Why do people need the moon?

(article from the journal Science and Technology, March 1969. )

Many mysteries surround our constant companion. How did the moon originate? Where did the unique lunar landscape come from? Did volcanoes or meteorites play a decisive role in its formation? Why do some craters have no shadows on the ridges? What are the bright rays coming from many craters composed of? Why do individual craters glow brightly? Why are the visible and invisible sides of the moon different? Has there ever been life on the moon? Is there any life on the moon at all?

Answers to these questions will help to solve the most important problems of the science of the formation of planets and the solar system, to find out the sequence of the emergence and development of the form and relief of the Earth, the processes of mountain building, the role of volcanism, the conditions for the origin and development of rocks and minerals.

On Earth, it takes a long time to look for "outcrops" - outcrops of bedrock to the surface. Most often it is necessary to penetrate to them through the thickness of sedimentary rocks, to drill wells and mines. And the Moon, in all likelihood, is a continuous “outcrop” - know, go, look, find!

The mantle of the Earth is a layer lying directly under the earth's surface at a depth of 10-15 km. Only ten years later people will get to it. On the Moon, it is practically located very close to the surface. And to know what a mantle is, what it consists of, means to answer a lot of practically important issues about minerals. The presence of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has led to the fact that, with the exception of noble metals, no element can be found on Earth in pure form: all these will be oxides, roughly speaking, - ores, the processing of which requires a huge expenditure of energy.

But there is no atmosphere on the Moon, its surface has changed little over many epochs. This means that minerals can be there in a clean, untouched state. In rocks of volcanic origin - such as lava, basalts - there are probably a lot

sulfur, bromine, selenium, antimony, arsenic, mercury, zinc. Pure lunar basalts contain copper, nickel, platinum, chromium and other rare metals. According to some assumptions, the extraction of germanium, molybdenum, tungsten and other expensive metals on the Moon may become real in the next twenty years. The substance of meteorites contains 90% iron, nickel, cobalt. In the depths of the moon high temperatures ah and pressure, rocks melt, when meteorites fall, high temperatures and pressures also arise - in both of these cases, diamonds appear (even diamonds have been found in some terrestrial meteorites).

According to available data, the temperature rises 50 times faster as you go deeper into the Moon's interior than as you go deeper into the Earth. The flow of heat from within is explained radioactive decay uranium, thorium and other radioactive elements. Therefore, it is very likely that detection in lavas on the surface or at shallow depths radioactive elements. There are projects to deliver minerals from the Moon to Earth. After all, to lift cargo from the Moon into the Earth's sphere of gravity, 3% of the energy that is needed to deliver cargo from the Earth to the Moon is required.

Moreover, after reaching the speed of separation from the Moon (on Earth, the separation speed is the second space velocity, equal to 11.2 km/sec, on the Moon - 3 km/sec) the ore can move along special gravitational ore passes - under the influence of the Earth's gravity.

For the needs of lunar laboratories and factories, air, water, and fuel will be required. Oxygen and hydrogen are in rocks, possibly even the presence of ice in deep places on the moon. If the inorganic theory of the origin of oil is correct, then there may be oil on the Moon. The moon is not only a "geological paradise". She also " astronomical paradise". An unusual sight will be presented to the observer on the Moon. Absolutely black sky(no atmosphere). Extraordinarily bright sun shines for two weeks in a row. Around the Sun, the red rim of its chromosphere and prominences (solar explosions) are clearly visible. Our Earth is a bright blue ball, occupying an area in the lunar sky 13.7 times larger than the Moon in our sky. Astronomical observations on the Moon will provide hundreds and thousands of times more information about distant worlds than astronomy on Earth, covered with an atmosphere impenetrable to many types of radiation. The moon could be the perfect weather bureau. Appropriate instruments installed at lunar meteorological stations will continuously record changes in the atmospheric cover on Earth, warn of dangerous atmospheric phenomena, process the received information on a computer and, thereby, continuously issue weather forecasts for the Earth with high accuracy. Power sources for such stations can be solar panels. Scientists believe that as early as the 20th century, permanent bases (and later micro-cities) with an artificial climate, greenhouses, reservoirs, laboratories and even factories for the production of the necessary materials from lunar raw materials will be created on the Moon. On the Moon, research will be conducted in the field of high-vacuum technology and electronics, as well as biology (for example, on the effect of low gravity on the life of plants and animals). The moon will be turned into a giant spaceport for launching rockets to other planets in the solar system and to other worlds. After all, a rocket taking off from the Moon requires six times less thrust than a similar rocket taking off from the Earth.

For creating living conditions on the Moon, a person must have a special spacesuit with an oxygen supply system, temperature control devices and rather complex shielding from the effects of various radiation flows. The suit should have a built-in radio transmitter and receiver for communication in the absence of an atmosphere. Projects of machines for moving on the Moon also appeared in the press - walking, caterpillar, with flexible wheels, and others. Yes, there are many mysteries surrounding the moon. But they will eventually be solved by man. Science will take one more step forward.

What's wrong with this planet? Why is life on it hard and full of suffering? Why, instead of carefree joy, enjoyment and prosperity, are we engaged in an endless struggle for life?

Why, in order to survive in a perfectly balanced, harmonious world, created by the wise Almighty, we are forced to hunchback in the sweat of our brows from sunrise to sunset?

Where do these resource wars come from? Why is there not enough resources for everyone on a beautiful and abundant planet? Are there too many of us? But there were not enough resources for people even when the population was hundreds of times smaller than it is now.

What if the fault is the moon?

BBC TV channel documentary"Why do we need the moon?" tells us fairy tales that the Moon is the guardian angel of the Earth, that life without the Moon would be terrible or even impossible. But what if it's the other way around? What if the Moon is the main cause of humanity's problems?

It is known for certain that it is the attraction of the moon that causes ocean tides. The moon's gravity is so strong that it affects the water level in the oceans. But what if that's not all there is to it? What if the moon causes earthquakes? What if the moon is the cause of the rains? Snow? Hurricanes? Tornado? Floods?

Are there high-quality, reliable, peer-reviewed studies on this topic? I'm sure not.

Is the British TV channel BBC telling us the truth? Or once again powder the brain?
Is the Moon a natural satellite of the Earth? Is there even one in the solar system? natural satellite? What happens if the Moon is removed from the Earth's orbit?

I propose now to dream up what life on planet Earth would look like without the Moon.

Let's imagine that we dragged the Moon away from the Earth with a super-powerful space tractor. What will happen to the planet next?

Water vapor evaporated from the seas and oceans would rise into the sky and remain there permanently, creating a thick protective water layer that prevents the penetration of cosmic cold into the lower atmosphere, and also protecting the Earth from destructive solar radiation.

The vapor would not condense into clouds and clouds and would not fall back, but would remain in the sky all the time.

The rain and snow would stop.

The level of water in the world's oceans would drop by 100-200 meters due to evaporation, and giant tracts of land would be released. The land area would increase by tens of percent, perhaps even doubling.

Due to the uniform circulation of air inside the protective water shell, the temperature on the planet would even out and balance at the level of 15-25 degrees at all latitudes, including the poles.

Humidity in the dry places of the planet would increase, and in wet places it would decrease. And it would become close to optimal for most animals and for humans.

Deserts would gradually begin to turn into fertile areas.

The glaciers would melt and eternal Frost.

Because The moon is the main reason for the tilt of the Earth's axis and the change of seasons - then instead of winter, spring, summer and autumn, there would be one single season, with constant air temperature all year round.

All plants would bloom and bear fruit constantly and would never shed their leaves. They would have lived much longer than they do today.

Their sizes would gradually begin to increase until they reached gigantic ones. The number of plants on the planet and their fertility would increase significantly.

Along with plants, animals would also increase in size. In general, the volume of the planet's biomass would increase tenfold. It would no longer be a problem to secure food. Plants would grow everywhere and bear fruit all year round. It would be enough to go to the nearest palm tree and pick a banana to eat.

Of course, the growth and life expectancy of a person would also increase significantly.

There is no need to be afraid that because of the large growth, it would be difficult for people to walk. Physical strength would grow in proportion to growth, as well as the strength of the bones of the body. All of this is in the DNA.

Also, do not be afraid that people of such gigantic proportions would instantly fill the entire Earth. People would give birth much less often, because. in a situation of abundance of food resources, the instinct of reproduction loses its sharpness. Everything in nature is balanced.

Since the rains and snows would disappear, and the temperature on the whole planet would be balanced at some fairly optimal level, there would be no need to build large, warm, reliable houses. There would be no need to extract hydrocarbons in order to heat them.

You could sleep right on the ground or in some light bungalows.

Resource wars would become a thing of the past. Everything necessary for life would be at hand for everyone.

There would be no need to hunchback all your life for the sake of survival. People would work much less, mostly for pleasure.

Gradually money would begin to die off. And although wealth still have some value most of of them would disappear as unnecessary.

There would be no need to keep big armies to protect against raids from neighbors. State machine would also begin to lose its relevance.

As unnecessary, factories and factories would disappear, transport would become much less.

All elements modern civilization would have undergone colossal changes and, for the most part, would have disappeared as unnecessary.

The ecology of the planet has improved significantly.

Human life would become easier, more pleasant, fuller and more harmonious. The planet would go from Hell to Heaven.

Beautiful picture, isn't it? And for this you just need to get rid of the moon.

Whether this is true or not is a question for careful consideration. scientific research. I just set the direction of the search.

But the potential benefits for all of humanity from such a development are so fantastically enticing that I would spare no resources, no effort, no means to deal with this matter.

Now let's remember what Credo Mutwa wrote in an interview with D. Hayk;
"This is one of the most strange stories, which you can find in Africa in the societies of shamans, where the remnants of our ancient knowledge and wisdom are still kept. So, Initially, the Earth was covered with a thick layer of fog or mist. These people couldn't actually see the Sun in the sky, nor could they see the movement of light."

The moon is a natural satellite of our planet. Its influence is so great that astronomers often speak of the Earth-Moon bond not as a planet and satellite, but as a double planet. Until now, disputes about its origin have not subsided. Let's try to figure them out.

What is this strange "planet"?

The moon influences almost every area of ​​life on Earth, and history human civilization was no exception. Even mammoth hunters counted days by the phases of the moon. For the first civilizations, the Earth's satellite was a deity, in whose power was the most important thing - the agricultural cycle. In most ancient civilizations, the Moon was considered a powerful goddess, to whom temples were erected and sacrifices (sometimes human) were made. Eclipses of the Moon caused horror - the deity covered his face in anger, disasters are coming! In the Middle Ages, the Moon was considered the habitat of angels; in the Enlightenment, they indulged in dreams of a Selenite race living on the night star. scientific progress quickly destroyed these naive notions. The moon turned out to be a small planet, lifeless and unattractive (with human point vision). But it also turned out that the influence of our satellite on the processes taking place on Earth is very large - probably, without the Moon, the biosphere could not exist on Earth, and our planet would look like Mars or Venus. After all, it is the presence of the Moon that determines the most important climatic parameter - the inclination of the planet's axis of rotation relative to the plane of its orbit, which determines the nature of the change of seasons.

From the laws celestial mechanics it is known that the tilt of the axis of rotation of the planets is subject to fluctuations, an example of which is our neighbor Mars. As calculations performed by astronomers show, the angle between the equator of Mars and the plane of its orbit has changed significantly. But the surface of the Red Planet contains numerous signs of a different past - channels, channels, sedimentary rocks (traces of ancient seas!). In the distant past, the planet's climate was warmer, and on its surface existed liquid water and possibly life. But there was some kind of catastrophe, and Mars turned into an icy desert. Research shows that the most probable cause"freezing" Mars was a change in the angle of the Martian axis. For the Earth, even an insignificant change in the angle of inclination of the axis to the plane of the ecliptic (by an amount of the order of a degree) can provide glacial period. Meanwhile, Mars was turning tens of degrees, so grandiose climatic disasters on it were inevitable. But for the Earth, the angle of inclination of the axis relative to the plane of the orbit varied by no more than one or two degrees, which ensured amazing (by the standards of other planets) climate stability. A natural question arises - what is the reason for the unique stability of our planet?

How does the moon help us?

Most scientists believe that we must thank the Moon for the stability of the earth's rotation (and, accordingly, climate) - it is thanks to her that chaotic fluctuations in the angle of inclination do not threaten the Earth. Hypothetical absence from the Earth major satellite would create conditions for very strong fluctuations in the angle between the equator and the orbit, which would make the climate on Earth unsuitable for life.

The beneficial role of the Moon was not limited to this, contributing to the emergence of life: it caused tides that contributed to the aeration of the seas. Perhaps even life itself first originated in the intertidal zone! The movement of the moon across the sky affects life cycles many organisms - a prime example are horseshoe crabs (marine arthropods, distantly related to crayfish and crabs), which spawn only during a certain phase of the moon.

It undoubtedly influenced the history of mankind. As an ideal celestial chronometer, the Earth's satellite significantly accelerated the appearance of the first calendars. Moon observations (the closest celestial body) played huge role in the development of astronomy. Of these, ancient scientists concluded that the planets are spherical, and the movement of the Moon and its connection with sea ​​tides allowed in the XVII century to formulate the laws of universal gravitation.

Later observations of the Moon contributed to the development of planetary science - after all, no other planet (except the Earth) has been studied in such detail! However, with the accumulation of knowledge about the moon, a number of questions arose. The origin of the Moon remained the biggest mystery - many hypotheses of the origin of the night star were put forward, but not one of them could explain all the facts. What are the main features of our satellite that caused such difficulties for scientists?

We list the main ones:

• the average density of the moon is much less medium density Earth, since the Moon has a very small core (if the Earth has about 30% of the mass of the planet, then the Moon has no more than 2-3%);
• the content of heavy elements (thorium, uranium, titanium) is increased on the Moon;
• but the ratio of oxygen isotopes in the earth and lunar crust is almost the same (and after all, different planets and meteorites from different parts of the solar system, it varies greatly);
• the lunar crust is much thicker than the earth's, which presumably indicates that all the matter composing it was once melted (but the Earth is believed to have never been completely melted);
• finally, the plane of the moon's orbit does not coincide with the equatorial plane of the earth.

Among the numerous assumptions about the mechanism of the origin of our satellite, three hypotheses in different time gained the greatest popularity among scientists. Let's talk about them.

Hypotheses of the origin of the moon

According to one of these hypotheses, our companion was once an "independent" small planet of the solar system, revolving around the sun. However, at some point, the free Moon came too close to the Earth - and the force of gravity captured it and transferred it to a new orbit, where the Moon was destined to revolve around our planet as a satellite.

Alas, the calculations showed that this hypothesis cannot explain the features of the lunar orbit, and the similarity of the elements of the earth and lunar crust discovered after flights to the moon put a fat cross on the “capture” version. Another popular hypothesis was that joint formation Earth and Moon (this hypothesis was put forward by the great Immanuel Kant). In accordance with it, the Moon and the Earth were formed simultaneously - from one gas and dust cloud. The emerging proto-Earth gained such a mass that the particles of the cloud began to rotate already in their orbits around it, gradually forming the proto-Moon.

This hypothesis is partly confirmed by the similarity of the isotopes of the Earth and the Moon, but this model does not explain the features of the lunar orbit at all.

To explain these contradictions, the American astronomers Bill Hartmann and Donald Davis put forward in 1975 the impact (i.e., “impact”) hypothesis, which is currently considered the main one. According to her, when solar system was just emerging, from a gas and dust cloud revolving around the Sun, in orbit future earth two protoplanets formed at once - one of them was the young Earth, and the other (it was smaller, about the size of Mars) was named Theia. Under the influence of gravity, the planets began to converge, and 4.4 billion years ago, a grandiose catastrophe finally occurred - a collision of the planets. The blow, fortunately, fell on a tangent. Theia was destroyed, and the molten bowels of the earth from the impact splashed onto earth orbit. The Moon was formed from this substance in about a hundred years. The impact spun the Earth - that's where the quick (in comparison, for example, with Venus) change of days and nights comes from. This hypothesis explains well both the inclination of the lunar orbit, the similarity of oxygen isotopes on Earth and the Moon, and the strange internal structure Moon. However, new research published in the journal Nature deals a death blow to these views.

After conducting a detailed study of samples of lunar rocks mined by expeditions of the Apollo series spacecraft in the 70s of the 20th century, specialists from the University of Washington issued a negative verdict on the impact hypothesis: “If the old theory were correct, then more than half of the lunar rocks would consist of material from the impactor planetoid earth. But instead, we see that the isotopic composition of the moon's fragments is very specific. The heavy isotopes of potassium found in the samples could only have formed when exposed to incredibly high temperatures. Only a very powerful collision, in which the planetoid and most of the Earth would evaporate on contact, can cause a similar effect.

As a result, scientists have proposed new theory: Instead of a colossal planetary collision, there were multiple collisions with smaller asteroids. The asteroid bombardment threw enough debris into the Earth's orbit to form several small satellites, which eventually merged into one large one. This "Protoluna" continued to absorb objects in orbit until it was left in splendid isolation.

The authors of the study argue that their hypothesis best fits the findings. However, there were immediately skeptics who pointed out that the new hypothesis of the origin of the moon does not explain all the oddities of the night star. So it’s too early to put an end to the debate about the Moon - the Earth’s satellite still retains its secret ...

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Why does the Earth need the Moon?

Something like that. Interesting?

The future of our planet also depends on the Moon, and here's why:

According to some scientists, by the end of the 21st century, oil and gas may run out on earth. The moon has a unique source of energy - helium-three, which is located in the upper layers of the lunar soil. One ton of helium replaces 15 million tons of oil in terms of its energy potential.

Helium-three is an environmentally friendly raw material. A ton of helium, including extraction and transportation to the ground, would cost us $4 billion. 20 tons of lunar fuel would provide energy for all the inhabitants of the earth on whole year. In addition to helium, there are other minerals on our satellite - titanium, iron, silicon. It is most convenient to launch rockets into deep space from the Moon, where gravity is six times less than on Earth. The construction of lunar bases, mines and spaceports may begin as early as the 21st century. At the same time, people do not have to carry water and oxygen supplies from the ground. The moon has water hidden in the upper layers of the soil. Some scientists even call the moon the seventh continent...

And why even conquer the moon? What can be gained from this dead stone ball?

1. Mining and processing factories.
There is something on the Moon that is practically absent on Earth - an isotope of helium - helium-3. Academician Yevgeny Velikhov is the world's leading specialist in thermonuclear fusion and the initiator of the ITER program, whose goal is to build the first experimental thermonuclear power plant, several years ago told your obedient servant that helium-3 is the most convenient fuel for future TNPPs. This reaction is the purest, because it does not give any radioactive waste.
Lunar soil contains up to 36 g of helium-3 per ton of soil. This means that we will be able to produce up to 70 kg of helium-3 from one square kilometer Moon. Few? But on everything the globe no more than 500 kg of this rare substance will be collected. And there are 500,000,000 tons of it on the moon! And it is constantly reproduced there due to the bombardment of the surface of the moon. solar wind… However, we do not need so much: burning in a thermonuclear furnace only 1 kg of helium-3 releases 19 MW of energy. This amount of energy can illuminate Moscow for six years. And one "Buran" in just a day can fly from the Moon to the Earth and bring almost 20 tons of helium-3 - for several years at once.

2. Hyperboloid on the Moon
There is another plan related to energy - to cover the Moon, which, due to the lack of an atmosphere, is very heated by the Sun, with whole fields solar panels. They will generate electricity. Question: how to transmit it to Earth? Answer: using a focused laser beam with a wavelength of 10-12 cm (such a beam does not scatter when passing through the atmosphere, therefore, energy losses will be minimal). On Earth, it is received and converted into electricity (for example, by means of conventional steam plants that are installed at every thermal power plant). The main thing here is not to fall under this beam ...

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3. Lunar "Hilton"
Tourism is, oddly enough, one of the industries human activity, which can greatly help in the exploration of the moon. Lunar programs- a costly thing, not every state and even a union of states can master it. This is where private money could help a lot. The fact is that in the post-industrial economy, the entertainment industry has become a real industry with billions of dollars in turnover. And the main of these industries is tourism. If now a few people are ready to pay 20 million dollars for a flight into space to the ISS and hundreds of people - 100 thousand dollars each just to “jump” beyond the limits for a few hours earth's atmosphere on a special plane, you can imagine how great the interest will be to get to another planet! Where the gravity is six times lower than the Earth's and you can jump six meters up from a place and play space basketball, where the Sun shines brighter, where you can leave your footprint in the dust forever and where you can see the earth's sunrise ...
Experts believe that for the amount of funds raised by private travel companies, it will be quite comparable to the funds allocated for the conquest of the moon by the budgets of entire countries.

4. When there is nothing to breathe.
The absence of an obstructing atmosphere gives astronomers a unique chance to establish large observatories on the Moon. And sterility and low gravity will allow building enterprises for the production of ultra-pure substances used in pharmaceuticals and electronics.

5. Moon-night light
Moscow professor Nurbey Gulia suggested unusual application Moon. For this, it does not need to be “conquered” at all. The plan is simple, like all genius. You just need to use small and relatively inexpensive rackets to sprinkle visible side The moon is the thinnest layer of chalk. Now lunar soil gray-black, so the albedo (reflectivity) of the moon is negligible and is only 0.06. That is, only 6% of the falling on it sunlight The moon reflects. Chalk albedo - 0.85. That is, after "powdering" the reflectivity of the Moon would increase by 14 times! And that means, on the full moon and the days of the half moon at night earthly cities it would be possible not to cover at all! Can you imagine the scale of the savings?