Friday, January 24, 2014

Lunar Vegetation

This is one hardcore astronaut!

"To construct my planter, a spherical core is needed. An old pair of underwear worked well. We have supplies on station sufficient to change our underwear perhaps once every three to four days so I figured there might be a few nutrients in there as well."




Read the rest of this article here to learn about the first few attempts at plant growth in zero gravity!

Monday, January 20, 2014

What colonization steps we've taken so far...

This video shows us that it's possible and we are not the only ones with the plan! Also, water may be easier to gather on the moon than we previously believed!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Infrastructure of our Colony


Ok, so I was thinking:
Our colony will consist of 'pods' that contribute to making a self-sustainable environment.
We will need pods that will supply energy, oxygen, food, water and vegetation.
Basic ideas:
  • NASA has a microwave device that can harvest water or hydroxide at the poles of the moon. Water can also be formed by combining the oxygen embedded in the soil of the moon with hydrogen atoms brought with us.
  • Vegetation will process the carbon dioxide given off by humans and/or farm life we bring with us and resupply our oxygen. (Trees, grass, (May form a basic idea of a national park on the moon) flowers)
  • Food such as turnips and other veggies will be grown on the moon, along with beans to supply protein. Other plants will be grown to match the needs of the body. (Not sure if animals will survive on the moon, but it's important to obtain calcium which is most commonly found in milk)
  • Technology and research labs will be constructed to allow more testing of the moon. Science collected will be transmitted back to Earth that will show statistics of the colony (Population, food water and oxygen levels, and research for further lunar adaptation)
  • A gravity generator will be the most important aspect of the colony. Artificial gravity will be necessary to assist the lifespan of our colonists. It will be mandatory to enter an artificial gravity chamber to be subject to Earthian gravity so the body is able to maintain its internal construction. The fact is that with the Moons low gravity, the bones and muscles will deteriorate slowly from lack of stress. The chamber will put the bones and muscles into a state of work where colonists will walk, jog and run, as well as lift weights in order to thoroughly exercise the bones in all extremities and the cardiovascular system.


It's obvious that the health of our colonists is the main topic of discussion, but one must understand that putting a man on the moon and expecting him to live a full lifetime is no cakewalk. It's most important that the body systems be trained to survive lunar and earthian gravity, but I'm sure that eventually the transition between the two will be as easy as stepping out of a car. Your body was once subject to the motions of the car, and must adapt to the stillness of standing or the slowness of walking. Not only that, but our digestive and cardiovascular systems must be adapted. On Earth, the heart resists the pull of the earth by making sure the blood in our bodies don't pool at our legs. On the moon, the heart will try to keep the blood out of the legs as it would on Earth, consequently carrying more blood to the upper body. This can cause heart problems, physical deformities and other life threatening circumstances. As for the digestive system, we already have the technology to monitor the movements of the stomach and esophagus. As a matter of fact, the digestive system is independent to the influence of gravity so no real problems should occur except for random cases of heartburn.

Please leave any feedback you have on the topic! I look forward to our discussions!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

For Those of You Not Caught Up!

Click on the tab above that reads "What is the Homo Cosmicus"!