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Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

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Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#111

Post by drtgh »

Brendinooo wrote: post #106
drtgh wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The radiation level exposure on the Moon is estimated to be around 60 microsieverts every hour [1], while the limit of amount of radiation received by the general public in a year is set to 1'000 microsieverts (1 millisievert) [2]. It would then be necessary to be achieved the regenerative medicine in the first place, with a major revolution in radiation shielding technology. Unfortunately does not appear to be on th…

If water is plentiful and accessible, that could be used as shielding, no?

It is not my field, but if plentiful and accessible, we are talking about several thousand tonnes of water around a small habitat that could theoretically be used. Nevertheless, if I understood right, that immense amount of water would have a limited shelf life until acidification corrodes the containment structures, so it would need to be continuously treated and refrigerated,

" Ionizing cosmic radiation is mostly gamma rays and protons, which are overall very similar to the radiation from nuclear waste. Protons are slightly lighter and so would have less energy at a given velocity (more easily stopped); but, because they're protons, if captured by the water they'd basically become H+ ions which could acidify the shielding water in time (not seen as much with nuclear waste). " [1]

[1] https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1336/what-thicknes...

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#112

Post by bqmjjx0kac »

TaylorAlexander wrote: post #54
whitehexagon wrote: post #48

I wonder if there are locations along the dark side / light side border, where some of this water boils off during the 'daytime' heat, and then freezes again during darkness, and is just sitting on the surface as a fine layer of frozen crystals? I know there in very little atmosphere, but maybe just enough to hold a little water vapor? Maybe over time this would allow more accumulation in permanently shaded parts of…

Reminder that the moon does not have a "dark side". This is a misnomer. The back of the moon gets the same amount of sunlight as the front. Unless you mean the side which is not presently illuminated. Water could freeze there but it would boil off again when the sun lights it up again. However there are craters at the poles that never experience sunlight, and water does accumulate in them. You don't need any atmosphe…

> The back of the moon gets the same amount of sunlight as the front.

Actually, doesn't the back get more sunlight? The front of the moon is occasionally eclipsed by earth.

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#113

Post by credit_guy »

Just to be clear, the "vast stores" of water are only theoretical. There are no implications for Moon colonies. You are not going to try to extract water from glass beads. You would need to go through thousands of tons of regolith before extracting a single liter of water, and that's only if you have 100% efficiency, which you will not have.

If we ever decide to have Moon colonies we'll have 3 big problems: we won't be able to source easily carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. I predict that when we'll have such colonies, the phrase "you're worth your weight in gold" will mean you are useless, since your weight in carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen will exceed many times your weight in gold (which can be sourced locally). Similarly, "you're full of shit" will be a high form of praise, since shit will be thoroughly recycled and highly valuable.

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#114

Post by ericd »

drtgh wrote: post #102
Simon_O_Rourke wrote: post #53

It's only a matter of time now before we get the first craft brewery and tap room on the Moon.

The radiation level exposure on the Moon is estimated to be around 60 microsieverts every hour [1], while the limit of amount of radiation received by the general public in a year is set to 1'000 microsieverts (1 millisievert) [2]. It would then be necessary to be achieved the regenerative medicine in the first place, with a major revolution in radiation shielding technology. Unfortunately does not appear to be on th…

Couldn’t that taproom be subterranean? I assume that 10m of regolith is a fine radiation shield?

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#115

Post by brookst »

someweirdperson wrote: post #57
q7xvh97o2pDhNrh wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, they used to say the same thing about big mountains, right? Here's a slightly older take on it from that era: """ People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.' There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our obser…

> """[...] What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. [...]""" (That's from George Mallory, for the curious.) For many who are climbing the highest mountains that sheer joy turns into literal end if life. Wikipedia is trying to collect a list of them [0]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_clim...

For many people, loss of life is not the overriding concern.

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#116

Post by ChatGTP »

gambiting wrote: post #24
mongol wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will become so ugly once exploitation starts. You know the pristine look of a field with new snow? To compare with once there are footsteps and tire tracks everywhere? The moon's beautiful undisturbed dust will become an ugly mess and look like garbage.

I think you might be underestimating how large the moon is. Also moon is receiving thousands of meteorite impacts every day, it's hardly undisturbed. It's not some unchanging museum exhibit - it's an always changing planetary body.

“I think you might be underestimating how large the Earth is. Also Earth is receiving thousands of meteorite impacts every day, it's hardly undisturbed. It's not some unchanging museum exhibit - it's an always changing planetary body.”

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#117

Post by sclarisse »

ornitorrincos wrote: post #40
hulitu wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When they find oil, or cobalt, or rare earths. We have enough water on earth, we don't need the one on the moon. /s You might remember, Columbus did not go to America for a vacation.

no, he went to india to wrestle the spice commerce from the portuguese, finding a different continent was not on his plans

With the ultimate goal of financing a new crusade, and retaking Jerusalem for Christendom. No, really.

All the profits and the gold he was obsessed with? They weren’t for him, they were for the crusade; meanwhile he was spending much of the time dressing like a monk.

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#118

Post by greggsy »

areoform wrote: post #50

Every such discovery reaffirms that the moon is a time machine. Next to (or inside) the ice from the Permanently Shadowed Regions, there may be clues to how life got started on Earth. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-6546-7_... It's estimated that this trapped ice may be from the Earth and the Moon from 3.6B to 4.2B+ years ago. Along with other volatiles, this may give humanity an unprecedented lo…

I’ve always wondered if this ice could have been the remnants of a comet, which after centuries of slowly spiralling closer and closer, landed gently on the moon in a soft cloud of dust.

Re: Vast new stores of water reported on the moon

#119

Post by fauxpause_ »

codebje wrote: post #75
Simon_O_Rourke wrote: post #53

It's only a matter of time now before we get the first craft brewery and tap room on the Moon.

That place has nice beer, but no atmosphere.

This is a good joke. Although the moon does actually have a tiny atmosphere.
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