From our point of view on Earth, the moon seems small. But if you’re hoping to get into a spaceship, don a spacesuit and go on an epic lunar hike, how long does it take to walk around?
Answer You depend on a number of factors, including how fast you can go, how much time you spend each day in the walking king, and what route you will need to avoid dangerous topography.
Such a trip around The moon It may take more than a year, but in reality, there are many more challenges.
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A total of 12 humans have set foot on the lunar surface, all part of the Apollo mission between 1969 and 1972. According to NASA. Footage returning to Earth showed how challenging (and obviously fun) it was to bounce at the bottom of the moon – or more accurately. Gravity, Which is one-sixth of gravity Earth.
However, NASA research has since suggested that it is possible for humans to maneuver much faster than Apollo astronauts on the moon. Theoretically, the circumference of the moon and the walking king could happen faster than previously predicted.
Catch the speed
During the Apollo mission, astronauts casually bounced around the surface at 1.4 miles per hour (2.2 km / h), according to NASA. This slow motion was mainly due to their clunky, pressurized spacesuits not designed with mobility in mind. If the “Moon Kers Curse” had collected sleek outfits, they would have felt very easy to move and, as a result, picked up speed.
In 2014, published in a NASA study Journal of Experimental Biology The projected lunar gravity has tested how fast humans can walk and run. To do this, the team met eight participants (three of whom were astronauts) using a treadmill in a DC-9 aircraft that flew a special parabolic path to Earth to simulate gravity on the moon for 20 seconds at a time.
The experiment showed that participants were able to walk up to 3.1 miles per hour (5 km / h) before taking part. According to the researchers, this is not only twice the walking King speed operated by Apollo astronauts, but also close to the average maximum walking speed of 4.5 miles (7.2 km / h) on Earth.
Participants pulled this fast motion because they were able to swing their arms evenly, freely. How humans run On earth. This pendulum motion created the following force, which gave a partial compensation for the lack of gravity. One reason Apollo astronauts were so slow on the lunar surface was because they couldn’t do this properly because of their chubby suits.
At this new imaginary maximum speed, it would take about 91 days to walk the Moon’s 6,786-mile (10,921 km) circumference. At this speed, it would take about 334 days to walk around the Earth’s 24,901-mile (40,075 km) circumference at this speed. However, this is impossible due to the oceans.
Naturally, it is not possible to walk nonstop for 91 days, so the actual walk around the moon will take longer.
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Planning your route
Walking around the moon also poses many different challenges. “I think rationally, it could happen,” Aidan Cowley, a scientific adviser to the European Space Agency, told LiveScience. “But it will be a very strange mission to support.”
One of the biggest challenges is the supply of water and food Oxygen.
“I don’t think you’ll take them in your backpack,” Cowley said. “Because it’s going to be very mass, even if you’re at sixth gravity.”
So, you will need to have a support vehicle with you, Cowley said. This vehicle can also be doubled as a shelter.
“A lot of agencies are exploring the idea of having a pressure rise, which could actually support astronauts when doing exploration missions, like a portable mini-base.” “You can use it at night and change again and then go back during the day and go for a walk again.”
Moon adventures also require a spacesuit with a design that allows for optimal movement. Cowell said existing spacecraft are not designed with too much spice in mind, but some agencies are developing form-fitting suits that will allow hand swings to run properly on the moon.
The rigid topography of the moon will make it difficult to find a suitable path around it, especially with meteor pits, which can be many miles. “You really want to go around [the craters], “Cowell said.” It’s just too dangerous. “
You also have to factor in the light and temperature when planning the road. “At the equator [of the moon], And during the day, you see a temperature of about 100 degrees Centigrade [212 degrees Fahrenheit], “Cavell said.” And then at night, it’s minus 180C [minus 292 F]”
The lunar cycle also means that there are days when there is little or no sunlight and at least half the journey is to take place in the dark. Rovers are possible for specially designed suits and protection to protect against these extreme temperatures, but the temperature can also change the state of the regolith – a beautiful land that covers the solid bedrock of the moon – and how fast you can walk on it. Affects. , Cavell said.
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However, radiation can be even more dangerous. Unlike Earth, the Moon does not have a magnetic field that helps it avoid radiation from reaching its surface.
“If there wasn’t any major solar activity at one time, it might not be so bad,” Cowley said. “But if there was a solar flare or coronal ejection and you were exposed to high levels of radiation, it could make you very sick.” (Both solar flares and coronal mass emission release large amounts of energy radiation and magnetic particles, but the type of particles they emit, the duration of the event, and the radiation they produce vary from place to place, according to NASA.
This type of mission also requires a large amount of endurance training due to the demand to exercise in low gravity on your muscles and cardiovascular system. “You have to send an astronaut with ultra marathon-level fitness,” Cowley said.
Even then, walking at peak speeds would only be possible for about three to four hours a day, Cowley said. So, if a person walks at a speed of 1.1 miles (km km / h) for hours of a day, it would take an estimated 7,547 days or about 1.5 years to walk around the circumference of the moon, assuming your path is not interrupted by crates. And you can deal with changes in temperature and radiation.
However, humans will not have the technical or equipment to accomplish such an achievement, at least until the late 2030s or early 2040s, Cowley said.
“You’ve never found an agency to support anything like that,” Cowley said. “But if some crazy billionaire wants to try it, they can pull it off.”
Published on Original Living Science.
