Category Archives: Moon Colonization

Former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin addresses the crowd at Macky Auditorium on Tuesday evening during his presentation, "A Unified Space Vision." (Jonathan Castner / Daily Camera)

Just like President John F. Kennedy challenged America to land on the moon before the end of the 1960s, so too can some new leader inspire the future of space exploration on Mars, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin believes.

Aldrin, 85, spoke before a packed house Tuesday at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus.

"America must be the world leader in human space flight," he said. "There is no other area that clearly demonstrates American innovation and enterprise than human space flight."

Aldrin made history with Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, when the two men became the first humans to step foot on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. In total, they spent 21 hours on the lunar surface gathering 46 pounds of moon rocks. Some 600 million people watched the historic scene on television.

Former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin told the crowd at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado campus that he would like a permanent residence on Mars by 2040. (Jonathan Castner / Daily Camera)

Though Aldrin isn't a CU-Boulder alumhe went to West Point and MIT the campus has ties to 18 astronauts and a long history of space research and exploration. CU-Boulder is the No. 1 NASA-funded public university with nearly $500 million in sponsored research awards, and is leading the space agency's MAVEN mission to Mars.

Aldrin's visit was organized by the Distinguished Speakers Board, a student-fee funded group that's brought Bill Nye, B.B. King, Soledad O'Brien, Madeleine Albright and other influential people to campus.

In a speech that was humorous, but also deeply technical, Aldrin outlined his "unified space vision" for American explorationand the colonizationof Mars.

He's hoping to draw on lunar landing nostalgia to get the world, especially young people, excited again about traveling into the great unknown, he said.

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Buzz Aldrin lays out plan for Mars colonization in talk at CU-Boulder

Former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin addresses the crowd at Macky Auditorium on Tuesday evening during his presentation, "A Unified Space Vision." (Jonathan Castner / Daily Camera)

Just like President John F. Kennedy challenged America to land on the moon before the end of the 1960s, so too can some new leader inspire the future of space exploration on Mars, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin believes.

Aldrin, 85, spoke before a packed house Tuesday at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus.

"America must be the world leader in human space flight," he said. "There is no other area that clearly demonstrates American innovation and enterprise than human space flight."

Aldrin made history with Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, when the two men became the first humans to step foot on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. In total, they spent 21 hours on the lunar surface gathering 46 pounds of moon rocks. Some 600 million people watched the historic scene on television.

Former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin told the crowd at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado campus that he would like a permanent residence on Mars by 2040. (Jonathan Castner / Daily Camera)

Though Aldrin isn't a CU-Boulder alumhe went to West Point and MIT the campus has ties to 18 astronauts and a long history of space research and exploration. CU-Boulder is the No. 1 NASA-funded public university with nearly $500 million in sponsored research awards, and is leading the space agency's MAVEN mission to Mars.

Aldrin's visit was organized by the Distinguished Speakers Board, a student-fee funded group that's brought Bill Nye, B.B. King, Soledad O'Brien, Madeleine Albright and other influential people to campus.

In a speech that was humorous, but also deeply technical, Aldrin outlined his "unified space vision" for American explorationand the colonizationof Mars.

He's hoping to draw on lunar landing nostalgia to get the world, especially young people, excited again about traveling into the great unknown, he said.

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Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin lays out plan for Mars colonization in talk at CU-Boulder

Do you believe that humans are the ultimate species and that we have a destiny to rule? Perhaps youre being optimistic according to Cameron Smith and Evan Davies. Their book Emigrating Beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization provides an anthropologists view that splashes a certain amount of chagrin on the hubris of our culture. Yes, they say we can and indeed should become a spacefaring species. However, they do caution that this future for our species can be attained only if we proactively try.

Smith and Davies describe themselves as adventurers and academics. This varied background comes through in their book. It contains an impressive amount of research and facts, all well referenced. The considered time-frame is all Earth encompassing, from the origin of life in the Hadean age up to todays social structure of empires that encompass multi-millions of human subjects. Of course it highlights changes over time. For instance, humans are shown to have evolved from small brained quadrupeds to large brained bipeds with cognitive fluidity. But perhaps more importantly, it shows that culture is as important as opposable thumbs and sexual reproduction.

Maybe you recall this as the nature versus nurture issue? Well, this book states unequivocally that nurture or culture is an essential element of humanitys existence. That is, our culture allows us to build thriving, capable empires as the Mayans did. The hubris appears by the reminder that most empires and indeed most species have faded away or gone extinct. Hence, the books unwritten conclusion is that humans will follow the same path unless we proactively choose otherwise. Whether from an academic viewpoint or from being a world traveller, the authors in their book vouchsafe that emigration to space is a necessary act for the survival of humans.

Indeed, much of this book is taken up with arguing for the emigration beyond Earth. In this sense, if you are looking for information and reasoning to support the effort and expenditure for space colonization, then this book is a great resource. It even offers a perspective on the relative benefits between colonizing the Moon or Mars. However, while it provides sound arguments for why, it doesnt really answer how. This could be the books main short coming in that most of its arguments for emigration have arisen before and, thus, while being comprehensive it may not offer anything new to a well-read reader. Its one main suggestion is for a cognitive shift to make the idea of space emigration as common place as eating. Indeed, if everyone were to read this book, then such a shift would likely take place.

In total, this book empowers and indeed urges the reader to make a choice. The choice is between accepting the future whatever it may hold, or, proactively choosing to try to advance both our culture and our biological make-up via emigrating. In this, the authors Cameron Smith and Evan Davies in their book Emigrating Beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization clearly lay out the likely consequences for either. Does humanity have the will to make such a choice? Are you ready to make the choice? Read this book and then ponder some more about the future for humankind.

The book is available at Amazon. More information can be found at Smiths website.

Mr. Mortimer is the president and CEO for the Lunar Colony Fund. He is leading this registered non-profit organization to be the focus for those people worldwide who want to support a human capability beyond the cradle of Earth.

Mr. Mortimer has had an extensive career across many fields including government, defence contractor, telecommunications, institutions, environmental agencies and fundraisers. He`s written reviews for space related publications as well as written a book on the attribution of civilization`s progress to the availability of energy. By establishing a singularly focused fund, he will resolve the single most challenging aspect of space; the monies needed to enable our reach to the stars.

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Book Review: Emigrating Beyond Earth

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, left, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, gesture from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Kirill Kudryavtsev, Pool)

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, left, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, center, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, gesture prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Ilnitsky, Pool)

The photo provided by the European Space Agency ESA shows German astronaut Alexander Gerst on the international space station ISS who put a fourth star on his German soccer shirt after Germany won it's fourth World Cup after beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time. (AP Photo/ESA/NASA)

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, left, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, center, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, walk to the rocket prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergey Ilnitsky, Pool)

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, a crew member of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, gestures prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Ilnitsky, Pool)

In this photo taken with a fisheye lens and with a long time exposure, the Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-13M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, May 29, 2014. The Russian rocket carries European Space Agency's German astronaut Alexander Gerst, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-13M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, May 29, 2014. The Russian rocket carries European Space Agency's German astronaut Alexander Gerst, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-13M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off from the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, May 29, 2014. The Russian rocket carries European Space Agency's German astronaut Alexander Gerst, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, center, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, bottom, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, wave prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, Pool)

Russian Space Agency experts help European Space Agency's astronaut Alexander Gerst, crew member of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, to stand up after inspecting his space suit prior to the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

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Why Astronaut Ron Garan Thinks We Should Colonize The Moon ...

World-traveled, sociable, yearning for a new planet.

That seems to be the typical rsum for those vying to be included on a one-way trip to Mars. Add "Bay Area resident" into the mix and it would seem your chances of becoming one of the first explorers on another planet will improve exponentially.

On Monday, the Mars One project announced that five Bay Area residents are among the 100 finalists for a privately funded space voyage that has the lofty goal of, beginning in 10 years, sending 24 humans from Earth to the red planet annually in groups of four. The catch is that they will never return.

The local finalists are Kenya Armbrister of Oakland, Megan Kane of San Francisco, Yvonne Young of Berkeley, Xuan Linh Vu of San Francisco and Peter Felgentreff of Montara.

More than 200,000 people from around the world applied by August 2013 for the interplanetary exploration project created by two men from the Netherlands, entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp and physicist Arno Wielders. Since then, Mars One trimmed the number of candidates to 1,058 and then to 100, with medical examinations disqualifying more than 300 applicants in between.

The medical examinations ensured that the remaining candidates were in good health and disease free, with stellar vision and a proper amount of body fat.

The next phase required astronaut hopefuls to focus on the mission itself, with interviewers testing the group on Martian-survival questions. Mars One provided the candidates with a study guide that included answers to questions such as, "How much radiation is an astronaut exposed to during spaceflight?"

When contacted by The San Francisco Examiner this week, all five Bay Area contestants were thrilled with the possibility that they would going to Mars.

KENYA ARMBRISTER: LIFE FULL OF JOURNEYS

The 36-year-old Oakland resident said she has traveled to 179 cities in 30 countries since first leaving her hometown of Fresno for Germany at 18 years old. She speaks three languages and has two master's degrees. But until recently, she had never prepared for a dust storm on Mars.

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Meet the space cadets: 5 Bay Area residents selected to compete for one-way Mars voyage

(CNN) - A job for life may sound pretty good nowadays - unless, perhaps, you can't ever go home.

Yet more than 200,000 people applied for just that, on a one-way mission to Mars, and 100 have made it to the next round.

The nonprofit foundation Mars One is one step closer to deciding on the final list of hopefuls to make a one-way trip to the red planet. The pool of 100 candidates include 50 men and 50 women.

Eventually 24 people will be chosen to make six crews of four. The group plans to send those crews every two years starting in 2024. Their goal is to set up a permanent colony on Mars. The group, which is based in the Netherlands, posted a movie-type trailer publicizing the mission online.

But who really wants a one-way ticket to Mars? A lot of people - in fact, more than 200,000 people worldwide submitted video applications, including scientists, academics and those just seeking an adventure. Among the top 100 candidates is 29-year-old Josh Richards, an engineer and stand-up comedian from Australia.

"I want to commit my life to making the colonization of Mars a reality," Josh Richards said.

"Humanity's greatest strength is to dream of a better world, to imagine a future and to inspire a generation to bring it to life," said Ryan MacDonald, a 21-year-old physics student at Oxford University in the UK.

And 42-year old high school teacher Joanne Hindle from Canada said: "I'm ready. Let's do it. Let's go to Mars."

Some are skeptical about the entire plan, and whether the group can raise the billions of dollars needed to fund it, especially since only about half of previous unmanned missions to Mars have succeeded.

What's more, a recent study by MIT found that even with current technology, if the group succeed in getting there, they would likely only survive 68 days. It's also about what's ethical.

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Round two: 100 vie for one-way trip to Mars

Europe launched a prototype minishuttle on its first space test, SpaceX lofted the DSCOVR space-weather satellite and scientists questioned whether dark matter is truly "dark." Here are Space.com's picks for the best space stories of the week:

Europe launches IXV minishuttle

The European Space Agency's robotic Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV), a prototype designed to test out critical re-entry technologies, aced its first space test Wednesday (Feb. 11). Data gathered during the car-size IXV's suborbital flight could help Europe develop its own unmanned space plane. [Full Story: European Mini-Space Shuttle Aces 1st Test Flight]

SpaceX sends DSCOVR on its way

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday. The $340 million DSCOVR mission, which will monitor powerful solar storms that could affect power grids and satellite operations, began its life in 1998 as the Triana Earth-observation effort. Triana was mothballed in 2001, then resurrected by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2009 as DSCOVR. [Full Story: SpaceX Launches DSCOVR Space Weather Satellite, But No Rocket Landing]

Is dark matter completely dark?

Dark matter, which makes up more than 80 percent of the matter in the universe, is so named because scientists think it's impossible to observe directly. But if dark matter interacts even a little bit with light, it may create a "halo" around galaxies that currently operational telescopes could detect, a new study reports. [Full Story: Dark Matter Could Create Halos of Light Around Galaxies]

DARPA gearing up for 1st test of satellite-launching fighter jet

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a cost-effective satellite-launching system that consists of an F-15 fighter jet with an expendable rocket attached to its belly. The system, known as ALASA (Airborne Launch Assist Space Access), should get its first flight test later this year, DARPA officials said. [Full Story: DARPA to Begin Testing Satellite-Launching Fighter Jet This Year]

Learning how to live on the moon

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Best Space Stories of the Week Feb. 15, 2015

The International Space Station, juxtaposed against the Moon in this NASA photo .

"According to documents obtained by Reuters, U.S. companies can stake claims to lunar territory through an existing licensing process for space launches."

With these words, Reuters this week led off a story of interplanetary proportions . In essence, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration appears to have appointed itself the arbiter of who owns what on the moon.

The documents in question refer to an application from start-up "expandable module" maker Bigelow Aerospace, which is lining up customers to develop the world's first privately owned commercial space station, among other projects.

One such project, as revealed in the FAA documents, appears aimed at installing the company's inflatable habitats on the moon itself, as part of a privately operated lunar colony. The FAA seems to be saying that such a project would not only be legal, but would grant Bigelow (or anyone else doing similar work) "exclusive rights to that territory" upon which the colony is built.

"To the moon, Alice!" As you can imagine, this is causing quite a stir internationally, where the only governing law in place is the 1967 United Nations " Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies ." ( Emphasis added. )

Now, the FAA expressly denied it has given Bigelow "a license to land on the moon," saying it only conducted a "payload review that would potentially be part of a future launch license request." But the one does seem likely to lead to the other. And, according to Reuters, the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce -- along with NASA and "other agencies" -- were all involved in the FAA's decision. So when you get right down to it, the U.S. government does appear to be laying the groundwork for privately operated (and owned) commercial exploitation of the moon.

Such a move will certainly please companies planning to involve themselves in moon mining, exploration or colonization. But the FAA's move also raises some questions. Most importantly:

Is it legal? It depends on whom you ask. At last report, 102 of the globe's 196 countries had become official parties to the U.N. treaty -- which is a majority, and probably enough to give the treaty binding authority under international law. More so, given that all the major players that could conceivably reach the moon in the near future, including the U.S. itself, France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K., and farther abroad, Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia , have all signed on.

As for what the treaty says, here are few of the more telling clauses:

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Land for Sale on the Moon; You Only Need to Get There First

US companies set potential collision course with UN over moon colonization
US companies are preparing to staking their claims on the Moon, building colonies and mining for resources. Several corporations have openly stated their int...

By: RT America

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US companies set potential collision course with UN over moon colonization - Video

Being far from a part of the aerospace loop, I cannot say with certainty that any of my schemes are appropriate for lunar industrialization. These are provided as mere ideas, some more researched than others, but none definitive.

WHY THE MOON?

I have chosen the moon, not for any reasons of feasibility, but because it is the closest world to the earth. The moon is ever present. Its size, and brightness makes it the realest of the extraterrestrial worlds in the common mind. Beyond that, manned missions to the moon are a proven fact. Having done something once makes doing it again, or at all far more attractive to politicians, who try to stick to the known possibilities.

A third reason is the unknown quantity of microbes. The moon has no microbes, but a flurry of papers, and websites have claimed that Mars probably does. The public has learned to fear, and mistrust all microbes, even the ones that let cows eat hay. Until a categorical proof of the absence, presence, and dangers of Martian microbes has been achieved, return trips from Mars will equal political suicide.

Granted, scientifically speaking, the fuel needed to reach the moon is little less than a trip to Mars, and Mars has far more resources, including materials capable of producing fuel for the return trip, but due to political, and emotional reasons, a trip to the moon seems more likely in the near future.

Visiting the moon will not be so bad. Skylab, Mir space station, and the ISS have proven that manned missions gain at least as much attention, and more prestige than any unmanned trips to other worlds, despite the science return, or cost.

Since orbiting space stations have proven viable, albeit not particularly cost efficient, a manned base on another world seems the next logical step. Missions to other worlds, in fact, are far more attractive than interstellar space.

Some have argued that the moon is too poor in resources for human habitation; however, scientific endeavors have proven that man can both live, and learn in space. The moon, resource poor as it is, certainly has more resources than space. Compared with space, the moon will be a better subject for colonization and discovery. Certainly, the moon may not prove the best target, but it will prove a better target than our previous colonization efforts.

RESOURCES: Low earth orbit, where our previous extraterrestrial bases have been built, is a particularly resource-poor section of space. There are only four resources in low earth orbit: Solar energy, Solar wind, a hard vacuum, and the earths magnetic field. Currently, the solar energy is used for electricity production, no efficient method of harvesting the solar wind has been designed, and the magnetic field is used only for shielding against the harshest features of the solar wind. The hard vacuum itself is not actually usable, but certain industrial techniques can be performed in hard vacuum best, and producing such a vacuum on the surface of the earth is rather expensive.

Some experiments have been conducted on using the magnetic field to produce electricity, and methods for using the solar wind, and sunlight for propulsion have had limited success, but these are not yet proven technologies. While I eagerly await such technologies becoming trustworthy, their current state prevents me from discussing them in any economic considerations other than as prospects. Goods produced in the hard vacuum of low earth orbit, although of great interest, currently lack an economical means of transportation for large scale production to be worthwhile.

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What to Do on the Moon - Article - Red Colony