Showdown #5: Should Humans Colonize The Moon?

PODCAST 265: THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN

SHOWDOWN #5:  SHOULD HUMANS COLONIZE THE MOON?

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2024

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO ***THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN***.  IN THE LAST EPISODE, OLIVIA AND NOAH DEBATED A TOPIC THAT WAS SUGGESTED BY SO MANY OF OUR AMAZING LISTENERS.  THEY ARGUED WHETHER OR NOT STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE HOMEWORK.  WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT OUR LISTENERS HAD PRETTY STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THE DEBATE.  WE RECEIVED SO MANY VOTES, DOZENS MORE THAN ANY PREVIOUS SHOWDOWN.  ARE YOU WONDERING HOW OUR LISTENERS FEEL ABOUT HOMEWORK?  WE ARE GOING TO REVEAL THE RESULTS IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST.

O:  MAILBAG!

N:  MAILBAG!

O:  HERE ARE A FEW THOUGHTS FROM LISTENERS WHO AGREED WITH ME THAT STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE HOMEWORK:

ANUSHKA FROM THE NETHERLANDS SAYS “I think students should get homework because it helps them in studies and to be a more independent person.”

ZAKI FROM OTTOWA, ONTARIO CANADA SAYS “Because it can help them learn more.”

REESE FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SAYS “So you can get good grades and you can choose what you want to be when you grow up” AND REAGAN FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SAYS “Because it can help you study for a test so you’ll get a good grade and go to a good college and get a good job.”

N:  NOW IT’S TIME TO HEAR FROM A FEW LISTENERS THAT AGREED WITH ME THAT STUDENTS SHOULDN’T HAVE HOMEWORK:

ISLA AND MASSIMO FROM OTTOWA, ONTARIO CANADA SAY “I think that Noah is right because homework stresses out lots of kids every day.If homework causes mental health problems,it is not good for kids to go through. Keep up the good work Olivia and Noah!!”

OMAR FROM BELIZE SAYS “I think that Noah’s evidence was really good. It’s amazing how the top education systems use less homework. I agree that home should be a time to enjoy moments away from school, and that this leads to healthier and less stressful lives.”

DJ FROM MARYLAND SAYS “I’m in 6th grade and have about two and a half hours of home work nightly. People are always saying enjoy being a kid but it feels impossible for me with the homework and it’s just generally stressful.”

D:  THOSE WERE SOME FANTASTIC THOUGHTS FROM LISTENERS WHO WEIGHED IN ON THE HOMEWORK DEBATE.  ARE YOU READY TO HEAR THE RESULTS OF SHOWDOWN #4 AND FIND OUT WHAT OUR LISTENERS THINK ABOUT HOMEWORK?  DRUMROLL PLEASE!

***DRUMROLL***

WITH 63.3% OF THE TOTAL VOTE, MOST OF OUR LISTENERS THINK THAT STUDENTS SHOULD NOT HAVE HOMEWORK.

O:  BUT THE DEBATE OVER HOMEWORK RAGES ON, AND ADULTS STILL ARGUE ABOUT HOMEWORK ALL THE TIME.  

N:  NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT HOMEWORK, EVERY OPINION MATTERS.  LIKE EVERY TOPIC WE’VE DEBATED, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.  

D:  AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT SO MUCH FUN TO READ THROUGH THE VOTES AND SEE WHAT OUR LISTENERS THINK.  NOW THAT SHOWDOWN #4 IS IN THE BOOKS, LET’S MOVE ON TO SHOWDOWN #5, WHICH I PROMISE YOU WILL BE OUT OF THIS WORLD.  THE SHOWDOWN TOPIC FOR THIS WEEK IS SHOULD HUMANS COLONIZE THE MOON, IN OTHER WORDS, SHOULD HUMANS LIVE ON THE MOON?  

***INTERLUDE***

HUMANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY THE MOON.  OVER 400 YEARS AGO, ASTRONOMER GALILEO GALILEI USED A TELESCOPE TO SHOW THAT THE MOON’S SURFACE ISN’T SMOOTH LIKE IT WAS PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED TO BE.  IN 1920, AMERICAN ENGINEER ROBERT GODDARD SUGGESTED THAT ROCKETS COULD BE SENT TO THE MOON.  DURING THE 1950’S, 60’S, AND 70’S, THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION HAD AN INTENSE COMPETITION TO SEND SATELLITES, AND ALSO HUMANS, TO THE MOON.  THE SOVIET UNION BECAME THE FIRST COUNTRY TO GET A SPACECRAFT ON THE MOON’S SURFACE, AND THE UNITED STATES BECAME THE FIRST COUNTRY TO GET HUMANS ON THE MOON, WHEN APOLLO 11 LANDED ON THE MOON’S SURFACE, AND NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN EMERGED FROM THE SPACECRAFT TO WALK ON THE MOON.  

EVER SINCE THAT HISTORIC MOMENT, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE POSSIBILITY OF HUMANS LIVING ON THE MOON.  SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING THE OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS CHALLENGES, OF PUTTING HUMANS ON THE MOON PERMANENTLY.  THE IDEA OF COLONIZING THE MOON CONTINUES TO BE SEEN AS AN EXCITING, BUT ALSO CHALLENGING, POSSIBILITY.  

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHOULD HUMANS TRY TO SETTLE ON THE MOON?  DO YOU THINK HUMANS WOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE, GO TO WORK AND SCHOOL, AND THRIVE ON THE MOON LIKE WE DO HERE ON EARTH?  IF THE IDEA OF MOON COLONIZATION BECAME A REALITY, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN LEAVING THE COMFORTS OF EARTH TO EXPLORE THE MYSTERIOUS POSSIBILITIES OF LIFE ON THE MOON?  

IN THIS WEEK’S SHOWDOWN, OLIVIA IS GOING TO ARGUE THAT WE SHOULD GO TO THE MOON, AND NOAH IS GOING TO SAY “NAH, LET’S JUST STAY HERE ON EARTH”.  JUST LIKE THEY DID WITH THE PREVIOUS SHOWDOWNS, OLIVIA AND NOAH WILL HAVE THREE ROUNDS OF DEBATE, AND THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO CONVINCE YOU THAT THEY’RE RIGHT.  THEN, YOU GET THE CHANCE TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL BY VOTING.  SOUND GOOD?  OKAY, LET’S GET STARTED WITH ROUND ONE.  FIRST UP, OLIVIA!

O:  HOW COOL IS THIS?  I GET TO TALK ABOUT HUMANS LIVING ON THE MOON.  CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW AMAZING HAVING HUMANS ON THE MOON COULD BE?  WE WOULD BE ABLE TO LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE MOON ITSELF, AS WELL AS OTHER SPACEY OBJECTS.  THERE IS A CLEAR VIEW OF THE COSMOS FROM THE MOON THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO STUDY BLACK HOLES, DISTANT GALAXIES, AND SO MUCH MORE FROM THE MOON.  

THE MOON WOULD ALSO BE A GREAT LAUNCHING POINT FOR MISSIONS TO OTHER DESTINATIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO DIRECTLY FROM EARTH.  BECAUSE OF THE LOWER GRAVITY AROUND THE MOON, LAUNCHING A SPACECRAFT FROM THE MOON WOULD REQUIRE LESS FUEL AND RESOURCES.  THAT MEANS THAT WE COULD DISCOVER SO MUCH MORE ABOUT SPACE IF WE COULD LAUNCH MISSIONS FROM THE MOON, AND WHO KNOWS?  WE MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO DISCOVER OTHER INTELLIGENT LIFE FORMS IF WE KEEP ON EXPLORING BEYOND THE MOON.  

N:  UM, HELLO, IS THIS A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE OR IS THIS REAL LIFE?  HUMANS CAN’T SURVIVE ON THE MOON.  THAT’S WHY ASTRONAUTS NEEDED TO WEAR THOSE CRAZY SPACESUITS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE ON THE MOON, EVEN FOR ONLY A FEW HOURS. THE TEMPERATURE ON THE MOON IS EXTREME, RANGING FROM HIGHS OF 253 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT TO LOWS OF -414 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.  IN CELSIUS, IT’S 123 DEGREES TO -248 DEGREES.  THOSE ARE TEMPERATURE EXTREMES THAT DON’T EXIST ANYWHERE ON EARTH.  

ALSO, THERE IS NO LIQUID WATER ON THE MOON, AND HUMANS NEED WATER TO LIVE.  THE MOON ROTATES VERY SLOWLY, SO THE MOON GETS ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF DAYLIGHT FOLLOWED BY TWO WEEKS OF DARKNESS.  IF THOSE CONDITIONS AREN’T BAD ENOUGH, BIG METEOROIDS HIT THE MOON AT FULL SPEED, BECAUSE THE MOON DOESN’T HAVE A MAGNETIC SHIELD LIKE THE EARTH.  DOES THIS SOUND LIKE THE KIND OF PLACE YOU WOULD WANT TO LIVE?  PROBABLY NOT.  WHY DON’T WE SEE HOW WELL WE CAN SURVIVE IN PLACES LIKE ANTARCTICA WHICH ARE MUCH LESS EXTREME THAN THE MOON BEFORE WE CONSIDER LIVING ON THE MOON?

***BELL RINGS***

D:  THAT SOUND MEANS THE END OF ROUND ONE.  THIS IS A REALLY INTERESTING DEBATE, AND IT’S ONE THAT SCIENTISTS AND OTHER EXPERTS DEBATE ALL THE TIME.  THEY’VE EVEN USED SOME OF THE SAME ARGUMENTS THAT OLIVIA AND NOAH USED IN ROUND ONE.  NEXT UP, IN ROUND TWO, NOAH GOES FIRST.  NOAH, WHY IS IT A BAD IDEA FOR HUMANS TO COLONIZE THE MOON?

N:  SETTING UP A HUMAN COLONY ON THE MOON WOULD BE INSANELY EXPENSIVE.  JUST THINK ABOUT IT.  THERE ARE NO HOUSES ON THE MOON, NO FOOD ON THE MOON, AND NO LIQUID WATER ON THE MOON.  WE WOULD LITERALLY BE STARTING WITH NOTHING.  SENDING SOMETHING INTO SPACE COSTS ABOUT $10,000 PER POUND.  SO, LET’S SAY YOU WANT TO SEND A TEN POUND BAG OF RICE UP TO THE MOON TO FEED THE BRAVE PEOPLE THAT DECIDED TO BE THE FIRST TO COLONIZE THE MOON.  IT WOULD COST $100,000.  THAT’S PRETTY EXPENSIVE RICE.  

BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE HUMANS WOULD NEED ON THE MOON, THEY NEED AIR TO BREATHE.  HUMANS CAN TYPICALLY SURVIVE FOR WEEKS WITHOUT FOOD AND DAYS WITHOUT WATER, BUT HUMANS NEED AIR ALL THE TIME.  THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE ON THE MOON, SO THEY WOULDN’T HAVE AIR.  HUMAN ADULTS WOULD NEED ABOUT 80 GALLONS OF OXYGEN PER YEAR.  AIR CAN BE SHIPPED FROM EARTH, BUT THE COST OF TRANSPORTING ENOUGH AIR FOR A SINGLE HUMAN TO BREATHE WOULD BE UP TO 60 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR.  

O:  DON’T BE SO DRAMATIC, NOAH.  SCIENTISTS ARE COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO THOSE PROBLEMS.  IT’S NOT LIKE WE’RE GOING TO SEND PEOPLE TO THE MOON AND THEN SAY “SURPRISE, YOU HAVE NO FOOD, NO WATER, AND YOU CAN’T BREATHE”.  SURE, IT’S GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE AT FIRST, BUT HUMANS ARE RESOURCEFUL, AND ALL THE PROBLEMS YOU MENTIONED HAVE SOLUTIONS.  IT’S JUST GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR THE HUMANS ON THE MOON TO BE ABLE TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD, GET THEIR OWN WATER FROM THE ABUNDANT AMOUNT OF ICE ON THE MOON, AND GENERATE THEIR OWN OXYGEN.  

THE FACT THAT THERE IS ICE ON THE MOON IS A GAME CHANGER.  NOT ONLY CAN THE ICE BE CONVERTED INTO DRINKING WATER, BUT ICE IS MADE UP OF TWO DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, SO THE ICE ON THE MOON HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SOLVE OUR NEED FOR WATER AND OXYGEN.  

THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THE MOON HAS A LOT OF CALLED HELIUM-3, WHICH IS VERY RARE HERE ON EARTH.  THE AMOUNT OF HELIUM-3 ON THE MOON SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE HUMANS WITH A CLEAN AND LIMITLESS SOURCE OF ENERGY.  LONG STORY SHORT, THE MOON HAS EVERYTHING HUMANS WOULD NEED TO LIVE.  

***BELL RINGS***

D:  ROUND TWO IS OVER.  THAT BRINGS US TO THE ROUND OF ALL ROUNDS.  THE LAST CHANCE FOR OLIVIA AND NOAH TO MAKE THEIR CASE BEFORE YOU GET TO VOTE, AND THEY ONLY HAVE A MEASLY 60 SECONDS TO DO IT.  SURE, I COULD GIVE THEM MORE THAN 60 SECONDS, BUT THAT WOULD BE NO FUN.  WE SPUN THE WHEEL TO SEE WHO GETS TO MAKE THEIR CLOSING ARGUMENT FIRST, AND THE WHEEL LANDED ON OLIVIA.  OKAY OLIVIA, YOU’RE UP.  WHY SHOULD HUMANS COLONIZE THE MOON?

O:  ONE BIG REASON TO COLONIZE THE MOON IS TO BE PREPARED IN CASE WE HAVE ANOTHER MASS EXTINCTION EVENT.  A MASS EXTINCTION EVENT IS WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT KILLS ALMOST ALL OF THE ANIMALS ON THE PLANET.  SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 5 MASS EXTINCTIONS ON EARTH IN THE PAST.  THE MOST RECENT ONE WAS 66 MILLION YEARS AGO, WHEN AN ASTEROID SLAMMED INTO EARTH, KILLING OUT THE DINOSAURS AND MANY OTHER ANIMALS AS WELL.  

BY COLONIZING THE MOON, AND EVENTUALLY SPLITTING THE POPULATION BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE MOON, HUMANS WILL BE BETTER PREPARED IN THE EVENT THERE IS ANOTHER MASS EXTINCTION EVENT HERE ON EARTH.  

ALSO, THE WORLD POPULATION IS GROWING OUT OF CONTROL.  JUST LAST YEAR, THE WORLD POPULATION REACHED 8 BILLION.  WHEN MY DAD WAS BORN IN 1981, THE WORLD POPULATION WAS 4.5 BILLION, A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF WHAT IT IS TODAY.  WHEN MY GRANDFATHER WAS BORN IN 1947, THE WORLD POPULATION WAS 2.4 BILLION, LESS THAN A THIRD OF WHAT IT IS TODAY.  SOON ENOUGH, WE ARE GOING TO LITERALLY RUN OUT OF ROOM FOR EVERYONE ON EARTH.  FINDING ANOTHER PLACE, OUTSIDE OF EARTH, TO LIVE IS GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.  

N:  GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN.  FIRST OFF, WE ARE VERY FAR AWAY FROM RUNNING OUT OF SPACE FOR HUMANS HERE ON EARTH, BUT THERE IS A PLACE WE HAVEN’T DISCUSSED, WHERE HUMANS CAN LIVE, THAT IS CHEAPER AND MUCH CLOSER THAN THE MOON.  HUMANS CAN LIVE IN THE WATER.  THAT’S RIGHT!  71% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE IS COVERED IN WATER.  EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD BE EASIER AND CHEAPER TO BUILD CITIES UNDERWATER ON EARTH COMPARED TO BUILDING CITIES ON THE MOON, NASA SPENDS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR TO OPERATE THE NATIONAL SPACE STATION, BUT NOT MANY PEOPLE TAKE THE IDEA OF LIVING UNDERWATER SERIOUSLY.  

FABIEN COUSTEAU, AN AQUANAUT, IS SERIOUS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR LIVING IN THE OCEAN.  HE AND HIS TEAM ARE BUILDING PROTEUS, WHICH IS LIKE AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR THE SEA.  IT WILL BE AT LEAST 7 TIMES BIGGER THAN ANY PREVIOUS WATER HABITAT, WHICH WILL ALLOW HUMANS TO STAY IN THE SEA FOR LONGER THAN EVER.  NOT ONLY WOULD UNDERWATER CITIES BE EASIER AND LESS COSTLY THAN COLONIZING THE MOON, BUT IT WOULD ALSO KEEP THOSE PEOPLE IN THE UNDERWATER CITIES SAFE FROM MOST MASS EXTINCTION EVENTS.  

***BELL RINGS***

D:  THAT’S IT, KIDDOS, THE END OF ROUND THREE.  DID OLIVIA DO ENOUGH TO CONVINCE EVERYONE IN HER ORBIT THAT WE SHOULD COLONIZE THE MOON?  OR DID NOAH DO ENOUGH TO ECLIPSE THE ARGUMENTS MADE BY OLIVIA, CRATERING ANY CHANCES OF HER WINNING THIS DEBATE?  DO YOU, THE LISTENER, UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THE CHOICE YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE WHEN YOU VOTE ON THIS SHOWDOWN?  AM I MAKING TOO MANY MOON PUNS?  MAYBE I AM, SO IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO WRAP THINGS UP, BUT BEFORE WE DO, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE TO THANK.  

N:  WE WANT TO THANK MATTHEW FOR LEAVING US A 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “GREAT PODCAST.  I THINK KIDS SHOULD NOT HAVE HOMEWORK”.  I LIKE HOW MATTHEW SNUCK HIS VOTE FOR SHOWDOWN #4 INTO A 5 STAR REVIEW.  NICE JOB, MATTHEW.

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, GAVIN AND GRADY B, SARAH ELIZABETH N, AND AUDREY L.        

D:  WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO OUR AMAZING SUPPORTERS ON PATREON.  ALL OUR PATREON SUPPORTERS GET SHOUTOUTS, BONUS EPISODES EVERY OTHER WEEK, BEHIND THE SCENES ACCESS TO EVERYTHING GOING ON AT CURIOUS KID PODCAST HEADQUARTERS, AND SO MUCH MORE, SO CLICK ON THE PATREON LINK IN THE SHOW NOTES TO FIND OUT HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST FOR JUST $0.90 A MONTH.  NEXT WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO DELVE INTO TECHNOLOGY FOR OUR NEXT DEBATE.  JOIN US FOR SHOWDOWN #6 AS OLIVIA AND NOAH DEBATE WHETHER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS GOOD.  YOU’RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS THAT ONE.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO OLIVIA AND NOAH DEBATE IN *** THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN***