Category Archives: Moon Colonization

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Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the moon" because people didn't know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610.

Size and Distance

With a radius of 1,079.6 miles (1,737.5 kilometers), the moon is less than a third the width of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, the moon would be about as big as a coffee bean.

The moon is farther away from Earth than most people realize. The moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away. That means 30 Earth-sized planets could fit in between Earth and the moon.

The moon is slowly moving away from Earth, getting about an inch farther away each year.

Orbit and Rotation

The moon is rotating at the same rate that it revolves around Earth (called synchronous rotation), so the same hemisphere faces Earth all the time. Some people call the far side the hemisphere we never see from Earth the "dark side," but that's misleading. As the moon orbits Earth, different parts are in sunlight or darkness at different times. The changing illumination is why, from our perspective, the moon goes through phases. During a "full moon," the hemisphere of the moon we can see from Earth is fully illuminated by the sun. And a "new moon" occurs when the far side of the moon has full sunlight, and the side facing us is having its night.

The moon makes a complete orbit around Earth in 27 Earth days and rotates or spins at that same rate, or in that same amount of time. Because Earth is moving as well rotating on its axis as it orbits the sun from our perspective, the moon appears to orbit us every 29 days.

Formation

The leading theory of the moon's origin is that a Mars-sized body collided with Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. The resulting debris from both Earth and the impactor accumulated to form our natural satellite 239,000 miles (384,000 kilometers) away. The newly formed moon was in a molten state, but within about 100 million years, most of the global "magma ocean" had crystallized, with less-dense rocks floating upward and eventually forming the lunar crust.

Structure

Earth's moon has a core, mantle and crust.

The moons core is proportionally smaller than other terrestrial bodies' cores. The solid, iron-rich inner core is 149 miles (240 kilometers) in radius. It is surrounded by a liquid iron shell 56 miles (90 kilometers) thick. A partially molten layer with a thickness of 93 miles (150 kilometers) surrounds the iron core.

The mantle extends from the top of the partially molten layer to the bottom of the moons crust. It is most likely made of minerals like olivine and pyroxene, which are made up of magnesium, iron, silicon and oxygen atoms.

The crust has a thickness of about 43 miles (70 kilometers) on the moons near-side hemisphere and 93 miles (150 kilometers) on the far-side. It is made of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium and aluminum, with small amounts of titanium, uranium, thorium, potassium and hydrogen.

Long ago the moon had active volcanoes, but today they are all dormant and have not erupted for millions of years.

Surface

With too sparse an atmosphere to impede impacts, a steady rain of asteroids, meteoroids and comets strikes the surface of the moon, leaving numerous craters behind. Tycho Crater is more than 52 miles (85 kilometers) wide.

Over billions of years, these impacts have ground up the surface of the moon into fragments ranging from huge boulders to powder. Nearly the entire moon is covered by a rubble pile of charcoal-gray, powdery dust and rocky debris called the lunar regolith. Beneath is a region of fractured bedrock referred to as the megaregolith.

The light areas of the moon are known as the highlands. The dark features, called maria (Latin for seas), are impact basins that were filled with lava between 4.2 and 1.2 billion years ago. These light and dark areas represent rocks of different composition and ages, which provide evidence for how the early crust may have crystallized from a lunar magma ocean. The craters themselves, which have been preserved for billions of years, provide an impact history for the moon and other bodies in the inner solar system.

If you looked in the right places on the moon, you would find pieces of equipment, American flags, and even a camera left behind by astronauts. While you were there, you'd notice that the gravity on the surface of the moon is one-sixth of Earth's, which is why in footage of moonwalks, astronauts appear to almost bounce across the surface.

The temperature reaches about 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius) when in full sun, but in darkness, the temperatures plummets to about -280 degrees Fahrenheit (-173 degrees Celsius).

Atmosphere

The moon has a very thin and weak atmosphere, called an exosphere. It does not provide any protection from the sun's radiation or impacts from meteoroids.

Potential for Life

The many missions that have explored the moon have found no evidence to suggest it has its own living things. However, the moon could be the site of future colonization by humans, though there are no immediate plans to do so.

Moons

Earth's moon has no moons of its own.

Rings

The moon has no rings.

Magnetosphere

The early moon may have developed an internal dynamo, the mechanism for generating global magnetic fields for terrestrial planets, but today, the moon has a very weak magnetic field. The magnetic field here on Earth is many thousands of times stronger than the moon's magnetic field.

Exploration

Human beings have studied the moon for millennia, watching its phases change and observing eclipses both solar and lunar. During a solar eclipse, our moon moves between Earth and the sun and blocks the sunlight. In a lunar eclipse, Earth blocks the sun's light that normally lights up the moon, so we see Earths shadow over the face of the moon. From Earth, we see the moon get dark and often turn red. This happens because Earth's atmosphere scatters blue and green light while it bends yellow, orange and red wavelengths toward the moon.

The moon is the most explored body in our solar system besides Earth, having been visited by numerous spacecraft from multiple space agencies around the world. It's also the only place besides Earth where human beings have set foot.

Significant Dates:

Pop Culture

Our lunar neighbor has inspired stories since the first humans looked up at the sky and saw its grey, cratered face. Some observers saw among the craters the shape of a person's face, so stories refer to a mysterious "man in the moon." Hungrier observers compared its craters to cheese and dreamed of an entire sphere made of delicious dairy products.

The moon made its film debut in a 1902 black and white silent French film called Le Voyage Dans la Lune (a trip to the moon). And a year before astronauts walked on the moon, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) told the story of astronauts on an outpost on the moon. Decades later, it is still widely regarded as the best science fiction movie ever made.

In reality, while we do not yet have a moon colony, spacecraft have left lots of debris on the lunar surface, and astronauts have planted six American flags on the moon. But that doesn't mean the United States has claimed it; in fact, an international law written in 1967 prevents any single nation from owning planets, stars, or any other natural objects in space.

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Moon: About the Moon

Sacramento Bee

World-famous author has found his writing utopia outdoors, under a tarp, in Davis Sacramento Bee With his laptop on a patio table, the famed novelist imagines a unexpectedly livable future Earth, moon, Mars and more. It's where he's written several of his best-selling novels including his current New York 2140, ... His celebrated Mars trilogy ...

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World-famous author has found his writing utopia outdoors, under a tarp, in Davis - Sacramento Bee

The historical re-enactment festival was sponsored by the Tri-Cities Historical Museum for more than a decade. After the museum relinquished control of the festival, the newly formed West Michigan Historical Alliance took over.

The Feast of the Strawberry Moon runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 per person or $15 per family.

The alliances executive director, Chris Hornby, said this year they want to make the festival more period correct to the 1800s.While she says they arent changing too much, there will be different entertainment, along with additions in vendors and artisans.

As far as the essence of the event, it will be mostly the same, she said.

Hornby said the alliances biggest challenge in taking over as host of the feast was getting the word out that the event was still happening.

The feast typically draws about 250 re-enactors, entertainers, demonstrators and period vendors to provide the experience of the 18th century to thousands of public visitors each June.The festival explores the history of the Native American culture, the French exploration period, English colonization and American unification of West Michigan.

Hornby also noted their efforts to keep the Feast of the Strawberry Moon family-oriented.

The festival will include activities such as candle dipping, tomahawk throwing, jugglers, music, comedy and military demonstrations.

A new element for this years festival is a Kids Day on Friday, when more than 150 homeschooled and Griffin Elementary School students will experience the feast and learn about life in the 1800s.

Excerpt from:
Feast of the Strawberry Moon returns this weekend - Grand Haven Tribune

A team of 11 UC San Diego students who lost after competing in Googles Lunar XPRIZE competition as finalists have been given a second chance to take their project to the moon after teaming up with Synergy Moon, a fellow competitor in Googles contest.

The student team, known as Original Gravity, commenced the experiment back in August 2016 after being involved in another student competition introduced to them by Dr. Ramesh Rao, a professor at the Jacobs School of Engineering.

The objective of that competition was to come up with an experiment that can sustain life on the moon, and whomever can come up with the best experiment, won a spot on a rocket that was involved in the Google Lunar XPrize Competition, Neeki Ashari said, a fifth-year Bioengineering major in Revelle College and one of Original Gravitys three team leaders.

Googles Lunar XPrize consists of teams who are privately funded to be the first to land their spacecrafts on the moon. After landing, the spacecrafts are to travel 500 meters and then transmit back high definition images and videos of the travel.

After hearing about the competition, the team got together to come up with possible projects that would secure them a place on the rocket.

As we were discussing possibilities for a concept, a home brewer on our team threw in the idea of brewing beer on the moon, Ashari said. We were all fans of the idea, especially because we all enjoyed the craft and science behind it. We had a few laughs, but then slowly we began to realize that it would also serve a scientific purpose: understanding yeast in a lunar gravity environment.

Aside from understanding the viability of yeast on the moon as well as in low Earth orbit (LEO), the project would play a crucial role in determining the possibility of a lunar colony ever being established on the moon as humans are very dependent on yeast in their daily food intake.

Yeast is one of the most prevalent microorganisms around, Ashari said. It is a major component in all of our everyday necessities. Such as foods (bread), beverages and pharmaceuticals (insulin). It is a necessity for which the majority of humans have become dependent on. This experiment would far exceed brewing applications and would actually serve as a vital purpose. If we can understand this, it can play a role in consumptive and clinical applications for the future of colonization in space exploration.

The projects consist of a small canister that upon moon landing, will mix yeast and wort, which will then start the fermentation process to produce the alcohol.

Original Gravitys beer-brewing experiment landed them in the finals, however, the team faced a devastating loss.

It was very disheartening to hear, however, we were not going to quit, Ashari said.

After the loss, Ashari reached out to team Synergy Moon, another finalist in the competition.

I chose them in particular because they emphasized the same ideals and principles as we did, Ashari said. I then wrote up a short, sweet, yet concise email stating who we were and if our small canister can have a spot on their rocket to the moon in 2017. The CEO of the international space company [Synergy Moon] then responded back to me accepting my offer. I was ecstatic.

After much more talk, the two teams signed contracts giving Original Gravity a space for their canister on Synergy Moons lunar landing campaign. In addition, Original Gravity was also offered seven LEO flights, allowing them to brew beer not only on the moon but also while in orbit around Earth.

Original Gravitys partnership with Synergy Moon allows for more freedom and opportunities to conduct multiple experiments while in space. The team has already made plans to produce wine and bread as well.

As for the now, the team is working on its canister to ensure positive results for the lunar project.

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Home News Campus UCSD Students to Brew Beer on the Moon After Getting Second Chance... - The UCSD Guardian Online

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket comes down for a successful landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 3, 2017.

A series of spectacular photos chronicles the big day SpaceX had over the weekend.

On Saturday (June 3), the California company launched a re-used Dragon capsule for the first time, sending the robotic craft on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) on a cargo mission for NASA. [In Photos: SpaceX's 1st Reused Dragon Spacecraft]

The launch, which used SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, was the 100th mission to take place from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The venerable pad famously served as the jumping-off point for most of the agency's Apollo moon missions and space shuttle flights. (SpaceX signed a 20-year lease to use LC-39A in 2014.)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches a pre-flown Dragon cargo capsule from NASAs Kennedy Space Center on June 3, 2017.

About 2.5 minutes after liftoff on Saturday, the Falcon 9's first stage separated, then began maneuvering for a trip back to Earth. About 5 minutes later, the booster made a pinpoint vertical touchdown at Landing Zone 1, a facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, KSC's next-door neighbor.

SpaceX has now pulled off 11 such first-stage touchdowns. And the company has re-flown one of these landed boosters to date, during March 30's successful launch of the SES-10 communications satellite. (The launch of the BulgariaSat 1 communications satellite, which is scheduled for June 15, will also use a pre-flown Falcon 9 first stage, SpaceX representatives have said.)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a used Dragon cargo capsule streaks into the sky above NASAs Kennedy Space Center on June 3, 2017.

These activities are part of SpaceX's effort to develop reusable spaceflight systems, a key priority for company founder and CEO Elon Musk. Full and rapid reuse of spacecraft and rockets will slash the cost of spaceflight, potentially making Mars colonization and other grand exploration feats economically feasible, Musk has said.

"It's starting to feel kinda normal to reuse rockets. Good. That's how it is for cars & airplanes and how it should be for rockets," Musk tweeted Saturday.

The nine Merlin engines on the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket power the companys Dragon cargo capsule toward orbit on June 3, 2017.

The Dragon that launched Saturday reached the ISS today (June 5), delivering about 6,000 lbs. (2,700 kilograms) of scientific experiments, hardware and other gear to the orbiting lab. The capsule will stay attached to the station for about a month, then return to Earth for a soft, ocean splashdown.

The Falcon 9 first stage touches down at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 3, 2017.

This particular Dragon also visited the ISS once before, back in September 2014. Each Dragon can probably safely fly about four missions to and from the ISS, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX's vice president of build and flight reliability, said during a press conference Saturday.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket stage is seen safely on its Florida landing pad with the trail of its fiery descent visible in this amazing long-exposure photo taken June 3, 2017 after the booster launched a Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station for NASA.

Each Falcon 9 first stage is designed to fly 10 times with no hardware changes, and at least 100 times with only moderate refurbishment, Musk said in late March.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter@michaeldwallandGoogle+.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookor Google+. Originally published onSpace.com.

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See Awesome Photos of SpaceX's Dragon Launch and Rocket Landing - Space.com

Feast of the Strawberry Moon

April Stevens , WZZM 11:38 AM. EDT June 04, 2017

(Photo: Provided by the Feast of the Strawberry Moon)

GRAND HAVEN, MICH. - If you've ever wanted to know what life was like during the 18th century, you can step back in time next weekend at the Feast of the Strawberry Moon happening in Grand Haven.

The historical reenactment captures what 18th century life in West Michigan. There are historical vendors, demonstrators, entertainers, games, and military reenactors there to give the full experience. This year, the event is hosted by the West Michigan Historical Alliance.

This year, the event will explore the history of Native American culture, the French exploration, the English colonization and the American unification that all took place in West Michigan, organizers say. There will be entertainment, battles and other events every half hour at the center of the camp.

The Feast of the Strawberry Moon is family friendly weekend long event from June 10-11 at Harbor Island in Grand Haven. It is $5 per person, $15 per family and there is free parking available. There are no animals allowed on the grounds.

Also, new this year will be the Kid's Day, held on Friday June 9. School-age children can visit the camp a day earlier. Organizers say anyone interested must register ahead of time.

For more information, visit the Feast of the Strawberry Moon Facebook page or their website.

Makeit easy to keep up to date with more stories like this.Download theWZZM13 app now.

April Stevensis a multi-platform producer atWZZM13. Have a news tip? Emailnews@wzzm13.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter.

2017 WZZM-TV

Original post:
Step back in time with the Feast of the Strawberry Moon in Grand Haven - WZZM

Life on Mars may soon be excluded from the sci-fi category. Elon Musk aims to move a million people to Mars, and renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has said before that mankind has only 100 years to settle on another planet. Its a sad thought a space colony but if you ask the #European Space Agency, humanity ought to stay on Earth.

To find a new home outside of Earth, despite technological advancements, we still have a long way to go, according to ESAs Director General Johann-Dietrich Wrner. Even if we got there, it would be a foreboding experience for everybody.

Speaking with The Times, Dr. Wrner mentioned the Hollywood blockbuster The Martian. Matt Damon, who plays a stranded astronaut in the movie, has resorted to farming on Mars and along with his efforts are the various trudges he had to endure here and there.

The director implied that the astronauts experience is a walk in the park when compared to the harsh realities of actually living on the red planet.

Always you have to be sheltered and covered, but you cannot even bring your dog to the next tree," Dr. Wrner said. "Mars is not nice.

In the same interview, Dr. Wrner put emphasis on the difference between colonizing a planet and visiting one. Colonization is the wrong word, he asserted. What works instead as the operative term for establishing a life outside of Earth is visitation.

The idea of exploring other planets and moons had always been there, but the move to bring life beyond Earth recently had come to light. Advocates began sprouting, Musk being one of them, founder of SpaceX. While Mars is the most common choice to establish a colony, the moon isnt far off.

However, life on the moon is no different from living on Mars, according to the ESA head.

Daytime on one side of the moon lasts about 13 and a half days, followed by 13 and a half nights of darkness. When sunlight hits the moon's surface, the temperature can reach 253 degrees F (123 C). The "dark side of the moon" can have temperatures dipping to minus 243 F (minus 153 C). With this fact, Dr. Wrner said it wouldn't be "a nice life."

As scientists continue their search for extraterrestrial life, what theyre usually looking for are planets that are within a certain range of their host star, called the habitable zone. In that orbit distance, the planets are just in the right radiation levels to support life as know it. In our case, the Earth is not so far from the sun that it freezes into a rock of ice, and its not so close either that bodies of water boil into a gas.

But with Earth on the brink of destruction, reports of exoplanets have presented the possibility of life beyond the living planet. Whats interesting is that Dr. Wrner believes its better for humankind to stay, and is hoping somehow, well find a way to preserve life right where we are. #life on Mars #Colony On Mars

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ESA chief on space colonization: 'Mars is not nice' - Blasting News

Moon Colonization Project - is a big game. Really big game with multiple endings, different buildings, a lot of place to explore and settle.

Today Moon Colonization Project of course big. But we want develope more great game.

Moon Colonization Project presents for player, to find gamers, who love this game, to show game's potential and more!

Now you buy cool sandbox platformer, but with your help it become ultimate game, with multiplayer, Steam Workshop, a lot of content and more!

We plan release complete version after 3-3.5 months. But it does not mean we stop introduce players' ideas in the game.

More content, features, modes and endings. And of course special updates with new gameplay elements.

Full list of new features of the complete game: ->Multiplayer ->New buildings types ->New locations ->Home systems ->Chests ->Advanced energy system ->Aliens ->Earth news system ->6 full endings ->Ending song

At the moment already: ->Building system ->Energy system ->Explore system ->Laboratory ->Communication core ->3 endings ->Full story

Accordingly, price of game may be increase during the early access.

When we release complete game - price will be really raised.

Players can post his idea/information about bug/suggestion on Steam game forum or directly to our email/facebook/etc. We will be respond and release popular and necessary ideas, fix bugs and answer to suggestions.

Excerpt from:
Moon Colonization Project on Steam

Living on Mars would not be as rad as people think. The head of the European Space Agency himself doesnt seem too keen on becoming a Martian immigrant, based on what he said at this week'sU.K. Space Conference in Manchester, England.

If you go to Mars you cannot go outside for a small walk, ESA director general Johann-Dietrich Wrner told the TimesWednesday. Always you have to be sheltered and covered, but you cannot even bring your dog to the next tree. Mars is not nice.

Read: Humans in a Mars Colony Would Be a Different Race

During a conference that also featured speakers like former International Space Station astronaut Tim Peake, astrophysics professors and space company founders, Wrner emphasized the difference between visiting a planet and inhabiting one. Humans will fly to Mars, for sure. Humans will fly to the moon again, for sure. But colonization that always sounds to me as though we should leave the Earth. And I hope that we will not leave the Earth in the next 3 billion years, but that humans will find a way to secure life on Earth.

The idea of securing life on Earth clashes with the words of another authority on space: Stephen Hawking. The astrophysicist, who has been known for making extreme statements and predictions about the future of humanity, is warningif humans want to survive extinction, they will have to start a space colony within the next 100 years. He says the species will not survive the next millennia on our planet.

But Wrner told the Times living on Mars or the moon would be no replacement for Earth: This is something like, We destroyed everything, so lets go to a better place.But you will hardly find a better place.

Space enthusiasts have been imagining space colonies for decades, including this artistic rendering of a colony that has plenty of trees. But at least in the foreseeable future, a colony in space or on a planet like Mars would not be a pleasant place, the head of the European Space Agency warns. Photo: NASA

Space agencies and companies are advancing space technology, learning more about how microgravity and long trips affect the human body, how to grow crops in space and how to make space travel more sustainable. Beyond simply visiting and exploring other planets and moons, there is a push to start up a human colony somewhere, with SpaceX founder Elon Musk being one of the most vocal advocates. Mars is the most popular destination, with the moon not trailing far behind. There are also the possibilities of moons in the outer solar system and planets orbiting other stars.

But even if the technology catches up to those dreams, that doesnt mean it will be pleasant. Wrner gave Earths closest neighbor, the moon, as an example: Would you like to stay in a place where half of the month its dark and half of the month theres sun? That is the moon. No. To stay for two weeks in darkness, thats not a nice life.

Read: Humans in a Space Colony Would Evolve into Mutants

Mars has better lighting but the other conditions are not much better. It has a thin atmosphere, after losing much of its air to outer space, so breathing outside is out of the question. With barely any atmosphere, dangerous radiation from the sun also beats down on the Red Planet.

And while temperatures have at times been as warm as a spring day, its record-low surface temperature is -190 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus its a dusty, rocky and dry planet.

Read the rest here:
Human Space Colony On Mars Would Be Awful Idea, ESA Chief Says - International Business Times

Blizzard wants to take itsplayers to the one place that capitalism hasnt corrupted: space. Or, more accurately, the moon.

Overwatch, a game where beautiful people smooch each other between rounds of colorful violence, is getting the new Horizon Lunar Colony map (no relation to PlayStation 4s Horizon: Zero Dawn). It takes place on the Earths only natural satellite in a research station that served as the home of the games ultra-smart gorilla character Winston (that Winston came from the moon! Im sorry). The map is available now on Overwatchs public test region server, and Blizzard said it is coming soon to the general servers on PC and the consoles.

As with all maps and characters, Blizzard is rolling out Horizon Lunar Colony at no additional cost for anyone who owns the game. The developer does this to keep players engaged and coming back, which could convince some players to spend more money on superfluous cosmetic items like custom skins and emotes. This has the benefit of not splitting the player base among various map packs while also enabling wealthy players to spend as much money as they want.

Horizon Lunar Colony falls into the assault class of Overwatch maps, which means it will have a payload that one team must push and the other must stop through multiple checkpoints. Blizzard introduced this new setting in a story trailer where Winston talks about growing up on the moon before escaping due to extreme circumstances.

As for details about the map, the video pans over various areas of the colony. We see Winstons room, a playground with tires swinging from ropes, and workstations for the research scientists. But you can try out the map now, and it should show up in your standard playlists soon. Blizzard doesnt take a long time between putting content on its test server and launching it for the wider audience. So expectHorizon Lunar Colony to hit Overwatch proper in the next couple of weeks.

Read the original here:
Overwatch's new map colonizes the moon - VentureBeat