To ask if you’re prepared to help establish a Moon base in return for £25 million and £100 Amazon voucher?

[Tsham]

Hypothetical question.

The government want people to test out the feasibility of humans living on the Moon. They establish a Moon base and are looking for 100 individuals to move to the Moon for a 2 year period to make a go of the base.

During the 2 years no return visits to Earth are permitted but at the end of 2 years, the individuals are given the option of staying or returning to Earth.

The base is fully set up with leisure facilities, communal areas, and individuals will be given roles within the community. Accommodation is in the form of small one bedroom living pods with their own kitchen and bathroom.

Food is grown on the Moon in vast technologically advanced greenhouses, and water is also filtered and extracted. There are emergency supplies of food and water if anything goes drastically wrong.

The downside is that if there are any negative effects of living in space, any accidents, or it all goes spectacularly wrong, the government cannot be liable. It’s entirely your own risk.

In return for their time, the volunteers will receive a payment of £25 million and £100 Amazon voucher on completion of the two years.

AIBU to ask if you’re going to volunteer?

It was once a planet called Thea, which crashed into the earth and then became a moon. Why would anyone want to live on the moon? The money would be better spent on environmental projects on Earth.

The moon is not, by definition, a planet. For an object to be categorised as a planet it needs to, amongst other things, independently orbit a star.

And it's very easy to dismiss space exploration as a waste of time, but the fact is cutting edge science that is developed for space travel has filtered down into every day life and continues to do so. Pushing at the limits of what is possible is one of humanity's best traits.

If I didn’t have children then yes absolutely.

The difference is that an oil rig does not have an unshielded nuclear reactor nearby.

The moon is fully exposed to the massive nuclear reactor at the heart of our solar system, and has no protective atmosphere or magnetic field.

So that is a no from me.

Extensive psych evaluations too I expect. Don’t want anyone going doolally and trying to sabotage life support.

There is a brilliant children’s/teen sci fi novel called The Lotus Caves by John Christopher about a Moon colony. It seemed the main problem was boredom.

I wonder if they do M&S equivalent.

Can I bring my dog? If so then yes

100% I would. Shame it’s for Elon Musk but you can’t have everything in life….

Oh that looks good. . I grew up with Andre Norton as a young teen and occasionally go back for a re-read. Must see if they still have that at a library. You get so used to the cheaper ebooks.

If you threw in a book of Green Shield stamps (FULL - no empty pages), one of those exclusive coins that Michael Buerk sells (which only a few thousand lucky households will have the opportunity to own), commemorating the 64th anniversary of when Prince Philip trumped in a lift in Swindon, and a Bendy Bully, then definitely, 100%; but just for the £25m and Amazon voucher? Not the faintest chance.

Absolutely, like a shot.

I had a sexy dream about Elon Musk once. Felt so dirty and ashamed when I woke up. I don’t fancy him, never have.

No.

I live by an ancient woodland. I see deer, cinghiale babies, hares and (less endearing) wolf paw prints almost everyday. The birds sing and it is magnificent. My soul needs the green and the sheer awesomeness of this tiny corner of our pale blue dot. Other corners of awesomeness are availble for differing tastes.

I would be miserable on a rock. Regardless of spiffy facilities.

I like this planet. I’ve lived in some far flung bits of it. Most of my life not where “home” is. I like the universe and space when I get to look up at it in wonder. But this angle of perspective suits me and I really don’t want to go up into it.

Also there was an unfortunate NASA accident when I was younger. Which made me more terrified of space travel than ordinary flying. And I’m pretty hard to persuade onto to a plane even when mildly sedated.

Money can come and go. But time is my most precious finite resource and I’m not squandering two whole years away from my bit of planet earth.

2 years in space would do terrible things to your body. The reduced gravity would cause heart changes and muscle/bone density loss. The radiation would cause cancers.
Even if everything goes completely as planned, and there's no accidents or unforeseen circumstances, you'd be extranging £25mil and an amazon voucher for your health and longevity.

Not again.

I don’t think humanity deserve it!! They would leave litter on the moon just like on earth.

Would safety be assured? i.e. could I run out of oxygen? Or explode on the journey to the moon or the journey back to Earth?

Yes I would go

25million is too high wage
I would go for less
Amazing experience

I couldn't go anyway, as I'm useless at walking backwards without falling over.

All the living facilities will be underground maybe in lava tubes.

They will be shielded from the radiation.

Anyway, for 25 million I would put up of 2 years practically anything. Unless it was something really bad that would probably kill you or render you insane, like having loud music blasted at you for 2 years.

After more than about six months in one-third gravity you would suffer from wasting of your bones, tendons and muscles.

This means after 2 years you would be unable to return to Earth as you could no longer survive gravity of 1G.

It's a one way trip!

There already is a load of litter on the moon.

Space probes, crashed rockets (SpaceX was not the first to crash a rocket into the moon), three lunar rovers, a load of rubbish the Apollo astronauts chucked out that they didn't want to take back into orbit (so human waste, empty food tubes etc). A golf ball and probably various other crap.

The longest stay ever in space was 430 days and that person lived until they were 80.

Other people have spent over 1000 days in space on separate trips.

So 700 days in space is probably survivable, provided you do your exercise.

Oh and the moon is 1/6 gravity. 1/3 is mars.

Not for me, but I think you'd get plenty of volunteers for a lot less.

Not falling for that one again. Took out BT Fibre 900 , promised £150 voucher, now they are saying no.