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First green leaf on moon dies as temperatures plummet
The appearance of a single green leaf hinted at a future in which astronauts would grow their own food in space, potentially setting up residence at outposts on the moon or other planets. Now, barely after it had sprouted, the cotton plant onboard China’s lunar rover has died.
The plant relied on sunlight at the moon’s surface, but as night arrived at the lunar far side and temperatures plunged as low as -170C, its short life came to an end.
Prof Xie Gengxin of Chongqing University, who led the design of the experiment, said its short lifespan had been anticipated. “Life in the canister would not survive the lunar night,” Xie said.
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First Green Leaf on Moon Dies as Temperatures Plummet
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Extreme fear can neither fight nor fly.
-- William Shakespeare, "The Rape of Lucrece"
(Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @03:12PM (3 children)
Good! Following Heinlein, it's always a good idea to have an expert that can tell you that it cannot be done and precisely why. So that we can then go and do it anyway. Not like people don't now live in Antarctica voluntarily or anything right now, either, or that the effort to do so is a tiny enough fraction of an economy to make it doable. But since you showed an interest:
1. Temperatures at the surface are that way. What about underground, since we've known since the early 70s that any potential lunar colonies would exist underground and scientists way back then determined that it might be a viable option.
2. See point 1. What does the "dangerous radiation" do when it has to pass through a surface like lunar regolith?
3. See point 1. "Possibly" carcinogenic means we don't know. The risk would be more for silicosis, which is not a cancer. And sure, that does have to be planned for. OTOH, I don't think people are talking about having open-faced barbeques on the surface. And it's a shame about all those respiratory complications the Apollo astronauts experienced - I'll let you prove that occurred.
4. The jury is still out about subsurface ice deposits the last time I checked, but I'll invite correction. Nice thing about air is that we know how to make and recycle it. Yep, requires support. So does living on some pacific islands but that happens.
5. There's this great big thing called the Sun.... people think they can harness it for energy using this thing called solar energy. And maybe without an atmosphere scattering it this solar energy thing is even more efficient. And then we've got these wonderful things called batteries that can store energy for when you don't have a sun shinging down on you. Maybe you should read up on it.
6. Things require constant energy on Earth too. "Enormous" is a scale judgment as is "short".
Forgive me if I doubt your naysaying and wait for cited and scientific proof about what resources it would take. Or we can just wait for the Chinese to do it anyway. Please tell me you don't think they can or would do it so I can laugh at you outright!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday January 18 2019, @03:53PM (2 children)
Sure one can dwell underground after one arrives there, but that the appolo guys could SEE solar radiation with their eyes shut led them to develop cataracts far out of proportion to the general population
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:30PM (1 child)
How much is "far out of proportion"? All I've read about are increased risk of cataract. Many occupations do indeed have higher risks for some diseases. Oh, and while it is likely I don't think anybody has conclusively proven that light flashes seen by the astronauts were "solar radiation". (Especially since not all astronauts see them). Maybe I'm wrong.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Sunday January 20 2019, @03:45AM
I expect those flashes are mostly protons.
Those are captured by the Earth's magnetic field; they spiral around the field's lines of force, then into the upper polar atmospheres.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]