Moon colonization.

[Mrjeezy]

In theory couldn't we build huge sub surface domes with solar panels on the moon? Ive always wondered why couldn't we take plants, trees etc.. (For oxygen) and give this a trial to see whether we use a similar method like this to colonize the moon or other planets. What's wrong with this idea?

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

In theory there's nothing wrong with the idea, but it would be ridiculously expensive.
Having said that, there are people living in biodomes on earth right now to test the theory because if we go to Mars, you're looking at having to stay there for 6-9 months before the orbits meet up enough to get you home again.
It's not just the practical side we have to consider. How would you feel if you could never step outside or feel the sun on your face?
Psychological factors have a huge part to play

[R1Geezer]

The trouble is that the Biosphere does not work on small scales, google Bioshpere 2. Essentially they did an experiment along the lines you say, ie oxygen from plants etc in a self contained environment. A whole mini ecosystem with no input from outside was set up. Volunteers inhabited the space. I think after a matter of hours the oxygen was low so they pumped some in and effectively ended the experiment.

To duplicate that on the moon would take huge resources and would have to be so huge it would be impractical.

So if we where going to create a "Moonbase" it would be a lot easier to take the "air" with us. Solar power would be a good source of energy though.

[Mrjeezy]

So this method can work? ok how many trees and plants and what size dome could house lets say 100 people?
Also mojo they could always house the dome on a part of the moon that has an equal or near about same length of day and night as Earth though i do understand that the moons dips into some terrifying cold on the side away from the sun and heats up to ridiculous temperatures when it's facing the sun so maybe that would have to be taken into account.

[Pinkypie]

What about the water supply?

[Mrjeezy]

I was already typing that ^ out and didn't see your comment r1. Let me google Bio-2 to understand this concept a little more.

[Mrjeezy]

Pinkypie recycling condensation, who knows! Im no scientist so im just throwing this out there.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Water would have to be recycled Pinkypie

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

But there is water on the Moon, and on Mars

[Pinkypie]

I suppose it's a bit like the theory that the same amount of water is on earth, just in different forms!

So I'm guessing if you took a certain amount up, it would remain!

I have no idea about it all............. sound good though! I love stuff about planets and thing! It makes me feel very small in significance!

[jake-the-peg]

It wasn't a matter of hours Geezer but many months

But yes atmosphere control was different. There was also significant drops in CO2 as I recall which turned out to be due to absorption by concrete.

But your overall premise is correct It did prove that we don't quite have the technology for indefinate self contained life - at least not yet.

The real point is why would you want to do this - you could find gold bars on the moon and still make a loss getting them back

[R1Geezer]

Yes jake is correct, the main obstacle to this is simply, why? Aside from obvious SciFi connections if you think about it what possible reason is there to do iit? Possibly some sort of staging post before going to Mars perhaps, but hard to come up with a justification.

[jomifl]

Ther is no place on the moon that has the same length of day /night as the earth. The lunar day is 28 approx. earth days everywhere on the moon

[ll_billym]

It would probably work, grow a few plants up there and a couple of ant colonies. Cost a few bob though and plants and trees have far simpler needs than humans.

[Mrjeezy]

Interesting comments and definitely food for thought.
R1 forget the justification, hypothetically speaking can it be done? If there was an asteroid heading for earth that could possibly end all human life here then we'd have to muster our resources and ideas pretty quick!

[wildwood]

The trouble with trees as oxygen producers is that they have evolved over millions of years to the climate conditions that they live in now. On the moon the day/night cycle is not the same as here so the growing media and energy to provide cooling/heating and total artificial light to simulate a 364 day year would be of such astronomical magnitude that it is just not viable.

[Mrjeezy]

Wildwood it would be interesting just to see whether a plant could survive. I once watched a program and certain types of Algae and other plants can survive with minimum sunlight and minimum oxygen but Im not sure exactly how good these would be at producing oxygen and processing carbon dioxide?

[jomifl]

Trees wouldn't be the best choice by a long way, There are plenty of crop plants that would do the job of producing oxygen a lot more efficiently. What there seems to be a lack of on the moon is carbonate rock. Although in theory we can build shelters and solar panels from minerals obtained on the moon i think we would have to import a lot of carbon in some form in order to establish a plant based recycling system.

[wildwood]

Whatever plant life you choose, the moon's temperature goes to -150°C at night and 100+C° at daytime depending on which side you are, so it all has to be grown in an artificially powered biosphere. While this is certainly possible, the size and energy to run this would be way beyond considering.

[rov1200]

Men to be living on the moon by 2024 says NASA in 2006

http://www.timesonlin...cas/article661173.ece