Georgia Michelman is a freelance science and health journalist based in New York City. She holds a B.S. in physics and history from Yale University and is currently enrolled in NYU's Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. Before going into journalism, she worked across the pond for two years at the U.K.
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An anomaly in Mars' mantle could trigger volcanoes to erupt — and may be causing the whole planet to spin fasterAll 5 'letters' of DNA found on an asteroid speeding through our solar system. What do they tell us about the origins of life?Astronauts may struggle to reproduce in outer space, study suggests — what does that mean for the future of space colonization?SpaceWorld's oldest rock art, giant reservoir found beneath the East Coast seafloor, black hole revelations, and a record solar radiation stormAn artist's interpretation of an astronaut on the moon. The lunar environment is full of dangers, like razor-sharp plumes of dust and constant cancer-causing radiation. Scientists warn that, before we rush to colonize it, we need to understand the moon better.Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsSign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and moreSign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!" on the moon, complete with a permanent lunar base. Construction of humanity's new home away from Earth could begin as soon as 2027, Isaacman said.NASA announces 'near‑impossible' space plans, including $20B moon base and humanity's first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraftChinese lander reveals giant 'cavity' of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is done It's an exciting prospect — but scientists say lunar colonization won't be as simple as packing up and lifting off. The moon's environment is harsh: think razor-sharp, electrified dust and a constanttravelling at light speed. Scientists still aren't sure how this increased dose of cosmic radiation, coupled with the moon's weaker gravitational pull, relative to Earth, will affect the human body in the medium- to long-term. And then there's technological feasibility: Where will astronauts live, and with what resources? At the moment, these big questions are still awaiting answers that may not arrive in time for NASA and Musk's proposed plans., a researcher at University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center who studies the lunar environment, told Live Science."A decade may seem far away to some people. To a scientist, it's the blink of an eye." 3D-printed launch pads and living quarters, as shown in this concept art, could be a possibility for long-term lunar colonization, NASA says.Moondust is rather different from what we call dust on Earth. Without wind and liquid water, the moon's dust doesn't soften over time."We're talking very, very sharp little pollen shards here," Ahrens said.Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors It's also easily electrified. Simply walking on the moon kicks up dust clouds, and rovers traversing the lunar landscape shoot up"rooster tails" of electrically charged, levitating dust, which sticks to anything in its path, Ahrens said. Energized dust can clog breathing vents in potential living quarters, scratch up spacesuits and coat solar panels, potentially overheating and breaking them. (Dust clogs have already spelled doom for, moon inhabitants would also be constantly blasted by radiation. Cosmic radiation is"pretty much omnipresent anywhere you go into space," including on the moon, Dr.Cancer is a potential risk, but because health effects of radiation take time to develop, we wouldn't know for certain if this is a major risk factor until potentially decades after landing human settlers on the moon."Every person that goes to space… will absolutely be test subjects," Urquieta said.We have to be very careful not to sell something which don't haveBut Ahrens, who also works on lunar risk assessment, doesn't think we're ready to plan construction. For example, if NASA decides to invest in an underground habitat — perhaps the most surefire way to avoid radiation — scientists still have no idea how to dig on the moon, she said. Even with sufficiently protective living quarters, the moon's weaker gravitational pull — just one-sixth that of Earth — may pose health risks. Fromwe know that, without the gravitational force humans evolved with, our bones and muscles need significant amounts of exercise to prevent them from withering away. But it wouldn't be practical to lug heavy treadmills, like those used on the A lack of gravity may also redistribute the body's natural balance of fluids, with potentially disastrous effects. Normally, due to the downward tug of gravity, up to 80% of our blood is in our legs at any given time, Urquieta said. But on the moon, more fluids would flow to the body's upper half, causing loss of blood as the body attempts to rebalance itself, as well as potential, a condition that causes potentially fatal blood clots in the neck. Compared to zero gravity, lunar partial gravity may or may not pose similar health risks. Urquieta said researchers won't know until people spend some time there.Ultimately, Ahrens said, these challenges boil down to the need for more data, which scientists are hoping to gather with missions like NASA'scampaign to return humans to the lunar surface as soon as 2028. But she envisions a much slower timeline than Musk's and Isaacman's plans; scientists haven't even taken a sample of the moon's ice yet — a resource lunar settlement planners are banking on. Depending on its depth and composition, lunar ice could provide water, rocket fuel and rare earth metals. But until scientists get a physical sample of ice, they can't rely on its usefulness or economic prospects. For now, scientific knowledge of the ice's actual chemical composition is very limited:"We know it's cold, and we kind of know where it is," Ahrens said. When it comes to the moon and its offerings,"we have to be very careful not to sell something which don't have," saidNASA concept art showing a possible lunar living structure made of glass. The logistics of large-scale construction on the moon remain one of many open questions. Chinese lander reveals giant 'cavity' of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is doneReibaldi told Live Science that what we find in the moon's ice could be the difference between the lunar equivalent of California's gold rush boomtowns — where settlements sprang up in response to mining opportunities — and Antarctica, where a small number of scientists come and go for solely research purposes. But even if permanent settlement doesn't happen as soon as hoped, Ahrens said she is optimistic about the forecast for lunar development."I think it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but it's also not dark rainy clouds either," she said.Georgia Michelman is a freelance science and health journalist based in New York City. She holds a B.S. in physics and history from Yale University and is currently enrolled in NYU's Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. Before going into journalism, she worked across the pond for two years at the U.K.-based Science Media Centre, an independent press office focused on controversial science stories. She has strong interests in writing about physics, astronomy, psychiatry, drugs, and public health.Space ExplorationChinese lander reveals giant 'cavity' of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is doneNeanderthalsAstronauts may struggle to reproduce in outer space, study suggests — what does that mean for the future of space colonization?Live Science Today: Meta and Google fined for causing social media addiction and how dogs were our friends for millennia
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