Thanks to Foreo for partnering
with me on this video. On the Moon, the real-estate market is
skyrocketing. While I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek when I say that, it is true that
interest in the Moon as a permanent base for human life is increasing. Before December 2022, the
number of countries and political unions that had successfully sent probes either to orbit
or land on the moon had risen to 6. America, Russia, Japan, Europe, China and India have all
sent spacecraft to our closest lunar neighbour. The motives behind this vary, even within
a country. For some, it is about scientific advancement. For others, the moon offers rich
possibilities for economic gain. But whatever the motivations, knowing where to set up those first
lunar bases is becoming increasingly important. And that means mapping out the Moon’s
surface and features is more vital than ever. Fortunately for everyone involved, the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been circling the Moon from an altitude as low
as 50km from the Moon’s surface since 2009. Its mission has been to map out the Moon’s surface
in detail, and to enable scientific discoveries that help us understand the processes that take
place up there. We have spoken about what it has seen before. But we’ve only scratched the tip of
the iceberg when it comes to the Moon’s haunting beauty and deep mystery. What has LRO found up
there? How does it pertain to mankind’s reaching for the worlds outside our atmosphere? And how may
its next generation take that search even further? I’m Alex McColgan, and you’re watching
Astrum. And today in my sixth video on the LRO, you’re about to discover
the answers to those questions. As a quick recap, the LRO was launched by
NASA in 2009 as a means of mapping out the lunar surface in thitherto unmatched detail.
But when this was achieved after just one year, NASA shifted LRO’s mission to investigate areas
of particular scientific interest. We’ve spoken in my last video of the highest and lowest points
on the Moon, as well as Rilles, and some truly impressive impact craters. But that is not the
thing of greatest value to future explorers. In fact, one of the most important features
on the moon is a humble hole in the ground. This is a pit crater. By evaluating the shadow,
scientists can discern that it’s a massive 100m deep, and 100 to 115m across, depending on
where you measure it around its sheer edge. Unlike impact craters, which are formed from space
debris crashing down onto the Moon’s surface, it is thought that pit craters like this one are
formed by a cavity collapsing deep underground, similar to the process that forms sinkholes here
on Earth. This provides further proof that under the surface of the moon, there may exist networks
of caves and vents, possibly formed by flowing lava long ago. The Moon is cold now, so these lava
tubes lie empty – but this provides astronauts and scientists with a unique opportunity. If they do
exist, it’s incredibly likely that lava tubes will provide a remarkable, easily accessible record
of the geological processes that shaped the Moon. They might be coated in interesting
and rare minerals. On top of that, it’s much easier to set up a base on the Moon if
your walls and ceiling are already formed for you. Lacking a magnetic field, or any real atmosphere,
the surface of the moon is completely exposed to solar and cosmic radiation. Over time, this
radiation could deliver a lethal dose to any would-be settlers. The only way to avoid this
would be to line your buildings with thick materials to block out the radiation. But 100
metres of rock will do the same job just fine. If pit craters provide a gateway to cave systems
100m deep, astronauts may well pick out a site much like this one to settle on the lunar surface.
Of course, any would-be settler will not just need protection from radiation to survive on the Moon.
They will also need access to water, and it’s here that LRO has provided more fascinating
insights into the Moon’s surface processes. It was once thought that the surface of the
Moon was dead and dry. If water existed, it would only be found in small pockets in
permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). However, as LRO travelled over the Lunar surface,
it began to notice something unexpected. Trace amounts of water molecules could be
found over the top surface of regolith, the grey rock that makes up much of the Moon.
It turns out the Moon is ever so slightly wet. This wetness was even observed to move around
in a sort of Lunar water cycle, both by region, and by time of day. Around noon, when the
Moon’s surface was hottest, the water seemed to dissipate, but then it would return with the
evening. Scientists do not understand everything about this process – where did this water come
from? Why did it not all evaporate into space? But LRO’s observation means that the locations on
the Moon that might be viable for a lunar base is suddenly much wider. If this trace amount of
water could be collected, you would not need to build your base next to a permanently shadowed
region. Which is convenient, because PSRs are far colder than we at first thought. The Moon has
very little axial tilt – a little over a single degree. This means that at the poles there exist
craters that are never pointed directly at the Sun. No matter what time of day or year, the Sun
never casts light into their mysterious basins. Naturally, a location that never sees any sunlight
is bound to be cold. However, scientists were not prepared for exactly how cold it turned out
these regions were. For context, at the equator, temperatures on the Moon fluctuate between 120°C
during the day, and -130°C during the night. LRO houses a “diviner” instrument, which uses
seven thermal infrared channels to measure surface temperatures. With it, LRO found a polar
crater that had temperatures as low as -250°C, making it the coldest temperature measured on any
object in the entire solar system. That’s colder than the average temperatures of Uranus, Neptune,
or even Pluto. The crater edges shielding these areas from Solar radiation might have created the
perfect storage location for housing water ice, but other more interesting, useful compounds
could be found down there too. Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, dinitrogen and argon, perhaps.
These compounds could be useful for settlers, and so accessing these materials might be extremely
useful, in spite of the chilling cold. But because it’s so dark down in these craters, it’s difficult
to know for sure exactly which craters house what. It would be unfortunate to build a scientific
base, only to discover that the crater next to you was completely empty. Sadly, LRO’s onboard camera
(LROC) is not capable of piercing this darkness… But there is a new camera
circling the Moon that can. The reason why I said in the intro that
6 countries had sent probes to the Moon before December 2022 is that on 16th
December, that number actually rose to 7. After a 4 ½ month journey, South Korea’s
Danuri probe just arrived in Lunar orbit. NASA has actually been working closely with South
Korea on Danuri, providing them with scientific expertise and communications and navigation
support, in a spirit of mutual international scientific collaboration. In thanks, South
Korea’s KARI space program gave NASA 7kg of space on their Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter
(KPLO) – or “Danuri”, as it’s locally known, a composite word made from “dal” which means
“moon” and “nurida” which means “enjoy”. NASA considered what scientific instrument
could best be placed on Danuri. And in the end, they went with a device known as Shadowcam; a
younger sibling of LRO’s own Narrow Angle Camera, with one notable enhancement. Thanks to its 200
times sensitivity, it turns images like this: Look like this: This incredibly clear image is of
Shackleton crater, found at the Moon’s south pole; the first ever site photographed by LRO. And now,
thanks to Danuri and Shadowcam, we can properly peer into its inner basin. It turns out that
Shackleton does not look that different from many of the other craters on the Moon. Its
crater floor is covered in bumpy hummocks. Sadly, there is no obvious ice here. Perhaps this
is because Shackleton is a smaller crater, meaning that the temperatures within do not drop quite so
low as would be needed for ice to reliably form. One point of interest is the clear trail left
by a boulder as it rolled down the crater side, visible near the top of the image
[On the website link I gave you, there are two images – one with an arrow
pointing to this trail, and one without]. Such tracks are common on the Moon, as the lack
of wind means that any disturbance of the dusty ground is never covered up again. This track
could be extremely old. This is the only image released by Shadowcam so far. However, Danuri
intends to orbit the Moon for the next year, at least. In that time, it will hopefully drive back
the shadows on all of the Moon’s hidden terrain. So, there you have it. Thanks to LRO, and now
Danuri, the surface of the Moon is being mapped in clearer and clearer detail. Processes such
as the lunar water cycle are being understood more deeply, and the way is being paved for
future missions to actually land on the Moon through the discovery of compounds vital to
human life. And that’s not even mentioning the developing scientific understanding of the
origins and history of the Moon that is coming about as we uncover its geological record. When
scientists one day arrive on the Moon to study this record first-hand, it will be thanks to
this data that they will know where to go. As the number of nations settling on the Moon
increases, they will rely more and more on LRO and Danuri’s information to know where to construct.
That’s what excites me about all of this. We are – metaphorically, brick by brick – laying
the foundation for possible future civilizations. Thanks to the knowledge being developed
by these orbiters and pathfinders, one day millions of human beings might
just call the Moon by another name. “Home.” Footsteps on the Moon last essentially
forever. They have a timeless quality thanks to the lack of lunar winds, meaning
they could last for thousands of years. While no human will ever live as long as
that, that same timelessness is something that we may sometimes wish we had for our skin.
If that’s something you or your loved ones have ever thought about, our partner on today’s
video might have just the device for you. The FOREO BEAR is the new gadget by FOREO
Sweden, that helps relax away facial and neck muscle tension through the clever use of T-sonic
pulsations and microcurrent technology. It sends those pulsations and gentle electrical currents
into the outer layers of your skin, massaging away your tension and stimulating blood flow. With
just 2 minutes of use a day over a 30-day period, using the BEAR can energise and firm up the 69
muscles in the face and neck, reducing signs of aging. If this is something for you, or if you’re
looking for the perfect gift for your significant other, follow my link in the description below
to check it out! Go ahead and give it a try! Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out the
other LRO videos about cool features on the Moon here. And a big thanks to my patrons and members
for supporting the channel. If you like what I do and want your name added to this list, check the
links below. All the best, and see you next time.
