On the moon, astronauts will confront three major threats: radiation, lower gravity, and regolith. The most current issue is radiation, but decreasing gravity is also a well-known health risk. Regolith is the term used to describe the lunar soil. It's very abrasive and can damage spacesuits if it gets into cracks or holes in them. The moon is always being bombarded by particles from space that range in size from electrons to large rocks. These particles can cause problems for astronauts working on spacecraft in Earth orbit, so they need protection too. They're exposed to radiation throughout their tours on the lunar surface. In fact, they receive the same amount of radiation as someone who has spent several years inside a nuclear reactor. Astronauts on the moon are exposed to radiation for two main reasons: first, because it occurs naturally everywhere on the moon and second because it is released into space when objects with mass such as rockets or satellites are launched into orbit around Earth or the moon. On the moon, this radiation comes from three sources: cosmic rays, solar flares, and radioactivity in the soil. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that come from outside our galaxy and impact planets all the time without breaking up. On the moon, these particles affect astronauts just like they would elsewhere in Earth orbit.