181 Things To Do On The Moon

181 Things To Do On The Moon
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/02feb_181.htm?list965414

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NASA Science News for February 2, 2007
If you woke up tomorrow morning and found yourself on the moon, what would
you do? NASA has released a list of 181 good ideas.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/02feb_181.htm?list965414

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

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The full list in a 48 page PDF file.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/163560main_LunarExplorationObjectives.pdf
Lunar Exploration Objectives
Version 1, released December 2006
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Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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If you go to the URL below there are also some images. - LRK -
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http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/02feb_181.htm?list965414
181 Things To Do On The Moon 02.02.2007

February 2, 2007: If you woke up tomorrow morning and found yourself on the
moon, what would you do? NASA has just released a list of 181 good ideas.

Ever since the end of the Apollo program, "folks around the world have been
thinking about returning to the moon, and what they would like to do there,"
says Jeff Volosin, strategy development lead for NASA's Exploration Systems
Mission Directorate. Now, NASA is going back; the agency plans to send
astronauts to the Moon no later than 2020. "So we consulted more than 1,000
people from businesses, academia and 13 international space agencies to come
up with a master list of 181 potential lunar objectives."

The moon would also be an excellent place to study the high-energy particles
of the solar wind, as well as cosmic rays from deep space. Earth's magnetic
field and atmosphere deflect many of these particles, so even satellites in
low-Earth orbit can't observe them all. The moon has virtually no
atmosphere, and it spends most of its 28-day orbit outside of Earth's
magnetosphere. Detectors placed on the moon could get a complete profile of
solar particles, which reveal processes going on inside the sun, as well as
galactic cosmic radiation from distant black holes and supernovas.

Bonus: These particles are trapped by lunar regolith, the layer of crushed
rock and dust covering the moon's surface. This means that lunar regolith
contains a historical record of solar output: core samples could tell us
about changes in solar output over billions of years. "We believe that the
moon's preservation of this solar record is unique and can provide us with
insights on how past fluctuations in the solar output have affected, for
example, the history of life on Earth," says Volosin. In particular, it
could shed light on the extent to which solar variability and galactic
cosmic radiation influence climate change.

But the moon would be far more than just a platform for scientific
instruments gazing into space. The moon itself is a scientific gold mine, a
nearby example of planetary formation largely unaltered by the passage of
time. Some scientists call it "a fossil world." The moon is a small,
non-dynamic planetary body and its interior state is largely preserved since
the early days of solar system history. Studying its interior would tell
scientists a lot about how a planet's internal layers separate and solidify
during planetary formation.

Even something as simple as establishing the dates when various craters on
the moon were formed can provide us with a unique picture of how the flux of
meteoroids in the vicinity of Earth has changed over time. (For more
information see Science@NASA's "The Moon is a Harsh Witness.") This impact
history is lost on Earth by the constant renewal of the crust but on the
moon it is intact, rich with clues to periods in the past when an increase
in bombardment may have affected the climatic history of Earth and even the
evolution of life.

Science accounts for only about a third of the 181 objectives, however. More
than half of the list deals with the many challenges of learning to live on
an alien world: everything from keeping astronauts safe from radiation and
micrometeors to setting up power and communications systems to growing food
in the airless, arid lunar environment.

"We want to learn how to live off the land and not depend so much on
supplies from Earth," says Tony Lavoie, leader of NASA's Lunar Architecture
Team (Phase 1) at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Astronauts would face the same problems on a manned mission to Mars, so much
of the experience gained on the moon would carry over when NASA eventually
sends people to the Red Planet.

The moon could also provide some creative commercial opportunities: lunar
power from solar cells, protected data archives, mining of lunar metals, and
research under conditions of low gravity and high vacuum, to name a few. In
fact, mining the moon may eventually yield rocket propellant that could be
sold to commercial satellite operators to access and service their satellite
assets in Earth orbit. Beyond charging space tourists for a chance to visit
the moon, lunar entrepreneurs might host special television events from the
moon to boost publicity, or place a remote-controlled rover on the moon.
People back on Earth could pay to take turns controlling the rover from
their Internet-connected computers, letting them take a virtual drive across
the moon's crater-pocked surface. In short, let your imagination be your
guide!

Not all of the ideas on the list will necessarily happen. From the master
list of 181, NASA currently is selecting the a smaller number of high
priority goals for its initial return to the moon. Other goals could be
considered by other space agencies or private entrepreneurs who have an
interest in exploring the moon. NASA continues to receive input from
scientists at space agencies and universities around the world, the list
itself is still evolving and expanding.

There's a lot to do on the moon. See for yourself: complete list.
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/163560main_LunarExplorationObjectives.pdf

Author: Patrick L. Barry |
Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips |
Credit: Science@NASA
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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