Can the moon be inhabited?

On February 4, 65438, an official of NASA revealed for the first time that the United States plans to establish a lunar base in 2020 to carry out small-scale short-term migration of people on earth and complete permanent settlement within four years. According to the Associated Press and New York Post, according to the plan, the future moon base will be located at the south pole of the moon, because more solar energy and hydrogen can be obtained there. This will be the first step for mankind to resume manned space exploration in the solar system and prepare for landing on Mars in the future.

Return to the moon in 2020 and achieve permanent settlement within 4 years.

It is reported that this shocking space program was first disclosed by NASA officials at the second space exploration conference held in Houston, Texas on the 4th. According to the plan, NASA will start a small-scale moon landing around 2020. In the first four years, due to the limitation of energy and other materials, the lunar base can only receive astronauts for a short visit of one week. With the maturity of conditions, the acceptance time will be extended to six months until permanent residents are accepted.

NASA officials explained that the plan to build a lunar base is an important part of human exploration of Mars. In NASA's plan, the proposed lunar settlement will serve as a stopover for human beings to land on Mars, which can not only provide a safe refuge, but also provide enough hydrogen and oxygen to make water and provide rocket fuel. The media here commented that if this plan is implemented, it will be the first "return to the moon" after 1972 completed the "Apollo" feat on the moon.

The base is located in the "Antarctic", and in 2008, the probe "explored the road".

It is reported that in the landing plan of the American Apollo spacecraft in the 1960s and 1970s, the activities of astronauts were locked in the central area near the equator of the moon.

In contrast, according to NASA's 2020 plan, astronauts may choose to settle in the south pole of the moon. This is because you can enjoy the sunshine for 3/4 hours in a day and make full use of solar energy. Surgeons think there are more valuable resources, such as hydrogen and ice.

Before astronauts land on the moon, NASA will conduct a series of robot detection experiments in advance. The first step will be to launch a lunar orbiter in 2008. By then, the latter will shoot a large number of high-definition maps of the moon and undertake the arduous task of finding the best landing site, liquid water and other resources.

In order to realize the moon landing plan, NASA plans to use two magic weapons, namely the "pigsty" lunar probe and its supporting lunar rover.

Welcome international cooperation and share the development cost.

Although NASA has not released the concept map of the future lunar base, it has not released the economic budget of this grand plan. However, NASA welcomes non-governmental organizations and business groups from other countries to actively participate in cooperation and share the costs, and provide related accessories including power systems, living facilities and lunar travel tools. Scott Herzewitz, head of the lunar exploration team, said that the lunar polar station will be built according to scientific basis. He said: "We are very excited because we know nothing about the polar regions of the moon, just as we know nothing about Mars."

List of "Future Moon Residents"

At present, New York Post has initially selected five "future moon residents", namely, perris Hilton, heiress of Hilton Hotel, George pataki, governor of New York State who has been re-elected for three times, barbra streisand, a music superstar, Tom Cruise, a Hollywood superstar, and Mott Sakerman, a publishing and real estate giant in new york.

Lunar resources and lunar exploration

The moon is the only natural satellite of the earth and the closest celestial body to the earth. Records of geological activities from 4.6 billion years ago to 3 1 100 million years ago are preserved on the surface, which is of great significance for people to understand the origin and evolution history of the earth, the solar system and even the whole universe. It can be said that the moon is the best "specimen" to study the origin and evolution of the earth.

First of all, the moon: a huge treasure house of resources.

Exploring the moon has always been the ideal of mankind, not only because the moon is the natural satellite of the earth, but also because of its precious resources and the value of its position.

The moon is rich in mineral resources, and there are more rare metals on the moon than on the earth. The rocks widely distributed on the moon are rich in minerals such as titanium, iron, uranium, thorium, rare earth, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sodium, potassium, nickel, chromium, manganese, etc. Only the recoverable titanium in Yuehai basalt is at least 654.38+000 billion tons. There are three main kinds of rocks on the moon. The first is the Moon Sea Basalt rich in iron and titanium. The second is plagioclase, which is rich in potassium, rare earth and phosphorus, mainly distributed in the lunar highlands; The third type is mainly composed of 0. 1 ~ 1 mm debris particles. Moon rocks contain all the elements and about 60 minerals on the earth, 6 of which are not found on the earth.

The moon is extremely rich in mineral resources, and the most common element 17 on the earth is everywhere on the moon. Take iron for example. Only the sand 5 cm thick on the surface of the moon contains hundreds of millions of tons of iron, while the sand on the whole surface of the moon is 10 meter thick on average. The iron on the surface of the moon is not only extremely rich, but also convenient for mining and smelting. It is reported that the iron on the moon is mainly iron oxide, as long as oxygen and iron are separated; In addition, scientists have developed ways to make cement and glass from lunar soil and rocks. On the surface of the moon, the content of aluminum is also rich. Therefore, a large number of lunar resources can be obtained by using lunar processing resources, thus opening up new growth points for the sustainable development of human resources.

The soil of the moon is rich in the gas formed by the accumulation of solar wind particles, especially helium -3, which is an efficient fuel for controlling nuclear fusion power generation, but it is extremely rare on earth. Helium -3 is an efficient, clean and safe nuclear fusion fuel. The helium fusion of deuterium and helium -3 can be used as the energy source of nuclear power plants. This fusion does not produce neutrons, which is safe, pollution-free and easy to control. It can be used not only for ground nuclear power plants, but also for space navigation. It is reported that there are 1 10,000 to 5 million tons of helium -3 1 ton of helium -3 in the soil on the surface of the moon, and the generated electricity is enough for all mankind to use 1 year. From the current analysis, due to the large reserves of Helium 3 on the moon, it is undoubtedly a timely help for the future energy shortage of the earth. Many space powers regard obtaining helium 3 as one of the important goals of developing the moon. Several western countries are planning to build the controlled nuclear fusion reactor. It is predicted that after 30 years, helium -3 will become the main energy source of mankind, which can be used by our future generations for tens of thousands of years.

40% of the soil content on the moon is oxygen, which is of great significance to the development of space technology based on the moon. For example, since a rocket engine consumes 6 kilograms of oxygen every time it burns 1 kg of hydrogen, if a manned spacecraft flies over planets other than the moon and can replenish oxygen on the moon, the propellant needed for the long-distance flight of the moon will be 6/7 less when it takes off on the ground. If this idea can be realized, there will be at least19th century locomotives.

According to the current exploration results, the mineral resources on the moon are extremely rich, among which ilmenite in Yuehai basalt and rare earth elements, potassium, phosphorus, uranium and thorium in Kripke rock are highly explored and studied.

Yuehai basalt is a huge ilmenite reservoir. There is no liquid water on the surface of the moon, but because early observers can't see the surface of the moon clearly, they can only give many places on the moon names like "sea" with rich imagination. In fact, the so-called "Moon Sea" is a plain or basin on the surface of the moon, which is an area covered by a dark substance called basalt. We generally call the basalt in these areas moon sea basalt. According to the current detection and analysis results, the ocean on the moon has been filled with basalt for 22 months.

According to the expert's model calculation, the total volume of basalt distributed in these lunar plains or basins is about 6.5438+0.06 million cubic kilometers. Taking the current grade of ilmenite mining on the earth as a reference value, through the existing detection results, especially the multi-spectral detection data of Clementine lunar probe, it can be inferred that the resources of ilmenite in these basalts have reached the development level of more than 65.438+100 million tons. Although the results of the model calculation are highly speculative and uncertain, it is certain that Guangdong basalt is rich in ilmenite, which is not only the raw material for producing metallic iron and titanium, but also the main raw material for producing water and rocket fuel-liquid oxygen. Unfortunately, at present, the detection degree of the thickness of basalt in Yuehai is very low, which affects the calculation accuracy of the total volume of basalt in Yuehai, and further affects the reliability of the evaluation of the development and utilization prospect of ilmenite. Therefore, future lunar exploration should focus on this research.

Kryptonite is one of the main rock types of the moon, so it is named because it is rich in potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE) and phosphorus (P). In addition, kryptonite is also rich in uranium and thorium radioactive elements. According to the recent detection data of Clementine and lunar explorers, the storm ocean area on the front of the moon may be the distribution area of Kripke, and then the genetic mechanism of Kripke exposed on or near the surface of the moon is analyzed, and its thickness is estimated to be 10-20 km. According to some experts' models, the resources of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in Kripke rocks are about 670 million tons, 840 million tons and 360 million tons respectively.

At present, the distribution area of Kripke is still controversial, but the rich rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in Kripke are important mineral resources for human beings to develop and utilize moon resources in the future. In addition, other rocks on the moon are rich in resources such as aluminum, calcium and silicon, and have great development potential.

In addition, the moon has no atmosphere, no magnetic field, stable geological structure, weak gravity and high cleanliness. It is an ideal place for many basic scientific research and the preparation of some expensive biological products and special materials. The gravity of the moon is only 1/6 of the gravity of the earth, and launching spacecraft from the moon can also save a lot of propellant than from the earth.

Second, big countries are scrambling to explore the moon.

The moon resources have attracted the world's attention, and countries and regions with space technology capabilities have begun to prepare for the possession of the moon resources in 2 1 century. As early as the Apollo moon landing era, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched seven series of more than 80 unmanned lunar probes to explore the moon. Among them, there are 4 American series (pioneers, rovers, lunar orbiters and surveyors) ***36; Three series of the former Soviet Union (Moon, Universe and "Probe" series) ***47. In fact, the Apollo program produced more than 3,000 patents, which promoted the development of high-tech industries all over the world in 1970s and 1980s. According to statistics, for every 1 USD invested in the Apollo program, the average income will be 5 USD.

Since the Apollo spacecraft landed on the moon, lunar exploration has entered a low tide. 1On July 20th, 989, in order to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Apollo's landing on the moon, US President Bush put forward the initiative of "returning to the moon and landing on Mars". Nasa began to make a new plan, that is, the plan to return to the moon. In 200 1 year, the United States announced the "new pioneer lunar exploration plan", which made it clear that the future deep space exploration will focus on the moon and establish a lunar base in three stages: unmanned exploration, sending robots to the moon and astronauts flying to the moon.

With its economic and technological strength, Japan took the lead in launching another round of lunar exploration in the 1990s. The lunar probe "Tian Fei" was launched in June 1990. 1996 5438+00 In June, the plan to build a permanent lunar base was officially announced. It is estimated that in the next 30 years, more than 26 billion US dollars will be invested to build a lunar base, including houses, oxygen and energy production plants and a lunar observatory. In addition to the development of new carrier technology, lunar soft landing and autonomous rover technology are the most important key technologies, and the lunar pioneer-1 ~ 3 detectors have been launched one after another, including sending the rover to the moon in 2005.

ESA countries also attach great importance to lunar exploration, and the European Space Agency plans to conduct lunar exploration in four stages by 2020. Among the four stages of building the lunar base, the launch of the soft landing device in 2002 was 1 stage, which was called the lunar European demonstrator (LE-DA) scheme. The demonstrator is 2m high, with a diameter of 4. 1m and a take-off mass of 3.3t It is planned to land at the south pole of the moon to verify the lunar soft landing and lunar surface movement technology. In the fourth stage, the construction of the lunar base is completed, and the astronauts are stationed in the permanent lunar base.

Third, China's Chang 'e plan to fly to the moon.

China has been doing research in this field for many years, and now it is ready to go. Once "Chang 'e" flies, it will certainly make due contributions to human exploration of the moon, development and utilization of lunar resources and energy.

Since 1962, China has been tracking and studying various lunar probes launched by the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States made many attempts to explore the moon before landing on the moon, including hard landing and approaching the moon, and brought back some photos; The United States realized the Apollo program; After the launch of the lunar rover, the maximum journey was 39 kilometers, and some specimens were collected and returned to Earth. Finally, manned landing on the moon was realized. But for the moon whose surface area is four times that of China, such exploration is still incomplete.

At present, China can independently undertake all the work from launch vehicle, satellite development, detection instruments, measurement and control capabilities to lunar information processing and sample analysis. "Chang 'e" has seven major tasks, among which the Chinese Academy of Sciences will undertake the overall design, determine the scientific objectives and technical requirements, provide all scientific detection instruments, develop all ground application systems, and mobilize the 50-meter antenna of the National Astronomical Observatory, the 25-meter antenna of Urumqi and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, and the Yunnan Astronomical Observatory 10-meter antenna to form a long baseline interferometry network to help complete the measurement and control tasks. The design life of the lunar satellite for this lunar exploration is 1 year. The lunar exploration satellite was first launched into a synchronous orbit with a period of 12 hours, then gradually accelerated to 24 hours and 48 hours, and then entered the earth-moon transfer orbit. When approaching the moon, it decelerated several times by remote control, and finally stabilized in the polar orbit of the moon.

2/kloc-0 At the beginning of the century, the ultimate goal of lunar exploration projects in all countries in the world was to establish a lunar base, develop and utilize the rich resources, energy and special environment of the moon, and provide long-term and stable support for the sustainable development of human society. At present, China's recent lunar exploration plan is divided into three stages.

Chang 'e I launched a lunar probe in the last two to three years. The exploration task is to measure the three-dimensional topography, landform and geological structure of the whole moon, with the aim of obtaining three-dimensional images of the whole moon. High-precision three-dimensional "map" will give us a deeper understanding of the moon; Distribution characteristics and laws of energy and resources that may be useful when human beings explore the moon. The United States has explored five kinds of resources on the moon, and we will explore 14 kinds; Detect the thickness and distribution of lunar soil and estimate the resources of helium -3 and other gases; Monitor the space environment of the earth and the moon.

The second phase of "Chang 'e" is to launch a lunar probe to make a soft landing and patrol the lunar rover. The exploration site will be delineated according to the accurate "map" taken by the satellite in the first phase of 1 year; The fine detection targets are the soil, rocks and environment in the landing zone, which will lay a good foundation for the establishment of a moon-based observatory and further research on the moon.

The third phase of "Chang 'e" is to launch a small sampling return capsule, a lunar rock drill and a lunar robot. And through the lunar rover, robots and other on-site detection. Collect relevant samples, return to the ground for research, and provide relevant data for manned landing on the moon and site selection of lunar base.