Living on the Moon

What will it be like living on the Moon?
Number 1:  There isn't any atmosphere so to speak, maybe a little bit of atmosphere, that will be the biggest challenge.  How are people going to breath?

Number 2:  There aren't any oceans, water, or even plants for that matter! 

The surface is like living in a vacuum....

No, not that kind of vacuum...a space vacuum type thing...you know, out in space?

Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon before, at least in the history of mankind.  The astronauts that tried to walk felt like they could easily fall because gravity is not as strong there.  They had to learn how to walk using a "bouncy" type step.  

Lots of Moon research has taken place to find the best place to live.  As it turns out the South Pole may be the best place.  Scientists estimate there is a lot, like a lot!  Of water, stored as ice on the South Pole of the Moon and the temperature stays about 32 degrees Fahrenheit most of the day and night.  

The first structures on the Moon will be very small. They would need to be covered with Moon rocks to protect the people living there from small, sharp dust particles and meteorites that slam into the Moon.  If the buildings were struck and a hole opened up, that would be devastating to those living there.  They might not make it out alive!  Radiation from the Sun is dangerous too, without an atmosphere, people living there would be exposed to high amounts of radiation that could cause cancer or other illnesses. 

At first groups of people would live there for 6 to 12 months.  Much research would be done on the effects of living in that kind of environment.  In 10 to 15 years, people would stay much longer.  

Scientists are going to learn so much!  Technology is going to explode as scientists and engineers work together to solve problems.  Already, these motivated people are working together with positive ideas pointed to the future.  

Dr. Chris McKay is behind much of these ideas and has been a driving force to get people to the moon for the last 20 years or so.  I had the chance to work with him for a week in the Mohave Desert in 2009.  He is an astrobiologist that believes with every fiber of his being that people will go to the Moon and survive.  Dr. McKay believes that these future missions won't be as expensive because our technology is better and we can take robots and 3D printers to make many materials. If you like to camp, tools like recyclable toilets, self-driving cars, computers and cell phones will drive the costs to live on the moon way down.  He is a man of vision.

If you think you might want to live on the moon, these are the kind of people you want to hang out with...