A Lost Sumerian Artifact Contains Details About What’s Hidden Inside the Moon

No one ever managed to stay on the moon for more than 3 days because of the conditions on the satellite. It has a wide range of temperatures, low atmosphere, and no magnetic field that would protect life on the surface from things like radiation or harsh sun rays. Astronauts wear space suits, but they can’t protect them over long periods of time. But a lava tube could. When a lava flow cools, it gets a hard crust which later thickens and creates a roof over that same lava. It continues to flow, but when it stops, the channel can drain, which results in an empty tube. Our planet also has lava tubes, but they’re not as big as the one found on the moon. There’s a special type of tree called a moon tree.

It’s grown from seeds that were taken into space during one of the missions and then returned back to Earth. You can find this kind of tree growing across the US. Earth is 27% bigger than the moon and far more massive. Our gravity is stronger. If you drop a rock on the Earth, it will fall faster. 150 lb on Earth is just 25 lb on the moon. The Earth has numerous satellites circling around it, but the moon is the only natural one. Our moon was formed during a big collision of the Earth and one more planet the size of Mars. This happened around 4. 6 billion years ago, shortly after the Sun and our solar system were formed. After the collision, a cloud of vaporized rock went into orbit around our planet, cooled, and shaped into a ring of small solid bodies.

They later got together and became the moon, leaving craters as a reminder of this collision. If you’re standing on the surface of the moon, your shadow will be darker than on Earth. This is because there’s no atmosphere to scatter light and create lighter shadows. One of Jupiter’s moons, Io, has hundreds of volcanoes and pretty wild eruptions, sometimes sending plumes 250 mi into the atmosphere. These eruptions happen because of the extremely strong gravity this moon is exposed to. Its insides tense up and relax in those periods when it gets closer to and then further from Jupiter, which generates enough energy for insane volcanic activity. It’s not just planets, even quite small space bodies sometimes have moons. In 1993, researchers discovered a 20-mi wide asteroid and its 1-mi wide moon. You’d need 400,000 moons to match the brightness of our central star, the Sun.

The moon reflects the light it gets from the Sun, but it doesn’t produce its own. That brightness depends on the angle between the moon, the Earth, and the Sun. Our moon is around 32 Earths away from us and 29 Earths at its closest. When the night is dark and clear, it seems like you can touch a full moon. But if you wanted to do it, you’d have to travel up to 250,000 mi. Still, there is water on the moon. Not puddles or lakes, but grains of water ice exist in permanently shadowed parts near the moon’s poles. Scientists think that water got on the moon a long time ago during a period when both the moon and Earth were constantly struck by asteroids and comets, which contained water ice.

This process may have even helped us get our own lakes and oceans, not just the moon’s icy water. Newer research says that the moon’s interior already had water and it went to the surface during volcanic activity. The same might have happened on our planet, too. Out of 200 moons in our solar system, our moon is the fifth biggest one. Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the biggest one, almost 1. 5 times bigger than ours. Apollo 11 was the mission where humankind first landed on the moon. It was a very important moment, broadcast all over the world, but it was almost interrupted by a huge windstorm that was going on in Australia back then. Parker dish was placed there, which was something we used to get the broadcast signals from the moon. The moon is not a perfect circle.

It’s more in the shape of an egg with the thicker end pointing toward us. This shape is derived from its rotation. A full moon can keep you awake. Studies showed that people experienced less deep sleep and it took them longer to fall asleep during the full moon period. It wasn’t about its brightness, but the lunar cycle that influences our internal body clock. Each year, the moon is moving away from Earth because of the interaction between the moon’s gravitational force and our oceans. In 1 year, it moves around 1. 5 inches away, which means that in around 600 million years, it will be 14,600 miles further from Earth than it is now. This number isn’t accidental. That’s the time when total solar eclipses will stop happening.

Humankind hasn’t set foot on the moon in a few decades, but footprints there are still fresh because there are no winds up there. So, these tracks can stay there for millions of years. The moon has its own time zone called lunar standard time. Time is different on the moon, so a year there is divided into 12 days, considering each is as long as our month. Days got named after astronauts who walked on the moon. The moon calendar starts the moment Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969. There are possible energy sources for living beings on one of Saturn’s moons. It has an ocean under the surface, and it may feature some chemical reactions similar to those that help certain forms of life on our planet survive. The moon used to have active volcanoes, probably during the time of the dinosaurs.

Molten lava hardened on its surface billions of years ago, which helped create unique lunar craters, but the volcanoes have been dormant for a long time now. The moon has earthquakes, or rather moonquakes. Just like our planet, the moon also has a crust that goes through changes and shifts. Shaking occurs when its crust warms and expands, or it can even be caused by meteorite impacts. Moonquakes are not as strong as earthquakes, but can last way longer, since the moon doesn’t have enough water to prevent seismic vibrations. The moon has a big range of temperatures because it doesn’t have an atmosphere. During the day, it can go up to 200° F, but at its poles, the temperature is around -400° F. In 2019, astronauts discovered a strange space phenomenon.

The moon was crossing in front of the sun, and at one moment, it seemed like it stopped, and then started moving backward. It’s the same optical illusion like when you’re driving on the highway and pass a car that’s slower than you. At one moment, as you move ahead, it may appear like it’s going backward. The crust of the moon is not equally thick in all its parts. Some are up to 37 mi thick, while others are much thinner. The moon itself doesn’t change colors. When sunlight goes through our atmosphere, it reflects off the moon and makes us see it as pink or red. Sometimes there are particles of dust sent into the atmosphere and, in combination with sunlight, they give the moon an orange glow. The moon doesn’t have a dark side. There’s only a far side that we can’t see from the Earth.

The moon spins on its axis once and makes a circle around the Earth all in the same amount of time, which is why we only see its one face the entire time. All planets in our solar system have at least one moon, except for Mercury and Venus. Mercury has less mass than our planet, so its gravity is lower than ours, around 38% of the Earth’s gravity. That means 100 lb on Earth would be 38 lb on Mercury. Because of the weaker gravity and since it’s so close to the sun, Mercury wouldn’t be able to have its own moon. It would probably crash into Mercury or even go into orbit around the sun and someday even get pulled into it. Venus most likely doesn’t have its moon because it’s also too close to the sun.

You might think high-tech telescopes let us see every inch of the moon, but that’s not true. At our satellite’s South Pole lie giant craters untouched by sunlight for eons, stuck in pitch black, colder than Pluto, and almost impossible to explore. However, maybe we have to if we want to explore space. Because the darkness hides some must-have resources that will make life and long-distance travel in space possible. Yes, we’re talking about water locked up as tiny crystals in the lunar soil. Now, water in space is always good news. You’ve probably heard that scientists are also obsessed with finding it on Mars. If the red planet has any type of water below its surface, it raises the exciting possibility that life might have existed there. Even microbes would be the biggest discovery in human history.

That’s why rovers are poking around Martian craters and drilling into the soil like some very dedicated space gardeners. But as incredible as water on Mars would be, water on the moon might be even more valuable to us in the short term. The reasons are simple, the distance and the gravity of the moon. We can reach our satellite in 3 days. That’s almost nothing. It takes at least 7 days to reach New York from London via a cruise ship. But more important than the length of the trip is the possibility of using the moon as a pit stop. Stop, refuel, and relaunch so we can resume exploration. The gravity on the moon is only 1/6 as strong as Earth’s. That’s not just useful for endlessly entertaining yourself by jumping around.

This difference means that launching rockets from our satellite is much easier compared to launching them from Earth, which requires a tremendous amount of fuel just to break free from the atmosphere. For example, the Saturn V rocket, which took astronauts to the moon during the Apollo missions, was made up of more than 90% fuel just to get off the ground. On the moon, however, it’s much easier to launch a rocket. That means that we could carry heavier loads with less fuel. It’s like being able to take a bigger suitcase on your trip. If we can find and use ice on the moon to create rocket fuel, it would turn our satellite into a practical and affordable stop for exploring the solar system. Not to mention that by applying some basic chemistry, we could extract oxygen from water and use it for breathing or rocket engines.

Also, astronauts would need water to drink and grow crops on the lunar base. So, what do we know about the latest discoveries? For a long time, scientists thought the moon was completely dry. But in 2009, NASA basically crashed a rocket into a crater. It caused an explosion of ice and vapor, like fireworks, and finally confirmed that the moon had some kind of water. But how much? Well, enough to matter. The data suggests there could be hundreds of millions of tons of water ice locked up in the moon’s polar regions. Some estimates roughly say 1. 3 trillion pounds. That’s about the same weight as 460 million cars. Not exactly lakes, but still a lot. And there still could be more. This water could also contribute to uncovering cool scientific secrets.

The ice is ancient, which makes it like a time capsule from the early days of the solar system. Studying those frozen molecules might tell us not only how water got to the moon, but also how it appeared on Earth. Anyway, what’s all that water doing on the moon? How did it get there? Scientists assume that some of it probably hitched a ride on comets and asteroids billions of years ago. Many of those space rocks carried ice, and some of that water ended up in the polar regions. Another source could be the way solar wind interacts with the lunar surface. In any case, however this ice appeared on the moon, the real trick is where it ended up, inside its polar craters.

And while we can find the ice not only in the craters at the South Pole, that’s where the largest, most stable reserves are believed to be. Some of those craters are enormous. One of the most famous is called the Shackleton crater, and it’s over 13 miles wide and more than 2 miles deep. That’s almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The moon barely tilts on its axis, only about 1°. So, the sun never peaks over the rims of those deep polar pits. The temperatures dip to around -400° F there. Any water or chemicals trapped in that frozen dirt just stay there, locked away like in a freezer. Something really cool is that at the South Pole, you have parts that are stuck in the perpetual darkness. But, some nearby mountain ridges get almost non-stop sunlight. Scientists call them the peaks of eternal light.

They’re perfect for setting up solar panels while still being close enough to access the icy treasures hidden below. The poles of the moon are the only places in our solar system we know of where perpetual day and night exist side by side. But, the eternal night isn’t just fascinating. It’s dangerous. The terrain out there is absolutely unforgiving. We can’t even simulate something like that on Earth. We don’t even know what it looks like from the inside. It’s worse than exploring the northernmost part of Antarctica while wearing a blindfold. So, now that we know this, is that potential water even obtainable? That question is probably worth several trillions of dollars. Yes, there’s water over there, but getting to it won’t be like scooping ice cream from a bowl. What we’re really talking about are microscopic ice crystals mixed into lunar dust.

To make use of it, machines would need to dig and heat up the soil, then capture the vapor before it escapes back into space. And then, there’s freezing. Even assuming a human or rover could safely reach the bottom of a crater, it’d be almost impossible to navigate. Batteries and equipment probably wouldn’t last, and it’s impossible to use solar panels or electronics down there. They’d freeze in minutes. However, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter uses all kinds of radars and sensors to sniff out what the crater looks like inside. And now there’s an even sharper tool, ShadowCam, a camera so sensitive it can capture details in light a hundred times dimmer than what our eyes can see. Basically, the ultimate night vision device. With it, we can finally map those pits without even setting foot there. That’s why engineers are thinking up all sorts of clever solutions.

Some concepts involve nuclear-powered rovers with headlights strong enough to carve through the dark. Others want robots that rappel down crater walls or hop across the floor like pogo sticks. There are even ideas for drills that could melt frozen soil and trap water vapor like condensation on a cold soda can. The silver lining is that this water isn’t going anywhere. Until we improve our technology, the supply will wait for us. That being said, space agencies are already making advancements. In fact, more than half a dozen new missions are lined up over the next few years. NASA’s Artemis program is getting ready to send astronauts back around the moon and then down to the South Pole. China’s Chang’e 7 is planning to check out those dark craters. And private companies like Firefly and Blue Origin are gearing up to deliver equipment and experiments.

Now, here’s a bonus lesser-known fun fact. The moon smells. When Apollo astronauts brought lunar dust into their landers, it mixed with the oxygen inside and ended up smelling pretty strong. They said it was like burnt gunpowder or fireworks. Lunar dust has nothing to do with gunpowder, but its particles are highly reactive. After sitting in space for billions of years, they reacted instantly with oxygen in the cabin, creating that smoky odor. Future explorers are definitely going to notice that smell, too, since lunar dust tends to stick to everything. Let’s hope that, aside from everything else, scientists will work out air fresheners for the moon base. Soon we might start constructing loads of stuff on the moon. All because India’s moon mission has recently detected sulfur near the moon’s South Pole. This chemical element can come in extremely handy for creating infrastructure on our satellite.

It’s the first time this chemical element has been discovered on Earth’s natural satellite. This sought-after element is mostly found near Earth’s volcanoes. Its appearance on the moon speaks volumes about the satellite’s volcanic history and its past atmospheric conditions. The mission’s rover detected this chemical element less than a week after touching down around 70° from the moon’s South Pole on the 23rd of August, 2023. This historic landing on the lunar surface made India the fourth country to safely land a mission on the moon. It’s also the first spacecraft to touch down so close to the South Pole of our satellite. It’s an area of strategic importance because it’s believed to be home to deposits of water ice. If it turns out to be true, future missions might be able to harvest it and turn this water ice into drinking water or even rocket fuel.

For 2 weeks, the lander carried out the data collection, mainly focused on the analysis of the moon’s soil and its extremely thin atmosphere. Meanwhile, the solar-powered Pragyan rover started its quest to find frozen water on the moon. As for the lander, it demonstrated another amazing feat on the 3rd of September. The spacecraft fired up its engines and lifted itself for about 16 inches into the air. Then it made a tiny hop to land 12 to 16 inches away from its original position. It’s kind of a big deal. Being able to get a lander back off the surface of the moon is essentially for future missions, showing that they can safely return soil samples or even astronauts back home after a lunar mission. In September, the Indian spacecraft was put into sleeping mode.

The 14-day long lunar night was approaching and the spacecraft wasn’t designed to collect scientific data during this period of time. So far, we’ve learned about a few major findings of the mission. One is related to measuring the temperature of the moon’s top soil at different depths. Intriguingly, the surface of the satellite in that region turned out to be hotter than expected. It was believed that the temperature could be between 68 and 86° F on the surface, but it was around 158° F, way hotter than it should be. The other discovery indicates the presence of several chemical elements, including oxygen. Besides, the data received from the spacecraft confirms the presence of aluminum, calcium, iron, titanium, silicon, and other chemical elements on the lunar surface close to the South Pole.

The rover also used special instruments designed to measure quakes and rumbles beneath the lunar surface to detect some seismic activity. It brings us back to the sulfur detected thanks to the rover’s spectroscope. Scientists are currently working on figuring out whether this element formed on the surface in a natural way or whether it’s the result of volcanic activity or a meteor strike. Another astonishing thing found on the moon is a rock and it may be the oldest known Earth rock. A 0. 7-in wide chip included in a large rock collection brought to our planet by Apollo astronauts might actually be a 4-billion-year-old fragment of Earth. This finding could help us paint a better picture of the intense pounding early Earth got at the dawn of its life. It could go like this. Soon after the rock formed, an asteroid impact might have blasted it from Earth.

At that time, our planet’s satellite was three times closer to Earth than it is today. The collision was so powerful that this chunk of terrestrial rock found its way to the moon. Later, this fragment got engulfed in a lunar breccia, a motley kind of rock. Eventually, the rock was brought back home to Earth by Apollo 14 astronauts. Even though scientists had found meteorites coming from Mars and the moon before, it was the first time a rock from the moon turned out to be a terrestrial meteorite. They also found out that the rock had formed in a water-rich environment at temperatures and pressures corresponding to those at around 12 miles beneath the surface of our planet. In 2019, China’s Chang’e 4 mission made history by landing on the far side of the moon.

The mission’s rover helped researchers visualize structures hidden deep below the surface of the satellite, revealing billions of years of lunar history. The Yutu-2 rover made this discovery with the help of its lunar penetrating radar. It imaged deep into the moon’s surface and listened to echoes of sound bouncing back off structures hidden from view under the surface of the moon. It turned out those structures were resting at depths of almost 1,000 ft. The research suggests that the first 130 ft under the surface are made up of layers of dust, soil, and rocks. The instruments also discovered a concealed crater that must have formed after a large object slammed into the moon’s surface. Long, long ago, ancient lava was likely to be flowing deep underground. Researchers believe that the broken rocks around the formation might be debris produced by the impact.

They also found that the volcanic rock layers were thinner the closer they were to the surface. Such a thickness variation of lava flows might mean a decrease in the number and magnitude of eruptions over time. So, lunar volcanic activity gradually dwindled since the moon’s formation around 4 and 1/2 billion years ago. On the far side of the moon, there is one of the largest and oldest impact craters in our solar system, the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Unfortunately, from Earth, you can only see its outer rim, which looks like a huge chain of mountains. It’s a ginormous 8-mi deep dent stretching for more than 1,500 mi in diameter and covering 1/4 of the moon’s surface. Astronomers are sure that this crater appeared when an asteroid collided with the moon around 4 billion years ago.

And now, look at this gigantic chunk of metal the size of four states of Connecticut. As for its weight in pounds, it’s enough to say that the number contains 18 zeros. This mysterious mass is hidden about 180 mi under the moon’s surface. Somewhere in the middle of the South Pole-Aitken Basin. It was discovered when GRAIL, which stands for NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission, gathered data about our natural satellite. When examining this information, scientists noticed that in one place on the moon’s surface, there was a weird change in gravity. After researching this phenomenon, they concluded that something mysterious was weighing down the basin floor there. So far, researchers haven’t figured out the origin of the bizarre lump, but there are several theories. One of them claims that the finding is a chunk of dense oxide, which appeared when the moon was just taking its shape.

At that time, the satellite was still covered with ancient oceans of magma, and the lump could be formed at the final stages of its cooling. However, most scientists support another theory, according to which the puzzling mass is part of the giant asteroid that once created the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Since the thing is metallic, it’s probably the iron-nickel core of the asteroid. There might be a labyrinth of lava tubes on the moon. Not so long ago, astronomers received the results of underground topography and discovered a massive cave under the surface of Earth’s satellite. It could be the result of the lunar volcanic activity that happened more than 3 billion years ago. Streams of lava hardened, creating a thick, hard crust on the outside. But inside, it kept flowing, melting the rock and creating tunnels and caves.

Numerous small pits in the moon’s surface discovered by NASA seem to be the openings to such lava tubes. If this theory is confirmed, the underground tunnels might serve not only as a convenient location for human crewed space missions, but also as much-needed water sources for astronauts. It’s been decades since the last manned moon landing, Apollo 17, which happened in December 1972. Isn’t it time we thought about going back to our dusty satellite and maybe even staying there? NASA has made a promise on this subject. They’re preparing to send astronauts on the moon again, perhaps by 2025. This will all happen through a program called Artemis. It’s also going to include the first woman ever to experience the lunar surface. Now, you might ask, “Why haven’t we done this already? ” One former NASA administrator said something interesting on the subject.

It’s not because of scientific or technological issues. Problem was that the potential projects took too long and were just too costly. You see, space travel, especially when it involves humans, isn’t easy on the pockets. It’s true that in recent years, NASA had budgets of billions of dollars. Sure sounds like enough money, right? Well, not when you check out their to-do list. That’s because they have to consider everything, from telescopes and giant rocket projects to missions also targeting the sun, Jupiter, Mars, and beyond. When you look at it this way, NASA needs to be very good at budgeting to achieve all those goals. It’s not just because of finances, though. The moon itself is quite problematic. It poses real dangers that cannot be taken lightly. For starters, its surface is filled with craters and boulders that aren’t easy to land on.

Then, there is the moon dust, or regolith, if you’d like to call it by its scientific name. It was created over many years by meteorite impacts. It’s extremely harsh and sticks to everything. It can potentially damage spacesuits, vehicles, and systems quite quickly. Also, dealing with the lunar habitat isn’t a walk in the park, either. The moon has no protective atmosphere. What this means is that for 14 days at a time, the lunar surface is faced with harsh rays from the sun. That period is followed by another 2 weeks of total darkness. All these changes create extreme temperatures, which us humans are not really accustomed to. There are solutions, don’t worry. NASA is working on dust and sun-resistant spacesuits and vehicles. They’re even developing a system that might supply electricity during those lunar nights.

What’s even more interesting about this system is it could come in handy on Mars, too, once we get there. NASA also needs to draw in really smart people for its projects. Think about it. The average age of the people working for the mission control for Apollo 13 was just 26 years old. And these people had already been part of numerous missions by that time. Which means they’d had considerable experience from a very young age. But here’s where other individuals can help, too. In recent years, it wasn’t just NASA who’s been working tirelessly to revolutionize space travel. There are many successful people out there with enough resources to join in on these efforts. Some are developing new types of rockets that can land on the moon, too. In total, NASA landed 12 people on our satellite.

It’s definitely one of the most awesome moments in its history, if not the best. And those astronauts did amazing things up there. They brought back rocks, took snapshots, did science experiments, and even left flags behind. These were all important moments of the Apollo missions. But, they weren’t meant to create a safe place for humans on the moon. Scientists have had this idea of a lunar space station for a long time now. It’s only logical. After all, it’s just a 3-day trip from Earth. It means we can technically afford to make little mistakes here and there without messing up the whole project. Plus, we’d learn so much before venturing even further into space. A moon base could provide fuel for deep space missions. We could also build telescopes up there and launch them way easier in space. It could also help us in another important project.

Figure out how to make Mars habitable, too. Not to mention, a lunar space station would help us learn more about the moon’s origin. Who knows? It could even bring in some money because of all that fun exciting lunar tourism. Either way, the Apollo moon program took a lot of work. For starters, let’s look at the sheer number of people involved. Around 400,000 from every corner of the states. Not everything was picture-perfect, tough. There were two main unfortunate events. Firstly, a fire mishap at the launch pad of Apollo 1. Secondly, an oxygen tank decided to throw a tantrum on Apollo 13, causing severe issues mid-mission. An important part of the project was Saturn V. It is to this day the most powerful rocket flown successfully, being 36 stories high. Still finding it hard to picture? This rocket stood twice as tall as Niagara Falls.

Thanks to Saturn V, NASA successfully completed 13 missions. This included chauffeuring 24 astronauts towards the moon, with half of them even having a little walk on its surface. The existing rockets and space shuttles can’t go beyond low Earth orbit. In simpler terms, they can’t reach the moon with all the gadgets astronauts need to thrive. Current space vehicles are just not capable of carrying that load, at least not since the Apollo missions happened. Regardless, we did make a lot of progress on Earth and are ready to send astronauts to our satellite pretty soon. Here’s where the Artemis project comes in. It’s a program overseen by NASA. And to make sure it all goes well, NASA previously launched Orion, a spacecraft with no crew on board to orbit the moon and return to Earth.

Think of it as an automated test drive before we actually send people out there again. We need to make sure all the devices work properly. One day, Orion will be the vehicle that will take astronauts to the moon again. It features a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe in case something bad happens during launch. It also has a service module, which is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and keeps astronauts alive with water, oxygen, power, and temperature control. All these future projects make one wonder, what will life on the moon be like anyway? We can only use our imagination for now. Some say we’ll be living in homes straight out of a fairy tale, something like a cozy hobbit hole. Living underground on the moon might be a must. That’s due to the scorching temperatures and the lack of oxygen.

If you add meteorite threats and the non-stop radiation, it’s no wonder we can’t just walk on its surface. What about transportation? Big and small companies alike are trying to create the ideal moon ride. If current estimations are current, one type of moon taxi will take off as soon as 2024. Unlike our current rockets, these space taxis won’t have to deal with the harsh conditions of reentering Earth’s atmosphere. It will be easier for them to make multiple round trips. To support our lunar living, we’ll need to have a special area for space taxis to safely take off and land. Think of it as a landing pad on a firm, flat stretch of moon surface protected by walls to shield against moon dust. Moving around on the moon surface will be made easier, too.

The next generation vehicles we’re talking about will have their own controlled environment, which means you won’t need a space suit while inside. Should feel like stepping out of your space ride for a bit. Then, of course, you’ll need to put on your space suit. All right. So, we’ve got our homes and our rides sorted. But, what about fuel? That’s where the moon throws us a lifeline. The moon’s lighter gravity means we don’t need as much power to escape its pull. Plus, the moon has ice, and that’s super handy. We might be able to convert this ice into rocket fuel. We’ll need dedicated space gadgets to help gather this ice. One such tool is called Trident. It’s like a drill, perfect for digging into the icy moon surface. Additional robotic helpers would then turn this ice into fuel and deliver it to a space gas station.

If this works, rockets on their way to Mars could stop by for a quick fuel top-up before continuing their journey. Hey, does anyone remember the gold rush? Back in the 19th century, prospectors were flooding California rivers with a pan in hand chasing wealth. Well, scientists now say it might be time for the moon rush. Because apparently, precious metals worth over $1 trillion could be hiding underneath the surface of the moon. That’s a lot of money. However, can we really reach it? And if so, who does it belong to? If you have ever paid close attention to the pictures of the moon, you probably noticed a lot of holes and craters. Our satellite is like a giant Swiss cheese. It has over 1. 3 million craters if you count those larger than 0. 6 miles.

But today, we’re focusing on about 6,500 really big ones, those over 12 miles wide. Those were not made by little green men or little green moles, but rather by asteroids crashing into the moon since eternity. Scientists compared moon scans to meteorites, and after crunching the numbers, they think there could be a fortune in platinum hiding in those craters. What’s exciting is that many of these resources could be just a few feet beneath the surface. The moon doesn’t have an atmosphere like Earth, so there’s no wind, rain, or earthquakes messing things up. That means those asteroid crashes left their priceless metals pretty much right where they landed. Undisturbed in lunar dust for millions of years. With each crater like a giant space bowl catching platinum, iridium, palladium, and other metals. On Earth, we have to drill super deep just to get a tiny bit of these.

By the way, did you know that most of the minable gold on Earth likely came from ancient meteorites? When Earth first formed, almost all the original gold sank into the core. The stuff we can actually dig up today is probably what’s left when space rocks slammed into the crust billions of years ago. So, maybe you wonder why not reach for the asteroids and mine there. Well, that’s because they’re out of reach. Yes, in theory, it would be possible to mine from asteroids, but obviously the moon is way closer and easier to get to than any other giant rocks floating in space. We’ve already walked on it and brought back pieces of it to Earth. So, it’s fair to say we are familiar with it. This makes mining it a much smarter step than chasing unpredictable asteroids. However, asteroids are next on the list.

Also, when it comes to mining the moon, it’s not just about the price. Some of those craters have frozen water. We know that because several missions like NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and India’s Chandrayaan-1 have found frozen water ice in dark craters near the moon’s poles. This ice is super valuable because it can be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen. They are the parts needed to make rocket fuel. It could also be purified for astronauts to drink or even used to help grow plants. Imagine filling up spaceships with fuel right on the moon before flying off to other planets. Not only does that sound pretty cool, but it’s also economical and convenient. That would save us a ton of money and effort. And if we’re already stopping to refuel, why not stick around and set up shop?

It’s about building a whole new space base and turning the moon into a launching pad for exploring deeper space. A moon base would let scientists study wild space weather, practice building habitats, and test robots in real lunar dust. I can’t be the only one excited for the future where robots stream their live missions from the moon. The skills and knowledge we develop there could be essential for living on Mars or exploring the moons of Jupiter and beyond. This is not as far-fetched as you might believe. Companies like AstroForge and Karman Plus are working on tech to mine asteroids and maybe the moon someday. NASA’s Artemis program is trying hard to set up a sustainable human presence on the moon in the next decade. And Europe’s space agency is also eyeing lunar resources.

So, yeah, the idea of people and robots working together on the moon is probably just a matter of time. Still, it’s not as simple as it sounds. There are big questions that humanity faces. Just like with the original gold rush, it’s a bit of the wild west when it comes to rules. The Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967 says no country can claim the moon as its territory. However, it’s pretty vague when it comes to private companies mining resources. So, if you build your rocket and mine some platinum first, is it yours? Well, as for right now, it’s a guessing game. Countries are debating and trying to figure it out before the space gold rush turns into a lunar free-for-all Battle Royale. Then, there’s the challenge of protecting the moon’s one-of-a-kind environment.

Some craters are so quiet that scientists dream of turning them into giant space observatories that study the universe without any radio noise from Earth. Mining nearby could shake things up or kick dust into the air. Lunar soil could damage the sensitive gadgets and ruin the billion-dollar science experiments. That would definitely annoy researchers. Plus, some parts of the moon have been untouched, and mining could wipe out cool spots we haven’t even fully explored yet. So, basically, we want to make sure we don’t turn the moon into a lunar construction site before we’ve learned all its secrets. That’s why some experts suggest setting up protected zones on the moon, like national parks here on Earth, where mining and heavy machines just aren’t allowed. That way, we get the benefits of lunar resources, but keep the moon’s most important areas safe for research and discovery.

But, here’s an even bigger question. How is this thing going to affect us, casual Earthlings who can’t take a walk up to the moon with our metal detectors and explore? The moon’s rare metals aren’t just worth a lot. They could actually be super useful for future tech. Platinum group metals, which might be found in lunar soil, are used in things like medical gear, satellites, and even some types of batteries and fuel cells. If the moon really is sitting on a trillion-dollar treasure, it could boost tech industries and possibly lower costs. There’s also helium-3, a rare isotope found on the lunar surface. Scientists think it could someday be used for nuclear fusion, providing a clean, powerful source of energy that doesn’t create greenhouse gases or long-term radioactive waste. If fusion becomes possible, even small amounts of helium-3 could power entire cities.

One cool perk of using resources from space is that we could cut down on all the digging and pollution here on Earth. That means less damage to our environment and more sustainable ways to keep up with our growing populations needs. On the other hand, all these new opportunities could create new challenges. Of course, there’s going to be a cosmic tug-of-war with who gets the goodies. Nobody wants the fear of missing out on a moon rush. Bottom line, lunar mining isn’t just a science experiment. It’s something that could affect economies, technology, and the environment here on Earth, for better or worse. When I was a kid, hundreds of years ago, we had the moon bases on the covers of our science books. One of the reasons why moon landing projects became so rare is that it just wasn’t financially viable.

Why should a country spend resources to get to the moon if there’s nothing valuable up there? However, now that we think there’s something out there, everything could change. That’s why I already imagine myself working 9:00 to 5:00 on the moon, fixing robots and growing moon plants. But it’s time to get back to Earth, so to speak. Nobody’s setting up a moon McDonald’s or booking lunar Airbnbs just yet. Even the most optimistic experts say we’re still decades away from big mining operations or permanent lunar bases. For now, most missions will be robotic, experimental, and with price tags that will make your head hurt. So, until we all get our moon mining helmets, it’s something to think about while moon gazing. Hmm, what about that wealth hiding on the bright side of the moon? Thank you for watching.

Neil Armstrong had been getting ready for his mission on the moon for over 3 years. To resist microgravity conditions, he had to learn how to walk sideways by being strapped and suspended at an angle and trying to walk along walls. His limits were tested through an intense diet and sleep regimen. Since in space, he would only have beef and vegetables previously dehydrated and stuffed into a package. Back in the day, astronauts had to experience the desert, jungle, open sea, and Arctic survival training. These days it’s a lot more structured. But back then, it was more of a let’s drop this person in the middle of nowhere with no supplies and see if they make it.

Before landing on the moon, he had to gather and study rock samples in the Grand Canyon, explore ancient volcano formations in the Nevada National Security Site, and look into gas and lava vents, lava lakes, and pit craters in various locations in Hawaii. On July 20th, 1969, Armstrong was given a hearty breakfast before blast off. Steak, eggs, toast, juice, and coffee. He received what doctors call a low-residue meal, which means he wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom soon after. It took him 109 hours and 42 minutes to reach the surface of the moon in an area called the Sea of Tranquility. He had to travel 240,000 miles to get there.

The crew could have gone for the Ocean of Storms or the Central Bay, but this place was chosen for landing because it had good visibility, was relatively smooth, and was easily reachable with as little propellant as possible. When he was at about 500 ft above the surface of the moon, Armstrong had to maneuver the spacecraft manually to make sure they wouldn’t land in a dangerous crater. He continued to hover for about a minute and a half, moving it sideways until he felt comfortable to land. As soon as his device landed safely, he immediately radioed to mission control, located in Houston, Texas. The now famous message, The Eagle has landed. Steadily, he went down the lunar module’s ladder, while a television camera was attached to the craft to record his progress.

The camera also transmitted the signal back to Earth, where hundreds of millions of people were anxiously waiting. At precisely 10:56 p. m. EDT on the same day, Armstrong placed his feet onto the lunar soil, saying, That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. The schedule said that the astronaut needed to sleep before the first moonwalk, but he chose to go outside earlier than planned, since he obviously couldn’t sleep. If Armstrong had walked on the moon without special equipment to breathe, he would have smelled a weird odor, sort of musty and sulfuric. Still, he had the chance to smell it when he returned to the lunar module. The thing is, the dirt had clung to his feet, so the odor spread all over the cabin. He described it as wet fireplace ashes, or how the air smells after fireworks shows.

Who would have thought you needed to pack a scented candle when going to the moon? Apart from the people that have since made it to the moon, no one ever got the chance to know precisely what the crew was smelling. Even during that first mission, when moon soil and rock samples were transported to labs in airtight containers, once they were opened back on Earth, surprisingly, the smell was gone. He also felt the surface of the moon to be fine and powdery, but said he had no difficulty in moving around. One other member of his crew joined him about 20 minutes later. The whole moonwalk took a little over 2 hours. During this time, Armstrong and his teammates set up various devices on the surface of our satellite.

One was meant to precisely measure the exact distance from there to Earth by timing how long it took for a laser beam to travel from Earth to the lunar surface and back. Another meant to measure moonquakes and potential meteor impacts, which leads us to the discovery that the moon was pretty alive after all. We know today that the largest moonquakes are much weaker than the largest earthquakes, though their movements can last for up to an hour, way longer than on Earth. They managed to gather somewhere around 50 lb of rock and soil samples. They also snapped many photographs of the terrain, where they also planted a US flag. The astronaut even got the chance to catch up with President Richard Nixon, for less than a minute though.

The final thing on the list for Armstrong was to go for a walk to what is now known as East Crater, 65 yd east of the lunar module. It was the greatest distance traveled from the spacecraft on that specific mission, approximately the length of half a football field. As soon as his tasks were done, Armstrong went back into the lunar module and safely closed the hatch to get some sleep. While preparing for lift-off, Armstrong and his crew discovered that because of their chunky spacesuits, they managed to break the ignition switch for the ascent engine. No big deal, they thought. So, they used a part of a pen to push in the circuit breaker to start the launch sequence. At 1:54 p. m. , the famous Eagle began to ascend. Apart from the scientific equipment installed on the surface of the moon.

A plaque was also left there. It read, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind. ” Years later, Armstrong said that NASA limited their time on the moon because they didn’t know how the space suits would handle the moon’s extreme temperatures, as high as 260° Fahrenheit during the day to as low as 280° Fahrenheit below zero at night. Things got a bit more complicated when Armstrong landed back on Earth. Since he had been exposed to unknown space particles, the result? He and his team had to be placed in planetary protection quarantine on their return as soon as their space capsule safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th. That specific quarantine for the Apollo 11 astronauts is one of the reasons why we have microwaves in our kitchens today.

When they first returned from the moon, they initially spent their first few days in a mobile quarantine facility or MQF. Sure, the MQF featured comfortable chairs, bunks, a toilet and showers, but it didn’t leave a lot of space for fancy cooking. Since there was no room for a standard oven or grill and to also reduce the potential fires that might have occurred, NASA had to get creative. That’s how the original countertop microwave oven was developed to easily help astronauts get their meals without the hustle of a fully equipped kitchen. These days you can see that first microwave in a museum in Oakland, California. After returning to Earth, Armstrong claimed he would never reach for the stars again, but he didn’t stop exploring though. Back in 1985, he joined a professional team of other greatest explorers to the North Pole.

He was joined by mountaineer Edmund Hillary, aviator Steve Fossett, and photographer Patrick Morrow, reaching the pole on April 6th, 1985. Armstrong claimed he wanted to see what the Earth’s icy pole looked like from the ground, since he had only seen it from the surface of the moon. The Apollo 11 mission was nevertheless unforgettable for Armstrong, since in 2015, the Smithsonian Institution uncovered that he had kept hidden a cloth bag full of small parts from the lunar module. It included his waist tether, some utility lights and their brackets, an emergency wrench, and the optical sight that was mounted above Armstrong’s window of the space module. It also contained the data acquisition camera that recorded the iconic footage of Armstrong taking his small step on the moon. Armstrong kept it to himself for many years until his widow Carol eventually found it.

He even kept it a secret from his official biographer, who at many times asked if he had kept any memorabilia from his famous mission. He didn’t sneak those objects back on Earth, though. He just mentioned it to be a bunch of trash he wanted to bring back. August 23rd, 2023, a day when India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made history by becoming the first to touch down on the lunar South Pole, a place we can’t normally see from Earth. What makes this lunar hideaway so fascinating to scientists? Well, it turns out it’s hiding something precious. Lunar ice. This place is believed to be more abundant with this ice than what we found up north. And it’s not hard to see why scientists are so buzzed up about it.

It’s a frozen water source and it could become our key to building a permanent lunar home or even fueling missions all the way to Mars. Scientists knew about this ice for over two decades since the NASA spacecraft accidentally stumbled upon it during one of the missions. Then in 2018, NASA triumphantly declared that they’re 100% sure about it. They said that the South Pole of the Moon is abundant with water. Now, picture this. Future lunar settlers could tap into this water supply. It could help us sustain life in the barren lunar landscape. Plus, by cleverly splitting the water into oxygen and hydrogen, we could receive both air and rocket fuel. All this will make moon missions more feasible and self-sustaining. It’s also a great glimpse into the past. This ice may be as old as the moon itself. Could unlock the moon’s and Earth’s deep mysteries.

But it turns out that water isn’t rare in space at all. There might be lots of planets out there where life could thrive. We know this because we started finding water vapor around stars and this water is remarkably similar to the water in our own solar system. This discovery suggests that the water on Earth originally came from space. Water forms around stars in the cloud of extremely hot vapor. Then it turns into ice and sticks to tiny dust particles. These particles stick together over time and become bigger objects like comets, planets, and other things. Some of these become comets and planets in our own solar system. And this is how water is being spread across the universe and it may be how it got to our planet and the moon, too. Scientists think that the lunar ice might have journeyed here eons ago.

Maybe it hitched a ride on water-rich asteroids that smacked into the moon’s surface. All this has big implications for us. The southern pole is an ideal canvas for humanity to establish a real moon base. Imagine brick domes connected by secret underground tunnels. They’ll be bustling with people busily operating computers. Some others will be cruising the lunar landscape in their Jeeps or on their way to mine precious resources. We have some pretty cool ideas on how to build this. First, you probably imagine hauling hefty and water-draining shelters all the way from Earth. But maybe there’s a more effective way. Think about our history as a civilization. Every time we venture to a new place, we surveyed the surroundings for available resources and used them to survive and thrive. This is how we spread across our own planet.

So, why shouldn’t we spread across the moon the same way? Now, you might wonder what resources the moon might offer. We know about the ice, and it can be turned into water. But we can clearly see that our planet lacks lush greenery and edible food. Well, it might not be obvious, but the moon does have something to offer: mineral resources and sunlight. Unlike Earth, where the sun rises and sets, the lunar poles offer quite a beautiful sight. The sun gracefully orbits the horizon the entire day, which means it can provide an almost uninterrupted source of power. Imagine living in a world bathed in perpetual sunlight. I’m sure the solar panels will love it. Me? Mm, not so much. Still, we could use not only the sun’s light, but also its heat. Honestly, we should just use everything.

If we’re left with spare metal while producing oxygen, find a purpose for that metal, too. We need to treat the environment responsibly, not only on Earth, but on the moon as well, which is why scientists are learning how to turn the moon’s most abundant resources, regolith, into sturdy bricks. They’ve been quite inventive in figuring out how to create moon bricks. Scientists want to use the sun’s heat to melt lunar dust layer by layer, essentially creating a 3D printer for moon dust. Engineers have also cooked up bricks using solar ovens and zap lunar soil with microwaves. They become quite adept at it. So, yeah, perhaps we’re going to establish a little brick factory on the moon and build regolith houses. It’s like Minecraft in real life. As soon as you find some cool new material, you got to build a tiny house with it.

If successful, these bricks could be used to construct entire buildings, potentially covering inflatable modules or giving new life to abandoned landers. So, will astronauts need to become skilled bricklayers? Well, they won’t do everything themselves. We’d have to create a small automated system involving robots working collaboratively. Humans will, of course, oversee the construction site. Despite all this automation, scientists believe that living on the moon is going to be, well, call it cozy. The designs may involve stacked living quarters or multi-purpose areas. However, there would be some challenges, too. On the moon, things get extreme. Imagine scorching temperatures that can go up to 212° F during the day, and at night, they plunge down to a chilly -290°. And it’s not just the weather. The moon gets relentlessly exposed to solar radiation, cosmic rays, and micro meteorite impacts. All these things gradually wear down anything on its surface.

Another big challenge is the lunar dust. On the moon, there’s no air to breathe, and the dust there can cause problems. And this one isn’t only regular dust. It’s super clingy and can even make astronauts sneeze and have watery eyes as if they’re having a lunar hay fever. It can also damage equipment and space suits. It’s not something you want to mess with. Scientists have found that the dust is made when meteors hit the moon, creating tiny particles and sharp glass shards. It’s toxic, and its tiny particles can float around in low lunar gravity, making it hard to breathe. Unlike on Earth, the moon doesn’t have wind or rain to clean it away. So, now they’re studying it to find out how to prevent this annoying problem from ruining their entire mission. There’s more to this lunar haven than meets the eye.

Scientists also want to delve into the mysteries of low-frequency electromagnetic waves there. These waves are whispers from the far reaches of the universe. These elusive signals have remained hidden from us for ages. We only caught some cacophony of radio and other background noise, but that’s it. On the moon’s dark side, however, we can finally record and study them. Studying these waves will help scientists to unlock the secrets of the universe’s origins. It’s not just about the Earth or the moon. We’re talking about peering back to the very beginnings of our world. Our new lunar lab might help us to forever reshape our understanding of the cosmos. So, NASA has some big plans on the moon now. Their Artemis mission completed a successful return to Earth in December 2022 after nearly a month in space. It ventured far beyond the moon.

This mission proved the capabilities of some of our recent technological developments that will help us explore Mars. The goal of Artemis is to establish a lasting presence on the moon. They want to create a gateway, like a space station in orbit around the satellite, to help with the landings. Artemis 2 is set to carry astronauts to lunar orbit in 2024. And during Artemis 3, which should take place in the mid-2020s, two astronauts will touch down near the moon’s South Pole. It’s quite possible that the lunar base will be built within the next couple of decades. So, stay tuned.