Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University, Novocherkassk, Russia:

A. I. Gavrishin, Professor, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural History and Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, agavrishin@rambler.ru

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia:
I. V. Ivanov, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the environmental hazard of mineral exploration and mining on the Moon by means of the trace elemental analysis of lunar regoliths and impact assessment of trace elements on the health of future lunar colonists. Currently, in space research, the problem of using near-Earth space and introducing mineral mining technologies is becoming especially relevant. To meet this objective, this work uses the modern computer technology for classifying multidimensional observations (G-method), which makes it possible to distinguish homogeneous taxonomic units (types, classes, etc.) under conditions of self-organization without an instructor. To assess the chemical composition of regoliths, the concentration coefficient and the total quality reduction index were calculated. According to the resultant classification of 38 trace elements, 13 most aggressive elements are distinguished; the concentrations of these elements in regoliths are many times higher than their concentrations in terrestrial soils: Cr, Ni, Be, Co, Sc, Au, Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Lu. It is these trace elements that can have a negative impact on the vital activity of selenauts. The classification of regoliths and basalts of all lunar expeditions (19 lunar samples) showed a wide variety of their chemical composition and pointed at the need to assess its quality. According to the chemical composition, all regoliths are classified as ‘crisis’, and only regolith Apollo-14 can be classified as ‘disaster’. Furthermore, the toxic effect of the aggressive trace elements on bodies of future lunar colonists is characterized and the most likely diseases are given. Thus, the level of the environmental hazard during the Moon exploration due to the trace elements of regoliths is evaluated, and the need to continue the research is stated.

1. Krichevsky S. V. The Exploration of the Moon: History, Model, Superglobal Project and Environmentally Friendly Technologies. Vozdushno-kosmicheskaya sfera. 2019. No. 3(100). pp. 16–25.
2. Krichevsky S. Cosmic Union of Communities: A New Concept and Technologies of Creating Cosmic Humanity. Philosophy and Cosmology. 2019. Vol. 22. pp. 33–50.
3. Bobin V. A., Bobina A. V. The Project of the Simplest Settlements Creation at the Stage of the Moon’s Interior Exploration. Vozdushno-kosmicheskaya sfera. 2020. No. 2(103). pp. 54–61.
4. Zhdanova D. N., Shmarin N. V. Moon – problems and prospects related to development. Current Challenges in Aviation and Astronautics : The Astronautics Day’s XIV International Conference Proceedings. Krasnoyarsk : SibGU im. M. F. Reshetneva, 2018. Vol. 3. pp. 555–556.
5. Gavrishin A. I., Koradini A. Multidimensional classification method and applications in natural object analysis. Moscow : Nedra, 1994. 96 p.
6. Gavrishin A. I. The application of digital technology in the analysis of classification of technological changes to the environment in the Eastern Donbass. Izvestiya vuzov. Severo-Kavkazskiy region. Tekhnicheskie nauki. 2020. No. 1(205). pp. 11–17.
7. Instructional guide on geochemical analysis of the environmental pollution sources. Moscow : IMGRE, 1982. 66 p.
8. Gavrishin A. I. Comparative analysis of two methods for assessing water quality. Geoekologiya. Inzhenernaya geologiya, gidrogeologiya, geokriologiya. 2021. No. 2. pp. 57–66.
9. Golovin A. A. Temporary requirements on geochemical supervision geological surveys with final creation of State Geological Map-200. 2nd ed. Moscow : Izdatelstvo Ministerstva pripodnykh resursov RF, 1999. 350 p.
10. Kabata-Pendias A., Pendias H. Trace Elements in Soils and Plants. 3rd ed. Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2001. 432 p.
11. Vinogradov A. P. (Ed.). Lunar soil from the Mare Fecunditatis: Collected works. Moscow : Nauka, 1974. 624 p.
12. Barsukov V. L., Surkov Yu. A. (Eds.). Lunar soil from the land area : Collected works. Moscow : Nauka, 1979. 708 p.
13. Barsukov V. L. (Ed.). Lunar soil from the Mare Crisium : Collected works. Moscow : Nauka, 1980. 359 p.
14. Vinogradov A. P. (Ed.). Cosmochemistry of the Moon and Planets : The Soviet–American Conference Proceedings. Moscow : Nauka, 1975. 764 p.
15. Gose W. A. (Ed.). Proceedings of the 5^th Lunar Science Conference. Houston, 1974. Vol. 1. Mineralogy and Petrology. New York : Pergamon Press, 1974. 973 p.
16. Marks N. E., Borg L. E., Shearer C. K., Cassata W. S. Geochronology of an Apollo 16 Clast Provides Evidence for a Basin-Forming Impact 4.3 Billion Years Ago. JGR: Planets. 2019. Vol. 124, Iss. 10. pp. 2465–2481.
17. Morison A., Labrosse S., Deguen R., Alboussière T. Timescale of overturn in a magma ocean cumulate. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2019. Vol. 516. pp. 25–36.
18. Zhao Y., de Vries J., van den Berg A. P., Jacobs M. H. G., van Westrenen W. The participation of ilmenite-bearing cumulates in lunar mantle overturn. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2019. Vol. 511. pp. 1–11.
19. Simon J. I., Christoffersen R., Wang J., Mouser M. D., Mills R. D. et al. Volatiles in lunar felsite clasts: Impact-related delivery of hydrous material to an ancient dry lunar crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 2020. Vol. 276. pp. 299–326.
20. Barabash S., Futaana Y. SELMA: a mission to study lunar environment and surface interaction. Geophysical Research Abstracts : Conference. Munich : Copernicus GmbH on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2017. Vol. 19.
21. Costello E. S., Ghent R. R., Lucey P. G. A Refreshed Model for the Mixing Rate of Lunar Regolith. Proceeding s of XLVIII Lunar and Planetary Science Conferences. The Woodlands, Texas, 2017. 1672.
22. Gavrishin A., Coradini A. Assessment of the quality of Lunar samples. American Scientific Journal. 2021. Vol. 1, Nо. 45. pp. 25–29.
23. Wu Y. Z., Wang Z. C., Zhang X. Y. In situ spectra of the Moon. Proceedings of the 5^th European Lunar Symposium. Münster, 2017. pp. 235–236.
24. Baranov V. M., Katuntsev V. P., Baranov M. V., Shpakov A. V., Tarasenkov G. G. Challenges for space medicine in human development of the moon: risks, adaptation, health, workability. Ulyanovskiy mediko-biologicheskiy zhurnal. 2018. No. 3. pp. 109–123.
25. Avtsyn A. P., Zhavoronkov A. A., Rish M. A., Strochkova L. S. Micro elementoses of humans (etiology, classification, organopathalogy). Moscow : Meditsina, 1991. 496 p.
26. Orlov V. P., Farrakhov E. G., Volfson I. F., Alekseev V. M., Prozorova M. V. Current status and prospects of medical geology (to the Results of VII Conference of the International Medical and Geological Association MedGeo-2017). Razvedka i okhrana nedr. 2018. No. 1. pp. 3–8.
27. Shopina O. V. Medical environmental geochemistry. The impact of elemental composition of the environment on human health. Russian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2019. No. 4. pp. 47–67.
28. Skalnyi A. V., Kirichuk A. A. Chemical elements in ecology, human physiology and medicine. Moscow : Izdatelstvo RUDN, 2020. 209 p.
29. Suslikov V. L. Geochemical ecology of diseases. Vol. 3. Atomovitoses. Moscow : Gelios ARB, 2002. 670 p.