Moon too static for astronauts?

Nature ^ | 2/2/07 | Philip Ball

[bamahead]

ping

[Conan the Librarian]

Sounds like a good source of power to me.

[RobRoy]

This is so cool. John Galts engine runs off static electricity extracted from the air!

Oh. There's no air on the Moon.

[Bon mots]

Wow. Good thing these scientists figured this out before we sent people up there... er...

[Centurion2000]

Well? What's the amperage ?

4500 volts is nothing if it's only a milliamp of current.

[George from New England]

Sounds like God didn't really want us living up there!

[Logophile]

Moon dust is a big headache for exploration. "It sticks to everything and is very fine, so it gets past seals," Halekas says. It even clogged the vacuum cleaner that the Apollo astronauts took to keep their spacecraft clean.

I was just reading a report on this last month. I was surprised at how much trouble the astronauts had with moon dust. It stuck to everything, including space suits. When the astronauts return to the LM and removed their suits, they could not avoid getting moon dust all over themselves. In one photograph, an Apollo astronaut appeared grimy with the stuff.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

More research has to be (and is being planned) done before human settlement of the Moon. However, most plans have a lunar base in the "Sea of Light (?)," which is supposed to be in direct sunlight almost constantly. Would this reduce the static charge enough?

[Diddle E. Squat]

So no need for Lifesavers on the Moon, eh?

[50sDad]

[Young Werther]

So you get this Looooooong wire and "Earth it".

Earth gets electricity it needs and the Moon is "Static Guarded", (without the need for aerosols. A Win Win)

[TYVets]

What's worse, it can be caused by bad weather in space:

Global Warming on the moon?

Bush's ........

[Wuli]

"Sounds like a good source of power to me.


I would agreee. Certainly we have the technical know-how with which to create devices to harness the "several thousand volts of static electricity" on the surface of the moon.

In other words, we do not have to transport limited "power sources" to the moon; we do not even have to set-up a small nuclear (submarine size) plant there - just build and transport the devices to "trap"/use/store the power from the moon's static electricity.

As for the "surface" problems of that static electricity; (a) get the bulk of the base underground (also is better for maintaining uniform temperatures inside), and (b)take counter-measures (variable phase charging/decharging) against the charged-particles and dust in the design of personal and operating equipment.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

What would happen if you mooned it instead?

[AngryJawa]

Space: 1999 -

Hi-voltage lunar static + nuclear waste. It all makes sense now!

[Young Werther]

Assk me a silly question and expectorate a silly Assner, (not to be confused with Mary Tyler Moore's boss!)

A spanking twice a month and you get a Blue Moon!!!

[July 4th]

Sounds like God didn't really want us living up there!

But he let us visit?

[Raycpa]

[null and void]

4500V can be pretty hard on transistor gate oxides.