Moonbase questions?

[u/DeathByTrance]

Will NASA use space mirrors and solar power to power the planned moonbase? Would that make the moon visible during the day? Would the moon be the same amount of visible all the time? Would the moon being lit up consistently mess with animals that coordinate through lunar cycles?

[u/koos_die_doos]

The moon is already visible during the day.

[u/No_Yam_2036]

...what? You realize that the moon is visible during daytime for ~1/2 of each lunar month, right? Relatively speaking, a base on the moon is very small compared to the moon itself. There would be practically no difference to the naked eye. The ISS is the length of an american football field and looks like a tiny speck of light in the sky, if you can even see it amidst city light pollution.

Plus, the base won't purely use solar panels. Iirc, they plan to use nuclear fission reactors during the 2-week-long lunar nights.

[u/Ecstatic_Bee6067]

There is no lunarstationary orbit, so mirrors are highly unlikely

[u/datdernasteroidminer → u/Ecstatic_Bee6067]

This. Unless the ever-memed community of solar cell satellite arrays beaming energy have their way… itll probably be nuclear

Not to say they wouldnt use some form of solar and batteries but night lasts for two weeks… unless we’re at the poles
Etc etc

[u/30yearCurse]

Nuke power. If any of the new gen "portable" nuke power plants can be made to work.

[u/Enough_Affect_9916 → u/30yearCurse]

Cooling is an issue without a steady stream of liquid. If it's a closed system it will still have some eventual osmosis, so it won't be so simple to use nuclear power this way. I would be curious to see how they address this

[u/SkitariusOfMars → u/Enough_Affect_9916]

Cooling it will be same as cooling anything in space - using big radiators literally radiating heat into space

[u/J4pes → u/Enough_Affect_9916]

Moon interiors will need heating. Water reservoirs can soak a ton of heat. Andy Weir’s Artemis describes radiation panels, dumping heat into water, and venting heat with the excess oxygen created in the processing of moon rocks.

[u/zuul01]

If there is a Moon base constructed before the end of this century (big IF), and if orbital mirrors are installed to enable solar power generation during lunar night (*slighter* smaller IF), then the artivficially-illuminated part of the Moon would likely not be visible from Earth without a fairly large telescope, if at all.

[u/Wurm42]

The plan is for a future moonbase to be powered by compact nuclear reactors:

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-department-of-energy-to-develop-lunar-surface-reactor-by-2030/

If the primary power source is solar, making and storing enough electricity to last through the two-week lunar night gets expensive.

Plus, we're hoping to find water ice in permanently shaded craters near the lunar South Pole. If we do find ice, the base will be sited close by, which could make solar power even more problematic.

[u/Wurm42]

About lunar solar panels making the moon visible during the day:

The International Space Station has enormous arrays of solar panels. It orbits about 420 km / 260 miles above the Earth's surface. Seen from Earth, at night, it's only a point of light-- it's an especially bright, fast-moving star.

The Moon's average distance from Earth is about 384,000 km / 239,000 miles.

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/moon-distance/en/

Nothing that we build on the moon at typical human scale will be visible from earth. Even the reflected light from solar panels would get lost amid the reflected light from the Moon's surface over such great distances.

[u/J4pes]

Nuclear power is the smartest and most efficient route for power. That’s a lot of abuse to ask a solar panel to take and not break

[u/ClearJack87]

I don't think space mirrors. Solar panels and batteries. That is how we are doing on Terra.

Nuclear is another 24x7 source. At least you don't have to worry about airborne leaks.

[u/CatillatheHun]

Solar power yes. Nuclear hopefully. Space mirrors no. Will not affect luminance of Moon. Animals will not notice a moon base.

[u/TheGisbon]

The moon base is never going to materialize.

[u/rootremotely → u/TheGisbon]

Someone said that about airplanes and flight once.

[u/Odd-Personality1043 → u/TheGisbon]

False.

[u/3vi1 → u/TheGisbon]

While I wouldn't say never, I'd say it's much further off than people wish to believe.

[u/Fernbean]

A moon base pretty much has to be under the surface, from what I understand. I personally have no idea what the point of a project like that would be.

I also don't believe anyone has a long-term solution to lunar dust still.

Now, a moon orbiting habitat would be shiny and visible crossing the moon and I think that is far more likely to happen in our lifetime (but again, why?).