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Live on the moon

Using high-tech environmental processes
(+4, -9)
  [vote for,

We have to beat the Chinese to their moon base project thingy.

My theory is simple: build a bio-dome with a shuttle runway, and burn methane for energy. Plant trees using specially introduced nutrients to absorb the CO2 and release O2, and life will be possible.

Next, simply bury a huge electromagnet under the surface and have everyone wear metal boots to simulate gravity.


NickTheGreat, May 21 2002

(?) Illustration of my idea http://www.nj2k.co.uk/moonlife.htm
A small flash presentation I threw together to illustrate my complicated idea [NickTheGreat, May 21 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Chinese deny moon stories. http://news.bbc.co....2000000/2000506.stm
Corroboration for beauxeault's theory? [DrBob, May 23 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Google Moon http://moon.google.com/
[waugsqueke, Jul 20 2005]

dome over crater http://www.flickr.c...9065@N00/292459084/
pic. I made of a moon base dome. [the great unknown, Jul 11 2007]


       Exactly - I obviously don't mean a badminton shuttle!   

       It can use the electromagnet gravity generator to help it land. Obviously it'd be built in the Sea of Tranquility as the terrain's flat there.
NickTheGreat, May 21 2002

       Roughly how many trees do you intend to plant to terraform the moon?   

       Like Steve said, dump your shuttle idea. You need a different vehicle. And make sure when you establish a moon base (different from the secret one on the dark side of the moon), it's well armed to repel the Chinese. Do you really think their moon base intentions are humanitarian?
dag, May 21 2002

       Of course I dont think that, why else would I be building this thing?   

       Obviously I'm not an expert on moon travel and landscape gardening, surely if we brought some soil and NPK we could grow trees right? Think there'll be enough sunlight on the moon?   

       What sort of vehicle do you suggest? A 747? Or one of their toys from Roswell?
NickTheGreat, May 21 2002

       My favorite line is "We have to beat the Chinese to their moon base project thingy." Who's we and why? They haven't even gotten a man in space yet. The U.S. has been there (in person) and decided that there's not much worth being there for. I say let 'em have it.
phoenix, May 21 2002

       And then, when their back is turned, ESA will announce that they have had man spaced flights already, and then the moon will be ours, all ours!   

       I croissant any idea that comes with an illustration. I also croissant this b/c there are several people I would like to see go live there....
runforrestrun, May 21 2002

       When I clicked on "Live on the moon," I wondered if the subtitle would say, "...it's Saturday Night!"   

       I also wonder if the Chinese moon base project isn't really just a nefarious plot to get the western world all worked up about beating them to it to prove who's best. Meanwhile, the Chinese will sit back and watch the western world's productivity decline because of all the resources spent on the no-yield moon project, thus leaving the world's markets open to subjugation by the Chinese (who of course will use the time to build infrastructure and production facilities rather than some silly moon thing).
beauxeault, May 21 2002


       Hasn't that already happened though?   

       //I croissant any idea that comes with an illustration//   

       Thank you
NickTheGreat, May 21 2002

       I don't think the electromagnet thing would work too well. To create sufficient 'gravity' away from the surface, it would have to be so strong that peeling your boots off would be impossible. Plus, it's liable to mess up every computer within landing range, and might even start messing with your own body's electrical system. A relatively self-sustaining, workable bio-dome would have to be built here first, and that's tricky, although there's no reason why this thing would have to be _completely_ self-sustaining. But a croissant from me for anybody with enough stick-to-itiveness to come up with their own decent website.
RayfordSteele, May 21 2002

       I've had a think about how to get the methane to the moon. Landfill is a prime generator of methane so if we constructed a tower to the moon out of the worlds landfill then the methane generated at the far end of the tower would naturally gravitate to the moon. Obviously this would be a pretty big tower with a wide base so we'd have to put it somewhere very flat and of no interest to anyone. Say Canada. No wait, there's more...

My extensive research has unearthed the fact that the USA produces about 42 million tons of household waste paper per year and that paper makes up about 40% of total waste. So household waste accounts for about 100 million tons per year. Double that to take account of industrial contributions (conservative, I know) and then times by four to get an estimate of total world waste of 800 million tons. For the sake of argument lets spread each million tons in a one inch deep layer. Deep breath.

The distance to the moon is 250,000 miles. That's roughly 16,000,000,000 inches. So it should take just 20 million years to complete the tower (a big advantage when it comes to spreading the capital costs of the project) and get this thing running. Of course, Canada would be buried under 16,000,000,000,000,000 tons of rubbish by then and probably sink into the sea but I think that is a small price to pay for such a magnificent undertaking, don't you?
DrBob, May 21 2002

       // Land the moon on the Earth. Then it'll be easier to reach. //   

       Be sure and do it very very slowly.
RayfordSteele, May 21 2002

       Cool Flash thingy... my only question is, how we will get the giant 3-inch-thick-glass Bio-dome up to the moon? Or, if the plan is to make it on the moon, how will it be made?
Jeremi, May 22 2002

       Um, why again do we need to strengthen the Moon's gravity by electromagnetic means? Why not go with the natural stuff...what is it, about 1/5 Earth surface gravity?   

       You will need a good power supply to keep the biodome machinery running--you should also be aware that whilst green plants produce oxygen and take up carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, their cellular metabolism uses oxygen to produce energy just like animal cells. In daylight the photosynthesis produces more oxygen than the cellular metabolism uses, but at night when photosynthesis shuts down plants no longer emit oxygen. Point being, you're going to have to do some serious engineering to balance your oxygen/carbon dioxide budget, and you will need a pretty hefty power source to support that engineering...just my opinion.   

       You will also need lots of water, and the atmosphere to fill the dome at startup.   

       All that said, I would love to see a Lunar colony. But the Moon is a harsh mistress...
Dog Ed, May 22 2002

       //But a croissant from me for anybody with enough stick-to-itiveness to come up with their own decent website.//   

       [RayfordSteele] - Are you implying mine is *decent*? Gosh! If so, thank you - you're better than most!   

       //I've had a think about how to get the methane to the moon//   

       [DrBob] - Read more carefully: we have Methane-producing cows. Did you know the average cow burps 280 litres of methane every day, and the average dairy cow produces 56 litres of manure a day.   

       //how we will get the giant 3-inch-thick-glass Bio-dome up to the moon?//   

       [Jeremi] - I've been thinking, and came up with the idea of simply moving the millennium dome, killing two birds with one stone.
NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

       NickTheGreat still hasn't explained how we get the air to provide the drag to land the space shuttle at less than 2000 mph. Or is he planning to land on the cows for a soft landing?   

       On the other hand, I don't think there's necessarily a problem with balancing carbon dioxide and oxygen, since (at least some) growing plants will absorb more CO2 than oxygen; that part's pretty standard living-in-space stuff. Although having said that, the 340-hour nights might still play havoc with the plants.
pottedstu, May 22 2002

       Landing on the cows may be a feasible alternative. Surely we could just establish the shuttle at a good glide ratio and let it crash... ahem... *land* gracefully on the moon's surface?
NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

       //The U.S. has been there (in person)//   

       No, they havn't. At least, they havn't proved it to my satisfaction...
yamahito, May 22 2002

       // //The U.S. has been there (in person)// //   

       [yamahito] : who said this? I can't be bothered scrolling the annotations (again).   

       Can we quote quoted quotes?
NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

       Sorry: 'f he nicks said that.
yamahito, May 22 2002

       Muchas gracis para el clarificacion.   

       Is that a word? Who knows. Except the Spanish speakers. All 350 000 000. Hmm.
NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

       What, the moon? I'm inclined to agree to speculate.
NickTheGreat, May 22 2002

       "Tang" sounds Chinese. Coincidence? I think not
thumbwax, May 22 2002

       Rods: are you talking about the landings, the moon, or the US itself?   

       Intriguing possibilities...
yamahito, May 22 2002

       I can vouch for Australia and the UK and a few others, but I'm watching you closely, rest of the world..
yamahito, May 22 2002

       Nick, because I don't have a website of my own and really don't have the patience to come up with one, my standards have to be decidedly lenient.   

       Without the US, how do you explain that odd southern accent? A French conspiracy?   

       Everyone knows that the moon is just the director's hiding place...
RayfordSteele, May 23 2002

       French conspiracy? That would explain a lot more than just the southern accent... (plans to kidnap american friend for interogation..)
yamahito, May 23 2002

       //French conspiracy?//   

       Don't be stupid - the French can't even elect a president, let alone land on the moon.
NickTheGreat, May 23 2002

       Or so they would have you believe...
mcscotland, May 23 2002

       Florida is made out of Fibreglass eh? That's nothing; looking at my globe the other day I was shocked to discover that Paraguay is actually a lake.
stupop, May 23 2002

       What has this speculation about countries' existence got to do with living on the moon, anyways??
NickTheGreat, May 23 2002

       Surely the cream cheese (standard moon surface) would provide a sufficiently soft landing for the 747/shuttle. Lack of air drag isn't a worry either - a spot of rocketry thruster installation would soon fix that.
drew, May 23 2002

       //French can't even ... land on the moon//
Must be the Peugeot Engines
thumbwax, May 23 2002

so hang on if I draw pictures I can get at least an extra croissant on my ideas?
kaz, May 23 2002

       well, the illustration has to be well done (at least well thought out) and have some relevance to the idea.... and the idea can't suck totally.....   

       but, yes, it seems fair to reward a croissant for the extra effort and for caring enough about the idea so as to take the time to illustrate it so others can see your vision....
runforrestrun, May 23 2002

       A French conspiracy makes sense. After all, why else would Americans pretend to hate them so much? Oh wait, everybody hates the French. Nevermind.
RayfordSteele, May 24 2002

       How could it even slip your mind that everyone hates the French?   

       Even the immigrants do - they get to France but can't stand it so carry on to England!
NickTheGreat, May 25 2002

       Is it true, then, that people don't generally visit the halfbakery just to read my annotations?   

       Translation: You and me both, Steve DeGroof.
beauxeault, May 25 2002

       Moonwalker 2020: "Has anyone seem my cow? I think her calf unlaced her shoes again."
reensure, May 26 2002

       Why use magnets at all? the moon already has gravity. A Biodome has already been tried here on earth & failed. I hope the one on the moon does better.
the great unknown, Jan 14 2003

       The moon only has 1/5 the gravity of Earth and prolonged exposure to so little gravity would weaken the human body. Magnetic boots are unneeded on the moon however, strenuous daily exercise or some other form of artificial gravity IS needed unless it is a short visit. The artificial gravity could come from a large torus that is constantly spinning at a speed to create the desired gravity inside it on the outer edge. As far as WHY we would go to the moon. TOURISM. If I had it, I would spend a million dollars for a moon vacation. Industries that would make a fortune from this would be: Transportation, Accomodation, Food, and Entertainment. It is an awsome idea and I hope I live to see the day that a regular person can buy a trip to the moon!
Losfomot, Feb 06 2003

       We have to beat the Chinese to their moon base project thingy. But I don't think it's a good idea.
viking2004, Feb 13 2004


       I concur.
NickTheGreat, Feb 14 2004

       Its July 20th, Anniversary of the 1st moon landing.
Check out the link posted by [waugsqueke]. Zoom right in to find out what the moon is made of.....
Minimal, Jul 20 2005

       We must beat the Chinese to their Moon Base Thingy.   

       Let's hire some Mexican immigrants to put together a space ship. We will get some engineers from Russia and India to design it. Iraq will be happy to provide the fuel. We can order the parts from China...uh oh.
Galbinus_Caeli, Jul 11 2007


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