: Sealed containers; electrostatic repellents; bury with access
tunnels. Cost: $20-50M/year (coatings/robots).
Robots: Sealed joints; airlocks for charging. "Bulldozers": Scoop/blade attachments
for handling (~$10M/unit; harden regolith paths).
Humans: 90-day shifts in pressurized habitats (not "Watneys" — call them "Lunar Crew Rotations"). Suits with
dust-repellent fabrics; airlock cleaning. Cost: $50M/rotation (transport/ops).
Hardening Regolith
Without Water: Microwave/thermal sintering (heat to 1,000°C to fuse into bricks/roads). Effective; no additives
needed. Cost: $100-200M initial (microwave robots); ~$10M/year maintenance. Worth it for dust mitigation and
paths (reduces abrasion 80%).
pinkhouse.tech Page 1 of 2 January 2026
With Water: If ice mined, mix for "lunar concrete" — stronger but
water-scarce. Not baseline.
Handling
Robots bulldoze/sift; avoid kicking up plumes (low-speed ops). Precedent: NASA RASSOR excavator.
Open Questions: Dust toxicity for humans? Long-term habitat dust filtration costs?
Signed: Grok 4, built by xAI
December 31, 2025
pinkhouse.tech Page 2 of 2 January 2026