Before we try to create a self sustaining presence on the Moon or elsewhere, shouldn't we try to do it here

Question

first?

We have scientists at the South Pole in a facility that is not self sustaining. In an emergency, they are stranded in bad weather.

Fifteen years ago, in Arizona a self sustaining habitat was created to show how living environmentally is the best. They had to pump in oxygen within ten days.

How can we even consider something on the moon, or even in orbit, when we cannot do it here in an oxygen atmosphere.

Perhaps we could do two things. Put a research center on a highest mountain, and build a subterrainian prison, where the first leves are built, but the prisoners than build the rest going down.

Answer 1

All I can say is that I agree with you 100 percent! You stated the case better than I could have, and thank you for bringing about some awareness to the subject.

Answer 2

Good question.

With regard to the Biosphere that was in Arizona, the problem was the result of high levels of microbes in the ultra-rich soil. This caused illness amongst the crew by contaminating the air, as well as killed off all of the animals within. While the ultimate mission of the Biosphere was a failure, valuable information was gained, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Indeed, I've seen the argument of why we should bother with space colonization, when we have so many problems here on Earth. Well, let's look back roughly 500 years ago when the Americas were first discovered by Europeans. Europe certainly had plenty of problems, what with disease and hunger, not to mention warfare between European nations. Had they waited until they wrestled things under control, they may not have started exploring the world until the 1960s.

As the World population grows, we are going to need more resources, even more space. Eventually we will outgrow the ability of what the Earth can provide. Hence, we will eventually need to become a space-traveling race.

An added bonus of becoming a space-traveling race is that we better ensure the survival of our species. As it is now, it would only take a collision with a comet or large meteor with the Earth to wipe out the entire human species. If we had colonies on the moon, mars, moons of the outer planets, even in other solar systems if we gain the ability to travel that far, then we have a much better chance of surviving such events.

Answer 3

You are approaching this from the wrong direction.

Any early permanent presence in space will not be self sustaining at first, nor should it be. The first priority is to learn to survive.

As the colony determines what it needs (by what is shipped in) it learns to make it on its own. The more it can make on its own, the less support it will need from Earth. As the colony grows in population, it will have a stronger economic incentive to pursue independence.

The Arizona experiment was fundamentally flawed, as it attemped to go self-sufficient all at once. This all but guaranteed failure.

Besides, working to build a self-sustaining colony on another world will teach us a thousand times more than any attempt we make on Earth. It will actually help us to make better colonies in remote and harsh locations like Antarctica

The problem with this generation is that it has become too risk-averse and afraid of failure. Exploration is not without risk, and people will die in its pursuit. The early explorers knew and accepted this. The hard and unpleasant fact is that expeditions can and will fail from time to time. In that case you pick up the pieces, learn what you can from it and move on. We can't shut everything down for years at a time anytime someone dies. Not if we ever hope to get anywhere.

Answer 4

We do have one in orbit -- the space station. The problem with a truly self-sustaining habitat is the scale it would have to be -- we're lucky in that we have an entire living, breathing planet to sustain us. You get a goodly percentage of the air you're breathing from the Amazon rain forests, and a lot of the water you drink fell as rain hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Recreating that on a scale necessary to support even ten people in a building that'll be somewhere on the order of 5000 square feet is tantamount to impossible, with our current level of technology. If they were able to find water ice (and there are rumors that there might be at the south pole of the moon where they're planning a base), they MIGHT be able to make some of their own air, but they're still going to depend on regular deliveries of oxygen tanks, food, and water (they can only reclaim so much, since no water reclamation system is 100% efficient, especially when humans are involved) to bolster what they can produce themselves locally. There will have to be emergency supplies of everything, backups to backups to backup systems and triple redundancy to keep everyone as safe as possible.

As to the real root of your question, we do it because we can. It's the spirit of exploration that keeps us going, because despite all our problems here on Earth, our race will simply fade away until we are no longer even a memory unless we continue to stretch toward new horizons. The universe is vast, and waiting for us if we have but the courage to go and look.

Answer 5

We are already living in self-sustaining Universe. God put his laws into place in everything when he created the Universe and all within. That is why the Earth rotates and will continue to rotate so we have day and night,the ozone layer covering the Earth to protect us against the outer atmosphere, the stars stay in place in the sky, different seasons, etc. It is only when man starts to mess with these laws that things go crazy. I honestly see no reason why it should be a space program. To keep sending space ships is into space and bursting through the ozone layer may be one of the reasons why our weather is crazy. The government should get things in order on Earth first before they try and tackle space. The money spent on the Space Project would be more than enough to help our economy.....well it may be too late now. .

Answer 6

Well the question is a matter of interest. The question is ruder delicate and it deserves an attenton that I can not give it right now, I will do my best.

Well you know that if we are pointed out to make a system in another planet that is self susteined in oxigen one one must find a very eficient way to do it so thats about the interest if one invests in creating a susteined oxigen technology (may it be biological phisical, quimical or other) in space one will surtenally encounter some things that could be used in this planet, thats the interest of course that it is tested in the earth first.

Answer 7

ROFL , I cant believe I didn't think of that question myself. You are completely right, I did not know that they had to pump in air into the Bio Dome. Guess their guess People vs plant life was a bit off.

Excellent idea.. Think they should do it Underwater most likely. 20 -30 feet maybe.. That way the Air situation is totally self contained or fail. But that makes more questions.. I will stop rambling..

Answer 8

I'd say there are a lot of people who already know how to live sustainably (we've been doing it for some time up until the last couple centuries). Unfortunately, too many folks are too lazy or too greedy to commit certain changes in their "way of life".

Answer 9

We're already sustained here

no renewable energy and other problems is something different.

We're talking about extended humans to other parts of our solar system.