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August 4, 2006: According to folklore, every
full Moon has a special name. The Snow Moon comes in February,
the snowiest month of the year. The Thunder Moon comes in July,
the month of summer lightning. There are Wolf Moons, Strawberry
Moons, Harvest Moons—each name evokes something nifty about
its particular month. Until
August, that is. August has the Sturgeon Moon, named after
a slimy, primeval fish. What happened? Long ago Native American
tribes around the Great Lakes fished for sturgeon in August,
and folklore did the rest.
Above:
The Sturgeon Moon of 2005. Credit: Darrell Spangler.
Nothing
against sturgeon, mind you, but it might be time for a change.
How about the X-Moon?
In
modern times, August is the month of the summer X Games, held
this year in Los Angeles from August 3rd to 6th. X Games are
the Olympics of extreme sports. Athletes race and do tricks
on motorcycles, dirt bikes and skateboards. A typical winning
stunt is the Mulisha Twist, an off-axis 360-degree mid-air
backflip on a motorcycle.
The
Moon would be a great place for X Games. Don't laugh. NASA
is returning to the Moon, and where people go—especially adventurous
people—sports follow.
The
Moon's rugged terrain and low gravity are going to appeal
to extreme athletes. Imagine what a Motocross Freestyler could
do in 1/6 g. He revs his engine, tears up the ramp and soars
into the sky--6 times higher and 6 times farther than usual.
That's Big Air.
Dirt
bikers would love it, too. Lunar impact craters provide natural
racing turns and jumps. And there's plenty of moondust to
cushion a hard landing. Of course, the track would need to
be six times bigger than Earth tracks. Otherwise, in 1/6 g,
the biker might fly right out of the park: video.
Right:
Click to view fun videos about space travel and lunar sports.
[More]
Some
events like skateboarding or BMX jumping could be held indoors,
inside pressurized domes. For those athletes, dress and equipment
would look Earth-normal.
Other
events, like dirt biking, need to be outdoors. That's where
the dirt is. Out there, the gear is going to be a little different.
Consider
a lunar dirt bike. What would it look like?
Let's
start with fenders: Dirt bikes on Earth often have no fenders
at all. So what if a little bit of sand gets kicked up and
onto the rider? No big deal. On the Moon, however, fenders
will be crucial. The Moon is covered with dark, abrasive dust.
Apollo astronauts quickly learned they didn't want to get
this dust on their suits. Dust penetrated joints and seals,
springing leaks. Dust scratched the visors of their helmets,
making it difficult to see out. And worst of all (if you can
imagine something worse than a leak), dust blackened their
white suits, causing the suits to absorb sunlight and overheat
on the Moon's 100+ degree C surface. So, lunar bikes will
have not just fenders, but WIDE fenders to try to keep this
dust problem under control.
Next,
the wheels: Lunar terrain is both powdery and rough. To drive
across this surface, Apollo moon buggies employed open-mesh,
woven piano wire tires studded with titanium cleats. Moon
bikes may use these, too. Ordinary air-filled tires are prone
to leak in the lunar vacuum and they would be easily punctured
by sharp moon rocks. Plus, who wants to waste air in a tire
when you need all the air you can get just to breathe? Lightweight,
tough piano wire tires don't need air, and they are proven
performers on the Moon.
Right:
Moon tires for moon bikes. [More]
And
the engines: There's no air on the Moon, so internal combustion
engines won't work. Instead, motor bikes will be battery powered
with electric motors like Apollo moon buggies. No gas caps
on the Moon!
Finally,
the ergonomics: Outdoor riders have to wear spacesuits with
thick gloves and boots. This will affect the ergonomic design
of the bike. Buttons need to be oversized for fat fingers.
Brake pedals will need to be sized and spaced correctly for
moon boots. Seats will have to shaped for the bottom of a
spacesuit.
All
in all, moon bikes will look a bit weird: woven piano wire
tires, exaggerated fenders, oversized handles, and a wide
seat for big space bottoms.
Oh,
and they'll be very quiet. Rev the engine and ... well, that
was no thrill at all!
The
thrill comes in the jump—spinning gracefully through "the
air" for what seems like eternity.
A
perilous spray of moondust. Terrain hot enough to boil water.
Breathtaking vacuum. What more could an X-athlete want?
Move
over Sturgeon! The X-Moon is coming.
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Author: Dr. Tony
Phillips | Production Editor:
Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
|