A105. Will we have electricity and electrical appliances? (A K2S Question)
From The Space Library
Revision as of 18:13, 11 June 2014
Depending on where we set up our first moonbases, electricity may be abundant and constant, like at the lunar poles, or we may have to be very careful about how it's used. At the lunar poles, tall towers can be built on crater rims that can hold solar panels in constant or near-constant sunlight, providing a steady and ongoing supply of solar power. At the equator, large fields of solar arrays are needed to not only power the base, but also charge up batteries or flywheels to use during the two week lunar night. A nuclear power source would also provide a compact means of providing electricity during the two-week night, and reduce the need for large amounts of solar arrays to be shipped from Earth. Everything will be electric: microwave ovens, microscopes, power tools, robots, vehicles. No combustion engines will be allowed to foul the air the moonbase inhabitants breathe.
Answer provided by Thomas Matula, Ph.D. & Kenneth J. Murphy
Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer
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