Living on the Moon in Real Life | Unveiled

Living on the Moon in Real Life

Humanity has dreamed of living on other planets for years. Before we can do that, however, we need to learn more about living on extraterrestrial surfaces. Our neighbor satellite the moon seems the perfect place to practice. Science fiction often portrays moon bases as massive dome structures and settlements teeming with aliens, but what would it actually be like?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re uncovering the extraordinary truth about living on the moon in real life.

We live in a time where science is beginning to resemble what was once science fiction. We have robots capable of advanced thought and movement, printers capable of creating 3D objects, and yes - we even have missions to establish lunar outposts. NASA’s Artemis program plans to establish a space station called the Lunar Gateway and a Human Landing System on the surface. The Lunar Gateway will act as a waypoint, easing travel and facilitating construction. China has similar ambitions and aspires to build a base near the moon’s south pole within the next ten years. The newest lunar race is due to the fact that our moon provides a good training ground before we attempt to colonize Mars. The moon is only a 3 day trip from home, so if anything goes wrong, it will be much easier to fix. It’s looking more and more like we’ll have real-life moon bases within the next decade.

Though the initial moon settlers will be astronauts and scientists, it’s only a matter of time before tourists are allowed to visit and even live there. Private companies such as Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and Space Adventures, all have plans to jump on the tourism industry and take people to space. SpaceX already has a mission to send people around the moon on a lunar tour in 2023. With private companies looking into it, we’ll soon have faster and more efficient ways of getting to the moon.

What would lunar bases actually look like? Any base will have to be layered for protection, as the moon’s surface offers a variety of challenges. Temperature, radiation, and potential meteorite impacts are all constant threats that could spell ruin. To combat these conditions, early settlers will likely dig out dens beneath lunar craters. Robotic rovers will assist in covering these dens with moon rocks and dust for extra protection. This option provides a much safer way to live than by constructing large domes because domes are susceptible to being pummeled with meteorites that frequent the moon’s surface; it’s hit daily by 6,172 pounds of space rock. Many meteorites also strike Earth, but our atmosphere burns most up before they can reach the surface. In time, we may build strong enough domes or structures to live in, and SpaceX wants to eventually build a rocket base on the moon for easier take off. But in the early days we’ll be digging underground to avoid the unforgiving conditions.

We’ll also need access to food and water in our crater bases. Our food will likely come in two varieties - imported from Earth, and grown on the moon’s surface. Learning to grow food in harsh conditions will be an important step to cultivating food on Mars and other planets. Lunar soil is difficult to farm with, but researchers have had some success in growing tomatoes, quinoa, peas, and radishes - so these could be a staple of lunar meals. The moon is close enough to shuttle up food if the need arises as well, so lunar settlers will also receive care packages from Earth to vary their food intake. Water, however, will mostly be mined from the moon itself to avoid the costs of delivering it via shuttle. In addition to the plans of transforming lunar water into rocket fuel, we’ll likely use the rest to drink. Foraging water will also be an essential task on Mars and any other planet, so we’ll need to be well-practiced. Since there’s no water cycle on the moon, we’ll have to manually recycle the water in our urine, sweat, and showers to purify for drinking again - a process astronauts perform regularly.

Daily leisure time will play an important role in maintaining a stable mental condition in such a foreign environment. Astronauts have access to TV on the International Space Station via their laptops, which NASA can send shows to; there’s a likelihood of it being available on the moon as well. However, television will likely take a backseat to other recreational activities, once they become options. The moon is going to have a need for vehicles that can transport supplies and materials around, and eventually, a taxi service is likely to pop up for tourists to take them to iconic locations. These vehicles will be built to travel on the moon with ease and provide comfort for the riders inside. Popular tourist attractions might include the poles, where water is being mined; or to the site of the first Apollo 11 landing. Spacewalking could also be hugely popular, but might die down as people get used to the low gravity and the ways to walk in it.

Walking in low gravity won’t be the only thing that people living on the moon will have to deal with on a daily basis. Spacesuits will also be required at all times outside of their homes or bases, and this will be a nuisance for many. Current spacesuits take an average time of about 45 minutes to fully don, and another hour of simply breathing in the pure oxygen to allow the body to adapt to the low-pressure environment. People will likely plan their days out so that they have to change into or out of their spacesuits as few times as possible. Every time they re-enter or leave buildings, they’ll need to go through an airlock instead of just turning a doorknob. Moon days will also take some getting used to, as one lunar day is equal to 29.5 Earth days. That means that day and night both last for about two weeks each, and moon settlers will have to learn how to live in constant darkness and light.

As for employment on the moon, many lunar residents will be engineers and scientists for companies like SpaceX or NASA. Other people might make a living by operating the rovers that take supplies back and forth or by transporting people to popular sights or launch pads.

Though this may sound like the far future, lunar stations are close to becoming reality. After researchers set up permanent bases on the moon and learn how to live in them, it’s only a matter of time before space tourists pay money to visit the surface too. Eventually, it may even be possible to live on the moon permanently, much like those who plan to go to Mars and never return. It will be a very different experience than living anywhere on Earth, and it will be exciting and awe inspiring to see our own home planet from above in all of its glory. Relaxing and simply watching the Earth might be a popular activity - as people point out the locations they once called home.

And that’s what Living on the Moon in Real Life will be like.