00:00August 23, 2023. A day when India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made history by becoming the first
00:09to touch down on the lunar South Pole, a place we can't normally see from Earth.
00:15What makes this lunar hideaway so fascinating to scientists? Well, it turns out it's hiding
00:21something precious. Lunar ice. This place is believed to be more abundant with this
00:27ice than what we found up north. And it's not hard to see why scientists are so buzzed
00:32up about it. It's a frozen water source, and it could become our key to building a
00:37permanent lunar home, or even fueling missions all the way to Mars.
00:44Scientists knew about this ice for over two decades, since the NASA spacecraft accidentally
00:48stumbled upon it during one of the missions. Then, in 2018, NASA triumphantly declared
00:54that they're 100% sure about it. They said that the South Pole of the Moon is abundant
00:59with water. Now, picture this. Future lunar settlers could tap into this water supply.
01:07It could help us sustain life in the barren lunar landscape. Plus, by cleverly splitting
01:13the water into oxygen and hydrogen, we could receive both air and rocket fuel. All this
01:19will make Moon missions more feasible and self-sustaining.
01:24It's also a great glimpse into the past. This ice, maybe as old as the Moon itself,
01:30could unlock the Moon's and Earth's deep mysteries.
01:35But it turns out that water isn't rare in space at all. There might be lots of planets
01:39out there where life could thrive. We know this because we started finding water vapor
01:44around stars. And this water is remarkably similar to the water in our own Solar System.
01:52This discovery suggests that the water on Earth originally came from space. Water forms
01:58around stars in the cloud of extremely hot vapor. Then, it turns into ice and sticks
02:03to tiny dust particles. These particles stick together over time and become bigger objects
02:09like comets, planets, and other things.
02:12Some of these become comets and planets in our own Solar System. And this is how water
02:17is being spread across the Universe. And it may be how it got to our planet and the Moon
02:22too. Scientists think that the lunar ice might have journeyed here eons ago. Maybe it hitched
02:28a ride on water-rich asteroids that smacked into the Moon's surface.
02:34All this has big implications for us. The Southern Pole is an ideal canvas for humanity
02:40to establish a real Moon base. Imagine brick domes connected by secret underground tunnels.
02:46They'll be bustling with people busily operating computers. Some others will be cruising the
02:53lunar landscape in their Jeeps or on their way to mine precious resources. We have some
02:59pretty cool ideas on how to build this. First, you probably imagine hauling hefty and water-draining
03:04shelters all the way from Earth. But maybe there's a more effective way. Think about
03:10our history as a civilization. Every time we ventured to a new place, we surveyed the
03:15surroundings for available resources and used them to survive and thrive. This is how we
03:21spread across our own planet. So why shouldn't we spread across the Moon the same way?
03:26Now you might wonder what resources the Moon might offer. We know about the ice, and it
03:32can be turned into water. But we can clearly see that our planet lacks lush greenery and
03:37edible food. Well, it might not be obvious, but the Moon does have something to offer
03:44– mineral resources and sunlight. Unlike Earth, where the Sun rises and sets, the lunar
03:51poles offer quite a beautiful sight. The Sun gracefully orbits the horizon the entire day.
03:58Which means it can provide an almost uninterrupted source of power.
04:04Imagine living in a world bathed in perpetual sunlight. I'm sure the solar panels will
04:08love it. Me? Not so much. Still, we could use not only the Sun's light, but also its
04:15heat. Honestly, we should just use everything. If we're left with spare metal while producing
04:20oxygen, find a purpose for that metal too. We need to treat the environment responsibly
04:26Not only on Earth, but on the Moon as well. Which is why scientists are learning how to
04:31turn the Moon's most abundant resources, regolith, into sturdy bricks.
04:36They've been quite inventive in figuring out how to create Moon bricks. Scientists
04:41want to use the Sun's heat to melt lunar dust, layer by layer, essentially creating
04:46a 3D printer for Moon dust. Engineers have also cooked up bricks using solar ovens and
04:54zap lunar soil with microwaves. They've become quite adept at it.
04:59So yeah, perhaps we're going to establish a little brick factory on the Moon and build
05:05regolith houses. It's like Minecraft in real life. As soon as you find some cool new
05:11material, you gotta build a tiny house with it.
05:15If successful, these bricks could be used to construct entire buildings, potentially
05:20covering inflatable modules or giving new life to abandoned landers.
05:25So will astronauts need to become skilled bricklayers? Well, they won't do everything
05:30themselves. We'd have to create a small automated system involving robots working
05:35collaboratively. Humans will, of course, oversee the construction site.
05:41Despite all this automation, scientists believe that living on the Moon is going to be, well,
05:46call it cozy. The designs may involve stacked living quarters or multipurpose areas.
05:53However, there would be some challenges too. On the Moon, things get extreme. Imagine scorching
06:00temperatures that can go up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and at night, they
06:06plunge down to a chilly minus 290 degrees. And it's not just the weather. The Moon
06:12gets relentlessly exposed to solar radiation, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite impacts. All
06:19these things gradually wear down anything on its surface.
06:24Another big challenge is the lunar dust. On the Moon, there's no air to breathe, and
06:28the dust there can cause problems. And this one isn't only regular dust. It's super
06:34clingy and can even make astronauts sneeze and have watery eyes, as if they're having
06:39a lunar hay fever. It can also damage equipment and spacesuits. It's not something you want
06:46to mess with. Scientists have found that the dust is made
06:51when meteors hit the Moon, creating tiny particles and sharp glass shards. It's toxic, and
06:57its tiny particles can float around in low lunar gravity, making it hard to breathe.
07:03Unlike on Earth, the Moon doesn't have wind or rain to clean it away. So now they're
07:09studying it to find out how to prevent this annoying problem from ruining their entire
07:13mission. There's more to this lunar haven than meets
07:17the eye. Scientists also want to delve into the mysteries of low-frequency electromagnetic
07:23waves there. These waves are whispers from the far reaches of the Universe. These elusive
07:29signals have remained hidden from us for ages. We only caught some cacophony of radio and
07:35other background noise, but that's it. On the Moon's dark side, however, we can
07:41finally record and study them. Studying these waves will help scientists to unlock the secrets
07:47of the Universe's origins. It's not just about the Earth or the Moon. We're talking
07:52about peering back to the very beginnings of our world. Our new lunar lab might help
07:58us to forever reshape our understanding of the cosmos.
08:03So, NASA has some big plans on the Moon now. Their Artemis mission completed a successful
08:10return to Earth in December 2022 after nearly a month in space. It ventured far beyond the
08:17Moon. This mission proved the capabilities of some of our recent technological developments
08:23that will help us explore Mars. The goal of Artemis is to establish a lasting
08:28presence on the Moon. They want to create a gateway, like a space station in orbit around
08:34the satellite, to help with the landings. Artemis 2 is set to carry astronauts to lunar
08:39orbit in 2024, and during Artemis 3, which should take place in the mid-2020s, two astronauts
08:47will touch down near the Moon's south pole. It's quite possible that the lunar base
08:52will be built within the next couple of decades. So, stay tuned!
08:57That's it for today! So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like
09:04and share it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and
09:08stay on the Bright Side!
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