Fine as talcum powder, sharp as glass and seemingly everywhere, these super-fine particles coated the astronauts like soot and permeated their crew cabin, where it became more than a mere nuisance. Not only did it interfere with their equipment, it irritated their nostrils and eyes, giving some a mild allergic reaction. Nevertheless, between 1969 and 1972, Apollo astronauts brought back nearly 385 kilograms of lunar rock, pebbles and powder back to earth. Today, NASA deems interplanetary dust and dirt -- also known as regolith -- one of the greatest risks to long-term space settlements. On the Moon, it wears away at multi-million-dollar instruments and lodges into the slightest crevasses, weakening seals on pressure suits and causing hardware to malfunction.

A futuristic 3D-printed house that lets guests'experience Mars on Earth' will soon offer you the chance to experience what an interplanetary vacation of the future may be like, its creators say. Nestled in the woods of upstate New York along the Hudson River, Tera will be hired out to holiday-makers hoping to experience what sustainable life could be like on Mars. 'Tera' is the brainchild of AI SpaceFactory, a New York City design agency that was awarded $500,000 (£386,000) earlier this year for winning NASA'S 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge with its previous'Marsha' habitat. Each stay will be used to fund the mission of the firm behind its design, which hopes to research and develop the renewable and sustainable technologies of the future. This technology will be used both here on Earth and, they say, will be one day form the basis of a sustainable colony on the red planet.