The moon is the closest cosmic companion of the earth. It has terrestrial conditions that make it habitable. Scientific and technological explorations on various platforms are in progress to finally colonize it in 2028. Got some insights to colonize the moon? Share it on this edu-techno platform.

A moon mission might be easy enough for scientists, but living there is another thing altogether. The Apollo 17 astronauts made a record to have lasted 75 hours living on the moon. However, A lot of living conditions must be met before humans can permanently colonize the moon. The following are some of the basics.

Breathable Air: To live on the moon, there must be breathable air. Luckily, 42% of lunar soil contains oxygen. Through NASA’s Green Houses, 81% of oxygen needed for breathing can be obtained. The excess would be recycled from breath vapor.  

Water: Next to oxygen is water. The moon does not have water in liquid form. So the icy form would be processed into liquid. This can be used as drinking water and food cultivation.

Food: The moon does not also have a rich, fertile soil of the earth. The best option is its lunar soil. But, it is dusty and contains toxic metals and chemicals that are harmful to plants. To grow food, the lunar soil will have to be detoxified and fertilized with earthworms to provide nutrients for plants to grow.  

Then, seeds will be brought from the earth for food production. Solar greenhouses would have to be built underground with hydroponics used to further shield plants from the toxic chemicals in the lunar soil. An average person would require about 500 pounds of food to maintain a healthy life for a normal workweek on the moon.  

Energy: The best energy source is solar. Lunar soil contains the required ingredients to build solar panels. Using the sun’s rays, a limitless renewable energy source will be produced through the solar panels for moon settlers.

Shelter: Hydrogenated nanotubes would be used for spacesuits. Humans can live in inflatable structures or through a process known as microwave sintering, lunar soil would be made into bricks to build permanent living structures that could even protect from the harmful cosmic solar radiation. A deed of an acre of land on the moon is said to be $ 20.00. This can be purchased through a licensing system at the Lunar Registry.

Climate: The moon’s south pole receives 90% of the sunshine per year. During the daytime, there is an average temperature of 123 °C and 233 °C at night. The level of the gravity on the moon is 17% more than the earth which is said to wreak havoc to the muscle and other organs if measures have not been put in place.

Health: A big challenge to healthy living on the moon is solar radiation, the force of gravity, and the harmful chemicals from moon dust. The Apollo 12 astronauts suffered severe eye, nostril and lung irritation due to exposure to the moon dust.  Long periods of exposure are likely to risk cancer, lung, and brain cell damages. Therefore, protective shields are a must must-worn for all moon settlers.

– Infographic provided by Online Betting Website Betway