[Kosh]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7351437.stm


Growing stuff on the moon isn't as far fetched as was once believed.

[jdjtcagle]

Hmm... I don't see why not, as long as they protect the plants from the radiation. *who know?*

[Herra Tohtori]

Hmm... I don't see why not, as long as they protect the plants from the radiation. *who know?*

Meh, just pick the seedlings that survive the radiation the best. After a few dozen generations you don't need to bother about it. Radiation conditioning plants would probably not be too impossible, start with low intensity radiation exposure and increase it until it starts to kill off the weakest, then let the survivors reproduce and increase the radiation load, and cultivate a population that is resistant to radiation.

Peace of pie - in theory anyway.

[Mustang19]

What's the point of this? Won't the plants need CO2 and climate control anyway? Why not just use soil?

[Herra Tohtori]

Well, if you can use the Moon's soil you don't need to carry tons of dirt there from Earth.

It will probably only become relevant when it comes time to set up mostly self-sufficient habitats on Moon, though...

[Colonol Dekker]

Crushed moon rock is ok, but water helps

[Kosh]

They were using crushed moon rocks combined with some kinds of bacteria to leech minerals from the rocks. Looks like it worked out pretty well.

Meh, just pick the seedlings that survive the radiation the best. After a few dozen generations you don't need to bother about it. Radiation conditioning plants would probably not be too impossible, start with low intensity radiation exposure and increase it until it starts to kill off the weakest, then let the survivors reproduce and increase the radiation load, and cultivate a population that is resistant to radiation.

Can't do that, it would be adding more evidence to the theory of evolution. 

[Herra Tohtori]

There is that... then again, if it's let to the Japanese to do, they'll end up creating some kind of a tentacle monster...

[FUBAR-BDHR]

We just bottle all that CO2 that's causing global warming and pump it up there for the plants.  Solves 2 problems.  There is also speculation that the moon is covered in Earth dust.  Granted it's not suitable in it's current state for plant growth but with the right bacteria and some fertilizer who knows. 

Then we can mine the minerals and solve the metal depletion problem at least in the near term.  We already have evidence of a huge titanium deposit up there.  The plants really don't need that to grow.

[Herra Tohtori]

Minerals aside, Helium-3 will probably be the most important article on the list of economically feasible things to mine on Moon and carry all the way back to Earth. It'll take a long long time before mineral depletion on Earth's surface crust becomes serious enough that it starts to become feasible to mine Moon or asteroids... eventually, yes, but not in a long while as far as I see it.

Of course, even better would be to have the He-3 based fusion reactors running on Moon's surface and transfer the energy to Earth via lasers or some other as of now unknown method of energy transfer.

Transferring CO2 to the moon isn't really that good an idea, never mind being any kind of solution to the CO2 problem... better would be to make the lunar facility use completely or at least nearly self-sustainable carbon cycle.

[Nuke]

you must remember that the biosphere experiment failed (i think it was attributed to the curing process of concrete or bacteria). so i think it will require some more research before environmental engineering an ecosystem from the ground up is feasible. life tends to do unexpected things when you put it into an alien environment.

[TrashMan]

Of course, even better would be to have the He-3 based fusion reactors running on Moon's surface and transfer the energy to Earth via lasers or some other as of now unknown method of energy transfer.

*Moon Energy Transfer Control*

Controller #1: The reciever dish is at 34.56°, 65.20°, right?

Controller #2: Yup.

Controller #1: Then why is the laser pointing at 56.20?

Controller #2: Uuuuuuuups. I think we just vaporized Chicago!

[Mobius]

Reminds OGame...

[Hellstryker]

OGame? :O Do you have an empire on universe 37? Me and Kiith-Somtaaw have somthing of an alliance starting up... >:]