Category Archives: Moon Colonization

Lets start by stating the obvious: Its far easier and cheaper to fix the problems of this planet than to find a way to live off-Earth.

What are the challenges that might make us want to find a new home in space? The ultimate demise of Earth will occur in four billion years when the Sun runs out of its nuclear fuel. At that point, the Suns core will collapse and the stars violent reconfiguration will eject a layer of gas that will engulf the Earth and cook the biosphere. But long before that, the Sun will start to burn hotter as it consumes its hydrogen; about half a billion years from now, the temperature on Earth will have risen enough to make the oceans boil.

Those timescales are long enough that we might be forgiven for not getting too worried. The best metric for proximate danger is the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Starting in 1947, a group of scientists and engineers created the Doomsday Clock to show how far we were from apocalypse. As the threat of nuclear holocaust receded, the proximity of the clock to midnight started to take into account the possibility that through climate change, biotechnology, and/or cyber-technology we could cause irrevocable harm to our way of life and the planet. The clock sat at two minutes to midnight in 1953, at the nadir of the Cold War. In 1991, it receded to seventeen minutes to midnight with the fall of the Soviet Union. In 2012, however, it read five minutes to midnight because of a surge of nuclear weapons in the hands of small, unstable countries, and the sense that climate change may have passed a tippingpoint.

Many voices have weighed in on the subject of leaving the Earth. Carl Sagan put it this way: Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaringnot from exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive. Science fiction writer Larry Niven was more succinct: The dinosaurs became extinct because they didnt have a space program. We may be able to fend off impacts from space, but physicist Stephen Hawking sounds the alarm about other threats: It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million. Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space.

A mass exodus from Earth is implausible. After all, it costs $50 billion just to send a dozen people to the Moon for a few days. Elon Musk may claim hell reduce the price of a trip to Mars to $500,000, which is a hundred thousand times less, but that seems unlikely at the moment. If the Earth becomes contaminated or inhospitable, well have to live in bubble domes, fix it, or suffer through it. Nonetheless, in this century a first cohort of adventurous humans will probably cut the umbilical and live off-Earth. What issues will they face?

Beyond survival, their first issue is their legal status. As weve seen, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty addresses ownership. According to Article II, Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means. That seems transparent, but it doesnt mention the rights of individuals. Bas Lansdorp, the CEO of Mars One, said his legal experts looked into the treaty. He thinks that what goes for governments also goes for individuals in those governments. If Mars One achieves its goal, thirty people will settle the red planet by 2023; the gradually expanding settlement will use more and more Martian land. Lansdorp insists that their goal isnt ownership. It is allowed to use land, just not to say that you own it, he says. It is also allowed to use resources that you need for your mission. Dont forget that a lot of these rules were made long ago, when a human mission to Mars was not within reach.

Some space players claim altruistic motives, but none of them can succeed without revenue to fuel their dreams. What happens when profit is the only goal?

Large multinational corporations are bound by international trade law, but they could plausibly argue that they have the right to use, even to exhaust, the resources of an extraterrestrial body. A government that wanted to appropriate land on the Moon or Mars might withdraw from the Outer Space Treaty, and its unlikely it would suffer any serious -consequences. Even Mars One exists in a legal limbo. Bas Lansdorp needs to fund his $6 billion mission: Imagine how many people would be interested in a grain of sand from the New World!

At some point, the debate will stop being hypothetical. The history of colonization of the Earth shows that a claim of ownership is irresistible. Each succeeding generation of settlers who are born and die beyond Earth will feel less connection to the home planet. They are likely to chafe at the rules and regulations imposed from afar. Tanja Masson-Zwaan, deputy director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law and a legal adviser to Mars One, says, I assume at some point these settlers will become more detached from Earth, and will live by their own rules.

The historical example of Manifest Destiny is misleading in the context of space colonization. Countries have grown and gained resources on Earth by seizing territory and displacing or subjugating the original inhabitants. Even in the twenty-first century, the stains of this brutal history persist. Space is a new resource. The people who leave Earth wont be taking land from anyone. Eventually, theyll have to make everything they need to survive and prosper. They will create their own wealth. It will be hard to hold them to any Earth-centric legal framework if they want to be independent.

Read the original post:
There will be sex in space: Mars, science and the dictates of biology and human culture

First contact with alien life will happen very soon, claims NASA's Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan.

During a panel discussion regarding NASA's search for habitable worlds and alien life, Stofan said: "I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years."

Stofan would be the one to know, having held the most senior science position at NASA since August 2013.

"We know where to look. We know how to look," she told event attendees along with those watching via webcast. "In most cases we have the technology, and we're on a path to implementing it. And so I think we're definitely on the road."

The Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, John M. Grunsfeld, spoke in support of Stofan's suggestion that alien life would be discovered within "one generation", both in our own solar system and the galaxy beyond.

Within our own solar system, subsurface oceans beneath the icy crusts of Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Europa are considered to be viable locations for life, as is the internal water within Saturn's moon Enceladus, discovered in 2005 by the spacecraft Cassini.

It's widely contended that there once existed oceans of liquid water on the surface of Mars, and NASA's Curiosity rover has found organic molecules on the Martian surface which suggest life may have at one time been present on the planet.

NASA is scheduling its next Mars rover to launch in 2020, to search for signs of past life and cache samples for analysis if it's thought possible to return them to earth.

Alongside SpaceX, a US space transport services company, founded by Elon Musk with the intention of reducing space travel costs to enable the colonization of Mars, NASA is currently considering a "Red Dragon" mission in 2022 which could offer a low-cost way to achieve sample return.

While actual colonization seems a long time off, according to Stofan NASA aims to land astronauts on Mars in the 2030s, and return them to earth. Stofan believes human presence upon Mars is key to the search for alien life on the red planet.

More here:
ALIENS ARE COMING: Chief NASA boffin in shock warning

Moon Colonization Program
English IV: Creative Writing Sci-Fi movie trailer.

By: 406coxb

Link:
Moon Colonization Program - Video

Rima Ariadaeus, a linear rile (a surface channel thought to be formed by lava) on the Moons surface, as photographed from Apollo 10. Credit: NASA

Every year since 1970, astronomers, geologists, geophysicists, and a host of other specialists have come together to participate in the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPCS). Jointly sponsored by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and NASAs Johnson Space Center (JSC), this annual event is a chance for scientists from all around the world to share and present the latest planetary research concerning Earths only moon.

This year, one of the biggest attention-grabbers was the findings presented on Tuesday, March 17th by a team of students from Purdue University. Led by a graduate student from the universitys Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, the study they shared indicates that there may be stable lava tubes on the moon, ones large enough to house entire cities. In addition to being a target for future geological and geophysical studies, the existence of these tubes could also be a boon for future human space exploration. Basically, they argued, such large, stable underground tunnels could provide a home for human settlements, shielding them from harmful cosmic radiation and extremes in temperature.

The Hadley Rille, at the foot of the Apennine Mountains encircling the Mare Imbrium where Apollo 15 landed. Credit: NASA/JAXA

Lava tubes are natural conduits formed by flowing lava that is moving beneath the surface as a result of a volcanic eruption. As the lava moves, the outer edges of it cools, forming a hardened, channel-like crust which is left behind once the lava flow stops. For some time, Lunar scientists have been speculating as to whether or not lava flows happen on the Moon, as evidenced by the presence of sinuous rilles on the surface.

Sinuous rilles are narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels, and have a curved paths that meanders across the landscape like a river valley. It is currently believed that these rilles are the remains of collapsed lava tubes or extinct lava flows, which is backed up by the fact they usually begin at the site of an extinct volcano.

Those that have been observed on the Moon in the past range in size of up to 10 kilometers in width and hundreds of kilometers in length. At that size, the existence of a stable tube i.e. one which had not collapsed to form a sinuous rille would be large enough to accommodate a major city.

For the sake of their study, the Purdue team explored whether lava tubes of the same scale could exist underground. What they found was that the stability of a lava tube depended on a number of variables- including width, roof thickness and the stress state of the cooled lava. he researchers also modeled lava tubes with walls created by lava placed in one thick layer and with lava placed in many thin layers.

The inside of a theoretical lunar lava tube, with the city of Philadelphia shown for scale. Credit: Purdue University/David Blair

David Blair, a graduate student in Purdues Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, led the study that examined whether empty lava tubes more than 1 kilometer wide could remain structurally stable on the moon.

See original here:
There Could Be Lava Tubes on the Moon, Large Enough for Whole Cities

It was 80 years ago on Monday, March 30 that a Coast Guard ship left Honolulu headed for the Pacific carrying six young Native Hawaiian men who would colonize. On Monday, they were honored.

Click here to watch Paula Akana's report.

Paul Phillips stood on the House Chamber floor as state lawmakers honored him and 129 other young Hawaii men for helping the United States in its wartime efforts decades ago.

The young men, most of them Native Hawaiian, were dropped off on the tiny islands of Howell, Baker and Jarvis 1,800 miles from Hawaii not really knowing what they were being sent to do.

Gordon Piianaia was at the House, too, representing his father Abe Piianaia, who was a member of the original party of six Kamehameha boys who left Honolulu on this day 80 years ago headed for Baker Island.

"He was pretty quiet, you know. He didn't talk about his life after Kamehameha too much," said Piianaia.

The U.S. government's secret plan was for the young men to live on these islands to colonize them. So the U.S. could claim jurisdiction of the islands to make sure no other country could.

Phillips left Honolulu in July 1941, just a month after his high school graduation. Following in the footsteps of his brother Woody, he was dropped off at Jarvis Island.

"It was flat as this floor. A mile and a quarter long. Scrub brush and that's it. Not a tree on the island. But thousands of birds," said Phillips.

He says they lived in a building previous colonists had built from wood claimed from a shipwreck. Provisions were dropped off regularly, incuding 55-gallon drums of fresh water.

Read the original here:
Native Hawaiian colonists honored in Hawaii legislature

Back in 1638, clergyman John Wilkins wrote an entire science fiction book devoted to the prospect of a lunar voyage. In Discovery of a World in the Moon, he proposed different methods of traveling to the Moonincluding an idea where large birds might be trained to carry the traveller aloft. Contrary to many other astronomers in the 17th century, Wilkins insisted that the Moon was made of solid matter that human beings could walk and live on. Since Wilkins radical proposal, many others have followed in his footsteps by dreaming of ways we could live on the moon.

In 1954, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke proposed the idea of constructing a lunar base with inflatable modules covered in lunar dust for insulation. These modulessimilar to iglooswould be equipped with an inflatable radio mast, algae-based air purifiers, and nuclear reactors. Clarke even went so far as to predict the use of electromagnetic cannons to blast cargo to interplanetary ships in space.

In 1958, the U.S. Air Force researched an expedition plan called the Lunex Project, which called for the 1967 deployment of a 21-airman underground lunar base and was expected to cost $7.5 billion.

Amid beliefs that the Moon was comprised of mile-deep dust oceans, John S. Rinehart wrote an essay proposing floating Moon bases in 1959. His idea involved creating vessels that could float in the dust oceans within half-cylinders that linked different areas. The pathway would be created with a micrometeoroid shield to protect travelers.

Also in 1959, the Army Ballistic Missile Agency presented the U.S. Army with plans for a Lunar Military Outpost, which would be manned by 12 soldiers and was predicted to cost somewhere around $6 billion. The outpost would be situated somewhere near the Eratosthenes crater or the Montes Apenninus mountain range, and would even be equipped with nuclear warheads and modified Claymore mines to guard against overland attacks. Soldiers would command lunar vehicles to haul cargo, explore the surface of the Moon, and rescue people in distress; a parabolic antenna would be used to communicate with Earth.

In 1962, two engineersJohn DeNike and Stanley Zahnpublished a possible lunar base model in Aerospace Engineering. They believed that the ideal location would be within the Sea of Tranquility, a large crater on the Moons surface that later became the site of first Apollo lunar landing in 1969. Most of the lunar base, operated by 21 crewmembers, would be linked by underground tunnels beneath the Moons surface to guard against radiation poisoning.

Currently, NASA is researching farming methods for Moon colonies and astronauts on lengthy missions. These crops would have a dual purpose: the plants would provide astronauts with a healthy diet and also replace toxic carbon dioxide with oxygen. But growing crops on the Moon is obviously nothing like farming on Earth; scientists must figure out the perfect combination of light, temperature, and carbon dioxide to grow plants outside of Earths atmosphere. NASA is currently studying varieties of radishes, lettuce, and green onions within plant growth chambers where samples are grown hydroponically using nutrient-enriched fluid inside hydroponic chambers.

Scientists at the European Space Agency believe that the Moon is a perfect place to store human DNA in the case of a global disaster. While some scientists have been collecting the DNA of endangered species for years, others are beginning to entertain the idea of collecting human DNA for future research or creating unique organisms. If these DNA samples were stored on the Moon in a dry, cold, and protected environment, they could last for thousands of yearsso if an asteroid, nuclear war, or a widespread virus wiped out most of humanity, DNA samples would be stored safely on the Moon to continue the human race.

Many astronomers have discussed the possibility of constructing a lunar observatory on the Moons surface, which would give them a far better view of the universe than what they can currently see from Earth. Since the Moon does not have an atmosphere, wind or clouds would not blur the view from a telescope. Even better: If scientists could place a telescope on the far side of the Moon (the side that constantly faces away from the Earth), radio interference would completely disappear. However, astronomers are quick to point out that the Moon (especially the far side) is an extreme environment that is not easily inhabitable.

On November 5 of this year, Popular Science published an article about why we should consider making the Moon an international park. Its been almost 45 years since Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin first set foot on the Moonand now that space exploration and lunar colonies are closer to becoming a reality, some believe that the world should establish boundaries for the Moons use, and that the historic sites of the Apollo lunar landings need to be preserved for future generations. This past summer, Congress reviewed a bill to eventually nominate the landing locations as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This bill, however, could conflict with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Accepted by 101 countries, the treaty declares that no nation can claim the Moon as sovereign territory, which is an official prerequisite for nomination.

The rest is here:
15 Ambitious Plans to Colonize the Moon | Mental Floss

Theres tough news ahead for fans of NASAs plucky Opportunity Rover or the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The most reason budget proposed by President Obama nukes both ongoing missions, zeroing out their budgets. If the budgets pass as written, NASA would either have to find funds to continue the projects from discretionary funds (if thats even an option), or wind them both down and conclude the probes respective missions.

Both the LRO and Opportunity have their respective advocates and backers. Paul Spudis, a space scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston told Space.com that hed like to see the satellite reactivate its bistatic radar. Currently that instrument isnt being operated due to budgetary shortfalls, but the radar is capable of scanning the moons surface to measure the location and amount of ice in various crater pockets across the moon. Such information would be of significant practical benefit. Any serious plan for a long-term habitable moon base would make use of lunar ice for drinking and for plant growth.

The LRO has shot high-definition photos of the original Apollo 11 landing site

Meanwhile, on the Red Planet, Opportunitys operators just finished resetting the rovers flash memory. For the past few months, Opportunity has been operating with no flash memory at all, meaning it transmitted data as the data was generated. Bringing the rover back to full operating potential increases its ability to perform scientific observations and carry out experiments.

A map of Mars rover Opportunitys progress, from January 2004 to July 2014

According to Steve Squyres, Opportunitys principal investigator at Cornell, a recent NASA review of all Mars-based projects for cost-effectiveness and scientific potential per dollar of expenditure actually put the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity in first place for the most effective use of funds per expected scientific gain beating out the larger, more complicated Curiosity rover thats stolen much of the limelight since arriving on Mars in 2011.

The uncertainty swirling around both the LRO and Opportunity is an example of how the short-term goals of politicians can interfere with long-term scientific goals. Both satellite and rover can be used to gather information thats vital to any long-term base-building or colony effort. When you consider the expense of building, testing, and launching a space mission (not to mention the high overall risk of failure), most of the cost of both the LRO and Opportunity has already occurred. Its far more economical to find new ways to use existing equipment than to launch new hardware.

If the US is serious about returning to the moon or flying a manned mission to Mars, were going to have to do the scientific work on the front-end and fund the development of crew vehicles, habitat design, and the Space Launch System. Even if the US simply wanted to handle astronaut training and partner with a company like SpaceX for the actual vehicle, none of that companys current launch systems even the Falcon Heavy have anything like the Space Launch System Block 2s lift capability (currently planned at 52,000kg to trans-lunar injection, compared to 13,200 for Falcon Heavy).

NASA will make its final budget determinations and decide on the fate of these programs by the summer. The organization hopes to find funds to keep Opportunity rolling and the LRO mapping.

View post:
Budget cuts at NASA could kill Opportunity, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

OPINION The discourse surrounding Mars One is characteristic of current moment in space exploration history by Gage DeZoort | Mar 27 2015 | 12 hours ago | Updated 15 hours ago

Over 50 years ago, mankindleft Earth. Soonafter, we walked freely in the black of outer space and even set foot on the Moon. However, humanity itself stopped there. Today, of course, weve sent innumerable spacecrafts on various missionsaround and evenoutside the Solar System, yet no human has traveled significantly past the Moon. After all, Mars the next-closest celestial body to Earth is around 225,300,000 kilometers away, or around 1,000 times farther than the Moon. To say the least, reaching its red surface would require decades of planning, development and testing. Furthermore, it is not fully understood how human beings mightsubsist within Mars surface conditions.

Increasingly, organizations such asMars One are confident they have what it takes to eventually make such a voyage. Mars One is radically different from its peers through largelycrowd-sourced funding, it plans to send two teams of astronauts on one-waytrips to colonize Mars. . . all in around 12 years. The organizationpoints to the merits of exploration and colonization, despite criticisms ofinfeasibility andunethicality. All the same, it pushes forward through projectedtechnical infeasibility, drawing closer to what might amount to a suicide mission. Through radical aims and enormous risk taking, Mars Ones mission represents the pinnacle of both necessary ambition and incalculable (so far) folly, a strange paradox in the modern scientific era.

Just as the first ships headed west from Europe, there must be a first voyage to Mars. After all, exploration is innate in mankind, and we will eventually exhaust the Earths limited resources. Each of the journeys involves a long, treacherous road through ahostile environment. However, the circumstances are vastly different. Whereas the European-American colonists were met with essentially the same conditions they had left behind, Mars colonists would find themselves in an airless, radiation-heavy environment. At this point, it is impossible to ensure any long-term well being for the Mars colonists. Put simply, death is a real possibility for any who might venture to Mars. For these reasons, many countries have either delayed or scrapped plans to travel to Mars.

As we approach overpopulation and over-exhaustion of resources, though, an initial voyage to Mars becomes more urgent. The necessity of space travel isnt new to mankind: quite literally, the Cold War drove both the United States and the Soviet Union straight out of the atmosphere. Despite its criticisms, Mars One represents an explorative ambition to rival those of the Cold War. While Cold War-era scientific fervor hasstagnated in the United States over the last few decades, space exploration organizations breathe new life into the possibilities of space travel. This simple fact is unavoidable: Mars One has us all talking about space travel. Its a lively discussion, and one that will certainly become more serious with each year of advanced research and development.

Is Mars One, then, merely a talking piece? At its best, yes. For the same reason most countries and organizations have long-term, removed plans to travel to Mars, Mars Ones short mission timeline stands alone. Why, then, must the organization colonize Mars with such haste? If it simply extended its timeline, it would certainly garner more respect from the scientific community. With additional time, it might also accrue more funding. However, doing so would lose precious momentum that the organization has built up over the last few years. Instead, it remains ambitious,silently cutting corners where necessary. Unfortunately, such actions dont bode well for the future of the project.

All told, Mars One represents the aspirations that the United States should hold. Mankinds footprint on the Earth grows with each day, and the Earths resources wont last forever. Of course, these truths lend exactly towards the notion that humans must one day leave Earth behind. When that day comes, space exploration will be of the highest priority. In fact, its likely that the next superpower nation will not control land, but rather space. As a world-leading nation with enormous resources and manpower, the US invests scarcely little in NASA. In the interest of mankinds future, it would be best suited to change that fact, following Mars Ones ambitious example. In the mean time, Mars Ones mission will prove to be either an enormous success or a predictable failure. Either way, it will break the ice for further Mars voyages.

Gage DeZoort is a Viewpoint writer.

Follow this link:
DEZOORT: The Mars One debate

A stunning solar eclipse wowed spectators, powerful green auroras appeared on St. Patrick's Day, it was the 50th anniversary of the first spacewalk, and "Christmas lights" were seen on Mars. It's been a busy week in space news; here are Space.com's picks for the best space stories of the week.

Up north, a total solar eclipse

Day was turned briefly into night in some parts of the world on Friday (March 20) when a total solar eclipse passed through the sky over the north Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. A partial eclipse was visible in Europe, northern Asia and northern Africa. [Full Story: Spectacular Total Solar Eclipse Kicks Off First Day of Spring (Photos, Video)

A solar storm for St. Patrick's Day

A powerful solar stormbombarded the Earth's atmosphere with supercharged particles on Saint Patrick's Day (March 17). The storm was not a threat to satellites or astronauts in space, but it did pose a threat to GPS and radio signals on Earth. [Full Story: St. Patrick's Day Solar Storm Bombards Earth, Sparks Auroras]

Aurora's paint the skies on St. Patrick's Day

The surprisingly powerful St. Patrick's Day solar storm supercharged the northern auroras, and sky watchers in Sweden, Wisconsin, Croatia and other parts of the world sent us their photos of the amazing light show. Astronaut Terry Virts also photographed the notably green lights from the International Space Station. [Fully Story: See the Spectacular Aurora Photos from St. Patrick's Day Solar Storm]

Mars One colony delayed

Plans for the first manned trip to Mars have been delayed. The Mars One private colonization project has pushed the scheduled launch date of its first manned mission to the Red Planet back by two years, to 2026. The company says the delay is due to a lack of investment funding. [Full Story: Mars One Colony Project Delays Manned Red Planet Mission to 2026]

Competition heats up for space-bound cargo

See original here:
Best Space Stories of the Week March 22, 2015

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul on Saturday for talks focused on reducing regional tensions caused by their territorial and historical disputes.

The three diplomats met after a series of bilateral meetings for the first formal talks since April 2012.

A joint statement after the talks said they had agreed to set up a trilateral summit of their countries' three leaders, as soon as it becomes convenient.

In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged "the concerned parties to work closely to promote mutual trust and future-oriented cooperation for the peace and prosperity in the region. He said he hoped the ministers' meeting "will give a momentum to reinforce the trilateral cooperation mechanism."

Although the three countries have strong economic ties, relations have remained frosty because of ongoing territorial disputes with China, and animosity dating back to Japan's colonization of Korea and occupation of parts of China before and during World War II.

Prior to the talks, South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to discuss issues of concern to all three countries.

Analysts suggested the trilateral talks could be a steppingstone to restoring annual discussions about cooperation.

See the original post here:
Japan, China, S. Korea Hold Ministerial Talks