Iron on its surface, combined with water and oxygen from the ancient past, give the Red Planet its hue. But scientists were recently surprised to find evidence that our airless Moon has rust on it as well. ... The mineral is a form of iron oxide, or rust, produced when iron is exposed to oxygen and water.

How long before the moon is fully rusted?

NASA plans to return to the moon by 2024

It shouldn't be possible -- after all, there's no oxygen on the moon, one of the two essential elements to create rust, the other being water.

Is the moon slowly rusting?

The moon is slowly rusting, changing its colour to a slight red - and it's probably Earth's fault. ... Rust is produced when oxygen removes electrons from iron; hydrogen does the opposite by adding electrons. This makes it near impossible for rust to form on the hydrogen-rich moon.