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When On the Moon and Mars, Move Underground

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the habitat-for-humanity dept.

astroengine writes "Recent observations of the lunar and martian surface are turning up multiple discoveries of 'skylights' — collapsed roofs of hollow rilles or lava tubes. These holes into ready-made underground bunkers could provide ideal shelter for future manned bases on the two worlds. Firstly, they would provide shelter from the barrage of micrometeorites, solar x-rays and deep space cosmic rays. Secondly, they'd help protect our burgeoning colonists from the extreme swings in surface temperature (on the moon, temperatures vary by 500 degrees F, but inside these lava tubes, the environment remains at a fairly constant -35 degrees). Thirdly, the sci-fi notion of underground space cities could become a reality."

19 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. radiation and solar flares a serious problem by cats-paw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    it's not obvious to me how you can have a habitat in space without being underground.

    I guess you could just build thick-walled structures of some sort, but going underground seems like it's probably slightly easier.

    --
    Absolute statements are never true
    1. Re:radiation and solar flares a serious problem by fiannaFailMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's the traveling to Mars that makes me wonder how we're going to keep people shielded from radiation en route. I've seen the proposals and they look doable, but they'll significantly add to the complexity of the mission.

      --
      Drill baby drill - on Mars
    2. Re:radiation and solar flares a serious problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Duh! You just travel at night!

    3. Re:radiation and solar flares a serious problem by JoeMerchant · · Score: 4, Funny

      So, if we get that far, we'll be lunar cave men.

    4. Re:radiation and solar flares a serious problem by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Sorry to offend. I haven't seen "Voyage to the Planets" (UK or US versions). The Wikipedia page describes a different motivation for their voyage than on Defying Gravity - the latter was more about inter-personal relationships (unfortunately described as Grey's Anatomy in space) and the alien objects on the various planets.

      I actually liked the show. I don't understand people's vitriol against the various science liberties employed, like instant communication over distance or the artificial gravity, as many (most?) other popular Sci-Fi shows do the same (Star Trek, Firefly, Stargate, etc... - Don't get me started in SG-U.) In addition, the production quality (CG, music, etc) was very high for a weekly show. The half-mile long ship itself was designed with input from NASA and consideration of possible advancements and launch capabilities over the next 40 years.

      Before passing complete judgment on DG, I would recommend watching all 13 episodes, not just the 8 aired. Perhaps I'm biased toward some of the character relationships and interactions as they reminded me of things in my own relationships and things I felt when my wife died of a brain tumor in 2006. I know the last scene of the last episode, Kiss, though sappy, was like my last kiss with my wife, except she didn't wake up afterward. I heard her last breath, felt her last heartbeat and kissed her goodbye.

      There's more to good sci-fi than the science.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  2. Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to live underground on earth.

    1. Re:Why bother? by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      By all means, let us keep all our eggs in one basket and just wait patiently for some extinction event. That worked out well for the other 99% of life on earth over geologic time.

      --
      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
    2. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's exactly why I live in my parent's basement!

    3. Re:Why bother? by bmajik · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The best reason to try this on the moon is that there is nowhere on Earth where the people on the surface wouldn't presume to own what was underneath the surface.

      The best way to avoid wars and to keep people happy is to let folks who must "Agree to disagree" choose to not be neighbors.

      We're out of places for free people to live on Earth's land masses. Everything on Earth's surface is owned and controlled by somebody at this point -- somebody who has no problem killing you if you don't do what they like.

      Where is a free-minded man to live? Where is the next frontier? The sea-steading folks are working on a promising option, but that merely moves the goal posts out a bit farther, but doesn't solve the problem.

      Space-steading is the long term answer. Getting a functional permanant society on the moon is step 1. Anything that makes that easier is worth looking at.

      --
      My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
  3. Why are we still talking about this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought we agreed to kill any NASA funding that looked like it might be headed towards progress?

    (captcha: realist)

  4. Zapp Brannigan on Operation Moon Settlement by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    The moon mole people--though defenseless and inviting--were no match for our rail guns and bunker busting missiles. After denying hailing frequency after hailing frequency of cultural exchange, I fearlessly and heroically protected the Earth by sitting at rest in a fully armored spaceship at the Earth/Moon L1 position. In a very sensual valour snuggie I drank the hot cocoa of the gods as wave after wave of our warriors bounced around the moon exterminating the moon mole people with golf clubs, the very same fearsome weapon used by the first of our warriors to set foot on the moon decades ago.

    President Nixon, I present to you a new settlement and planet completely safe and devoid of the once furry stubby armed moon mole people!

    --
    My work here is dung.
  5. "We'll just take refuge in this old lava tube..." by GameGod0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Famous last words.

  6. Stanford torus by FalconZero · · Score: 4, Informative

    Am I the only one who noticed that the colony pictured in the article is more likely a Standford Torus, or am I just being picky?

    --
    Windows in 6 Bytes (IA-32) : 90 90 90 90 CD 19
  7. Re:500 degrees F by ccandreva · · Score: 5, Informative

    Someone wanna translate this into units of measurement used by, oh I dunno, the entire rest of the world?

    Fscking hot.

  8. about 5 maxed out P4 cpu's by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    about 5 maxed out P4 cpu's

  9. i don't get it. by underqualified · · Score: 4, Insightful

    we talk about colonizing and/or terraforming other planets when we can't even stop the ongoing negative changes happening to our own planet.

    1. Re:i don't get it. by Tekfactory · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're right, screw the Configuration Manager and his fancy Test Environment...

      Commit all changes to the Production Planet now.

  10. Re:"We'll just take refuge in this old lava tube.. by wickedskaman · · Score: 4, Funny

    I suppose that's better than No Eye Contact Vin Diesel.

    --
    Sand's overrated... it's just tiny little rocks.
  11. Ready to occupy by Wylfing · · Score: 4, Funny

    a fairly constant -35 degrees

    So basically people from Minnesota could just move there.

    --
    Our intelligent designer has never created an animal that we couldn't improve by strapping a bomb to it.