Moon colony around the corner?

[Chango]

Originally Posted by NightBazaar

Somehow, I doubt any underground colonies are just around the corner. Most likely, there could be a surface base, but it would require supplies from Earth for a long time. Unless there are caverns on the moon, boring an underground hole to build a base would be a daunting task requiring some very heavy equipment. Self-sufficiency on the moon would probably take decades or longer to accomplish, if ever.

Why? We've already done it on earth.

Cheyenne Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And that's just one installation of thousands around the world.

It could be done. It doesn't mean it will of course or that it would be cheap, but it could be done with current technology.

[NightBazaar]

Originally Posted by Chango

Why? We've already done it on earth.

Cheyenne Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And that's just one installation of thousands around the world.

It could be done. It doesn't mean it will of course or that it would be cheap, but it could be done with current technology.

I'm not saying it can't be done, I just don't think it's likely to happen any time soon. And you hit the nail square on the head. It would not be cheap to do. I'm thinking about what kind of equipment it would take to do the job. Sure, Cheyenne Mountain was a remarkable accomplishment. However, there's a gigantic difference between sending equipment to locations across the country or around the world, and sending the same kind of equipment to the moon. In addition, it's pretty well been determined that the lunar dust sticks to everything. There'd have to be a way to prevent it from clogging or damaging the equipment. Could it be done with current technology? I have my doubts.

A surface base is more feasible. A self-sufficient, undergound base is something that's probably well off in the future.