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Unveiling the mysteries surrounding the lunar landscape and shedding light on the challenges that await future lunar explorations.
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00:01It's been decades since the last manned moon landing, Apollo 17, which happened in December 1972.
00:10Isn't it time we thought about going back to our dusty satellite and maybe even staying there?
00:16NASA has made a promise on this subject.
00:19They're preparing to send astronauts on the moon again, perhaps by 2025.
00:25This will all happen through a program called Artemis.
00:29It's also going to include the first woman ever to experience the lunar surface.
00:34Now you might ask, why haven't we done this already?
00:39One former NASA administrator said something interesting on the subject.
00:44It's not because of scientific or technological issues.
00:48Problem was that the potential projects took too long and were just too costly.
00:55You see, space travel, especially when it involves humans, isn't easy on the pockets.
01:02It's true that, in recent years, NASA had budgets of billions of dollars.
01:08Sure sounds like enough money, right?
01:10Well, not when you check out their to-do list.
01:13That's because they have to consider everything.
01:16From telescopes and giant rocket projects to missions also targeting the sun, Jupiter, Mars, and beyond.
01:25When you look at it this way, NASA needs to be very good at budgeting to achieve all those goals.
01:31It's not just because of finances, though.
01:34The moon itself is quite problematic.
01:37It poses real dangers that cannot be taken lightly.
01:40For starters, its surface is filled with craters and boulders that aren't easy to land on.
01:46Then, there is the moon dust, or regolith, if you'd like to call it by its scientific name.
01:52It was created over many years by meteorite impacts.
01:57It's extremely harsh and sticks to everything.
02:00It can potentially damage spacesuits, vehicles, and systems quite quickly.
02:06Also, dealing with the lunar habitat isn't a walk in the park, either.
02:10The moon has no protective atmosphere.
02:13What this means is that for 14 days at a time, the lunar surface is faced with harsh rays from
02:19the sun.
02:20That period is followed by another two weeks of total darkness.
02:25All these changes create extreme temperatures, which us humans are not really accustomed to.
02:31There are solutions, don't worry.
02:34NASA is working on dust and sun-resistant spacesuits and vehicles.
02:38They're even developing a system that might supply electricity during those lunar nights.
02:44What's even more interesting about this system is it could come in handy on Mars, too, once we get there.
02:52NASA also needs to draw in really smart people for its projects.
02:56Think about it.
02:58Think about it.
02:58The average age of the people working for the mission control for Apollo 13 was just 26 years old.
03:05And these people had already been part of numerous missions by that time.
03:09Which means they'd had considerable experience from a very young age.
03:16But here's where other individuals can help, too.
03:20In recent years, it wasn't just NASA who's been working tirelessly to revolutionize space travel.
03:27There are many successful people out there with enough resources to join in on these efforts.
03:33Some are developing new types of rockets that can land on the moon, too.
03:38In total, NASA landed 12 people on our satellite.
03:42It's definitely one of the most awesome moments in its history, if not the best.
03:47And those astronauts did amazing things up there.
03:51They brought back rocks, took snapshots, did science experiments, and even left flags behind.
03:59These were all important moments of the Apollo missions.
04:03But they weren't meant to create a safe place for humans on the moon.
04:09Scientists have had this idea of a lunar space station for a long time now.
04:13It's only logical.
04:15After all, it's just a three-day trip from Earth.
04:19It means we can, technically, afford to make little mistakes here and there, without messing up the whole project.
04:25Plus, we'd learn so much before venturing even further into space.
04:32A moon base could provide fuel for deep space missions.
04:36We could also build telescopes up there and launch them way easier in space.
04:41It could also help us in another important project.
04:44Figure out how to make Mars habitable, too.
04:48Not to mention, a lunar space station would help us learn more about the moon's origin.
04:53Who knows, it could even bring in some money because of all that fun, exciting lunar tourism.
05:01Either way, the Apollo moon program took a lot of work.
05:05For starters, let's look at the sheer number of people involved.
05:10Around 400,000 from every corner of the states.
05:15Not everything was picture-perfect, tough.
05:18There were two main unfortunate events.
05:22Firstly, a fire mishap at the launch pad of Apollo 1.
05:26Secondly, an oxygen tank decided to throw a tantrum on Apollo 13, causing severe issues mid-mission.
05:35An important part of the project was Saturn V.
05:39It is to this day the most powerful rocket flown successfully, being 36 stories high.
05:46Still finding it hard to picture?
05:49This rocket stood twice as tall as Niagara Falls.
05:54Thanks to Saturn V, NASA successfully completed 13 missions.
05:59This included chauffeuring 24 astronauts towards the moon, with half of them even having a little walk on its surface.
06:07The existing rockets and space shuttles can't go beyond low Earth orbit.
06:12In simpler terms, they can't reach the moon with all the gadgets astronauts need to thrive.
06:18Current space vehicles are just not capable of carrying that load, at least not since the Apollo missions happened.
06:26Regardless, we did make a lot of progress on Earth, and are ready to send astronauts to our satellite pretty
06:32soon.
06:34Here's where the Artemis project comes in.
06:37It's a program overseen by NASA.
06:39And to make sure it all goes well, NASA previously launched Orion, a spacecraft with no crew on board to
06:48orbit the moon and return to Earth.
06:50Think of it as an automated test drive.
06:53Before we actually send people out there again, we need to make sure all the devices work properly.
07:00One day, Orion will be the vehicle that will take astronauts to the moon again.
07:05It features a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe in case something bad happens during launch.
07:13It also has a service module, which is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and keeps astronauts alive with
07:20water, oxygen, power, and temperature control.
07:25All these future projects make one wonder.
07:28What will life on the moon be like anyway?
07:31We can only use our imagination for now.
07:34Some say we'll be living in homes straight out of a fairy tale.
07:38Something like a cozy hobbit hole.
07:41Living underground on the moon might be a must.
07:44That's due to the scorching temperatures and the lack of oxygen.
07:48If you add meteorite threats and the non-stop radiation, it's no wonder we can't just walk on its surface.
07:56What about transportation?
07:58Big and small companies alike are trying to create the ideal moon ride.
08:03If current estimations are current, one type of moon taxi will take off as soon as 2024.
08:10Unlike our current rockets, these space taxis won't have to deal with the harsh conditions of re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
08:18It will be easier for them to make multiple round trips.
08:22To support our lunar living, we'll need to have a special area for space taxis to safely take off and
08:28land.
08:29Think of it as a landing pad on a firm, flat stretch of moon surface, protected by walls to shield
08:36against moon dust.
08:40Moving around on the moon's surface will be made easier too.
08:44The next generation vehicles we're talking about will have their own controlled environment.
08:50Which means you won't need a space suit while inside.
08:54Should feel like stepping out of your space ride for a bit.
08:57Then of course, you'll need to put on your space suit.
09:01Alright.
09:02So we've got our homes and our rides sorted.
09:05But what about fuel?
09:06That's where the moon throws us a lifeline.
09:09The moon's lighter gravity means we don't need as much power to escape its pull.
09:14Plus, the moon has ice.
09:17And that's super handy.
09:19We might be able to convert this ice into rocket fuel.
09:22We'll need dedicated space gadgets to help gather this ice.
09:26One such tool is called Trident.
09:28It's like a drill, perfect for digging into the icy moon surface.
09:34Additional robotic helpers would then turn this ice into fuel and deliver it to a space gas station.
09:40If this works, rockets on their way to Mars could stop by for a quick fuel top up before continuing
09:46their journey.
09:49The moon may not have an atmosphere like our planet, but if you could travel to our satellite, you'd still
09:54find a lot of oxygen up there.
09:56It's just that you wouldn't be able to use it to breathe.
09:58Okay, let me explain it better.
10:01One of NASA's future projects is to send astronauts to the moon.
10:05This time, it won't be just a short walk and a photoshoot.
10:09They'll really stay there for a long time.
10:11Oxygen is definitely one of the main things they'll need, not only for breathing, but also for making fuel to
10:17travel around the moon.
10:19And we're lucky, because it seems there's a lot of oxygen trapped inside the moon's surface.
10:23We're talking about a layer of fine dust and rock that covers the moon.
10:27It's called regolith, and about 45% of it is oxygen.
10:31All this means that secret stashes of oxygen are really out there.
10:36We just can't reach them and breathe them in, because oxygen is tightly bound into the minerals in that soil.
10:42And we need to use lots of energy to break these strong bonds apart.
10:47Recently, scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center managed to squeeze oxygen from mock moon dust in a special chamber,
10:55using a powerful laser to heat and melt the soil.
10:58This way, they detected a gas called carbon monoxide.
11:02That's good news, because they can separate oxygen from carbon monoxide.
11:07That special chamber simulated conditions on the moon.
11:11And they used a new reactor that could handle high pressure and temperatures, as well as a vacuum environment.
11:17I mean, if this goes well, we'll have oxygen supplies on our missions to Mars, too.
11:23How much oxygen could we get on the moon anyway?
11:25Although the moon is way smaller than Earth, many people could go live there.
11:29If we could pack people densely, like in some of the most populous cities on our planet,
11:33trillions of people could live there.
11:35But imagine the traffic in that case.
11:37It would be insane.
11:39But that doesn't mean that many people would have the resources needed to live there.
11:43Let's ignore all that oxygen stored in hard rocks deep below the surface.
11:47Who knows when we'll be able to reach them?
11:49So we'll just stick to regolith.
11:51And it seems that just there could be enough oxygen to support all 8 billion people living on our home
11:57planet at the moment for about 100,000 years.
12:01So, NASA wants to develop resources on the moon, starting with water and oxygen.
12:06Later, they would expand and include some other important materials, such as iron and rare earths.
12:12They have a plan to dig into the land on the moon to take out the resources they need in
12:172032.
12:18Wow, we're closer to exploring the moon than we could ever imagine.
12:22To do that and other exciting journeys across our solar system, we'll need robots that can operate on their own.
12:29They'll have to be able to handle such harsh conditions and go to places that are too dangerous or far
12:35away for humans.
12:36Like Venus, it's definitely too hot for us to go there.
12:39Or some moons of Saturn and Jupiter.
12:42Robots will help prepare everything for human missions too, as well as set up the infrastructure and bases wherever we
12:50decide to go.
12:52In Germany, there is a special project, Arches, that puts focus on networks of robotic systems that can work together
12:59to explore different planets.
13:01So we won't have individual robots that do nothing before they get commands from Earth.
13:06No, those modern robots will have artificial brains and will be able to communicate with each other to solve problems
13:13and get things done.
13:14And they tested these robots on Mount Etna in Sicily because of a similar environment.
13:19Wow, look at this, it really feels like you're looking at footage from the moon.
13:24Scientists tested different scenarios with these robots.
13:27In one, two rovers and a flying drone explored an area using automation.
13:31The drone flew above and created maps while the rovers examined the terrain and collected whatever useful information they found
13:40there.
13:41There was a stationary lander that provided power and Wi-Fi for communication between the rovers.
13:47That way, if a rover, for instance, got stuck, the drone would map the area and find alternative routes for
13:53the rover to continue.
13:54The robots made their own intelligent decisions about where to place scientific equipment, collect soil samples, and study their surroundings.
14:04Now we can't wait to see them in action on the real moon.
14:07And what about when people get there? What will that be like?
14:10The moon experiences day and night, just like our home planet.
14:14But if you could spend one month there, you'd have about two weeks of daylight before you'd sink into two
14:20weeks of darkness.
14:21Yup, a day and night. There last nearly a whole Earth month.
14:25The moon rotates but it's also tiddly locked to Earth, which means we always see its same side.
14:32And you'd see our beautiful planet through different phases.
14:35Sometimes it would be fully illuminated, which would be like a full Earth and which would perhaps mean less sleep
14:41too.
14:41During New Earth the planet would be almost hidden in the bright light of the sun, so you'd see its
14:46nighttime side, without the light.
14:48Only a couple of decades ago, everyone thought the moon was completely dry.
14:52But now we know there's even more water up there than we could expect.
14:56You wouldn't be able to drink it, or take a swim, because it's mostly in the form of ice, not
15:01liquid.
15:01And most of it is probably hidden in the coldest parts of the moon, those permanently shadowed regions near the
15:07poles.
15:09And some of the water on the moon even jumps around from time to time.
15:13As the temperature of the moon's surface changes throughout the day, some of the water melts and then heats up.
15:20Not much, but enough to go all the way to the moon's thin atmosphere.
15:24The water molecules float around for a while, until they get to an area that's cool enough for them to
15:30go back to their primary state and settle down to the surface.
15:34Also, if you thought going to the moon could save us from things like earthquakes, think twice.
15:39Our moon is shrinking, and this causes moonquakes.
15:43And about 25% of moonquakes probably happen, because these specific cracks on the moon's surface, called thrust faults, release
15:51lots of energy.
15:52They are tall, reminiscent of cliffs, and extend for miles on the surface.
15:57You can see them spread across the whole moon, and they're probably not older than 50 million years.
16:02They tell us that the interior of the moon has cooled down and caused its crust to contract.
16:08Would they be our destination for lunar hiking?
16:11Well, partially, since our moon is a bumpy and lumpy place with these faults, sweeping lava fields and big craters.
16:17And it has some massive mountains, too, for real adventurers.
16:21There's a mountain, Leibniz-Beta, that lies next to the so-called Shoemaker Crater and stretches 6.2 miles into
16:28the sky, which is way higher than the tallest mountain on Earth.
16:33How long does it even take to get there?
16:35It would be good to know in case you're planning to book your weekend break on the moon sometime in
16:40the future.
16:41The distance is not always the same, plus the path the moon takes around Earth is not a perfect circle.
16:48So all these things go into the equation.
16:51Considering all factors, it shouldn't take you much longer than three days.
16:55During NASA's Apollo program, the fastest mission to the moon was Apollo 8, which took about 69 hours and 8
17:03minutes to enter the moon's orbit.
17:05In 2022, the Artemis 1 mission, which was an uncrewed spacecraft, took about five days to get to the moon.
17:13It's a little bit longer than the Apollo missions, because we now take a longer route, making the journey slower
17:20to save on fuel and costs.
17:22And enjoy the view, I guess.
17:23Butundenth 3 seconds long as we meditate on the moon's orbitứcroovers.
17:23Let us leave something along with the view unless the moon continues to enter into the moon's orbit-poyntio colours.
17:24Let me know.
17:25I'm unos 30 seconds, take in master's orbit and go
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