As humanity returns to the Moon in the next few years, they’re going to need water to survive. While resupplies from Earth would work for a time, eventually the lunar base would have to become self-sustaining? So, how much water would be required to make this happen? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a team of researchers from Baylor University explored water management scenarios for a self-sustaining moonbase, including the appropriate location of the base and how the water would be extracted and treated for safe consumption using appropriate personnel.

Dr. Lee tells Universe Today, “This paper is actually an eclectic diversion for me from my astrophysics research on primordial black holes, early universe cosmology, breakthrough propulsion physics, and my geophysics research on asteroid impacts. If human missions throughout the Solar System, particularly to Mars, are to be realized, then a permanent lunar facility seems to be a logical early step.”

For the entire moonbase complement, 12.3 acre∙feet∙yr-1 of water will be sufficient for drinking, hygiene, shower, food preparation, dishwashing, and clothes washing

Having dropped tantalising hints days ago about an “exciting new discovery about the Moon“, the US space agency has revealed conclusive evidence of water on our only natural satellite. 

This “unambiguous detection of molecular water” will boost Nasa’s hopes of establishing a lunar base. 

The aim is to sustain that base by tapping into the Moon’s natural resources. 

The findings have been published as two papers in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Unlike previous detections of water in permanently shadowed parts of lunar craters, scientists have now detected the molecule in sunlit regions of the Moon’s surface.

Speaking during a virtual teleconference, co-author Casey Honniball, postdoctoral fellow at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said: “The amount of water is roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water in a cubic metre of lunar soil.”

Her Nasa colleague Jacob Bleacher, from the agency’s human exploration directorate, said researchers still needed to understand the nature of the watery deposits. This would help them determine how accessible they would be for future lunar explorers to use.

Why moon base

• Humans — and all organisms — have specific requirements to live. 
• Space and the surfaces of the Moon and Mars are harsh environments for humans. The average temperatures are well below 0°F; there are high levels of solar radiation, which can damage body tissues; there is little or no atmosphere; and there are no sources of food or water. 
• Earth provides the conditions, resources, and systems to provide the requirements of life. 
• Because human needs remain the same, a self-contained habitat, such as a Moon base, must provide the same elements as Earth. 
• Providing and maintaining the conditions, resources, and systems required to support human life in space is a complex, challenging task.

Could a Moon colony ever be self-sufficient given enough size, population, and time to build it, or is there something it would still need from Earth?

The moon currently has no atmosphere, and is not massive enough to hold one even if it could have one. So even if you were to find some hidden mass of water, and broke it down to hydrogen and oxygen, both gases would escape the gravity of the moon. So the population of a moon colony would have to be subterranean at least to protect it from micro meteoroids and radiation from the sun. But then you would still need to find a source of water.. Water is needed for growing food, breaking down for oxygen and hydrogen (needed for fuel) as well as other trace elements our life forms require. If you want to get a good idea of what is required for such a colony, read Heinlein’s book “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.”

He also brings up the political strife that would be inevitable between the Moon and the Earth. The colonists could probably find lots of resources in the asteroid belt, including all of the minerals and water needed, but the earth would feel very vulnerable to the moon. So a moon military force could trap a very large asteroid, and easily send it on a trajectory towards a city or country on Earth. An asteroid some 25 miles across could be found, have a rocket drive attached, and send it on an intercept path with the Earth. It would make one VERY big bang.

Needless to say, the military of Earth governments would find such a possible threat to be unacceptable, yet trying to send bombs to the moon would be very difficult, and the forces on the moon would be able to take out these rockets before they reach the moon unless there were hundreds of them at a time.

Dr. Lee tells Universe Today, “There is good evidence that sufficient water exists on the Moon to support a permanent lunar colony, and the acquisition, treatment, and distribution of the lunar water can be achieved with current technology. An appropriate administrative structure will be necessary to oversee all aspects of lunar water. The relative scarcity and management of water on the Moon can potentially provide insight for improving the management of water on Earth. The next study for my group will be to investigate the ways in which the management of lunar water could help to improve terrestrial water management. However, the timeline for this research is yet to be determined.”

Future NASA Moon Base Could Be Fueled With Water From Earth’s Atmosphere

NASA plans to send a crew of astronauts to the moon in 2025 armed with the exciting task of building the first-ever lunar science base. It’s an ambitious dream that stems from the agency’s overarching Artemis mission, of which this year’s Artemis I lift-off is the first vital step. 

But to construct and live in any sort of sci-fi extraterrestrial space station, humanity needs to, well, live. And to live, we need water. 

That’s why, per a paper published last month in the journal Scientific Reports, a group of researchers have some terrific news for the next generation of moon explorers. According to their calculations, there may be a whole lot more water on the moon than once expected — and it seems to have originated from none other than the bluest planet of all: Earth.

“As NASA’s Artemis team plans to build a base camp on the moon’s south pole, the water ions that originated many eons ago on Earth can be used in the astronauts’ life support system,” Gunther Kletetschka, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

What is the purpose of a lunar base?

At a lunar base, the engineering challenge is to use the Moon’s materials to establish a variety of useful facilities serving as habitats, centers for agriculture, transportation systems, power plants, mines, production facilities, and laboratories

Does NASA want a moon base?

We will build an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and the Gateway in lunar orbit. These elements will allow our robots and astronauts to explore more and conduct more science than ever before. We will build an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and the Gateway in lunar orbit

Is China building a moon base?

China is now leading the moon base initiative and attempting to attract international partners for the endeavor. So far, alongside China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand and Nicaragua have joined the initiative, according to Space News

Artemis

With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before

Learn More about Artemis Missions

Artemis I

Artemis I was an uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft around the Moon.

Artemis II

Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft around the Moon.

Artemis III

Artemis III will send the first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole.

Artemis IV

Artemis IV debuts humanity’s first lunar space station, a larger, more powerful version of the SLS rocket, and new mobile launcher.

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