Posted on 04/05/2015 5:33:02 PM PDT by BenLurkin
"We found that if lunar lava tubes existed with a strong arched shape like those on Earth, they would be stable at sizes up to 5,000 meters, or several miles wide, on the moon," said David Blair, a graduate student in Purdue's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary sciences. "This wouldn't be possible on Earth, but gravity is much lower on the moon and lunar rock doesn't have to withstand the same weathering and erosion. In theory, huge lava tubes -- big enough to easily house a city -- could be structurally sound on the moon."
The researchers applied known information about lunar rock and the moon's environment as well as civil engineering techniques to make their findings. They found the stability of these lava tubes depended on width, roof thickness, and the stress state of the cold lava. The results suggested these types of tunnels could be stable if they matched the determined criteria.
(Excerpt) Read more at hngn.com ...
I didn’t know the moon had giant lava tubes.
“We found that if lunar lava tubes existed —
IF
I can blab lots of meaningless stuff, based on IF.
Silly question: how frequently does the moon get hit with meteors these days?
If wishes were horses, then...
Reminds me of all the stupid qualifiers in every global warming article ever written.
They don’t know either. They’re just guessing.
The unions are big business, friend
And they’re goin’ out like a dinosaur
They used to grow food in Kansas
Now they want to grow it on the moon and eat it raw
I can see the day coming when even your home garden
Is gonna be against the law
http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/union-sundown
Or not.
It seems like a lot of “science” today is based on “if”.
Made by those giant lava tube worms
Yes, the moon is known to have lava tubes; this has been known for years, in fact, prior to the manned lunar missions; image search:
https://www.google.com/search?q=lunar+lava+tubes&tbm=isch
the trick is, to find one that hasn’t collapsed:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/decadal/leag/AndrewWDagaFINAL.pdf
The article BenLurkin has posted here is a study of how large these tubes could be and still be stable and usable for a habitat.
Thanks!
"Dear, the landlord is coming over for dinner."
"That's nice, darling."
"Well, maybe not. We're the dinner."
If I had some ham, I could make a ham sandwich, if I had some bread and cheese, and mayo, too.
Yup, did in the smart ants he did.
That’s exactly what I want: to live in a lava tube on the moon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.