What needs to be done to turn our moon into a world where we can live? We often talk about the possible terraforming of Venus and Mars, as well as the direct colonization of a natural satellite of the Earth.
Terraforming (Latin terra - earth and forma - species) is a change in the climatic conditions of a planet, satellite or other cosmic body to bring the atmosphere, temperature and environmental conditions into a state suitable for the habitation of terrestrial animals and plants.
In the case of Venus, we need to cool the planet and then manually hide all this carbon dioxide. With Mars, we need to fill the atmosphere with greenhouse gases to warm it, and release our CO2 stores to make the atmosphere thicker. Then just drop a couple of comets with water and turn Mars into a three-star resort.
Now let's turn our imaginations to another solid ball, which is actually closer to us than the other two: the moon. Yes, yes, I know you are used to thinking of the moon as a non-terraformable body. Let's imagine that in the night sky (and in the daytime) there will be a green or blue ball. Is it bad? What is needed for this?
Photo: hi-news.ru
Scientist and science fiction writer Gregory Benford described everything in detail in his Planetary Makeup.
First, let's think about what we need to make the Moon habitable. The fact that the Moon is so close to Earth gives it a big advantage. You don't have to go far for materials and equipment.
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We need an atmosphere thick enough to breathe and trap the sun's heat. To do this, you will need to track, catch a wild comet, and then break it and send it to the moon.
Benford notes that we need to be careful not to hit an entire comet with the Moon, as it could pollute or cause significant damage to your potential home. It will be even worse if, after such an event, we have to re-terraform the Earth in order to restore its vitality.
After you lightly sprinkle the moon with comets, it will almost immediately have an atmosphere. The transfer of momentum from the comet debris will cause the moon to spin faster. If you invest a little more during the planning stage, you can make the moon rotate every 24 hours and even tilt its axis to get the seasons.
Benford thinks we will need about a hundred comets with the mass of Halley's comet to make this work. You may think this is a large number, but it does not compare with the potential costs of terraforming Mars or Venus.
The maintenance and repair of our future home will be quite challenging. The moon's low gravity means that the moon will not hold the atmosphere for more than a few thousand years. Once you say “done”, you will have to constantly replenish your orbital resort with a fresh atmosphere. Fortunately, we have an entire solar system in reserve with suitable water ice.
The advantages of a terraformed cottage on the moon are numerous. For example, if the Moon has the same dense atmosphere as the Earth, you can attach a pair of wings and fly at 1/6 of Earth's gravity.
The enormous gravity of the Earth will pull together the lunar oceans, and they will walk in 20-meter waves. You can surf them for miles, while they repeat the scene with water from "Interstellar".
Perhaps GoPro will become the main sponsor of the terraforming of the moon. More extreme!
It is clear that there is endless talk about terraforming Venus or Mars. But this is too difficult. Maybe we should just start with the moon?