The video discusses the potential for human colonization of the Moon, emphasizing that while we have the technology to do so, we are not currently taking advantage of this opportunity. The cost of establishing a Moon base is estimated to be between 20 to 40 billion dollars, a price comparable to the International Space Station or the budget surplus of Germany in 2017. The benefits of such a venture are immeasurable, including the development of new technologies, the start of a new space race, and the creation of a vast array of new technologies to benefit us on Earth.
The process of colonization would follow three phases: exploration, settlement, and a true colony. The first phase, which started 60 years ago with the Apollo missions, has already been largely completed. The second phase, in which astronauts build the first Moonbase, could begin today. The first small Moonbase could be completed in a decade. The base would be light, with a crew of no more than 12, and would be deployed somewhere with natural shelter. The habitat would be abandoned between missions, but the groundwork would be laid to enable humans to stay permanently.
The first crew would consist of scientists and engineers who would study the composition of the Moon and explore ways of using the available lunar material. They could purify lunar ice into water for human use, experiment with growing plants for food, and use hydrogen fuel cells to store power during the lunar night. By harvesting water from the Moon and putting it into orbit, the Moon base would supply an orbital depot where scientific missions to Mars and the outer solar system can refuel.
The base would become self-sufficient by supporting itself via exports to Earth. Private contractors could extract precious metals, other raw materials from the lunar regolith, and even mining Helium-3, an isotope that could one day be used in nuclear fusion reactors. As the colony grows, new technologies will be invented to sustain it, potentially including crops that efficiently recycle carbon dioxide, or technologies that recycle and reuse 100% of their waste.
The video concludes by suggesting that the Moon is a perfect sandbox to learn how to colonize the Solar System, the perfect project to unify nations, and the only way to guarantee our survival as a species. It encourages viewers to learn more about space and our universe, and to sign up for a free annual premium membership at brilliant.org/nutshell.
1. Humans have dreamed of leaving Earth and traveling through the galaxy.
2. We currently lack the technology to realize these dreams.
3. However, we do have the technology to build a Moon base.
4. Current estimates suggest that building a Moon base could cost between 20 to 40 billion dollars, spread out over about a decade.
5. The price is comparable to the International Space Station or the budget surplus of Germany in 2017.
6. The Moon is a sandbox to develop new technologies and exploit unlimited resources.
7. Building a Moon base could start a new space race and lay the foundation for us to spread out into the solar system and beyond.
8. The payoff would be immeasurable, creating a vast array of new technologies to benefit us on Earth.
9. It's hard to get governments interested in long-term investments in the future of humanity.
10. The colonization of the Moon would go through three phases, similar to the colonization of the new world.
11. The Moon is not a welcoming place for living things, with a Moon day lasting 29 Earth days and a difference of maybe 300 degrees Celsius between sunlight and shade.
12. The lunar surface is covered in a layer of nasty jagged dust, with no atmosphere to shield us from meteorites, big and small, or cosmic radiation.
13. The first phase of lunar colonization started 60 years ago with the Apollo missions.
14. In the second phase, astronauts will build the first Moonbase, which could be completed in a decade.
15. The base will be light, little more than inflatable habitats for crews of no more than 12.
16. The habitat is likely to be abandoned between missions, as solar panels cannot generate electricity during the lunar night.
17. Our first crew will consist of scientists and engineers who will study the composition of the Moon and explore ways of using the available lunar material.
18. The base will be abandoned if funding stops.
19. If we want our base to grow into the third phase, into a true colony, it must become self-sufficient supporting itself via exports to Earth.
20. Private contractors are looking to get rich off lunar resources and support services.
21. They could extract precious metals, abundant in impact craters and other raw materials from the lunar regolith.
22. One promising possibility is the mining of Helium-3, an isotope that could one day be used in nuclear fusion reactors.
23. Future colonists may export Helium-3 back to Earth, providing us with cheap and clean fusion energy.
24. Asteroids could be pulled into the Moon's orbit and then mined.
25. With commercial exports to Earth, the colony is fully in its third phase, self-sufficient and economically productive.
26. Our base will begin using lunar material in its construction projects if it's to continue growing.
27. Fortunately, lunar soil has all the necessary ingredients to make concrete.
28. Robotic mining rigs can sift the lunar dust for organic molecules and could be used to build huge structures way too massive to be brought from Earth.
29. Growth is gradual, experiments are replaced by industry and the population steadily reaches the hundreds, encompassing more than just scientists.
30. Engineers, pilots, and contractors representing countries and corporations will be present.
31. Two of these people will make a breakthrough, not scientific, but social. They will have the first extraterrestrial child.
32. Once this transition happens, the colony grows rapidly, building more habitats and schools and farms and all the things needed to support the growing population.
33. As our colony grows, all kinds of new technologies will be invented to sustain it.
34. They might develop crops that efficiently recycle carbon dioxide, or the grow with very little water.
35. They might find ways to recycle and reuse 100% of their waste, technologies that are extremely valuable for Earth.
36. They could even build the first space elevator in the solar system.
37. The Moon may become a hub for economic activity on a scale that's hard to imagine right now.
38. It's hard to say who will own the