Final Project

Ramon P.

Legislator:  Carlos F. Truan, Senator

Many people have asked the question, “What good will come out of going back to the moon?” The question should be, “What good will come out of not going back to the moon.” The trips to the moon have proven to be beneficial to what we know about the mysterious object that seemingly floats in our sky. What can we do to fully utilize what we know about our only natural satellite? The moon can be used in a variety of ways that can possibly allow us to explore other parts of our solar system that, to this point, have gone unexplored.

The colonization of the moon is a possible feat that may occur sooner than we think. The colonization if the moon would allow us to train astronauts that are planning to travel to Mars in a, somewhat, simulated environment. Here, astronauts can get acquainted with their spacesuits, and the limited range of motion they will receive from them. It is the place that offers the most realistic simulation of what it will feel like in a low gravity environment. This kind of training would be a lot more effective than the training that occurs now which is in a big pool. This is good for initial training, but it would be much more beneficial, and effective since it is actually a low gravity place. 

Having us live on the moon for a long while will allow us to see the effects a low gravity environment will have on our bodies. There is just theories, although very good ones, at this point on how much bone loss our bodies will endure while in a micro-gravity environment. If we were to have a human, or humans go and stay for a long while, a pattern should develop in how different bodies react. Some, or all, may experience loss in muscle strength and/or loss of bone density making them brittle, delicate, and fragile. When the rate of loss of bone and muscle is known, experiments with different products can begin. A treatment may be discovered to lessen the damaging effects. There may even be a discovery that will let the astronaut maintain the density of their muscles and bones, letting them leave the peculiar atmosphere with the same amount of muscle and bone strength that they had when they first arrived.

Another advantage of colonizing the moon is we can develop and experiment with safety procedures. If something were to go wrong, it would be relatively easy for the astronauts to abort their projects and return to Earth safely. If we are planning to go to Mars, we should have every possible scenario rehearsed and ready to be put into action. If something were to go wrong while astronauts were on Mars, there should be a plan in place to ensure they will be safe. This plan can be practiced on the moon since the environment is the same, and it is so much closer to the earth than mars is. These rehearses can take place when astronauts are due to return to earth. They can do a mock emergency escape that will be exactly like the one that would occur on Mars. By practicing this, the crew will be calm and collected should the event ever arise.

The moon could also be used as a space launch pad. The moon could be used to launch rockets from a moon launch pad. This will allow rockets to go further on the fuel they use because they are so much further out into space than the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. This launch pad can even be used to send satellites, and even people to Mars. The astronauts can travel from here to the moon, allow their bodies to adapt to the environment, and then take a shuttle from the moon to the red planet. While on the moon, they will take extra things such as extra oxygen tanks, food, and extra water. They will do this from the moon because if they tried to load up on Earth, the entire shuttle would weigh too much and the shuttle would not leave the ground. In the micro-gravity environment, weight is not an issue, so they can pack the shuttle full of supplies if they needed to. In a way, the moon could act as a space airport. It is here where shuttles will arrive from the far reaches of space and depart to explore the unknown. This space airport could also be used to attract tourist who are interested in traveling to the moon. It would be pretty safe to say there would be quite a long waiting list if something like that were to happen. It will get the public interested in space flight; therefore the space program will get more public support, which is very important.

The most beneficial thing to come out of colonizing the moon would be we might find ways to develop products using the moon’s natural resources. The main thing scientists want to do is make rocket fuel for the space shuttle and rockets using resources found on the moon. This will allow the shuttle to refuel on the moon on its way to Mars. This will allow us to preserve the resources we have here on Earth for other uses. It will also be important to develop rocket fuel using the moon’s resources just in case we use up all the resources to make rocket fuel here on Earth. Although this should not happen, you can never be too prepared. The worst thing that could happen is not having the resources to make rocket fuel. This would mean the end to human space exploration.

Another thing that needs to be developed is recycling methods to limit the amount of waste we produce. If we could find a way to recycle water or air, it could save the space program millions of dollars. NASA would not have to keep spending money to transport water or oxygen to the moon or mars. If we were to recycle, it would cut down on the amount of trash we produce. We do not want the moon to become a landfill; full of our trash and junk that is there unnecessarily. If we can find how to recycle our air without having to use other chemicals, it would allow us to travel even further than mars, since there would be plenty of oxygen to breathe. The moon could also be used to test new procedures and materials. This is the perfect place to test procedures that could be performed on mars. There may be things the crew is not sure about performing or how safe they will be performing it. Here the crew can practice doing these things so they will feel comfortable while they are performing them in the real situation. This is also a good place to test new things like new spacesuits. A spacesuit that has been developed can be placed on the surface of the moon and monitors can be placed within the suit. The levels of radiation received, temperature inside the suit, and pressure inside the suit can be tested and monitored to see if the new product is going to be safe.

The moon has a lot to offer us, we just need to access it and use as much of it as possible. The moon is just there waiting for us to make use of it. It has plenty of things to be discovered. To pass this up and regard it as unnecessary would be a huge mistake.

Last Updated: 09/07/01