NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon

Man of Honour
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16 Mar 2005
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Clevedon , Bristol
  • Box of matches 15
  • Food concentrate 3
  • 50 feet of nylon rope 5
  • parachute silk 9
  • Portable heating unit 6
  • Two .45 calibre pistols 13
  • Once case of dehydrated milk 8
  • Two 100 lb tanks of oxygen 1
  • Stellar map 4
  • Self-inflating lift raft 11
  • Magnetic compass 14
  • 20 liters of water 2
  • Signal flares 12
  • First aid kit, including injection needle 10
  • Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter 7
 
Man of Honour
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91,166
Just learned that it can get up to 127C on the moon by day and minus 173C at night. So you likely die of heat stroke or freeze to death anyway.

Might be wrong but IIRC even fairly basic suits can retain body warmth well in temperatures well in the the minus Cs - shielding from the heat on the sun lit side a bit harder though.
 
Soldato
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Sufferlandria
Just learned that it can get up to 127C on the moon by day and minus 173C at night. So you likely die of heat stroke or freeze to death anyway.

But there's no atmosphere to conduct that heat. It doesn't really matter if the ambient temperature is -173degrees or +127degrees if there's nothing to conduct away your own bodyheat.
 
Soldato
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leeds
In no order, compass, flares, rope, fm reciever and oxygen tanks.

You can't eat or drink, can't take off helmet. Can't see how a heater will heat you through the thick suit maybe a bit
Can't see the use of pistols no life on the moon. Matches wouldn't light not enough oxygen. Also map, milk, raft and first aid useless.

Not sure about silk.
good luck using a compass on the moon!

i'm torn between the fm receiver and the map though - is the moon moving so fast that the map is useless? I presume the fm receiver can be used to find the base direction or contact them at least (?)

heater wont be needed on the light side of the moon - cooling will be the bigger problem
 
Soldato
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hmm, this is interesting, do you stay put or await rescue.

the oxygen and radio would be 1 and 2 because in either situation they're essential.

star chart would be third as either giving rescuers a position or having to navigate (assuming you're in an intact space suit) for a walk.

now we need to decide if we're staying or walking, if staying then it'd be heater water food parachute (to make a marker), if walking it'd be water rope flares raft (for sun shield)

the pistols, compass and milk are pretty much useless in either situation (well, maybe the milk could be an extra food sustinance for a waiting scenario), whilst a gun and a compass could be useful in an earth based scenario a compass wont work on the moon and a traditional 3-shot emergency signal doesn't help in a vacumn where they can't hear it (btw guns do actually work in space)

the only one that doesn't fit is the first aid kit, as depending if anyone was injured in the landing it'll either be vital (to fix them up) or useless (as if everyone's fine you wont injure yourself staying put and any injuries on a walk can't be fixed through a space suit)


if we assume everyone's fine and we decide to walk then i'd take the oxygen and the water, tie everyone together, and use the star chart to navigate whilst putting out calls on the radio just in case someone hears, use the raft to tow the oxygen bottles and shelter under if the suit's sun protection isn't up to scratch.

if we assume injuries and we decide to stay then it's a case of patch folk up with first aid, call for help on the radios using the map to find our position, and drag out the parachute silk to make a visible market, then it's just a waiting game until the oxygen/water/food runs out (almost certainly the oxygen)
 
Soldato
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Beds
My attempt:

  • Two 100 lb tanks of oxygen
  • Magnetic compass
  • 50 feet of nylon rope
  • parachute silk
  • Self-inflating lift raft
  • Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
  • Signal flares
  • First aid kit, including injection needle
  • 20 liters of water
  • Food concentrate
  • Once case of dehydrated milk
  • Box of matches
  • Portable heating unit
  • Two .45 calibre pistols
  • Stellar map
 
Don
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Spalding, Lincolnshire
It doesn't actually say whether you've landed in light or darkness.
You are a member of a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted surface of the moon.



hmm, this is interesting, do you stay put or await rescue.
No need to think about staying put - you have to reach the mothership
During reentry and landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and, since survival depends on reaching the mothership.
 
Caporegime
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18 Oct 2002
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London
  • Two 100 lb tanks of oxygen
  • 20 liters of water
  • Food concentrate
  • Stellar map
  • Magnetic compass
  • Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter
  • First aid kit, including injection needle
  • 50 feet of nylon rope
  • parachute silk
  • Portable heating unit
  • Self-inflating lift raft
  • Signal flares
  • Once case of dehydrated milk
  • Box of matches
  • Two .45 calibre pistols
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
Posts
91,166
In the upcoming Hollywood title based on this riveting scenario, they tie the nylon rope to the parachute silk and gently glide

Alternatively using the food/milk containers, stuff from the first aid kit, solar powered FM radio and water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, react hydrogen with the CO2 from the life raft using the flares to produce methane then burn the methane with the oxygen in a rocket motor fashioned using the portable heating unit and pistols - matches might come in handy here once up high enough use the rope and parachute silk to glide to the mothership. Eat the map if you get hungry, the compass is still useless.
 
Soldato
Joined
30 Sep 2005
Posts
16,553
Box of matches 15
Food concentrate 4
50 feet of nylon rope 6
parachute silk 8
Portable heating unit 13
Two .45 calibre pistols 11
Once case of dehydrated milk 12
Two 100 lb tanks of oxygen 1
Stellar map 3
Self-inflating lift raft 9
Magnetic compass 14
20 liters of water 2
Signal flares 10
First aid kit, including injection needle 7
Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter 5
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2003
Posts
19,413
Location
Midlands
  • Two 100 lb tanks of oxygen – Need air to live
  • 20 liters of water – Need water to live
  • Food concentrate – Need energy to live
  • Stellar map – Need to navigate to the mothership and at 200 miles away that means no line of sight, so we need them stars
  • Parachute silk – Need to protect from the midday sun and we don’t have our SPF50
  • 50 feet of nylon rope – Probably need to do some climbing to make it back
  • Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter – Need to chat to the ship
  • First aid kit, including injection needle – Frank likes to shoot up when he gets nervous
  • Signal flares – I’m assuming special space flares, otherwise these might be as useless as the matches
  • Self-inflating life raft – Self-inflating means it has a CO2 unit in it, probably some rope too
  • Portable heating unit – Should be warm enough with the suit and light side of the moon
  • One case of dehydrated milk – Hopefully the food concentrate gets us back before using the dodgy milk that Karen brought with her
  • Two .45 calibre pistols – Karen might be a bitch
  • Magnetic compass – LOL, enjoy your poles
  • Box of matches – In space no one can hear you light up
 
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