Slashdot Mirror
When On the Moon and Mars, Move Underground
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."
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
I thought we agreed to kill any NASA funding that looked like it might be headed towards progress?
(captcha: realist)
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.
Famous last words.
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
Someone wanna translate this into units of measurement used by, oh I dunno, the entire rest of the world?
Fscking hot.
That's exactly why I live in my parent's basement!