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Chandrayaan-1 Spots Giant Underground Chamber On the Moon
siliconeyes writes "Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization have discovered a giant underground chamber on the moon, which they feel could be used as a base by astronauts on future manned missions to moon. An analysis by an instrument on Chandrayaan-1 revealed a 1.7-km long and 120-metre wide cave near the moon's equator that is in the Oceanus Procellarum area of the moon that could be a suitable 'base station' for future human missions."
So do the humans plan evicting the aliens that live in there? Or do they live only on the side of the moon that doesn't face Earth?
There are certainly dust storms of a sort. Dust is moved by electrostatic forces as the sun rises and sets - all those charged particles coming out of the Sun, unimpeded, is like rubbing an amber rod with cat fur.
which they feel could be used as a base by astronauts on future manned missions to moon.
What makes them think the moon's crawlspace is not already in use?
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A far better link is this one: http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/ISRO_Lavatube_Discovery.html
You can't tell the length of a chamber from a photograph of the surface. Its not at all clear that there is any enclosed space in this tube. It could have been that the un-collapsed section is in fact filled full of derbies. Until we can hit them with ground penetrating radar its probably guesswork.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Make sure workers in that cave have plenty of copies of 'The Empire Strikes Back' with a high definition cave scene!
You have been eaten by a Grue.
Since the moon isn't covered by any legal jurisdiction, it would be a perfect place to set up a data haven. In fact, I believe one company already has plans to set up a lunar facility.
In general, it is safe and legal to kill your children. -- POSIX Programmer's Guide
Caveman > Bronze Age > Iron Age > Industrial Age > Space Age > Caveman
The problem isn't the dust storm, the problem is the dust coming in on the suits. It's sharp and when breathed in can create serious health problems. It gets all over the place.
Scientists also report seeing a tall black monolith inside the chamber. Investigations are continuing...
Bloody human scientists! Now I have to relocate.
Many Bothans died to bring us this information.
THL phish sticks
So add in an electrostatic ion breeze just inside the airlock. Or if you have extra water(moon I know) a quick hose down will work as well.
There are several ways to deal with that problem.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
The original paper is published in an open access journal and the authors have covered the issues you mention.
Their citations 2-8 are other papers which discuss the possibility of using caves like this for human habitation. The paper also includes spectroscopic studies of the composition of the roof -- seems like lots of Iron and Titanium.This seems to indicate Basalts (volcanic) according to the paper.If it withstood a lava flow, presumably it will survive an atmospheric re-pressurisation/ bunch of construction crews drilling away.
http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
This cace is "near the moon's equator". The only places where we could find water are on the poles.
It's not that hard to move the water, especially in a low-g environment such as the moon. A pipeline from the pole to the equator would be about 1,700 miles, definitely possible considering that the longest pipeline on Earth is around 2,500 miles.
You could also have largely autonomous vehicles which shuttle back and forth from both sites on a ballistic trajectory, it would take a relatively low amount of energy. Hell, I'd use something like a space fountain or launch loop because most of the energy of launch could be re-captured when the payload lands.
Natural lava tubes this size are a great find for many reasons:
A large, stable lava tube greatly simplifies the entire process and saves a lot of time and money.
Sapere aude!
Whaling. Don't forget whaling. If there ain't no whales, you could tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune.
If my call is important, why am I talking to a recording?
Moon dust should not be so quickly dismissed. It isn't like sand on Earth which has its edges blunted by wind and water erosion, because there is no such erosion on the moon. Moon dust is essentially microscopic shards of broken glass with very sharp edges. It's really nasty stuff, it sticks to everything like barbs. Managing moon dust will have to be a major practical consideration for a lunar colony.
Don't Bogart the fish sticks
I don't think the pipeline would work. 1700 miles is easy on earth, but a much tougher construction project in hard vacuum. Can you imagine welding though spacesuit gloves? Not to mention it'd be terribly expensive to lift 1700 miles of pipe. Even then you'll have to expend a lot of energy heating it so the water doesn't freeze.
I'd think it'd be easier to dig another cave in a more convenient location.
On the other hand, the words "Space fountain" gave me an awesome idea before I looked up what it really is. Here's what I thought: collect water at the poles, pressurize it, and squirt it through a nozzle on a ballistic trajectory toward the moon base. Lay out tarps all around the base. The water will freeze in flight and fall on the tarps. When you need more water, reel the tarps in and collect the ice.
You could improve the aim by making a specialized nozzle. After initially launching the drops, have them go down a long barrel, perhaps tens of meters long, with some kind of noncontacting guidance mechanism inside. Induction coils? Little microdroplet sprayers? It'd be like aiming the electron beam down a CRT. Depending how tight you can dial in the convergence, you might be able to make due with a giant funnel on the receiving end.
Keep in mind you don't need to bring back a lot of water. You only need enough to replenish what gets lost. Pipelines are great for big volume, but for these small amounts, I'd bet the "moon fountain" might cut it.
Or just send out an RC moon buggy to pick up a few barrels from time to time.