Would it be possible to fly on the moon??

Question

You would need air of course, but say you're in a large dome, and people would have some sort of "wings" attached to their arms perhaps.

Answer 1

Well, flight requires aerodynamics to function properly. The moon has no air, and wings would require air to work. Therefore, no, wings would not work. Since the moon's vicinity has a significantly less gravitational force than the earth's atmosphere, it would be possible to float for a while.

Answer 2

If you had a breathable pressurized atmosphere in the dome, you'd still have lunar gravity, which is less than earth's. Judging from how astronauts were able to jump around on the moon, a person without the heavily equipped spacesuit in lunar gravity should be able to jump very high & far. Actually flying, on the other hand, requires additional structure and mechanics. A bird flapping it's wings to take off, then maintain flight, is carrying out very specific muscular actions. The motions of the wings, along with their size, shape and velocity of motion, are critical to accomplishing continual flight.

So, I would say that jumping and hang-gliding in lunar gravity, with a breathable pressurized atmosphere, would be greatly enhanced over doing the same in earth gravity.

Swimming in water, in lunar gravity, would be pretty cool too. Less swimming energy would be required to keep you afloat. Theoretically, this energy could be transferred toward simply propelling the swimmer forward. It would seem that you could dive into shallower water more safely too. Imagine the spring charactaristics of a diving board, in lunar gravity. A more flexible board would enhance the rebound and allow for unbelievable diving hang times.

Regardless of the flying issue, I'm certain that swimming and diving would be incredible.

Answer 3

Well, a lot of the others didn't read your question very well (at least before I started typing, seems a couple people at least got it. ;o] ). Yes, if you have a large pressurized dome FILLED WITH AIR or some other medium through which you could create aero-dynamics (heck even water, swimming is a type of flight, albeit with different buoyancy dynamics).

Basically, you'd just have to have a medium in which to create pressure systems (lower pressure over "wings" and higher pressure below).

But the dynamics would be different due to gravity being quite a bit less (almost, but not quite, nonexistent). If anything it would be easier to fly (at least get off the ground) because you'd need less lift to get off the ground... But, on the other hand, with less gravity, you'd tend to coast a lot more before moving back to the ground, since there would be very little loss of inertia due to gravity... So, it would be a lot different. You'd probably crash into the walls of the dome before you stopped flying or landed. ;o] Hopefully you wouldn't put out too much thrust or you'd just keep going without really slowing down.

Answer 4

ok, I have several things to say to this one:

1) domes? on the moon? no way! Domes relly on the fact that there won't be too much asteroid activity (or the domes get crushed). So you need some sort of atmosphere to begin with to have a dome of any size...

2) to have a dome big enough to fly inside it, you would need it to be at least a few hundred meters wide, and if the atmosphere outside is inexistant (like it is on the moon), then you won't be able to make a dome bigger than a few meters... AND you might not be able to sustain an atmosphere of 1bar, like on earth... so you would need to flap several times your wings to acheive the same effect as on earth... well, it won't work that way...

3) a better way to "live" on the moon is underground, and it will be a VERY long time before you have an underground complex big enough to allow a man to "fly"


so,
1) tells you you can't have domes on the moon for security reasons
2) tells you that even if you don't care about your life, you wont be able to make a dome big enough to fly inside it
3) is just here to show you the only way it could MAYBE happen, very far in the future. (and digging a big room like that in the moon wo't be a simple task : it's would be a complete waiste of time if it's only to "fly")

edit: oh! yes, just forgot one tiny little thing: the only people who would have a chance to be able to fly in such an environment would be people who had trained their entire life on earth for this sole purpose. They would need to be very slim and have extraordinary upper body strength (if you intend them to fly "flapping their wings").

Answer 5

Robet Heinlein already anwered your ? in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"......

He postulated the moon as a future tourist destination with an air storage dome beneath the surface and tourists flapping their way around inside it.

Totally possible if you get around all the other problems of getting there and setting it all up.

Answer 6

If you were in an enclosed environment with atmosphere approximating that of earth, It would be actually easier to fly whether it be in an aircraft, hang glider, or whatever, as it would require less lift to overcome the Moon's lower gravity. As for self-powered flight (flapping one's arms), no. Human beings do not have enough arm and chest strength relative to their size to fly, as birds do.

Answer 7

Given the one-sixth gravity of earth, with the proper equipment and a dense-enough atmosphere, it would be possible if the arm strength is there. Marshall Savage, founder of the Living Universe Foundation, describes this in his book on colonising space.

Answer 8

I think your arms would get too tired.

Answer 9

No, but of course, your high jump would improve much more...

Answer 10

How long can you hold your breath?