Mission: Moon!

What is it like on the Moon?

What is it like on the Moon? Length of Day Atmosphere Temperature Water Radiation Gravity Landscape 1/4 the size of the Earth 1/6 the gravity of the Earth

Long Days and Long Nights The Moon spins on its axis – rotates – once every 27 days Earth rotates once every 24 hours The Moon’s rotation means its “day” is almost two weeks long – and then it’s dark for two weeks! Rotation is actually 27.3 days

The Moon does not have an atmosphere Nothing to Breathe The Moon does not have an atmosphere Atmospheres are important because they protect us from harmful solar radiation and help to keep temperatures NASA Image http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17542

Really Hot and Really Cold The Moon’s temperatures range from +107 C in the sunlight to –153 C in the shade or darkness (that’s +224 F to –243 F below freezing!) The temperature changes so much because there is no atmosphere to moderate it. Extreme changes are bad for equipment.

Water? There is no liquid water on the Moon. There may be frozen water – ice – in deep craters near the poles. The Moon’s rotational axis is tilted very little; it is possible that the bottoms of some deep craters near the poles never get exposed to sunlight and so they stay permanently dark and permanently cold. Where does the water/ice come from? Comets that occasionally hit the Moon! Oh no.

Sunscreen, Anyone? Solar radiation levels on the Moon’s surface are dangerously high because there is no atmosphere to block incoming radiation.

High Jump! The Moon is smaller than Earth, but because it has mass, it DOES HAVE GRAVITY! The Moon’s gravity is ~1/6 of Earth’s. Because there is less “pull” on you, you will weigh less and jump higher on the Moon! 1/4 the size of the Earth 1/6 the gravity of the Earth

Dusty! The Moon’s rocks have been pulverized into a fine powder by continuous asteroid impacts. This “regolith” layer can be 45 feet thick! Soil is the unconsolidated (loose) top layer of material on Earth’s surface that is made of minerals and, usually, organic matter in which plants grow. Regolith is a general term for the layer of loose rock material that forms the surface of a planet – including Earth! - and covers the rock. Soil is a type of regolith. Other types of regolith include volcanic ash, materials deposited by a glacier or river, sand dunes, the red rocky surface materials of Mars, and the layer of material on the lunar surface.

Lunar Landscape Bright, heavily cratered, Lunar Highlands – terrae. Mostly plagioclase rocks that are about four and a half billion years old! Dark, smooth Lunar Lowlands – maria (“mar-e-uh”). Made of 3 to 4 billion year old basalt – the same rock type as Earth’s ocean floor and the Hawaii volcanos. Lunar Regolith covers much of the surface. Lunar Highlands

What would we need to live on the Moon? Image by Pat Rawlings, S 109, ALMOST THERE, Copyright NASA NASA's Virtual Research Center, "virtually constructed" on the south pole of the Moon and accesible only on the Internet's world-wide web, allows engineers and scientists across the globe to exchange information and work together on research and development projects. The Center provides its users with virtual conference rooms, libraries, and laboratories, while providing the casual web browser with a visit to the main lobby and central complex.

What would we need to live on the Moon? Shelter Power Food Water Earth communications Tools / equipment Ways to move around Image by Pat Rawlings, S 151, The Deal, Copyright NASA Just a few kilometers from the Apollo 17 Taurus Littrow landing site, a lunar mining facility harvests oxygen from the resource-rich volcanic soil of the eastern Mare Serenitatis. Here a Lunar Oxygen Corporations marketing executive describes the high iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium content in the processed tailings, which could be used as raw material for a lunar metals production plant.

Shelter A lunar outpost is needed for long stays to maintain an atmosphere and protect us from temperature extremes … space suits protect us outside the base. It will be built with materials transported from Earth (costly!) but we can use lunar resources Moon to help (titanium, regolith for lunar bricks!). A natural shelter can be found in the lava tubes in ancient volcanic areas. Image by Pat Rawlings, S 114, Copyright NASA

Power Fuel is expensive to transport from Earth Solar power can be used to run an outpost. Solar power will have to be stored in costly batteries for long periods of darkness, unless the base is in a permanently sunny region.

Food Food will be transported from Earth. Eventually, hydroponic gardens will be created to provide food for the outpost. Image by Pat Rawlings, E 50, P.M. Farm, Copyright Pat Rawlings

Water Liquid water does not exist on the Moon’s surface. Water ice may exist in deep, permanently shadowed craters at the poles. All humans need water to drink. Water also can be broken into hydrogen and oxygen and used as a fuel or to create an atmosphere at the enclosed base. Water ice The lack of atmosphere and extremely high temperatures experienced by most of the Moon’s surface preclude liquid water flowing at the surface. Water can be used for human consumption – but also can be broken into its parts – oxygen and hydrogen (for air and fuel) Permanently shadowed regions stay dark all the time because the Moon spins upright on its axis (actually a 7 degree tilt; essentially no tilt to result seasons) and the deepest part of the craters never point toward the Sun.

Calling Home Earth is far away … about 240,000 miles away! We will need to communicate about outpost operations and the health of the astronauts, and we will want to stay in touch with Earth friends, too! The outpost will have to be in constant view of Earth to maintain communications. If the outpost is not in view, costly satellite systems will have to be put in place. 385,000 kilometers from Earth to Moon Note: Astronauts Do Not Use Telephones! Communications travel by radio waves, part of the electromagnetic spectrum!

Tools and Equipment We will need to transport tools and equipment to the lunar outpost to build the base and conduct scientific experiments. Image by Pat Rawlings, S34, Copyright NASA

Roving the Surface We will need ways to move around the surface as we build the outpost, search for resources, and conduct scientific experiments. Image by Pat Rawlings, S 53, Reconnoiter, Copyright NASA

Topography Apollo 15 Landing Site A lunar outpost will have to be built in a safe, relatively flat location that is easy to reach on foot or by Moon buggy. 20 km 12 miles NASA Image. The river-like feature in this photograph is called a "rille." Apollo 15 landed near the rim of this rille (called Hadley Rille) between the two largest mountains. Hadley Rille is 1.5 kilometers wide and 300 meters deep. Rilles are channels in which lava flowed during the eruption of mare basalts. All samples collected from its rim are basalts, proving that flowing water did not form these river-like features. (AS15-M-1135)

Other Considerations What science can we do? Depending on where we go, we can learn different things about how the Moon formed and has changed. We can set up telescopes to monitor Earth or to look deep into space.

When we select a lunar outpost site, we need to consider all of these things! Shelter Power Food Water Earth communications Tools / equipment Ways to move around Image by Pat Rawlings, S 151, The Deal, Copyright NASA Just a few kilometers from the Apollo 17 Taurus Littrow landing site, a lunar mining facility harvests oxygen from the resource-rich volcanic soil of the eastern Mare Serenitatis. Here a Lunar Oxygen Corporations marketing executive describes the high iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium content in the processed tailings, which could be used as raw material for a lunar metals production plant.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission LRO spacecraft launched on June 18, 2009 It will orbit the Moon, collecting data to: Characterize solar radiation on the lunar surface and how it might impact humans and materials Make a high resolution global, 3-D map of the Moon’s surface so we can select landing sites Make very detailed maps of the Moon’s resources and the Moon’s polar regions to see if water ice is present.

Mission: Moon! Just like NASA teams of scientists and engineers, you and your team will propose a site for a future lunar outpost and debate why it should be chosen. Your Mission: Review the data for the different possible lunar outpost sites Select the site that has the fewest risks and most benefits in your view