The Lonely Astronomer

Moondust and Microwaves

Moondust, the fine ash-like sand that covers the Moon’s surface has been known to hamper activities on the moon but it may have positive benefits as well. Moondust may play an important role in creating the water, oxygen and fuel that is required for living on the moon. Microwaves, like the one you have in your kitchen, may become standard equipment for moon-dwellers.

The recent discovery of water molecules on the moon has inspired scientists and others to find ways to extract it. One such way is by using microwave energy. Edwin Ethridge of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center believes that heating moondust with microwave energy can cause the water molecules to vaporize. Then, using a cold trap, water vapor can be collected and condensed into liquid. Once purified, water extracted from the lunar surface could be used for a variety of purposes including drinking.

The best place to fine water on the moon is near the poles. Average concentrations have been estimated to be more than four percent water over large areas in the Polar Regions. At only two percent concentration that translates to about five gallons of water in a cubic meter of moondust.

Extracting water from moondust can be done on the spot and requires no drilling or excavating. In addition, the water can be converted to other uses. Using electrolysis, the water molecules can be separated into oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen can then be used for breathing and the hydrogen for fuel. Hydrogen is already in use here on Earth as an alternative to other gases such as liquid propane and natural gas. It is estimated that one ton of water and one ton of oxygen per year would be required for a manned outpost on the moon. Creating these resources on the moon would eliminate the need to transport them from Earth.

Moondust may have other important uses as well. Larry Taylor, professor of planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee, has a few ideas on how to create a solid material out of the moondust. He once put some moondust, brought back from an Apollo mission, into a microwave and found that it melts quickly. Lunar dust contains miniscule particles of pure iron known as nanophase iron. Nanophase metals usually are many times harder than regular metals. The microwave energy causes iron particles to become a coherent mass by heating but without melting them. The resulting solid substance may have a variety of uses on the moon. Taylor imagines an astronaut driving a rover with a buggy attached to the rear. The buggy, fitted with magnetrons, (the tube in a microwave that creates heat), and having the right power and microwave frequency, could create a solid surface behind the vehicle as it moves. Though technical challenges remain, the idea of creating solid materials from moondust sounds very promising.

In the future we may see many products created from substances found on the moon. Products such as fuel for heat and electricity, building materials, landing pads, roads, radiation shielding, hydrogen, oxygen, water and perhaps, someday, even cheese.

Could we live on the Moon?

Living in a home by the ocean on the Moon may not be as pleasurable as it is here on Earth but it may be possible.  Scientists have discovered a vertical hole on the surface of the Moon near the Marius Hills in the region known as the Ocean of Storms.  This hole is evidence of the existence of an underground lava tube on the Moon.  Lava tubes are hollow tubes that are formed by the flow of lava. Many of the caves seen in Hawaii and at the bottom of Mount Fuji are lava tubes. The rock that composes the Hawaiian Islands, Mount Fuji and seas of the moon is very similar so it is not surprising that lava tubes are also found on the Moon.

The hole is almost circular, has a diameter of about 200 feet and a depth of nearly 300 feet.  With a computation method like those used here on Earth for measuring lava tubes, scientists estimate that beneath this hole is a lava tube that may be as much as 1200 feet wide.  This particular lava tube has a thin sheet of lava that serves as a roof protecting the tube interior from dangerous radiation and micrometeorite collisions, which occur on the Moon.

During the formation of lava tubes, lava flowing down the sides of the tubes cools rapidly creating a smooth air-tight surface along the walls of the tube. The lava that coagulates at the bottom often creates a flat, naturally paved surface. With smooth walls and a flat bottom it would be easy to seal the exits to create a pressurized space. In addition, the fine ash-like sand that covers the Moon’s surface, and has been known to hamper activities on the surface, would not be a concern inside a lava tube.

Since the temperatures on the Moon vary drastically it would be extremely difficult to build a lunar base or laboratory on the surface. Building underground may be a more viable solution because the temperatures underground remain constant as they do here on Earth.  Information gathered from the Apollo program shows the temperatures a few feet under the surface of the landing area is constant at about -4 degrees Fahrenheit.  That’s about the same temperature as the wintertime lows in Minnesota. Protection from radiation and meteorites, plus the lack of temperature extremes make lava tubes a good choice for building a lunar base.

The existence of lava tubes may not be limited to the Earth and the Moon.  When lava tubes just below the surface collapse into the hollow of the tube, specific formations appear on the surface. Images of the Martian surface show formations with similar characteristics which may indicate that lava tubes exist on Mars, and perhaps, other planets as well.

In the future, lava tubes may have a variety of uses.  They could be storage facilities for extraterrestrial samples collected from space. They could be used for construction of ships and other equipment for space travel and exploration.  Or, as some suggest, a laboratory for analyzing and studying space objects before bringing them back to Earth. Lava tubes may allow us the opportunity to build a variety of facilities including a manned lunar base giving new meaning to the term “the man in the Moon”.

For more information about the lunar lava tube read the report from Junichi Haruyama at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

Winter begins in a different way this year.  It begins with a total lunar eclipse.  Lunar eclipses are not very rare but falling an the exact day of the solstice is.  The last time it happened, according to Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory, was on December 21st, 1638.  The next one is to occur on December 21st, 2094.

Usually, the moon throws a beautiful glow across the snow-covered landscape creating a winter wonderland but during this solstice that will change.  Instead of the soft white glow it will be more of an amber color giving an eerie, Halloween-ish hue to the snow. The moon itself will be a copper colored disc and should be a spectacular view.

If you were on the Moon looking at the Earth during the eclipse you would see the circumference of the Earth appear to have a fiery glow.  Because some of the light from the Sun passes by the Earth and through the atmosphere, it casts a reddish glow on the moon.

The eclipse begins at 12:33 CST on Tuesday morning.  That is when you can first see the Earth’s shadow start to appear on the edge of the Moon.  It will take about an hour before the moon is completely engulfed. The total eclipse will begin at 1:41 CST and will last a little more than an hour, (about 72 minutes).

Though the Moon will have a “warm” glow, it will likely be cold outside so your viewing time may be brief.  The best time to get a good view of the total eclipse will be around 2:20 CST.   That’s when the shadow will be darkest causing the moon to have a beautiful orange hue.  It may even look like the Moon is made of cheese.  Perhaps,  I’ll have some wine with that.

If you would like to see an animated map of the Solstice Lunar Eclipse visit Shadow and Substance link listed on the right of this page.