Thanks to Foreo for partnering with me on this video.
On the Moon, the real-estate market is skyrocketing. While I’m being a little
tongue-in-cheek when I say that, it is true that interest in the Moon as a permanent base for human
life is increasing. Before December 2022, the number of countries and political unions that
had successfully sent probes either to orbit or land on the moon had risen to 6. America,
Russia, Japan, Europe, China and India have all sent spacecraft to our closest lunar neighbour.
The motives behind this vary, even within a country. For some, it is about scientific
advancement. For others, the moon offers rich possibilities for economic gain. But whatever the
motivations, knowing where to set up those first lunar bases is becoming increasingly important.
And that means mapping out the Moon’s surface and features is more vital than ever.
Fortunately for everyone involved, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has
been circling the Moon from an altitude as low as 50km from the Moon’s surface since 2009.
Its mission has been to map out the Moon’s surface in detail, and to enable scientific discoveries
that help us understand the processes that take place up there. We have spoken about what it has
seen before. But we’ve only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Moon’s haunting
beauty and deep mystery. What has LRO found up there? How does it pertain to mankind’s reaching
for the worlds outside our atmosphere? And how may its next generation take that search even further?
I’m Alex McColgan, and you’re watching Astrum. And today in my sixth video on
the LRO, you’re about to discover the answers to those questions.
As a quick recap, the LRO was launched by NASA in 2009 as a means of mapping out the
lunar surface in thitherto unmatched detail. But when this was achieved after just one year,
NASA shifted LRO’s mission to investigate areas of particular scientific interest. We’ve spoken
in my last video of the highest and lowest points on the Moon, as well as Rilles, and some truly
impressive impact craters. But that is not the thing of greatest value to future explorers.
In fact, one of the most important features on the moon is a humble hole in the ground.
This is a pit crater. By evaluating the shadow, scientists can discern that it’s a massive 100m
deep, and 100 to 115m across, depending on where you measure it around its sheer edge.
Unlike impact craters, which are formed from space debris crashing down onto the Moon’s surface,
it is thought that pit craters like this one are formed by a cavity collapsing deep underground,
similar to the process that forms sinkholes here on Earth. This provides further proof that under
the surface of the moon, there may exist networks of caves and vents, possibly formed by flowing
lava long ago. The Moon is cold now, so these lava tubes lie empty – but this provides astronauts and
scientists with a unique opportunity. If they do exist, it’s incredibly likely that lava tubes will
provide a remarkable, easily accessible record of the geological processes that shaped the Moon.
They might be coated in interesting and rare minerals. On top of that,
it’s much easier to set up a base on the Moon if your walls and ceiling are already formed for you.
Lacking a magnetic field, or any real atmosphere, the surface of the moon is completely exposed to
solar and cosmic radiation. Over time, this radiation could deliver a lethal dose to any
would-be settlers. The only way to avoid this would be to line your buildings with thick
materials to block out the radiation. But 100 metres of rock will do the same job just fine.
If pit craters provide a gateway to cave systems 100m deep, astronauts may well pick out a site
much like this one to settle on the lunar surface. Of course, any would-be settler will not just need
protection from radiation to survive on the Moon. They will also need access to water, and it’s
here that LRO has provided more fascinating insights into the Moon’s surface processes.
It was once thought that the surface of the Moon was dead and dry. If water existed,
it would only be found in small pockets in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). However,
as LRO travelled over the Lunar surface, it began to notice something unexpected.
Trace amounts of water molecules could be found over the top surface of regolith,
the grey rock that makes up much of the Moon. It turns out the Moon is ever so slightly wet.
This wetness was even observed to move around in a sort of Lunar water cycle, both by region,
and by time of day. Around noon, when the Moon’s surface was hottest, the water seemed
to dissipate, but then it would return with the evening. Scientists do not understand everything
about this process – where did this water come from? Why did it not all evaporate into space?
But LRO’s observation means that the locations on the Moon that might be viable for a lunar base is
suddenly much wider. If this trace amount of water could be collected, you would not need
to build your base next to a permanently shadowed region. Which is convenient, because PSRs are far
colder than we at first thought. The Moon has very little axial tilt – a little over a single
degree. This means that at the poles there exist craters that are never pointed directly at the
Sun. No matter what time of day or year, the Sun never casts light into their mysterious basins.
Naturally, a location that never sees any sunlight is bound to be cold. However, scientists were
not prepared for exactly how cold it turned out these regions were. For context, at the equator,
temperatures on the Moon fluctuate between 120°C during the day, and -130°C during the night.
LRO houses a “diviner” instrument, which uses seven thermal infrared channels to measure
surface temperatures. With it, LRO found a polar crater that had temperatures as low as -250°C,
making it the coldest temperature measured on any object in the entire solar system. That’s colder
than the average temperatures of Uranus, Neptune, or even Pluto. The crater edges shielding these
areas from Solar radiation might have created the perfect storage location for housing water ice,
but other more interesting, useful compounds could be found down there too. Carbon Dioxide,
Carbon Monoxide, dinitrogen and argon, perhaps. These compounds could be useful for settlers, and
so accessing these materials might be extremely useful, in spite of the chilling cold. But because
it’s so dark down in these craters, it’s difficult to know for sure exactly which craters house what.
It would be unfortunate to build a scientific base, only to discover that the crater next to you
was completely empty. Sadly, LRO’s onboard camera (LROC) is not capable of piercing this darkness…
But there is a new camera circling the Moon that can.
The reason why I said in the intro that 6 countries had sent probes to the Moon
before December 2022 is that on 16th December, that number actually rose to
7. After a 4 ½ month journey, South Korea’s Danuri probe just arrived in Lunar orbit.
NASA has actually been working closely with South Korea on Danuri, providing them with scientific
expertise and communications and navigation support, in a spirit of mutual international
scientific collaboration. In thanks, South Korea’s KARI space program gave NASA 7kg of
space on their Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) – or “Danuri”, as it’s locally known,
a composite word made from “dal” which means “moon” and “nurida” which means “enjoy”.
NASA considered what scientific instrument could best be placed on Danuri. And in the end,
they went with a device known as Shadowcam; a younger sibling of LRO’s own Narrow Angle Camera,
with one notable enhancement. Thanks to its 200 times sensitivity, it turns images like this:
Look like this: This incredibly clear image is of Shackleton crater, found at the Moon’s south pole;
the first ever site photographed by LRO. And now, thanks to Danuri and Shadowcam, we can properly
peer into its inner basin. It turns out that Shackleton does not look that different from
many of the other craters on the Moon. Its crater floor is covered in bumpy hummocks.
Sadly, there is no obvious ice here. Perhaps this is because Shackleton is a smaller crater, meaning
that the temperatures within do not drop quite so low as would be needed for ice to reliably form.
One point of interest is the clear trail left by a boulder as it rolled down the crater side,
visible near the top of the image [On the website link I gave you,
there are two images – one with an arrow pointing to this trail, and one without].
Such tracks are common on the Moon, as the lack of wind means that any disturbance of the dusty
ground is never covered up again. This track could be extremely old. This is the only image
released by Shadowcam so far. However, Danuri intends to orbit the Moon for the next year, at
least. In that time, it will hopefully drive back the shadows on all of the Moon’s hidden terrain.
So, there you have it. Thanks to LRO, and now Danuri, the surface of the Moon is being mapped
in clearer and clearer detail. Processes such as the lunar water cycle are being understood
more deeply, and the way is being paved for future missions to actually land on the Moon
through the discovery of compounds vital to human life. And that’s not even mentioning
the developing scientific understanding of the origins and history of the Moon that is coming
about as we uncover its geological record. When scientists one day arrive on the Moon to study
this record first-hand, it will be thanks to this data that they will know where to go.
As the number of nations settling on the Moon increases, they will rely more and more on LRO and
Danuri’s information to know where to construct. That’s what excites me about all of this. We
are – metaphorically, brick by brick – laying the foundation for possible future civilizations.
Thanks to the knowledge being developed by these orbiters and pathfinders,
one day millions of human beings might just call the Moon by another name.
“Home.”
Footsteps on the Moon last essentially forever. They have a timeless quality
thanks to the lack of lunar winds, meaning they could last for thousands of years.
While no human will ever live as long as that, that same timelessness is something
that we may sometimes wish we had for our skin. If that’s something you or your loved ones have
ever thought about, our partner on today’s video might have just the device for you.
The FOREO BEAR is the new gadget by FOREO Sweden, that helps relax away facial and neck
muscle tension through the clever use of T-sonic pulsations and microcurrent technology. It sends
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away your tension and stimulating blood flow. With just 2 minutes of use a day over a 30-day period,
using the BEAR can energise and firm up the 69 muscles in the face and neck, reducing signs of
aging. If this is something for you, or if you’re looking for the perfect gift for your significant
other, follow my link in the description below to check it out! Go ahead and give it a try!
Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out the other LRO videos about cool features on the Moon
here. And a big thanks to my patrons and members for supporting the channel. If you like what I do
and want your name added to this list, check the links below. All the best, and see you next time.