We’ve all seen pictures of the Apollo 17
astronauts walking on the Moon in 1972.
And while some people still refuse
to believe this happened,
NASA is setting its sights
on the Moon again.
Starting in 2022,
two rockets will launch into space
as part of the Apollo program
with the hopes of a Moon landing
sometime in the future.
No one has completed this feat
in over 50 years.
So who knows what could go wrong?
It’s incredibly costly to get a human
to the Moon
in terms of the risks taken by all
the parties involved
and the technological challenges.
Because of this, space agencies have sent
robotic explorers
to study the Moon
and some planets instead.
What happens when you send humans
to the Moon's challenging environment?
About 80% of the Moon’s landscape
is “heavily cratered highlands”
and toxic lunar dust floating in the air.
Its daily temperatures can reach
120 °C (250 °F) at the Moon’s equator.
So what would you need to survive there?
Humans need to breathe air
that contains essential elements
such as oxygen and nitrogen.
According to NASA,
the air we breathe on Earth
contains 78% nitrogen,
21% oxygen and 1% other gases
like carbon dioxide,
neon and hydrogen.
We would have to recreate this type of air,
or at least something like it,
to stay on the Moon.
Luckily, the soil on the lunar surface
contains 42% oxygen.
NASA already has prototype robots
that use heat and electricity
to harvest oxygen,
making it accessible to us.
Although there is no liquid water
on the Moon,
NASA has confirmed that the Moon
has water in the form of ice.
To survive on the Moon,
we will need scientists and engineers
to do a lot of work beforehand.
Since you will need water to survive,
we'll need to send rovers to drill
and harvest the lunar ice,
clean it
and convert it to liquid water for drinking.
You will need to conserve energy
for the 354-hour lunar night.
You will likely not be able to bring
solar batteries with you
as they are too large and bulky.
But once you're on the Moon,
you could settle on a high point
at one of the poles.
There, you would have permanent sunlight
except during lunar eclipses.
You'll have to make sure
that your equipment can withstand
the intense
temperature fluctuations though.
One technology that could help
is the radioisotope power system.
It doesn't have moving parts,
so it shouldn't get easily damaged.
The system runs using radioisotopes
from spent plutonium-238,
and it has been used
for over half a century.
This allows a radioisotope system
to run from two weeks to multiple years.
They also can withstand
temperature fluctuations,
space radiation and thick dust.
As a type of nuclear energy technology,
it does rely on solar power.
The soil on the Moon, called regolith,
would not be able to sustain plants
because it would quickly erode
from the plants' roots.
And the Moon's dust contains high levels
of toxic metals and compounds
generally toxic to plants.
Moondust does not have enough nutrients
to support plants.
So we would have to send human manure
to help fertilize the dust.
The manure would bind
the toxic compounds in the soil
and add nutrients, which in turn would
concentrate water within the soil.
With the lunar soil ready for humans,
settlers would only need
to bring seeds and earthworms.
Assuming there is no permanent habitat
set up for you,
you will need an inflatable shelter
to withstand the elements.
You'll need to bring some type of shelter.
It could be made of various materials,
but an inflatable is the best bet
because it will be less bulky,
lighter to carry and not too rigid.
It will need an airlock
so your indoor oxygen does not escape.
The inside door would close,
and the air would get pumped
out of the airlock.
Then you, in your spacesuit,
could step outside.
In the long-term, you would have to wear
a spacesuit every time
you leave the shelter.
The Moon will not have an atmosphere
that you could walk around in and breathe.
All you can do now is try and stay positive.
At least you didn't get stranded
even further away on Mars.
The red planet comes with its own
set of hazards that would make survival
nearly impossible,
including hurricane-strength winds.
How long could you last?
Find out here on How to Survive.