The Lunar Oxygen Viability Experiment
NASA didn’t just let WLBOTT walk in the front door! We went thru a rigorous vetting process (similar to GQP cabinet position appointments).
The goal is to create an oxygen-rich atmosphere with an air pressure similar to that at the top of Mt. Everest.
How Much Oxygen is Required?
As Elder G cheerfully suggests:
Stacking Oxygen Molecules
- An oxygen molecule (O₂) is about 300 picometers in size. If we stacked enough oxygen molecules to weigh 6.56 quintillion kilograms, the line would stretch across the universe multiple times! (Calculating this would be another fun exercise!)
To put it into perspective for our WLBOTT audience, the amount of oxygen required would be approximately equivalent to the weight of 1.1 quadrillion elephants.
Definition of Terms
We’re getting ahead of ourselves. What are these numbers we’re talking about?
A quintillion is a really big number: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. That’s 1 followed by 18 zeros!
Grains of Sand:
Elder G
- If every grain of sand weighs about 1 milligram, then a quintillion grains would weigh about 1 billion metric tons.
A quadrillion is another massive number: 1,000,000,000,000,000. That’s 1 followed by 15 zeros!
Grains of Sand:
Elder G
- A quadrillion grains of sand would cover all the beaches on Earth many times over, depending on the size of the beaches!
Back to the Elephants
To help us visualize the amount of oxygen required for our LOx of LOVE project, Elder G equates the weight to 1.1 quadrillion elephants. Elephants are about 7 meters long, trunk to tail. If we lined up 1.1 quadrillion elephants this elephant line would stretch to Pluto and back over 1,000 times
Oxygen Production from Lunar Regolith
Energy Requirements
15 seconds of the Sun’s output, out of a lifetime of billions of years? No problem!
Time Frame
18 Million Years
Eighteen million years is a staggeringly long time in Earth’s geological timeline.
The good news: Sun’s Evolution: In 18 million years, the Sun will still be stable, but it’s slowly getting hotter. Earth’s climate may start to feel this effect on very long timescales.
The bad news: just about everything else.
Continental Drift
The Earth’s tectonic plates move at an average of 2-5 cm per year. In 18 million years:
Africa will collide with Europe, closing the Mediterranean Sea and forming a new mountain range similar to the Himalayas.
Australia will shift northward, potentially colliding with Southeast Asia.
The Atlantic Ocean will widen, pushing the Americas farther away from Europe and Africa.
Competition with Other Evolved Species
In 18 million years, both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy will become more competitive.
