Students Seeking Lunar Solar Power

If our current generation does not have enough desire to colonize the moon, the upcoming one seems to have the ambition to conquer it.

In the Milwaukee School of Engineering, several students decided to brake from the norm of Earthly projects (such as Baja racers), and instead pursue constructing items beyond the heavens themselves.

(Red Orbit) The students have designed a device that would sit atop a tower some 300 feet above the moon's south pole, collecting energy from the sun to drive a turbine, while sending the excess energy out into cold space. [...]

"When you tell people about it, their eyes light up. We're not designing a bridge or a doorknob," said Kyle Momenee, who traveled with the other engineering students on this year's team to Huntsville, Ala., to discuss the project with engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "Anyplace we go in space, we're going to need some source of power."

With temperatures plummeting hundreds of degrees below zero, heat and power become critical factors for any future space colony intent on surviving off world. Although the sun provides solar energy without fail upon the moons surface, it is only available to half the world in two (earth) week rotations--unless you live in the polar regions.

This "solar antenna" could enable colonies near the polar regions to maintain levels of power, even under lunar shadow. Hopefully NASA considers adding this feature to any future space colony, as people may become very upset if their solar home turns off because of lack of energy.

(Image Credit: Red Orbit)



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